Most people choose on price, which is the worst possible criterion. The difference between two quotes is not the number — it is what is written, and unwritten, in each.
Before you call anyone: write down what you want
Not a technical spec — a description in your own words. What is the problem? Who will use the system? What must it let them do? One page in plain language makes quotes comparable; without it every company prices something different and you compare numbers for unlike things.
Five signs a company is serious
1. It asks more than it talks
A company that hears your idea and quotes within half an hour has not understood the project. A serious one asks about details of your operation you had not thought about yourself.
2. It tells you no
If you ask for something that will not help and they say "sure", they are selling, not advising. A company that says "that will not move the needle, save the money" is protecting your project.
3. It has live work you can open
Not portfolio screenshots — links to running systems, and clients you can ask.
4. It gives you a written scope
Every screen and function, and what is not included. A verbal scope guarantees a dispute two months in.
5. It talks about what happens after handover
Who trains, who answers when something breaks, and at what cost. A company that avoids this question is planning to disappear.
Warning signs
- A price far below the rest. Usually a narrower scope rather than better efficiency — or a plan to recover the difference as "extra requests".
- "We will finish in a week." Implausible speed means a template with your name on it.
- Refusing to hand over the code. That means you are tied to them permanently.
- Accounts in the agency's name, not yours. Domain, hosting and store accounts must be yours.
- No contract. However good the relationship is.
Clauses that must be written
- Ownership of code and design on full payment.
- A detailed scope, and an explicit out-of-scope list beside it.
- Timeline and payment stages tied to deliverables, not dates.
- How many revision rounds are included per stage.
- A warranty period after handover for fixing defects at no cost.
- Confidentiality of your data and a bar on using it for anything else.
One last question that reveals a lot
Ask: "if the project slips because of you, what happens?" The answer tells you whether they are thinking about a partnership or an invoice.
Money Leek has been working since 2014, with a written scope and a live staging link from week one. See our work or send us your project details.