Guides
How IT support pricing works in Macao
The same words, “IT support”, can mean a monthly plan, a per-visit fee, a project or a licence purchase. The difference in price usually comes from scope, not from who is cheapest.
Definition
IT support cost is normally made of four parts: monthly managed service (per device or per user), per-visit on-site work, project work, and licence or hardware supply. They can be combined, but they should always be listed separately.
Four common pricing models
Know which one you are buying before comparing numbers.
- Monthly managed: per device or per user, with day-to-day support and fixed response times
- Per visit: charged when something happens — fits firms with very few incidents and in-house cover
- Per project: shop fit-out, office moves, network or weak-current works, system rebuilds
- Licences and hardware: Microsoft 365, Adobe, NAS — quoted by seat or by batch
Six things that move the number
“Ten PCs” can be priced very differently, because of these six:
- Device count and type (desktop, laptop, server, NAS)
- Number and spread of sites (Peninsula, Taipa, Cotai, Coloane)
- Whether servers, virtualisation or in-house systems are involved
- Response time required (office hours versus 24/7)
- Frequency of inspection, reporting and health checks
- Whether licences, maintenance and hardware are bundled
Why most companies do not publish a price list
A fixed number either gets raised later or the service gets cut — both damage the relationship. Our sequence is: free check, written scope, then a quote. Pricing follows the scope, and nothing is published as a “from” figure.
The benefit to you: you can take the same written scope and compare quotes from different suppliers.
Five questions when comparing quotes
The same price can buy completely different things.
- Is on-site included? How many visits? What does extra cost?
- Are response times written into the contract?
- Is there a written report after each service?
- How is out-of-scope work priced, and when does it need approval?
- How long is the term, and how are accounts and data handed back?
Keeping the budget controllable
Three habits: phase the work (start with the one or two areas that hurt most), separate “must do” from “can wait” in writing, and plan licences and hardware annually instead of replacing everything at once. These usually save more than haggling.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a published price list?
No. IT support scope varies too much for a single figure to be honest. The process is a free check, a written scope, then a quote — pricing follows the scope.
Monthly or per visit — which is better value?
It depends on failure frequency and the cost of downtime. Frequent outages and many people depending on the system favour a monthly plan; one or two incidents a year may favour per-visit. An assessment first makes the choice clear.
Are Microsoft or Adobe licences included in the monthly fee?
Usually listed separately, because licences are priced by seat and by year, which is a different thing from support scope. Quotes itemise them so you can budget separately.
Want a scope that is written down?
A free IT health check aligns device count, sites and inspection frequency before any written scope and quote.
