Open collaboration

Partner questions

Ask these of anyone quoting you, including us. The answers matter less than whether they are given straight, and whether they end up in writing.

Who actually does the work

Will the people in the sales conversation also build the product?
Can you meet the developers who will work on it before you sign?
Is any part of the work subcontracted, and to whom?
Who is your day-to-day contact once the project is running?

Ownership of code and data

Do you own the source code, and does the contract say so in plain words?
Can you export your data at any time, in a format another system can read?
Are the domain, hosting and third-party accounts registered in your name?
Are any licence costs hidden inside the monthly fee?

What handover includes

What exactly do you receive: source code, documentation, credentials, deployment instructions?
Could another developer take over from the handover alone, without calling them?
Is the handover described and priced in the contract, or a favour to negotiate later?

After launch

What does support cover exactly, and what counts as a billable extra?
How are changes and new features priced: fixed quote, hourly rate, bundle?
How quickly are security updates applied, and who watches for them?
Which response times are guaranteed on paper, not promised verbally?

If the partner disappears

What happens if the company stops, is sold or drops this product line?
Can you reach the code without their cooperation (your own repository, escrow)?
Could another party continue the work without rebuilding from scratch?
What is the exit arrangement: notice period, final handover, cost?

Good to know

How to read the result

Ask us too

We wrote this knowing it would be turned on us. If an answer of ours sounds evasive, press.
Written down beats promised

Ownership, handover and what happens after launch belong in the contract, not in a conversation.
A no can be fine

Not every builder does everything, and saying so is a good sign. A yes to all of it is not.

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Need something these can't do?

These are the small ones. The bigger ones we develop for the people who ask.

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