Sample contract

[WhitePhantom]

Hi,

I'm developing a small website for a former colleague, and I've done up a proposal which I'm ready to send to him.

I've outlined the payment schedule in the proposal - three phases with one third to be paid at each stage. I've outlined phase 1 as follows:

Phase 1:
Proposal acceptance
Contract signing
Initial payment - one third of total cost

Now, I've never done up a contract for a website before - I was employed as an internal webmaster for a long time, only gone out on my own recently, and done some websites for people I'd know well so never got into the contract side of things.

First off, I'm wondering do I need a formal contract for a small site like this, specially when it's someone I know and trust; and secondly where would I get my hands on a sample contract (for the big sites that I'll soon be doing! )

Thanks,
J.

 

[paul]

J. a good start would be to buy The Web Design Business Kit 2.0 - SitePoint Kits it costs about €200 but has all the info and lots of tips when starting out freelancing on your own. It has sample templates for invoicing, contracts, etc.

 

[n3tFl0w]

J. a good start would be to buy The Web Design Business Kit 2.0 - SitePoint Kits it costs about €200 but has all the info and lots of tips when starting out freelancing on your own. It has sample templates for invoicing, contracts, etc.

Is it worth it? I was thinking about it recently but couldn't really justify it for the tiny jobs that I do.

 

[link8r]

Contracts are funny things - if you put something in it and you don't deliver on it, you are in breech of it...so becareful! €200 that could save you 000's in legal fees is pretty cheap.

Incidentally, was talking to someone I know today, they work in a legal firm. They had to get a barrister/senior counsel for a day, for a commercial suit. It cost €20k....

Any high court action requires senior counsel.

 

[n3tFl0w]

Wow... Glad I know one!

I've gotten a couple of other sitepoint books and found them excellent. Is the quality as good on this?

I probably should put aside something frm the next development job and buy it.

 

[WhitePhantom]

Hmm, thanks guys. That gives me something to think about alright!

What are your opinions about doing a small job like this one without putting any contract in place? I'm really just getting going and while I'm sure the €200 would be well spent, the times we're in - both of us after being made redundant since Christmas - mean I'd rather not spend it if I can avoid it...

 

[paul]

They have a money back guarantee

If you don't believe that The Web Design Business Kit 2.0 is great value for money, simply ship it back to us within 30 days and we'll refund you 100% of the purchase price.

so worst case you spend maybe €30 sending it back to them.

Plus you can write it off as a business expense.

You can download sample chapters AFAIK

 

[MayaLocke]

If you don't want to invest in a lawyer do a search for sample contracts, find one that meets your needs and modify it.

 

[WhitePhantom]

Thanks for the replies.

If I got the Business Kit I imagine I would want to keep it - I'll do this small site without a contract, and probably get the kit when I get paid for the site.

I did download a few sample contracts, but just wondered if anyone had come across any that they'd particularly recommend.

 

[link8r]

Hmm, thanks guys. That gives me something to think about alright!

What are your opinions about doing a small job like this one without putting any contract in place? I'm really just getting going and while I'm sure the €200 would be well spent, the times we're in - both of us after being made redundant since Christmas - mean I'd rather not spend it if I can avoid it...

A contract exists already once someone engages you for work - its just not written and the scope is quite open.