Scoping and pricing — Examples

Example 1 — Write the exclusions in the same list

A client asks you to “update the site: make it modern, tidy up the pages, get it working on phones”. Both of you think you know what that means. Write the inclusions, the exclusions and what the client provides.

Request  "update the site: make it modern, tidy up the pages, get it
         working on phones. Nothing huge."

Solution

Included       up to 5 pages, responsive layout, the existing contact
               form with email delivery, one round of revisions
Not included   copywriting, photography, hosting setup, analytics,
               email marketing integration, content beyond 5 pages
Client provides  final text and images before the start date

The exclusions carry the weight: each of them is something a client would plausibly assume is included, so each becomes a priced change instead of an argument. The line about what the client provides removes the commonest cause of a slipped schedule, which is waiting for content. The usual mistake is writing only the inclusions, and then negotiating the boundary one small request at a time.

Example 2 — Price from your ratio, and date the number

You have estimated the work at three weeks. Write the price with your own correction factor, the assumptions behind it and an expiry date.

Estimate     3 weeks at the day rate
Last comparable project  took 1.4 times its estimate
Known unknown  the client's design system may not be current

Solution

Fixed price   priced on 4 weeks at the day rate, not on 3
Assumption    the client's design system exists and is current
Assumption    a single stakeholder signs off at each stage
Validity      30 days from the date of this proposal
Change        written request, then an estimate, then approval before
              the work starts

The ratio turns an unexamined estimate into a number you can defend out loud, and the assumptions say what would make it wrong. The expiry keeps an old figure from becoming a commitment about a world that has moved on. The usual mistake is quoting a fixed price from the raw three-week estimate, so the project is under water before it starts.