Ask HN: What information to ask for when doing a contract?
2 comments
Not directly answering your question, but giving you some general advice since this is your first contract:
1) Make the other party agree that all IP belongs to you until the final invoice is paid. This is often your only leverage should your client decide to stop paying you.
2) Send weekly updates VIA EMAIL to your client on what you've done. Do not do this over Slack or any other communications medium that they control. If they decide to revoke your access on Slack, you will no longer have access to those logs and no proof.
3) Set terms for post-contract support. Under no circumstances should you be providing unlimited free support after the contract is over.
1) Make the other party agree that all IP belongs to you until the final invoice is paid. This is often your only leverage should your client decide to stop paying you.
2) Send weekly updates VIA EMAIL to your client on what you've done. Do not do this over Slack or any other communications medium that they control. If they decide to revoke your access on Slack, you will no longer have access to those logs and no proof.
3) Set terms for post-contract support. Under no circumstances should you be providing unlimited free support after the contract is over.
Thanks for the advice, makes sense to keep all the bases covered.
Do you have any suggestion as to how I should set up post-contract support?
Do you have any suggestion as to how I should set up post-contract support?
Some people will only bill for invalid bug reports (wasting contractor's time). Others will allow X hours free support. Personally, I just charge as I normally would.
You have seen Mike Monteiro's talk 'Fuck You Pay Me'?
https://youtu.be/FKSvdlFO638
Wow, this was amazing! Thank you!
Some things I definitely know I want to cover in the meeting are:
1) Payment, both how much and when
2) What exactly is being expected of me, and any dates associated with various parts of the project
3) What kind of communication is expected, and how they would like to be updated
I have never done anything of this sort before, so any help / advice would be greatly appreciated! For reference, I am being asked to make an iOS app version for a webapp. Thanks!