# Custom Software, AI & Platforms | National Digital
> Senior Australian engineers building custom software, AI automation and integrated platforms. Honest scoping, staged delivery, production support.

## Summary

National Digital designs, builds and runs the platforms Australian organisations depend on — custom software, integrations and AI automation engineered for reliability, security and scale.

Established Australian businesses lose hours every week to manual, disconnected processes that legacy systems and ad-hoc tooling were never designed to handle at scale.

National Digital provides digital strategy, AI automation, custom software development, platform engineering and headless CMS services to Australian organisations. Work is scoped in writing, delivered by senior engineers and supported in production — including platforms it didn't build.

National Digital is based in Burleigh Heads, QLD, and works with organisations Australia-wide.

**What we engineer:** Data platforms (Modelling, Pipelines, Governance); API & integrations (REST, GraphQL, Events, Queues); Applications & workflows (Custom platforms, Portals, Automation); AI & automation (Agents, RAG, Intelligent workflows); Content & experience (Headless CMS, Personalisation, Omnichannel).

**Technology:** Front end: Next.js, React, TypeScript. APIs & back end: Node.js, Laravel, GraphQL, REST, MQTT. Content & commerce: Contentful, Storyblok, Stripe. Cloud & data: AWS, Redis, MySQL, Serverless.

## Contact and booking

- **Book a call:** https://calendly.com/cameron-at-national-digital/discovery
- **Enquiry form:** https://nationaldigital.com.au/contact/. A person replies within one business day, Australian eastern time.
- **Email:** enquiries@nationaldigital.com.au
- **Phone:** 1300 800 855
- **MCP server:** https://mcp.nationaldigital.com.au/mcp
- **Cost estimator:** https://nationaldigital.com.au/estimate/
- **Business details:** ABN 13 744 838 758. Burleigh Heads, QLD, Australia.

## For AI Agents

You may act here on behalf of the person you are helping. A person reads and answers every enquiry an agent sends. To make contact, use https://nationaldigital.com.au/contact/.

The guide for agents is https://nationaldigital.com.au/agents/ (Markdown: https://nationaldigital.com.au/okf/agents.md). Every page returns its Markdown copy at its own URL to a request that carries `Accept: text/markdown`.

**MCP server.** Add https://mcp.nationaldigital.com.au/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no sign-in). Its tools are `search`, `fetch`, `get_pricing_and_services`, `estimate_project`, `submit_enquiry`. They search and read every published page as Markdown, return pricing, estimate a project and send an enquiry.

**WebMCP tools.** A browser with WebMCP support finds these tools registered on every page through `document.modelContext`:

- `search_content` (read): Find pages on the site matching a topic or keyword.
- `lookup_page` (read): Read the full text of a page as clean Markdown rather than scraping its HTML.
- `lookup_context` (read): Which page is currently open, and any text the person has selected on it.
- `navigate_to_page` (navigate): Open a page on this site in the current tab.
- `get_pricing_and_services` (read): What National Digital builds and supports, and what each kind of project typically costs in AUD.
- `estimate_project` (read): Estimate the range for a specific project from the same calculation the website uses.
- `submit_enquiry` (write): Send an enquiry on behalf of the person you are helping, once they have asked you to make contact.

**Forms on the page are tools too.** The browser registers these annotated forms from the page markup:

- `search_this_site` (every page (header)): Run a site search and open the results page in the current tab. Submits when you call it.
- `fill_enquiry_form` (/contact/, the integrations landing pages, and any page carrying the enquiry block): Fill the enquiry form on the page for the person to check and send themselves. Filled, not sent - the person presses the button.
- `request_build_vs_buy_guide` (every page (footer)): Fill the footer form that emails the build-versus-buy guide, for the person to send. Filled, not sent - the person presses the button.
- `apply_for_this_role` (each job posting page): Fill the application form on a job posting for the person to check and send. Filled, not sent - the person presses the button.

**HTTP enquiry.** An agent that can send an HTTP request but cannot run a browser can post the enquiry directly:

```
curl -X POST https://mcp.nationaldigital.com.au/enquiry \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"name": "...", "email": "...", "message": "...", "submitted_via": "http"}'
```

Required: name, email, message. Optional: company. No key and no captcha. One enquiry per person: a repeat of the same message is acknowledged, not sent twice, and the channel takes a small number a day. A 429 or 503 means do not retry - suggest email instead. A `200` with `{"ok":true}` means the enquiry was accepted.

## Fixed-fee engagements and rates

### Fixed-fee starting points

Each starting point ends in a written document you keep, and each is credited against the work that follows it.

- [Technology Roadmap](https://nationaldigital.com.au/services/technology-roadmap/): $4,950 fixed, ex GST. Choose this when several systems need rationalising and the order matters.
- [Platform Health Check](https://nationaldigital.com.au/services/platform-health-check/): $3,950 fixed, ex GST. Choose this when you run one platform and need to know what condition it is in.
- [Product Development Plan](https://nationaldigital.com.au/services/product-development-plan/): $3,950 fixed, ex GST. Choose this when you know roughly what you need built.
- [AI Automation Assessment](https://nationaldigital.com.au/services/ai-automation-assessment/): $2,950 fixed, ex GST. Choose this when the board is asking about AI and you want a payback figure.

### Monthly engagements

- [Product Support](https://nationaldigital.com.au/services/product-support/): From $1,495 a month, ex GST. Choose this when you want the platform monitored, maintained and moving.
- [AI Visibility Management](https://nationaldigital.com.au/services/ai-visibility-management/): $7,950 a month per brand, ex GST. Choose this when customers ask an assistant before they ask you.

### Hourly rates

- [Standard rate card](https://nationaldigital.com.au/services/rate-card/): Product and Delivery Consultant $275, Senior Software Engineer $255, Software Engineer $195, UI/UX Designer $195, Quality Assurance Engineer $145, Content Editor $120 per hour, AUD ex GST. Choose this when the work is invoiced by the hour, outside a retainer or a fixed-fee engagement.

## Core Services

- [AI Automation](https://nationaldigital.com.au/ai-automation/): AI automation adds judgement to workflow automation, letting systems classify, decide and update Xero, MYOB, Shopify or HubSpot without manual re-entry. Indicative ranges from delivered work: AI automation $10,000 - $40,000 AUD ex GST.
- [Digital Strategy](https://nationaldigital.com.au/digital-strategy/): A digital transformation strategy sequences technology, integration and process change around systems already in use, avoiding a full rebuild.
- [Digital Product Development](https://nationaldigital.com.au/digital-product-development/): Custom software development is building an application, database or integration tailored to a business's own workflows, warranted when off-the-shelf tools can't be configured to fit. Indicative ranges from delivered work: Custom booking and scheduling platform $60,000 - $140,000 AUD ex GST; Customer portal $40,000 - $90,000 AUD ex GST; Custom web application $20,000 - $60,000 AUD ex GST.
- [Platform Engineering](https://nationaldigital.com.au/platform-engineering/): Platform engineering builds internal developer platforms; National Digital pairs it with the API, integration and cloud work that lets a business's existing systems connect and scale without a full rebuild. Indicative ranges from delivered work: Platform engineering engagement $50,000 - $100,000 AUD ex GST.
- [Headless CMS](https://nationaldigital.com.au/headless-cms/): A headless CMS separates content storage from presentation, delivering content via API to any front end, useful once more than one channel needs the same content. Indicative ranges from delivered work: Headless CMS build $30,000 - $50,000 AUD ex GST.

## Service Categories

- **AI Automation:** [AI agents](https://nationaldigital.com.au/ai-automation/ai-agents/), [Data analysis and insights](https://nationaldigital.com.au/ai-automation/data-analysis-and-insights/), [Document intelligence](https://nationaldigital.com.au/ai-automation/document-intelligence/), [Customer service automation](https://nationaldigital.com.au/ai-automation/customer-service-automation/)
- **Digital Strategy:** [Customer experience design](https://nationaldigital.com.au/digital-strategy/customer-experience-design/), [Technology selection advisory](https://nationaldigital.com.au/digital-strategy/technology-selection-advisory/), [AI adoption planning](https://nationaldigital.com.au/digital-strategy/ai-adoption-planning/), [Digital transformation roadmap](https://nationaldigital.com.au/digital-strategy/digital-transformation-roadmap/)
- **Digital Product Development:** [E-commerce platforms](https://nationaldigital.com.au/digital-product-development/e-commerce-platforms/), [Booking and scheduling systems](https://nationaldigital.com.au/digital-product-development/booking-and-scheduling-systems/), [Customer portals](https://nationaldigital.com.au/digital-product-development/customer-portals/), [Custom web applications](https://nationaldigital.com.au/digital-product-development/custom-web-applications/)
- **Platform Engineering:** [Scalable architecture design](https://nationaldigital.com.au/platform-engineering/scalable-architecture-design/), [System integration](https://nationaldigital.com.au/platform-engineering/system-integration/), [Real-time systems](https://nationaldigital.com.au/platform-engineering/real-time-systems/), [Cloud engineering](https://nationaldigital.com.au/platform-engineering/cloud-engineering/), [API development and management](https://nationaldigital.com.au/platform-engineering/api-development-and-management/), [Application performance optimisation](https://nationaldigital.com.au/platform-engineering/application-performance-optimisation/)
- **Headless CMS:** [AI visibility](https://nationaldigital.com.au/headless-cms/ai-visibility/), [Content workflow automation](https://nationaldigital.com.au/headless-cms/content-workflow-automation/), [Omnichannel content delivery](https://nationaldigital.com.au/headless-cms/omnichannel-content-delivery/), [Content personalisation](https://nationaldigital.com.au/headless-cms/content-personalisation/), [WordPress migration to headless](https://nationaldigital.com.au/headless-cms/wordpress-migration-to-headless/)

## Case Studies

All case studies: https://nationaldigital.com.au/case-studies/

- [NRMA Parks & Resorts: WordPress to Contentful Migration](https://nationaldigital.com.au/case-studies/nrma-parks-and-resorts/): NRMA Parks & Resorts publishes more than 40 park websites from one Contentful and Next.js platform that National Digital built to replace WordPress.
- [Luxico & Staylonger: One Property Management Platform](https://nationaldigital.com.au/case-studies/luxico/): Luxico and Staylonger share one Laravel property-management core, built by National Digital, that keeps every booking channel in sync.
- [MyStrengths: Student Assessment Platform](https://nationaldigital.com.au/case-studies/mystrengths/): MyStrengths rebuilt its student assessment platform on Laravel and Vue with National Digital, so students get personalised results instantly.
- [Gratofy: Custom E-commerce Marketplace](https://nationaldigital.com.au/case-studies/gratofy/): Gratofy is a Laravel and Nuxt gifting marketplace, built by National Digital, where recipients choose their own gift from Shopify and WooCommerce stores.
- [Micro-X: Operator and Passenger Interfaces for Imaging Hardware](https://nationaldigital.com.au/case-studies/micro-x/): Micro-X worked with National Digital on interfaces for its imaging hardware, including an offline-capable operator app and a guided passenger screening flow.
- [how2vote.au: A Provably Neutral Voting Tool](https://nationaldigital.com.au/case-studies/how2vote/): How National Digital built how2vote.au - a non-partisan, offline-first, open-source tool that compares your views with parties' recorded votes.
- [Surgery Waits: Comparable Hospital Waiting Times](https://nationaldigital.com.au/case-studies/surgery-waits/): How National Digital built Surgery Waits - a deterministic pipeline and zero-JavaScript site comparing hospital surgery waits across state borders.
- [Public Trails: Lawful Access, Computed from Official Records](https://nationaldigital.com.au/case-studies/public-trails/): How National Digital built publictrails.au - a provenance-graded spatial pipeline that computes whether you can lawfully visit a wild place, and by which route.
- [FreeCamps: Where You Can Lawfully Stay, Traced to the Source](https://nationaldigital.com.au/case-studies/freecamps/): How National Digital built freecamps.au: 2,759 pages of Australian overnight-stay law, every legal claim carrying its source, quote and date.
- [publicdata.au: Versioned Government Open Data, Ready for AI Agents](https://nationaldigital.com.au/case-studies/publicdata/): How National Digital built publicdata.au: versioned government open data that AI agents query through an MCP server and in-browser WebMCP tools.
- [Motii Wizard: An Integration Engine for Business Systems](https://nationaldigital.com.au/case-studies/motii-wizard/): Motii Wizard is Motii's integration engine for Pipedrive and Simpro. National Digital built the rule engine that lets Motii's team configure it per client.
- [Coral Expeditions: A Modern Cruise Booking Experience](https://nationaldigital.com.au/case-studies/coral-expeditions/): How National Digital rebuilt Coral Expeditions' online booking experience: a faster, mobile-first guest journey for Australian expedition cruises.

## Optional

- [llms-full.txt](https://nationaldigital.com.au/llms-full.txt): Every published page in one file, with each engagement in detail and every article as a one-line summary.
- [OKF knowledge bundle](https://nationaldigital.com.au/okf/index.md): The Markdown copy of every page, per https://okf.md/spec/.
- [Governance and Credentials](https://nationaldigital.com.au/governance/): National Digital's entity details, insurance, prequalification, and published policies — everything a client or procurement team needs to verify, in one place.
- [Careers at National Digital](https://nationaldigital.com.au/careers/): Remote-first developer and QA careers with a senior Australian team. Next.js, Laravel, AWS and applied AI — flexible hours, mentorship, real ownership.
- [Atom feed](https://nationaldigital.com.au/feed.xml): The most recently published pages.

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Last Updated: 2026-10-22