How We Quote a Software Project: What's In and What's Not

A software quote is useful when it says what will be built, what won't, what each phase costs and what happens the day something changes. Anything else is a number with asterisks. Here's how we quote, step by step, and at the end a list of what to ask any vendor, whether or not it's us.

The 30-minute call

It starts with a short call. We don't ask for a requirements document or a deck; we ask you to tell us how you work today. What we almost always ask:

• What problem are you trying to solve? Not "I want an app," but "orders come in over WhatsApp and get lost." That's where what actually needs building comes from, and it's often smaller than you thought.
• Who will use it, and from where? Your office staff, technicians in the field, your customers on their phones. It changes the design and it changes the price.
• What does it need to connect to? Invoicing, inventory, a system you already have, WhatsApp. Integrations are where surprises hide, so we'd rather see them first.
• What do you already have? A website, a domain, accounts, data in spreadsheets. What exists isn't charged twice.
• What has to be ready first, and by when? You almost never need everything on the same day. That's what defines the phases.
• Who decides on your side? One named person who can answer questions during the project.

If we can see on the call that you shouldn't build anything yet, we say so right there. It happens more often than you'd think: sometimes what's needed is to sort out a process or a better spreadsheet.

What happens in the next 48 hours

You get a fixed quote in writing. If we're missing information, you get the questions first, not a quote with gaps. What's in it:

• The scope in plain language. What the system will be able to do, screen by screen or flow by flow, and an equally clear list of what it doesn't include.
• The phases. The first is the smallest thing you can already use; each one has its deliverables, a way to check it's done and its price. You can approve only the first.
• What it costs to run each month, separate from development: hosting, domain, the AI model if there is one, WhatsApp messages. We don't charge for those, but we list them so they're not a surprise.
• Timelines, with the honest caveat: they depend on how quickly your answers and your access arrive.

A fixed price is only possible because the scope is written down. If the scope is "whatever comes up," the honest thing is to bill by the hour, and we say that too.

What's included

• Design, development and deployment of what the scope says.
• Automated tests wherever money, permissions or calculations are involved, and a review on phone, tablet and desktop.
• A project log: what was done, what was decided and why.
• The code in a repository under your company's name, and the accounts (hosting, domain, WhatsApp, AI provider) in your name from day one.
• An adjustment period after each delivery for anything that doesn't work as agreed.
• Training for the people who'll use it.

What's not included

• Anything not written down. That's not rigidity; it's what makes a fixed price possible. If something important was left out, it gets added in writing (see below).
• Licenses and third-party services. Hosting, domain, Shopify, the AI provider, WhatsApp messages. You sign up for them, in your name, and pay them directly. That way you never depend on us to keep operating.
• Content. Copy, photos and logo are yours, unless we quote them separately.
• Open-ended support. After the adjustment period, maintenance is quoted separately, monthly or hourly, and you can hand it to another team: that's what the repository and the log are for.

What happens when scope changes

Something always changes. What matters is that there's no surprise invoice at the end. Our rule has three levels:

1. Small changes (one more field, a text, a color): absorbed.
2. Medium changes: swapped for something of the same size that hasn't been built yet. You choose what comes out.
3. Large changes: quoted as a new phase, in writing, before they're built. Never during.

And if you decide to stop between phases, you stop. You keep what was delivered, working, with its code and documentation. A phased project is also a way to try us out without betting everything.

How you pay

Per phase: part at the start, the rest when we deliver and you've tested it. We quote in Mexican pesos or US dollars, depending on where your company is, and invoice accordingly; if you're in the US or Canada, here's what an invoice from Mexico looks like. We work with companies in Mexico, Latin America, the United States and Canada.

Why we don't publish prices

Because two projects that sound the same can cost very differently: "an online store" can be a template with twenty products or a catalog wired to your inventory with rules of its own. A published range without context makes someone drop the project or expect something it isn't. The call and the quote don't commit you to anything.

What to ask any vendor

This list works even if you never work with us. If a quote doesn't answer these questions, ask for the answers before you sign.

• What exactly is included, and what isn't, in writing?
• What does each phase cost, and what do I receive at the end of each one?
• What happens if I ask for a change halfway through? How is it charged, and who approves it?
• What will I pay each month once the project is done, and to whom?
• Are the code and the accounts in my company's name from the start?
• Which tests run before each delivery, and can I see them?
• What happens if I want to stop halfway?
• Who answers when something breaks, and how fast?
• How long is the quote valid?

Vague answers, or answers in the fine print, are information too.

If you'd like a quote

Tell us what you need and we'll book the 30-minute call; within 48 hours you have the quote. Reach us through contact or see how we work on Consulting. And if you want to understand why we get inside your operation before building, read about forward-deployed engineering.