Eight things to include in a web developer contract

When writing a contract for your developer, here are eight things to look out for and agree on.

1.    Estimate terms

This is one of the most important parts of the contract with your developer – always be sure to include an estimate by your developer on how long the project will take and, therefore, how much it will cost. At the same time, decide whether the developer should be paid for the time they spend or whether it is for the project (ie overtime will not result in increased costs). These terms should also include estimates for the cost of any fonts or stock images used on the website.

2.    Revisions

How many changes is the developer willing to make? Once the design process has been discussed and decided, the number of project revisions should be decided. It is often standard to include three rounds of changes before any additional charges apply.

3.    Turn-around times

How quickly do you expect to see the completed work? This will help you to estimate when the project will be ready for you. These could be broken down into smaller sections. In ecommerce websites, this could be when the updated shop on your website will be ready, or when will automated newsletters be ready to send out. It also will mean that the designer or developer will have milestones to work towards and meet.

4.    Client approval

It’s important to include a clause on how the approval process will work. Should the developer send you hard copies of the design, ask you to sign them off and then you return it to them? Or is email approval acceptable?

5.    Confidential information

During the project, it is likely that the developer will be exposed to private information about your ecommerce business. By signing a contract, both the developer and you should agree not to make public any confidential information pertaining to each others’ business.

6.    Warranties

What happens if the developer builds your website, you pay them and, a month later, you discover a major mistake on the website? Should there be a fee involved for you requesting them to change it, or should this be covered by a warranty?

For how long after the work has been published/completed should the developer accept to make changes? What changes are included in the warranty?

7.    Contract termination

Sometimes things don’t work out. Can you terminate the agreement easily, and how do you go about doing so? Does the developer have to hand anything over (images, information, etc). All good things to think about.

8.    Signature!

Once you have written a contract for your developer, make sure they sign it! Too often, contracts are sent over but not signed and returned. This makes it more difficult when things go wrong. To make it more convenient, allow the developer to return the contract signed via mail, fax or email.