What to Include in a Web Design Contract?
As soon as you plan to engage a web design agency or independent contractor in the creation of your web resource, it’s time to think of a web design contract. Development services are quite costly today, so it’s not wise to take risks of oral agreements. Otherwise, a negotiated and signed web design contract serves as a guarantee for both parties’ interest protection and sets the parties’ duties and obligations.
How to craft an effective contract without unnecessary legal counsel and lengthy planning? Let’s avoid bureaucracy together; Beluga Lab experts their tips for web design contract creation.
Web Design Contract: Top 4 Terms to Include
Once you’ve decided to prepare a contract, it’s vital not to exercise common sense and moderation. It’s no use compiling dozens of pages of tiny clauses and conditions as you’re not buying a nuclear bomb. It’s a website, after all, and the amount of party duties and terms is quite finite. Still, it is also unwise to skip the essential terms and conditions, which may later serve as your refund or additional work guarantee. So, here are the key points every web design contract should cover.
#1 Clear Scope of Work
The precise statement of work is vital for any contract as it must determine the parties’ roles and obligations. If you discuss a project and confuse some terms, you may face an unpleasant surprise later, when the project is submitted without the critical elements you expected to see in it.
#2 Deadlines
You might expect to get a website done within a specific period. Besides, the price you negotiate with the web agency typically includes the consideration of timing. Thus, if your provider delays the website and provides no reasonable excuses for this emergency, your contract will protect your interests. You might reduce the outstanding payment or fine the vendor for lateness, depending on what you agreed upon.
#3 Payment Schedule
The schedule of payment release is an essential part of any project involving a client and a service provider. You need to negotiate the schedule of payments (either calendar dates or payments for significant work milestones). Both of you will be guided by that schedule, planning payments to staff, and other financial issues.
#4 Review and Approval Procedures
Finally, you need to clarify terms about the project’s review and approval. The timing of revisions, their cost, and the responsibility of parties for quality assurance can be stipulated here.