When a software project goes over budget or never ships, the cause is rarely the code. It is usually something nobody pinned down before the work started: what exactly was being built, who owned it, and how anyone would know it was on track. These five questions settle that before you sign.
1. Is the scope written down and agreed before any code?
A written spec lists the screens, the rules and what counts as done. It is what makes a fixed price possible, and what you point to when something is missing. Without it, every disagreement becomes a new invoice.
2. Is the price fixed for that scope?
Hourly billing puts the risk of every surprise on you. A price fixed for an agreed scope puts it on the people doing the work, who are best placed to manage it. Changes are still possible; they are priced before they are made.
3. Will the code, the accounts and the data be in your name?
The repository, the hosting, the domain and the database should be opened in your name from the first day. If the relationship ends, another team can pick up the work. If they are in the developer's name, you are renting your own product.
4. How often will you see working software?
A demo you can click every week or two is the best early warning there is. A project that shows nothing for two months is a project nobody can steer.
5. Who checks the work before it goes live?
AI tools write a lot of code quickly. That is useful, and it makes review more important, not less. Ask who reads and tests each change before it reaches your customers.
These are the terms we work on by default. If you want to test them against your own project, book a short call.