Fixed price or time and materials?
A fixed price is agreed before the work starts; with time and materials, the total follows the hours.
| A fixed priceSee custom web software | Time and materials | |
|---|---|---|
| When the price is known | Before the work starts, in a written offer. | At the end, from the hours worked; often with an estimate at the start. |
| Who carries the risk | The provider, if the agreed work takes longer than planned. | You: more hours mean a higher bill. |
| How changes are handled | Written down and priced before they are built. | Added to the work as you go, and billed as hours. |
| What you need at the start | A clear picture of what the software has to do. | A direction, and someone on your side to steer the work. |
| Fit for an unclear scope | Weak, until the scope is written down. | Good: the work can follow what you learn. |
| How you keep track | Against the scope in the offer. | Through the hours reported. |
The differences that matter.
The price, before or after.
A fixed price is agreed before the work starts, so you know the total before you say yes. With time and materials, you agree a rate, and the total follows the hours worked.
Changes during the build.
With a fixed price, any change beyond the agreed scope is written down and priced before it is built. You decide on each change with its price in front of you; with time and materials, it simply adds hours.
When the scope is still open.
Time and materials suits work whose scope is still unclear, because the work can follow what you learn. A fixed price needs the scope written down first. With us, that is the first step: we write it down with you, or work from a document you already have.
What each option covers.
A fixed price
One price for an agreed scope, set in a written offer before the work starts. Any change beyond that scope is priced before it is built. This is how we work, and nothing is built until you agree to the offer.
Time and materials
You pay for the hours worked and the costs that come with them, at an agreed rate. It suits ongoing work and an open scope, as long as someone on your side steers the work and follows the hours.
Which fits your situation?
Choose a fixed price when you can say what the software has to do; choose time and materials when the scope is still open.
See custom web software
Frequently asked questions.
What happens when we change our mind during the build?
Tell us. Any change beyond the agreed scope is written down and priced before it is built. It is built once you agree to that price.
What if we do not know exactly what we need yet?
That is normal at the start. After your first contact, we write down with you what your software has to do, or we work from a document you already have. The fixed price is set from that.
Do you also work on time and materials?
No. Every project with us has a fixed price in a written offer. Any change beyond the agreed scope is priced before it is built.
Tell us about your project. Send us a message and we will get back to you.