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Freelance developer, Canberra ACT

Freelance Software Developer in Canberra

I help Canberra businesses build websites, apps, automations, AI integrations and custom software, working directly with you from the idea through to delivery. One senior developer who understands the problem, designs the solution and builds it.

Discuss your projectSee my work
  • Canberra based
  • Senior full-stack developer
  • Direct developer access
  • Web · Apps · Automation · AI

What I build for Canberra businesses

Organised by what a business needs, not by technology. Every one is built by me, end to end.

All services

  • Custom business software

    If your business has a problem that off-the-shelf software does not solve properly, I build the software around the way your business actually works.

    • Internal management systems and staff portals
    • Customer portals and self-service
    • Quoting, job and reporting systems
    • Custom databases with interfaces people want to use
    • Workflow systems for a process that is yours alone
    • Connecting the platforms you already pay for
    • Replacing the spreadsheet everything secretly runs on
    Web and application development

  • Websites and web applications

    A business website that does its job, or a full web application behind a login. Considerably more than a brochure.

    • Business websites built to be found and to convert
    • Web applications, customer and internal portals
    • Dashboards, booking and membership systems
    • Custom purchasing and e-commerce experiences
    • Improving or rebuilding an existing site
    • Responsive and accessible from the first component
    Web development in detail

  • Business automation

    For the work you are doing by hand that a computer should be doing. The technology is Power Automate, n8n or custom code; the point is the hours you get back.

    • Workflow automation and approvals
    • Data synchronisation between systems
    • Automated document processing and generation
    • Notifications and scheduled processes
    • CRM and business-system integration
    • Removing repetitive administration entirely
    Workflow automation

  • AI integration

    Putting AI to work inside your systems, rather than asking staff to paste things into a chat window. I integrate existing models; I do not train foundation models, and I will say when AI is the wrong tool.

    • AI features added to your existing software
    • Assistants that answer from your own documents (RAG and search)
    • Document analysis, data extraction and classification
    • Summarisation of long inputs into what matters
    • AI-powered workflows combined with automation
    • OpenAI and Microsoft AI integrations, and custom AI interfaces
    AI-powered solutions

  • Mobile and business apps

    Apps for customers, apps for staff, and the backend that makes them work.

    • Mobile applications for iOS and Android from one codebase
    • Internal business apps and employee tools
    • Progressive web apps that install without an app store
    • Customer-facing applications
    • Backend and API development behind the app
    • Improving an app you already have
    App development

  • Microsoft 365 and SharePoint

    If your business runs on Microsoft 365, I build inside it: SharePoint, SPFx, Power Automate and Microsoft Graph. Most of my enterprise and government work has been here, which is the evidence I can deliver at scale.

    • Intranets and internal applications
    • Custom SPFx web parts
    • Microsoft Graph and ecosystem integrations
    • Power Automate workflows
    SharePoint developer in Canberra

I have an idea but I don't know what I need

Most businesses that need software do not search for React, APIs or workflow automation. They know what they want the business to be able to do and not how to build it. That is a fine place to start.

Tell me what you want to happen and I work out the rest with you: what should actually be built, whether software you already own can cover part of it, what should be automated rather than built, which integrations are needed, an architecture that fits your size, a sensible first version, and how it can grow later. You get a plain-language recommendation and an estimate before anything is built.

Tell me what you're trying to do

Sound familiar?

Businesses rarely arrive with a technology in mind. They arrive with one of these.

  • “Too much work is being done manually.”

    I map the process, automate the repetitive steps and leave people with the decisions. Usually Power Automate, n8n or custom code, chosen to fit what you already use.

  • “Our systems don't talk to each other.”

    I connect them through their APIs so data is entered once and flows where it needs to. Where a system has no API, I find the workable route rather than the ideal one.

  • “We have an idea for an app.”

    I help scope a first version that proves the idea without building everything, then design and build it for web, mobile or both.

  • “Our website isn't doing what we need anymore.”

    Sometimes that is a rebuild and sometimes it is targeted improvement. I will tell you which after looking at it, and I build the site and the software behind it.

  • “We're running an important process through spreadsheets.”

    I replace the spreadsheet with a small system: a proper database, an interface built for the job, permissions, and the automation the spreadsheet could never do.

  • “We want to use AI but don't know how to integrate it.”

    I find the place in your operation where AI removes real work, integrate it into the system you already use, and keep a person in the loop where it matters.

  • “We need software built specifically for our business.”

    That is most of what I do. Custom software built around your process, your data and your people, from requirements to deployment.

  • “Our previous developer disappeared.”

    I take over existing code regularly. I assess what is there, secure it, document it and get it moving again, and I hand over properly if we ever part ways.

  • “We have software that needs improving.”

    Performance, reliability, new features, an interface people stopped tolerating. Improving what exists is often the better investment, and I will say if it is not.

Why work directly with a freelance developer?

An agency suits some projects. For a lot of business software, engaging the developer directly removes the layers without removing the capability.

  • You talk to the person building it

    The requirements conversation, the technical decisions and the code all sit with one person. Nothing is lost between a salesperson, an account manager and the developer.

  • Decisions happen in the conversation

    A technical question gets a technical answer on the spot, from someone who will have to live with it, not a follow-up from a different department.

  • Sized to the project

    A two-day automation or a six-month platform. There is no minimum engagement and no team to keep busy.

  • Works with the team you have

    I collaborate with your staff, your IT provider and any existing developers. Plenty of businesses need a developer without needing a full-time one.

  • One person, end to end

    Requirements, design, build, deployment and support, held by one person who has been in the project from the first meeting.

  • Enterprise discipline, small-business scale

    I have led development inside federal government departments. The change control and accessibility discipline come with me; the overhead does not.

I will not claim a freelancer is always cheaper or better than an agency. Some projects need a team, and I will tell you if yours does.

Work I have delivered

A cross-section rather than the whole list. The government and enterprise work shows I can deliver serious software; the rest shows the range.

All projects

Project pages carry what each client permits me to publish. Outcomes I cannot substantiate are not claimed, here or anywhere on the site.

The technology, briefly

Technology is chosen for the problem, not the other way round. These are the tools I use most.

Full tech stack

Web and applications

TypeScript, React and Next.js for the front end; Node.js and Supabase (Postgres, auth, storage) behind it; Expo for mobile. Deployed on Netlify or Azure.

Automation and integration

Power Automate inside Microsoft 365, n8n where a self-hosted workflow engine fits, and custom code when a flow tool would fight the problem. REST and GraphQL APIs, webhooks, Microsoft Graph.

AI

OpenAI and Microsoft AI APIs, retrieval over your own documents (RAG), structured extraction and classification, and the guardrails that make AI output safe to act on.

Microsoft 365

SharePoint Online, SPFx, Microsoft Graph, Power Apps and Power Automate, from years of enterprise and government delivery.

Canberra based, working across Australia

MDT Software Development is based in Canberra, ACT. I work with Canberra and ACT businesses of most shapes: local small and medium businesses, professional services firms, established organisations, not-for-profits and startups with something to prove. We can meet in person when it helps and work remotely when it does not. Businesses elsewhere in Australia get the same developer over Teams or Meet; software work suits remote delivery well. There is no office network and no suburb list, just one developer in Canberra.

About Jayden

I'm Jayden Marquardt, the developer behind MDT Software Development. When you engage MDT you work directly with me, from the first conversation to the last deployment.

I am a senior full-stack software developer based in Canberra, ACT, building since 2017. I have led development teams inside Australian federal government departments, including as Software Development Lead at DFAT, and I have built websites, applications, automations and AI integrations for businesses from a single-owner shop to a global enterprise.

The thread through all of it is the same: understand what the business needs to happen, design something that fits, and build it properly.

Frequently asked questions

The questions Canberra businesses ask before they hire a developer.

How much does a freelance software developer cost in Canberra?

It depends on what is being built. A small automation or website change is priced very differently from a custom platform, so I quote each project on its scope rather than publishing a rate card. Working directly with me removes agency overhead from the engagement, though I will not promise it is always cheaper. Describe what you need and you get an estimate with the assumptions written down, before any commitment.

Can you build software specifically for my business?

Yes. Custom business software is most of what I do: internal systems, portals, quoting and reporting tools, and workflow systems built around your process rather than a generic one. I start with how the business actually works and design the software to fit it.

Can you build a website and the software behind it?

Yes, and that is usually the right way to do it. The public website, the customer portal behind the login, the admin interface staff use and the automation that connects them can be one system built by one developer, instead of three vendors who each own a piece.

Can you build mobile apps?

Yes. I build cross-platform mobile apps for iOS and Android from a single codebase, plus the backend and APIs they depend on. Where an app store is unnecessary, a progressive web app can do the job with less friction.

Can you automate manual business processes?

Yes. I map the process first, then automate the repetitive parts with Power Automate, n8n or custom code depending on what you already use. Approvals, document generation, data synchronisation, notifications and scheduled jobs are the usual candidates.

Can you add AI to my existing business software?

Yes. I integrate models from OpenAI and Microsoft into software you already run: assistants that answer from your documents, extraction from forms and emails, classification, summarisation and AI steps inside a workflow. I do not train foundation models, and I will tell you when AI is not the right answer.

Can you connect two systems that don't currently integrate?

Almost always. Most systems have an API, and I build the integration that keeps them in sync. Where one has no API, there is usually a workable route through exports, email or automation, and I will be honest about how robust each option is.

Can you improve software built by another developer?

Yes. I read the code, assess it honestly, and tell you whether to improve or replace it. Improving what exists is often the better investment. The work covers performance, reliability, security, new features and interfaces.

Can you take over an existing project?

Yes. Taking over from a developer who has left or a vendor who has stopped responding is common. I secure access, document what is there, stabilise it and then get it moving again. If we ever part ways you get a clean handover, because I have seen what the alternative costs.

Do you work with small businesses?

Yes. Small and medium businesses are a large part of my work, and small projects are welcome. There is no minimum engagement size.

Do you provide ongoing development after launch?

Yes. Ongoing development can be a retainer for small changes and support, ad-hoc work as needs arise, or a longer roadmap delivered in stages. Software that is never touched again after launch rarely stays useful.

Do you work outside Canberra?

Yes. I am based in Canberra and can meet Canberra and ACT clients in person, and I work remotely with businesses anywhere in Australia. Most software work suits remote delivery well.

What's the difference between custom software and off-the-shelf software?

Off-the-shelf software is built for the average business in a category and you adapt your process to it. Custom software is built for your process. Off the shelf is right when a product genuinely fits and cheap to start; custom is right when the fit is poor, the process is a competitive advantage, or you are paying staff to work around the gaps. Often the answer is both: an off-the-shelf core with custom software around it.

I have an idea but don't know what technology I need. Can you help?

Yes, and that is the normal starting point. Tell me what you want the business to be able to do and I work out what should be built, what can be bought, what should be automated and what to leave for later. You get a plain-language recommendation and an estimate before anything is built.

Can you build an MVP?

Yes. A minimum viable product is the smallest version that proves the idea with real users. I help cut the scope to what matters, build it quickly on a foundation that can grow, and plan the next stages so the MVP does not have to be thrown away.

Go deeper

Have a project, a problem or an idea?

You do not need to know what technology you need or which service to pick. Tell me what you want the business to be able to do, in your own words.

  1. 1.Send a few lines about what you are trying to do
  2. 2.I come back with questions, or a straight answer if it is simple
  3. 3.You get a recommendation and an estimate with the assumptions written down
Discuss your project