Deloitte states that SMEs spend $5,000 to $15,000 for a single bot acquisition, while enterprises could spend over $20 million for a complete RPA solution (with engineering, testing, development, and more) of over 500 bots that can displace at least 1,000 employees, resulting in $100 million in savings.
Robotic process automation services are expensive. However, Mckinsey estimates a 200% ROI in just the first year of deployment and a cost savings of 20 to 25%. Here, we discuss the factors behind the high robotic process automation costs.
Table of Contents
Software, Infrastructure, and Licensing
There are plenty of RPA vendors offering RPA tools and development platforms. These vendors like IBM, Automation Anywhere, UiPath, and Microsoft Power Automate, are driving the global RPA market to a value of over $45 billion in 2030. But your RPA package will depend on:
- Types of bots (unattended versus attended bots)
- Number of bots
- Deployment environment (on-premises vs. cloud)
- Frequency of usage
- Other premium functionalities (AI Builders, optical character recognition, etc.)
Let’s look at some examples:
UiPath Pricing Package
UiPath offers two payment packages for small business enterprises:
- UiPath Pro (starting from $420/month): 3 separate environments (e.g., sales, customer service, and HR), 25 attended and unattended bot licenses, 1 apps center, 1 action center, and 1 orchestrator.
- UiPath Enterprise package: 100 automation express licenses, an undisclosed number of bots, and additional products such as process discovery, test management, and AI analytics.
Automation Anywhere
In contrast, Automation Anywhere’s basic package is the cloud starter pack priced at $750/month. This includes 1 control room, 1 unattended bot, and 1 bot creator. Every additional attended or unattended bot costs $125/month or $500/month.
What Does an RPA Development, Deployment and Implementation Developer Do?
RPA Analysts and Consulting
So first, who do you hire? Hiring an RPA developer or consultant may cost between $150 to $250 per hour. In contrast, you might pay a Fortune 500 consulting firm about $500 per hour.
Production and Configuration
Next, production and testing may require additional fees or be included in your consulting fee. A smaller RPA firm may be flexible, allowing you to choose what aspects of production and testing to pay for. You may also opt to purchase your RPA testing tools, which cost an average of $5,000. There are also additional costs to set up your bot systems, including monitoring, configuration, and installing RPA in your underlying applications.
Testing and Training
After installing your RPA solutions, you may have to test and validate how they affect different areas of your business. You must also consider the cost of training your employees to use these systems.
RPA Maintenance, Scaling and Support
As with any other software, you need to upgrade your systems regularly. This does not only mean upgrades to your RPA solutions but also upgrades to your existing software applications. For instance, any upgrade to your administrative software might require you to upgrade your RPA solutions as well. Beyond that, you may also incur additional costs for:
- Preventative maintenance
- Hiring dedicated management for your RPA environment
- Bot performance tests to monitor compliance
- Ongoing training for your staff after upgrades.
Conclusion
Robotic process automation is now a necessity to remain competitive as a business. But considering how much it’s going to cost you is also vital. That said, creating an implementation strategy from the onset will help you minimize expenses. With the right RPA team, you can access cost-effective robotic process automation services that ensure relatively fast returns on investment.
If you would like to get a quote for your RPA project, leave us a note and we can discuss next steps.