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131Chapter 9: Hiring Help for Your Marketing Program

ߜ An estimated cost of the site design: This should include a breakdown
of design time and outside costs involved.

ߜ What the estimate covers: Has the firm based its estimate on the total
number of hours it thinks will be involved? Has it provided a breakdown
of estimated costs involved with the delivery of such elements as graph-
ics, navigation, testing, and other site-creation tasks so that you can go
down the list and be sure that all necessary tasks are covered? Are time
and costs for travel, if any, included? Is a round of changes included, or
will changes lead to additional costs?

Include a clause stating that the cost estimate cannot be exceeded with-
out your prior written authorization. As you work with the designers to
construct your site, you may make decisions that alter the scope and
therefore the cost of the project. This clause assures that you under-
stand how your requests will impact the price of creating your site —
before you see the surprise on an invoice.

ߜ The payment due date: Many Web design companies require a partial
payment at the onset of the project. This payment schedule is standard,
but make sure that you aren’t required to pay the balance until the site
is live, tested, and fully functioning. Put into writing the fact that final
payment is based on your sign-off and acceptance of the site.

ߜ What happens if the site doesn’t work: Stipulate in the contract whether
the design firm has to absorb the cost of alterations required to fix dead
links and site crashes within a specified period.

ߜ Penalties for nonperformance: State that you will pay less if the firm
doesn’t meet the deadlines or the expectations.

ߜ Performance milestones: Include a timeline that sets dates for major
steps in the process, including your deadline for providing content (and
in what format).

ߜ Ownership: Make sure that the contract stipulates your ownership of the
site and all its components. Many small businesses overlook this point
only to find out later that they don’t own the site and that they have to
start all over if they choose to revise the site using a different designer.

Handing off the content

Content includes the storyboard, text for each page, pictures, and any other
graphics to be included in your site. Because you’re the expert on your busi-
ness, most likely you will build the content or at least oversee its development