Before we take any new development job the first thing we do is research the possible options in the app store. If there is another app that already meets the needs of a potential customer, our advice is always to purchase the existing option. However, sometimes a customer has already found an app they like, but it doesn’t quite have all the functionality they require. In order to get the functionality they need, they’re assume they’re going to have to develop their own solution. But is that really the only option?
Earlier this year apple created the Volume Purchasing Program (http://www.apple.com/business/vpp/). As the program states, regardless of whether or not you are purchasing for 10 or 10,000 the program can work for you. An option of this program, and probably the largest benefit, is to get custom versions of existing apps without the need for an enterprise account. With this program, you can negotiate with developers to create custom versions of existing apps that better fit your needs. These versions can be distributed via the app store to only the users you specify, and no additional setup is required on the device.
Since Apple has implemented this program, custom versions have become our most popular request. If you have a custom version of one of our products you would like to discuss, feel free to contact us. If you need assistance negotiating a custom version of another developer’s product, we’re available to help with that as well.