We value our customers and their time. Our managers daily process incoming applications, so they have accumulated a huge number of cases and created a database of answers to frequently asked questions. We are going to publish the most important ones, just to facilitate our business communication. This is why we are now launching a series of FAQ-articles...
When do we start
Work on the project begins after the agreement has been signed and the client has fulfilled the initial requirements: making an advance payment and providing all necessary information about the project (the project concept, the brand book, the content, etc.).
Which payment rate do I choose: fixed price or hourly
Payment rate is usually chosen depending on the specifics of each project and the client’s decision.
Fixed price rate is suitable for small projects. If you clearly understand what you want, how much time and money you have, and do not plan to radically change the concept during the development process, then it suits you perfectly well. Also, fixed price rate is convenient for state corporations or in case your budget is really tight or limited.
! Please note that prepayment is an absolute prerequisite for us to starting work on a contract with a fixed price.
During the implementation of the project, the client can take an informed decision to make some significant changes in the initial plan. Or, for example, after creating the main part of the project, it becomes necessary to implement some additional functions. In a project with a fixed payment, each such change requires a review of the terms and conditions which results in a new Supplementary Agreement, outlining the new terms and conditions such as timeline and budget.
An hourly-paid project is a more flexible tool to work with our company. Every month or week the information system makes a report indicating the number of hours spent developing your project.
In case you decide that it is necessary to add one more function to the project, you do not need to change the already signed Supplementary Agreement.
In fact, this type of work is post-paid, and this way you protect yourself from all risks. If you have a large project, which might imply serious changes or constant technical support in the future, then we recommend you to consider this type of payment rate.
For your convenience, we are ready to combine both types of payment rate for different stages of work.
What does the project cost consist of
There are four cost components in each project.
- salary fund of the project team (any project involves at least 5 specialists);
- administrative expenses (it includes training and certification of project team-members, office maintenance, equipment and software);
- risks;
- profit margin – we honestly add 20%.
What documents regulate work with our company
Our package of contract documents contains:
- Framework agreement;
- Supplementary Agreement (SA);
- Acts of acceptance;
- Invoices.
The framework agreement contains the basic interaction terms: it describes the order of work, quality assurance, and the responsibilities of the parties. To save time, we use our own template of the framework contract, based on many years of experience and honest feedback from our customers.
The description of work, deadlines for the project, technical and functional requirements, the procedures for acceptance and payment for each specific kind or part of work are indicated in the Supplementary Agreement to the contract.
Moving specific requirements for the project from the contract to the SA allows us to build work more flexibly because this way we can quickly change or improve project functionality and vary delivery amounts. This approach helps to avoid re-signing the contract. In case of changes we only need to re-sign the Supplementary Agreement.
As soon as all work or a stage is completed, we make an act of acceptance of work and an invoice for payment.
If it is necessary to ensure the confidentiality of the project, we can conclude the NDA (Non-disclosure Agreement). At the request of the client, the NDA can also cover the entire pre-contractual phase. Even if the negotiations fail and we part ways, all confidential information will not be disclosed to any third parties.
Why don't you work without a contract
Strong partnerships with our clients is one of the main values in our company. The contract is a guarantee of conscientious and high-quality work of both partners, as well as a guarantee that we are ready to take responsibility for the result not only in word, but in deed.
There’s no time to get it approved, I’ve already described everything, let’s get down to development
Imagine that you spend pretty much money and say: «We need a corporate website, here is the brand book. Everything else is up to you.» Then we are trying to do our best, putting our hearts into it and, in the end, make a beautiful and user-friendly site... in our opinion. You open the site and understand that this is absolutely not what you wanted at all. It works, it is beautiful, but it’s just not that. And then you spend tons more money and all deadlines get broken while the site is being changed.
We do not make our clients’ projects «to our taste or liking». We try to be as useful as possible for our clients and their business, which is not implied by the abovementioned approach. We value our clients’ time and our reputation. And a development product without a detailed description and approval is very likely to upset any client.
At first glance it might seem enough to describe the color of the site and point out that there should be a registration procedure and a blog. However, in fact, the developer needs to know the location of the buttons, the data storage location, and understand the registration process.
Can the cost of the work under the contract change
Yes, it can.
If all of a sudden you decide that you need to make a new section of the site or change its design, then, naturally, the price for our services will increase. However, any change in price has always to be approved by the client. Therefore, if it is necessary to change the price, we firstly discuss it with you, and then, if both sides agree, it leads to a change in previous agreements.
Can the deadlines and lead times of the project change
Yes, they can.
To work on the project, we need some start-up information from the client (a brand book, content, etc.), as well as the approval of the to-be-completed work stages. The project development is automatically put off for the number of days of delay. We always emphasize this for our clients. Lengthy discussion and approval of project stages can also significantly delay the work on it.
Timing can also increase in case of changes in the project. We usually set new lead times and deadlines when discussing with the client new changes in the technical specifications.
Developers hardly ever cause delays. If, however, the project team happens not to meet a particular deadline for some reason, the project manager informs the client about this in advance. After that, we discuss with the client all possible solutions.
What happens if we don’t meet deadlines
The ways for resolution of this kind of disputes is described in the contract. Normally, in case of our failure to fulfill obligations due to our fault, the customer has the right to demand payment of a fine and compensation for losses caused by our default.
However, our business-analysts calculate the required number of working hours very carefully. And we do our best to complete the task on time.
How is a project handed over
After completing the project, we provide our client with the results of our work in electronic form via electronic communication channels as well as the act of acceptance of work signed by us. This document will be valid until the parties receive their originals.
Within three days after receiving the documents, the client is to sign and send the act of acceptance of work or a reasoned refusal (in writing) to accept the work.
If these documents are not received within the specified period, the work is considered to be fully accepted and payable by the customer.
The developed product remains the property of our company until full payment for all contractual obligations.
The project also has a guarantee period defined by the contract: if, the program code has not been changed during the period specified by the contract, but an error still occurred, we will eliminate technical faults free of charge.
However, we do not say goodbye to our clients after signing all the documents. We try to build long-term relationships, therefore we regularly communicate with our clients and ask them how the project is working. It is important for us to keep partnership with our clients and to know that the product has brought real benefits to their business.
And what if I am unhappy with the result
We usually analyze the needs and expectations of the client before starting work, so that our final product could match the client’s initial ideas and vision. Our working system involves regular discussion of the results with the client. We get approve the design, show the functionality, consult, give advice and greatly enjoy feedback. Each part of the project is to be approved by the client. So, the overall result will make you happy.
