Changing contractors halfway through a project usually costs more than expected. You must pay the new team, decipher unfamiliar code, rebuild documentation and often redesign an architecture that does not fit the requirements. A poor initial choice can therefore cost many times more than development itself.
Why can quotes for the ‘same’ task vary so much?
An ‘online store with 200 products’ could be quoted at KZT 800,000 or KZT 4–5 million using the same brief. The difference lies in the work included, not necessarily the contractor’s margins. Ask each bidder whether user journeys are designed or work starts directly from a visual reference; how many design revision rounds are included, typically two or three before extra charges; whether testing covers real devices such as iOS Safari, Android Chrome and desktop, or just one developer’s browser; whether hosting deployment and initial server setup are included; and how much free post-delivery support is provided, with warranty periods commonly ranging from two weeks to a month.
Ask for two proposals with the same level of detail on these points. You can then compare prices fairly.
How to check a portfolio step by step
Open two or three live projects on your phone, rather than looking at screenshots. Time the homepage: under two seconds feels immediate, two to four seconds acceptable, and more than four seconds slow. Google/DoubleClick data reports roughly a 32% increase in bounce probability when load time rises from one to three seconds. What looks like a minor detail can directly affect conversion.
Look for comparable functionality rather than merely the same industry: a catalogue with layered filters, an account with order history, or payment and delivery integrations. A restaurant site with a reservation form tells you little about the team’s ability to build a marketplace.
Ask about one specific project: what was the original brief, what went wrong and how was it resolved? ‘Everything went perfectly’ is a poor sign on a complex project: either it was not complex, or you are not hearing the full story.
Check live project domains and certificates with a public SSL checker. Expired client certificates can indicate the quality of ongoing support.
Ask how many of the displayed projects the contractor still supports. Projects abandoned immediately after delivery do not demonstrate long-term reliability.
15 questions to ask a contractor
- Who specifically will be the project architect or team lead, and can we contact them directly?
- How many people will actually work on the project at the same time?
- Do you outsource any work, and if so, which parts, such as design or testing, and to whom?
- Which technology stack do you propose, and why is it right for this project?
- Will server and hosting access use your own account or the client’s account?
- Who will own the code, design files and content after final payment?
- Is signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) part of your standard practice?
- How often will you demonstrate progress: weekly or at each milestone?
- If testing reveals a critical bug, is fixing it an extra charge or covered by the warranty?
- How many design revision rounds are included?
- What response-time SLA applies to urgent problems after launch?
- Do you provide a technical specification template, or must we prepare one?
- How do you price additional work during the project: hourly or at a fixed fee?
- Who is responsible for backups after launch: you or the client?
- If the project is paused halfway through, what does the client receive?
If three or more answers are vague or amount to ‘we do not normally do that, but we can discuss it’, allow at least an additional 20–30% contingency for unexpected work.
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Payment models and their risks
Full upfront payment gives the client the least control and the greatest risk, and is justified only with a trusted contractor and an established relationship. Milestone payments—for example, 30% at the start, 40% after design and 30% on delivery—are common and reduce risk for both sides. Time-and-materials billing is flexible when requirements change, but requires regular timesheets to prevent budget drift. A fixed price for a fixed scope is predictable, but needs a detailed specification: any scope change requires an additional agreement and payment.
Warning signs in the contractor’s own words
‘Tell us your budget and we will fit it’ can mean adjusting the number to win the work and cutting features later instead of estimating the scope. A portfolio of identical template landing pages may indicate builder-based work without custom logic. Communication only through one manager’s personal WhatsApp, without a task tracker, puts project history at risk if they leave or become unavailable. A one-page development contract with no detailed attachments is another warning. So is ‘we can discuss ownership later’ when you ask about code rights. A promise to build a complex store with integrations in two weeks is questionable: even on an existing platform, that scope commonly takes four to eight weeks including testing.
Freelancer, agency or product team: a comparison
| Criterion | Freelancer | Studio or agency | Product team with sector experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Below market average | Medium to high | High |
| Continuity | Low: a single point of failure | High: backup is available within the team | High |
| Best suited to | Landing pages and one-off changes | Medium and large projects | Unusual business logic and sector-specific requirements |
| Communication | Direct, but unpredictable | Consistent, through a project manager | Through a manager with domain expertise |
