Ireland: Web site design agreement

About these documents:
IE-ECM001 is a comprehensive website design agreement. It has been drafted so as to give you ideas upon which you can negotiate with the client. Both sides then sign it. It provides for the entire process from meeting client to providing specification of the completed work at the end of the project. It covers graphic design, records, testing and all other areas of your work. No professional can afford to risk the misunderstandings and possible disputes that arise so commonly in this area of work.

IE-ECM003 is a terms and conditions for your website design work – it is a tough but fair ‘take it or leave it’; your clients have no choice. This is a shortened version of IE-ECM001 and is less comprehensive. It is designed for sale of standard packages of services, chosen and sold from your website.

Of course no business can use both versions at once; therefore if you buy IE-ECM001, we give you IE-ECM003 absolutely free automatically. You can then choose which way you want to work.

Who will use these documents?
E-commerce professionals, who want a standard contract or for web site instruction.

Key features of the website design agreement:
If you are in e-commerce, this is probably the most important document you will use. The scope for misunderstanding in this very wide and varied field is huge. Using of one of these documents is essential to you, whether the website is a simple 10 page promotion or a 1000 page e-commerce catalogue. The Net Lawman website design agreement:

• is comprehensive;
• suitable for any size of website;
• covers technical as well as legal issues;
• educates customers as to what is involved;
• provides a complete framework;
• protects you;
• is ideal as your standard contract.  

The agreement IE-ECM001 includes provision for:

• your customer to approve website design but pay for additional work if multiple choice required;
•  writing of a “Detailed Specification” covering all elements of the website design work, to provide your customer with a complete record of the work done;
• regulating customer changes to the specification;
• provides concisely for responsibility for search engine strategy.
• lists excluded matters for customer's separate attention - e.g. names, hosting; merchant service;
•  testing and acceptance;
• alternative payment arrangements;
• ownership of all elements of the software both created and plugged in;
• appropriate legal provisions - exclusions, indemnities, etc.
• regulating customer changes to the website design specification so that it is clear what work is “extra”.