Website design agreements
A web design or development agreement is an agreement under which a designer or developer agrees to create one or more websites or web applications on behalf of a customer. The key provisions in such an agreement are:
- the scope of the services to be provided by the designer or developer;
- the project timetable;
- the specification of the website or web application;
- the acceptance procedure and criteria;
- the payment terms;
- the licence (or sometimes assignment) of intellectual property rights in the site or application; and
- the description of when the agreement may be terminated, and the consequences of termination.
Web developers
Many web developers do not have written agreements. Other developers use second hand sets of T&Cs, or cobble together their own contracts using materials found on the internet.
These approaches are less than ideal.
- Even if you do not have written contracts with your customers, you still have contracts. But you cannot be certain what the terms of an unwritten contract are. Consequently, if you do not have any written contract, you are more likely to get into a dispute with a customer. In addition, unfavourable terms may be implied into your contracts, either by statute or custom.
- If you use a second hand set of T&Cs, they will often have been drafted for a business which is very different to yours. For example, UK developers can sometimes be found using terms drafted with US law in mind. Worse, your use of the terms could be infringing someone's copyright.
- Precedent documents can be inexpensively bought from a range of sources on the internet. These are usually a good deal better than nothing (or the use of second-hand terms), but they are not ideal.
Not only do properly drafted terms reduce your risks, they are also very important if you decide to sell your business.
Businesses commissioning websites
If you are buying a website, you need to be sure that it will be delivered as specified, on time, in full working order. Equally important, you need to be sure that you have all the rights you need to use the website, even if you part company with your developer.
Template web design agreements
If you are simply looking for a template web design agreement, please visit our website at Website-contracts.co.uk - where you can purchase and download a ready-made web design agreement templates.
Our services: website design agreements
We have expertise in the drafting and negotiation of web design and development agreements. You can get a general idea of the fees we charge by looking at the left-hand column. If you would like a definite quote, please either call us on +44 (0)1491 834695 or complete the form below (and we will contact you).
