DRAFT FOR REVIEW. Not legal advice. Laws vary by country and state; have this draft reviewed before anyone signs it.
Website Design and Development Agreement
This Website Design and Development Agreement (the “Agreement”) is made on between , of (“Designer”), and , of (“Client”). Designer and Client are each a “party” and together the “parties”.
1. The website
1.1Designer will design and build a website for Client with these pages and features: .
1.2Client will supply the text, images, logos and other content, in a usable format, and confirms it has the right to use them. Delays in content move the schedule by the same amount of time.
1.3The website will be installed in hosting and domain accounts that Client owns and pays for. Client will give Designer the access needed for the work.
1.4Third-party software, plugins, fonts and services used in the website are subject to their own licence terms and fees, which Designer will tell Client about before using them.
1.5Extra work outside this scope needs a written change agreed by both parties, including any extra fee.
2. Feedback and revisions
2.1The fee includes rounds of revisions. A round is one set of consolidated feedback from Client. Further rounds are billed at a rate agreed in writing before they start.
2.2Client will give feedback and approvals in reasonable time. Delays in feedback or materials from Client move the schedule by the same amount of time.
3. Payment
3.1Client will pay Designer a fixed fee of for the services described in this Agreement.
3.2Client will pay each invoice within of receiving it, by the method stated on the invoice.
3.3Client will reimburse reasonable expenses that it approved in writing before they were incurred, against receipts.
3.4If an invoice is overdue, Designer may pause work after giving written notice until it is paid. Each party is responsible for its own taxes.
4. Term and ending this Agreement
4.1This Agreement starts on and continues until the services are completed (), unless it ends earlier as set out below.
4.2Either party may end this Agreement for any reason by giving written notice. Either party may end it at once by written notice if the other seriously breaches it and does not fix the breach within a reasonable time after being told.
4.3If this Agreement ends early, Client pays for the work done and approved expenses incurred up to the end date, and Designer delivers the work completed up to that date once paid.
5. Testing, launch and support
5.1Before launch, Designer will test the website on current versions of common browsers and on phones. Client will review it and either approve it or list the problems found.
5.2No maintenance, updates or support after launch are included. Client is responsible for keeping the website, its software and its backups up to date.
6. Ownership of the work
6.1Once Client has paid all fees due under this Agreement, Designer transfers to Client all of Designer’s rights in the website design and code created specifically for Client. Until then, Designer keeps those rights.
6.2Designer keeps ownership of tools, methods, templates and know-how that existed before this Agreement or that are not specific to Client, and grants Client a licence to use any of them included in the website design and code.
6.3Each party keeps ownership of material it supplies to the other. Client confirms that it has the right to let Designer use the material it supplies for this work.
7. Portfolio use
7.1Once the work is public, Designer may show it in a portfolio and mention Client as a client, without sharing confidential information.
8. Confidentiality
8.1Each party will keep private any non-public information the other shares for this work, such as business plans, customer data, prices and unreleased material, and will use it only to carry out this Agreement.
8.2This does not cover information that is already public through no fault of the receiving party, that the receiving party already had or develops on its own, or that it must disclose by law, in which case it will tell the other party first when it is allowed to.
8.3These duties continue after this Agreement ends. Designer and Client will return or delete the other’s confidential material when asked, except copies kept as required by law.
9. Independent relationship
9.1Designer works as an independent business, not as an employee, partner or agent of Client. Designer decides how, when and where the work is done, within the deadlines of this Agreement, and is responsible for its own taxes, insurance and business costs.
10. Limitation of liability
10.1To the extent the law allows, each party’s total liability arising from this Agreement is limited to the total fees paid by Client under it.
10.2Neither party is liable to the other for indirect or consequential losses, such as lost profits, except where the law does not allow this to be limited, or in cases of fraud, wilful misconduct or a breach of confidentiality.
11. Governing law and disagreements
11.1This Agreement is governed by the laws of .
11.2If a disagreement about this Agreement arises, the parties will first try to settle it by talking in good faith. If that does not work, either party may take it to the courts of the place whose law governs this Agreement.
12. General terms
12.1Entire agreement. This Agreement is the whole agreement between the parties on its subject and replaces earlier discussions about it.
12.2Changes. Any change to this Agreement must be in writing and accepted by both parties.
12.3Notices. Notices under this Agreement are given in writing to the addresses above, or to an e-mail address a party gives for that purpose.
12.4Severability. If a court finds part of this Agreement unenforceable, that part is limited as little as needed and the rest stays in effect.
12.5Assignment. Neither party may transfer this Agreement to someone else without the other party’s written consent.
12.6Counterparts. The parties may sign separate copies, on paper or electronically, which together form one Agreement.
Signatures
Designer
Client