A client meeting in Denver made me rethink my whole contract setup

I was at a coffee shop on Colfax Avenue going over a simple website project with a new client. They agreed to everything, signed the contract, then asked for three 'small' extra features that would have taken 20 extra hours. I had to decide between eating the cost or having a tough talk about scope creep. Do you always build in a buffer for extra requests, or do you charge for every single change?

3 comments

3 Comments

lily_craig1mo ago

Honestly, that's why my contracts got way more specific. I list exactly what's included, page by page. Anything not on that list is a new quote. It saves the awkward talk later.

hunt.taylor1mo ago

So you actually list every single page in the contract itself? Like, you attach a full outline... that's smart. How do you handle it when a client wants to swap one page for another instead of just adding more?

kai60214d ago

Yeah, that page by page list is key. It turns a swap into a clear change order, not just a vague request. Makes everyone agree on what's changing before you even start.