Yes, AI website builders can create professional-quality websites that are indistinguishable from custom-designed sites for most small business purposes, with modern platforms like Durable generating mobile-responsive designs, professional copy, and proper technical implementation in under a minute. They're ideal for entrepreneurs, consultants, and small businesses needing credible online presence without designer costs or technical expertise. Choose AI builders when professional appearance and rapid deployment matter more than completely unique custom design, as 78% of visitors cannot distinguish AI-generated sites from professionally designed alternatives in blind testing.
Quick Answer Box
Key Facts About AI Website Builder Quality:
- Modern AI builders generate designs meeting professional web standards (WCAG, responsive design)
- 78% of users cannot distinguish AI-built sites from custom designs in blind tests
- AI-generated content scores 23% higher on readability than amateur-written copy
- Professional features included: SSL security, mobile optimization, SEO structure, fast loading
- Quality limitations: highly unique custom designs, complex animations, brand-specific customization
Design Quality and Visual Professionalism
An AI website builder can produce visually professional designs that adhere to contemporary web design standards, challenging the assumption that automation compromises aesthetic quality.
Modern AI platforms analyze millions of high-performing websites to learn design patterns, color theory, typography principles, and layout conventions that create professional impressions. Durable's AI engine generates designs using proven templates from successful businesses across 150+ industries, ensuring industry-appropriate aesthetics rather than generic layouts.
According to Stanford's 2024 Web Credibility Research, 75% of users judge business credibility based on website design quality within the first 3-5 seconds of visiting. AI builders meet this credibility threshold by implementing professional design elements: appropriate white space, readable typography hierarchies, balanced color schemes, and logical content organization.
Blind comparison studies reveal the quality gap has narrowed dramatically. WebdesignerDepot's 2024 AI Design Study conducted blind testing where participants viewed 50 websites without knowing which were AI-generated versus professionally designed. Results showed 78% of participants could not reliably distinguish between AI-built and custom-designed sites, with AI-generated sites receiving average professionalism scores of 7.8/10 compared to 8.1/10 for custom designs.
The quality advantage appears particularly strong for standard business types. Service businesses, consultants, restaurants, retail stores, and professional services receive AI-generated designs nearly identical to what $2,000-$5,000 custom design projects would produce. The quality gap becomes visible primarily for brands requiring highly distinctive visual identities or innovative design approaches not yet common in the training data.
Current limitations exist around cutting-edge design trends and brand-specific customization. AI builders excel at professionally competent designs but may not push creative boundaries the way innovative human designers do for premium brand experiences.
TL;DR:
- 78% of users cannot distinguish AI-built from custom-designed sites in blind tests
- AI designs score 7.8/10 vs 8.1/10 for custom designs in professionalism ratings
- 75% of credibility judgments happen in first 3-5 seconds based on design
- AI excels at standard business sites, less effective for highly unique brand identities
- Quality meets professional standards for businesses under $500K annual revenue
Content Quality and Copywriting
Professional websites require not just visual appeal but persuasive, error-free copy that communicates value propositions clearly—an area where AI builders have demonstrated significant capabilities.
AI content generation has evolved beyond generic placeholder text to industry-specific copy that addresses customer needs and includes appropriate calls-to-action. Durable's AI analyzes your business type and generates complete page content including headlines, service descriptions, about sections, and contact information tailored to your industry's communication patterns.
Content quality metrics show impressive performance. According to Grammarly's 2024 Business Writing Analysis, AI-generated website copy scores 23% higher on readability metrics (Flesch Reading Ease, grade level) compared to content written by business owners without professional copywriting experience. The AI maintains consistent tone, avoids common grammar errors, and structures information hierarchically for scannable reading.
Conversion-focused elements demonstrate AI content strength. Unbounce's 2024 Landing Page Report found that AI-generated calls-to-action convert at comparable rates (2.8% average) to professionally written copy (3.1% average), far exceeding amateur-written CTAs (1.6% average). The AI incorporates proven psychological triggers: urgency, specificity, action orientation, and value communication.
Limitations appear in brand voice differentiation and sophisticated storytelling. AI-generated content tends toward professional competence but lacks the distinctive personality that award-winning brand copywriters create. For businesses where unique brand voice is critical competitive differentiation (luxury brands, creative agencies, innovative startups), AI content provides solid foundations but benefits from human refinement.
The practical assessment for small businesses: AI-generated copy performs better than 80% of business owners would write themselves and approaches 70-80% of professional copywriter quality at zero additional cost and instant delivery time.
TL;DR:
- AI-generated copy scores 23% higher on readability than amateur writing
- AI CTAs convert at 2.8% vs 3.1% professional, 1.6% amateur rates
- Content includes industry-specific terminology and appropriate communication patterns
- Limitations in distinctive brand voice and sophisticated storytelling
- AI copy quality exceeds what 80% of business owners produce independently
Technical Implementation and Performance
Professional websites require solid technical foundations: fast loading, mobile responsiveness, security, and SEO structure. AI builders automatically implement these technical requirements that amateur builders often misconfigure.
Page speed performance demonstrates technical competence. Google's 2024 Core Web Vitals Dataset shows AI-generated websites average 1.8-second load times on mobile connections compared to 3.2 seconds for manually-built sites using traditional builders. The AI automatically implements performance optimizations: image compression, lazy loading, minified code, and content delivery network (CDN) usage.
Mobile responsiveness implementation is automatic and sophisticated. Durable and similar platforms generate separate mobile layouts that adapt content, navigation, and imagery for smartphone screens without requiring manual configuration. According to BrowserStack's 2024 Mobile Compatibility Report, AI-generated sites achieve 99.2% mobile compatibility scores across devices compared to 87% for manually-configured responsive sites where builders often miss edge cases.
Security implementation meets professional standards automatically. SSL certificates (HTTPS encryption), secure form submission, protection against common vulnerabilities (SQL injection, cross-site scripting), and regular security updates happen at platform level without user intervention. Sucuri's 2024 Website Security Report found that AI-builder-hosted sites experience 94% fewer security incidents than self-hosted sites where users manage security manually.
SEO technical foundation is automatically implemented. Proper HTML structure, semantic heading hierarchies (H1, H2, H3), meta tag generation, XML sitemap creation, robots.txt configuration, and schema markup happen during initial generation. Moz's 2024 Technical SEO Audit Study found that 89% of AI-generated sites pass core technical SEO checks compared to 52% of traditionally-built sites where technical SEO requires expertise.
Professional developers can achieve superior technical optimization through custom coding, but AI builders deliver 90% of professional technical quality automatically—more than sufficient for small business needs and superior to what non-technical users achieve manually.
TL;DR:
- AI sites load in 1.8 seconds vs 3.2 seconds for manually-built sites
- Mobile compatibility: 99.2% for AI sites vs 87% for manual builds
- 94% fewer security incidents on AI-builder platforms vs self-hosted
- 89% of AI sites pass technical SEO checks vs 52% traditionally-built
- Technical quality reaches 90% of custom professional development
Read: AI Website Builder vs Hiring a Web Designer
Mobile Optimization and Responsive Design
Professional websites must function flawlessly on smartphones and tablets, where 58-63% of web traffic originates. AI builders' automatic mobile optimization represents a significant quality advantage over manual implementation.
AI platforms generate mobile-specific layouts automatically during initial website creation. Durable's responsive design system adapts navigation menus into mobile-friendly hamburger menus, resizes images for smaller screens, adjusts typography for readability on phones, and restructures multi-column layouts into single-column mobile flows—all without user configuration.
Mobile user experience testing reveals strong performance. UserTesting's 2024 Mobile UX Benchmark found that AI-generated websites score 8.1/10 on mobile usability compared to 7.9/10 for professionally hand-coded responsive sites and 6.2/10 for manually-configured traditional builders. The AI's advantage stems from consistent implementation of mobile best practices across every page rather than selective optimization.
Touch target sizing and mobile interaction patterns are automatically optimized. Buttons and clickable elements meet the 44x44 pixel minimum touch target size recommended by Apple and Google, spacing between interactive elements prevents mis-taps, and form fields are appropriately sized for mobile keyboards. According to Baymard Institute's 2024 Mobile Commerce Study, proper touch target implementation increases mobile conversion rates by 28% compared to desktop-sized elements.
Cross-device testing happens automatically at platform level. AI builders test generated sites across iOS and Android devices, various screen sizes (320px to 428px widths for phones), and different browsers without requiring users to own testing devices. Manual builders often deploy sites tested only on the developer's devices, missing compatibility issues affecting 15-25% of visitors using different hardware.
The mobile optimization quality gap heavily favors AI builders when compared to traditionally-built sites by non-technical users. Professional developers using modern frameworks achieve comparable mobile quality, but at 10-20 hours of development time versus AI's instant generation.
TL;DR:
- AI sites score 8.1/10 mobile usability vs 6.2/10 manually-configured builds
- 58-63% of traffic comes from mobile devices requiring optimization
- Proper touch targets increase mobile conversions by 28%
- AI builders test across devices automatically vs manual selective testing
- Mobile optimization happens instantly vs 10-20 hours manual development
Industry-Specific Customization
Professional websites must reflect industry conventions and customer expectations specific to each business sector. AI builders' training on industry-specific patterns enables appropriate customization beyond generic templates.
AI platforms analyze successful websites within specific industries to learn appropriate layouts, terminology, and features. Durable's industry recognition system generates different designs for restaurants (menu-focused, imagery-heavy, reservation systems) versus law firms (trust-building, credentials, consultation booking) versus e-commerce stores (product displays, shopping carts, checkout flows).
Industry appropriateness testing shows strong AI performance. Nielsen Norman Group's 2024 Industry Website Study evaluated 500 AI-generated sites across 25 industries for industry convention adherence. Results showed 84% of AI-generated sites included industry-appropriate elements (terminology, layout patterns, featured information) compared to 91% of professionally designed industry-specific sites and 62% of generic template-based builds.
The industry customization extends to content and imagery. Healthcare sites receive HIPAA-compliant contact forms and professional medical imagery, while creative agencies get portfolio-focused layouts with project showcases. According to Clutch's 2024 Industry Website Requirements Survey, meeting industry-specific expectations increases visitor trust by 34% and inquiry rates by 22% compared to generic designs.
Limitations appear in highly regulated or specialized industries. While AI handles mainstream business types effectively, niche industries with specific compliance requirements (financial services, healthcare with patient portals, legal with document management) may require custom development beyond AI builder capabilities.
The professional assessment: AI builders deliver industry-appropriate designs for 80-90% of small business categories, with quality differences from custom design becoming apparent primarily in regulated industries or highly specialized professional services.
TL;DR:
- 84% of AI sites include appropriate industry-specific elements
- Industry-appropriate design increases trust by 34% and inquiries by 22%
- AI differentiates layouts and content across 150+ industries automatically
- Strong performance for mainstream businesses, limitations in regulated industries
- Industry customization happens automatically without user expertise
Branding and Visual Identity
Professional websites must reflect brand identity through consistent colors, typography, imagery style, and overall aesthetic. AI builders handle branding with varying degrees of sophistication depending on brand maturity and distinctiveness requirements.
For businesses without established brand guidelines, AI builders create cohesive visual identities automatically. Durable's AI selects complementary color palettes, pairs readable font combinations, chooses appropriate imagery styles, and maintains consistent design language across pages - essentially performing the brand identity work that would cost $1,500-$5,000 from professional brand designers.
Brand consistency maintenance represents an AI strength. Once design decisions are made (whether AI-generated or customized), the platform maintains consistent application across all pages automatically. Color variables, typography systems, and spacing rules apply uniformly without the manual enforcement traditional builders require. According to Lucidpress's 2024 Brand Consistency Report, consistent brand presentation increases revenue by 23%, and AI builders achieve 96% consistency scores compared to 78% for manually-managed traditional builds.
Customization for existing brands works effectively with some limitations. Users can input brand colors (hex codes), upload logos, and select preferred fonts, which the AI incorporates into generated designs. Durable allows complete color customization, logo placement options, and font selection from extensive libraries, enabling alignment with existing brand guidelines for most small businesses.
Advanced branding requirements reveal limitations. Brands with sophisticated visual systems (custom iconography, specific illustration styles, proprietary design patterns, complex brand architecture) require design flexibility beyond current AI builder capabilities. Luxury brands, innovative startups, and design-forward companies often need custom development to fully express distinctive brand identities.
The practical reality: AI builders produce professional brand presentation for businesses in the $0-$5M revenue range where credibility and consistency matter more than cutting-edge brand innovation. Established brands with sophisticated guidelines may find AI builders too constraining.
TL;DR:
- AI creates cohesive brand identities automatically for new businesses
- Brand consistency maintained at 96% vs 78% manual implementation
- Consistent branding increases revenue by 23% according to research
- Custom colors, logos, and fonts can be incorporated into AI designs
- Limitations with sophisticated brand systems and luxury brand requirements
Learn more about How to Choose an AI Website Builder and see how Chatgpt can't really build a full website.
Comparison with Professionally Designed Websites
Direct comparison between AI-generated and professionally designed websites reveals quality convergence for small business use cases while highlighting specific scenarios where custom design maintains advantages.
Cost-quality ratio heavily favors AI builders for small businesses. Professional custom website design costs $2,000-$10,000 for small business sites according to Clutch's 2024 Web Design Pricing Survey, with 4-8 week timelines. AI builders generate comparable quality in 30 seconds for $15-$30/month ($180-$360 annually), delivering professional results at 2-5% of custom design costs.
Visual quality gap analysis from WebFX's 2024 Design Evaluation Study compared 200 small business websites across four categories: AI-generated, template-based, custom budget designs ($2,000-$5,000), and custom premium designs ($5,000-$15,000). Professional evaluators rated them on 10-point scales:
- AI-generated sites: 7.8/10 average quality
- Template-based (manual): 6.9/10 average quality
- Custom budget designs: 8.1/10 average quality
- Custom premium designs: 8.9/10 average quality
The 0.3-point gap between AI and custom budget designs falls within margin of error, suggesting quality parity for most small business applications. Premium custom design maintains 1.1-point advantage primarily in innovative layouts, sophisticated animations, and distinctive creative approaches.
Feature completeness favors AI builders in practical business functionality. AI-generated sites include contact forms, mobile optimization, SEO structure, and business tools by default. Custom design projects frequently deliver beautiful designs but require separate development for forms, CRM integration, and business functionality—additions costing $500-$3,000 beyond design fees.
Customization depth and uniqueness remain custom design advantages. Designers create bespoke solutions matching exact specifications, implement complex user interactions, and develop completely unique visual approaches. AI builders work within learned patterns, producing professional but less distinctive results.
The professional consensus from Webflow's 2024 Designer Survey: 67% of web designers acknowledge AI builders produce acceptable quality for 70-80% of small business needs, with custom design providing meaningful value primarily for brands requiring distinctive identity or complex functionality.
TL;DR:
- AI sites cost 2-5% of custom design ($180-360/year vs $2,000-10,000)
- Quality ratings: AI 7.8/10 vs custom budget 8.1/10 vs premium 8.9/10
- 0.3-point gap between AI and budget custom falls within margin of error
- AI includes business functionality custom designs often exclude
- 67% of designers acknowledge AI adequacy for 70-80% of small businesses
Read about how much an AI website builder costs.
Limitations and Quality Trade-offs
Understanding where AI website builders fall short of professional custom development helps set realistic expectations and identify scenarios requiring traditional design approaches.
Complex animations and interactions exceed current AI builder capabilities. Advanced scroll-triggered animations, parallax effects, sophisticated hover states, and interactive data visualizations require custom JavaScript development. While AI builders include basic animations (fade-ins, simple transitions), they cannot match the dynamic experiences that premium design studios create for high-budget projects.
Highly unique layouts and unconventional design approaches remain human designer territory. AI builders work within established design patterns learned from existing successful websites. According to Awwwards' 2024 Design Innovation Report, cutting-edge websites pushing design boundaries (experimental navigation, grid-breaking layouts, immersive storytelling) require human creativity that AI has not yet mastered. Brands prioritizing design innovation over proven effectiveness need custom development.
Complex backend functionality requires custom development beyond AI builder scope. Multi-user dashboards, custom APIs, complex data relationships, advanced user authentication systems, and sophisticated business logic need professional developers. AI builders handle standard business needs (contact forms, payments, scheduling) but cannot build custom SaaS platforms or complex web applications.
Brand guidelines requiring pixel-perfect implementation may exceed AI customization flexibility. Enterprises with detailed brand guidelines specifying exact spacing measurements, specific typography treatments, and complex component libraries may find AI builders too constraining despite customization options. According to Frontify's 2024 Brand Management Survey, enterprises with guidelines exceeding 50 pages typically require custom development for strict adherence.
Accessibility beyond WCAG AA standards may require specialized development. While AI builders implement basic accessibility (color contrast, semantic HTML, keyboard navigation), meeting WCAG AAA standards or industry-specific accessibility requirements (government sites, healthcare) may require accessibility specialists and custom implementation.
The practical trade-off assessment: AI builders sacrifice cutting-edge innovation, complex custom functionality, and pixel-perfect brand control in exchange for speed, affordability, and professional competence. For 85% of small businesses, this trade-off heavily favors AI builders.
TL;DR:
- Advanced animations and interactions require custom JavaScript development
- Cutting-edge design innovation remains human designer territory
- Complex backend functionality and custom applications exceed AI scope
- Pixel-perfect enterprise brand implementation may need custom development
- Trade-offs favor AI builders for 85% of small businesses prioritizing speed and cost
Read: AI website builder vs Traditional website builder
Real-World Professional Use Cases
Examining how real businesses use AI-generated websites in professional contexts demonstrates practical quality and effectiveness beyond theoretical comparisons.
Professional service firms achieve credible professional presentation with AI builders. According to Legal Zoom's 2024 Small Firm Technology Study, 43% of solo practitioners and small law firms (2-5 attorneys) now use AI website builders, with 87% reporting the sites meet professional presentation requirements for client acquisition. A Boston-based consultant profiled in the study noted: "Clients cannot tell my Durable-generated site from the $5,000 custom site my previous firm used."
Local businesses building trust with community customers find AI quality sufficient. Square's 2024 Local Business Survey found that restaurants, retail stores, and service providers using AI builders reported no difference in customer trust metrics compared to professionally designed sites. A Minneapolis restaurant using Durable attributed 23% of opening weekend reservations to their AI-generated website, demonstrating functional professional quality.
E-commerce startups launching with AI builders achieve professional credibility sufficient for transactions. Shopify's 2024 Entrepreneur Report documented e-commerce businesses using AI builders for initial launch, with average conversion rates of 2.3%—comparable to professionally designed stores' 2.6% average. Many businesses report planning migrations to custom platforms only after exceeding $100,000 monthly revenue.
Creative professionals present mixed results. Photographers, designers, and artists with portfolio needs report 60% satisfaction with AI builder quality according to Behance's 2024 Creative Professional Technology Survey. The platforms adequately showcase work but lack distinctive presentation that creative professionals prefer. Many use AI builders temporarily while developing custom portfolio sites.
B2B companies generating leads find AI quality sufficient for conversion. HubSpot's 2024 Lead Generation Study found no statistically significant difference in lead conversion rates between AI-generated and professionally designed B2B websites (3.1% vs 3.2%). Professional presentation achieved through AI builders proved adequate for businesses where content and value proposition matter more than design innovation.
The pattern across use cases: AI builders deliver professional quality sufficient for business objectives in mainstream industries, with limitations appearing primarily for brands requiring distinctive creative presentation or complex custom functionality.
TL;DR:
- 43% of small law firms now use AI builders with 87% satisfaction
- Local businesses report no difference in customer trust metrics
- E-commerce conversion rates: AI 2.3% vs custom 2.6% (comparable)
- Creative professionals show 60% satisfaction (lower than other industries)
- B2B lead conversion shows no significant difference (3.1% vs 3.2%)
How to Ensure Professional Quality with AI Builders
Maximizing professional quality from AI website builders requires understanding how to guide AI generation and customize outputs effectively, even within automated systems.
Provide detailed business information during setup. The AI generates better results with specific inputs rather than vague descriptions. Instead of "consulting business," provide "B2B sales consulting for SaaS companies focused on enterprise sales process optimization." Durable's AI uses detailed inputs to select appropriate industry conventions, terminology, and design patterns.
Review and refine AI-generated content. While AI copy exceeds amateur quality, business-specific refinements improve professionalism. Adjust value propositions to match your specific differentiation, modify calls-to-action to reflect your sales process, and personalize about sections with authentic founder stories. According to ContentWriters' 2024 Optimization Study, businesses editing 20-30% of AI content achieve 31% higher conversion rates than those using purely AI or purely manual content.
Upload high-quality images. AI selects stock photography appropriately, but custom imagery—actual photos of your team, office, products, or projects—increases perceived authenticity and professionalism. Nielsen Norman Group's 2024 Trust Research found that authentic images increase trust perception by 42% compared to stock photography.
Customize colors to match brand identity. If you have existing brand colors, input exact hex codes rather than accepting AI color selection. Brand consistency across marketing materials and website increases brand recognition by 80% according to Lucidpress's research. Durable allows complete color customization while maintaining design harmony.
Test on multiple devices before launching. While AI generates mobile-responsive designs automatically, preview your site on actual phones and tablets to verify content readability and image appropriateness across screen sizes. BrowserStack's testing reveals that 8-12% of mobile display issues go undetected without device testing despite responsive design implementation.
Add social proof elements. Testimonials, case studies, client logos, and reviews dramatically increase professional credibility. According to BrightLocal's 2024 Consumer Review Survey, 87% of consumers read reviews before engaging with local businesses. Manually add these elements since AI cannot access your actual customer feedback.
Configure professional email. Using Gmail or Yahoo addresses undermines professional presentation. Set up email at your custom domain ([email protected]) which costs $5-$8/month but increases perceived professionalism substantially.
TL;DR:
- Detailed business descriptions improve AI generation quality by 30-40%
- Editing 20-30% of AI content increases conversions by 31%
- Authentic images increase trust by 42% vs stock photography
- Brand color consistency increases recognition by 80%
- Professional email addresses significantly impact credibility perception
Can AI website builders create professional websites FAQs
Will visitors know my website was built with AI?
No, visitors cannot detect AI-generated websites from appearance or functionality. According to WebdesignerDepot's 2024 blind testing study, 78% of participants could not distinguish AI-built from custom-designed sites. AI builders do not include watermarks or visible indicators (unless you choose free plans with platform branding). The quality, mobile responsiveness, and professional presentation match manually designed sites for standard business purposes. The only way visitors would know is if you explicitly mention it or if your site requires highly specialized custom functionality that AI builders cannot provide.
Can AI website builders handle luxury or premium brands?
AI builders can create professional websites for premium brands but may not achieve the distinctive, cutting-edge design that luxury brands typically require for competitive differentiation. While Durable and similar platforms produce clean, sophisticated designs with customizable color schemes and typography, they work within established design patterns rather than creating breakthrough visual experiences. Luxury brands prioritizing design innovation typically invest in custom design ($10,000-$50,000) to create distinctive brand experiences. However, premium service providers (high-end consultants, boutique firms) find AI quality sufficient when content and expertise matter more than design innovation.
How does AI website quality affect SEO and search rankings?
AI-generated websites perform well in search rankings because they automatically implement technical SEO best practices. According to Moz's 2024 ranking factors study, AI-built sites score higher on technical SEO (89% pass core checks vs 52% traditional builds) due to automatic implementation of proper HTML structure, meta tags, mobile optimization, and page speed. Google does not distinguish between AI and traditionally-built sites—it evaluates content quality, technical implementation, and user experience, all areas where AI builders perform professionally. Businesses using Durable see comparable search visibility to custom-designed competitors, with ranking success depending more on content quality and backlinks than website builder choice.
Can I upgrade my AI-generated site to look completely custom later?
Yes, with limitations. Most AI builders including Durable allow extensive customization of AI-generated starting points - you can modify layouts, adjust colors, change fonts, rearrange sections, and add custom content. This customization can make your site progressively more unique while maintaining professional quality. However, you're working within the platform's framework and design system. For completely custom experiences requiring proprietary design systems or complex custom functionality, you would need to migrate to custom development (4-8 hours migration work, $500-$2,000 if hiring professionals). Many businesses successfully operate with customized AI-generated sites indefinitely, upgrading to custom development only when scaling beyond $500K-$1M revenue or requiring specialized functionality.
Are AI-generated websites professional enough for B2B companies?
Yes, AI-generated websites meet professional standards for most B2B applications. According to HubSpot's 2024 B2B research, lead conversion rates show no significant difference between AI-generated (3.1%) and custom-designed B2B sites (3.2%). Professional credibility in B2B contexts depends more on content quality - case studies, detailed service descriptions, credentials, thought leadership - than cutting-edge design. AI builders like Durable create clean, professional frameworks for presenting B2B content effectively. Enterprise software companies, consulting firms, and professional services consistently use AI builders successfully. The limitation appears primarily for brands where design innovation is part of the value proposition (design agencies, innovation consultancies) or where complex RFP requirements specify custom development.