Briefly, what should you know?
In order to receive comparable offers, it is necessary to ask each company the same scope, ownership, testing, maintenance and delivery questions in writing.
Who is this guide for?
- Businesses looking to automate their manual processes
- Teams deciding between CRM and custom development
- Software company or managers evaluating offers
- Institutions that secure source code, SLA and data ownership
We prepared this guide based on Codeexia's project experience, official sources and real questions that are repeated in bid negotiations. It states the variable fees and technical conditions with its sources; We do not present project estimates as a final offer.
What questions should I ask when evaluating a website, mobile application or custom software offer? Proper reading of offers; It starts by talking about the scope before the number, the process before the scope, and ownership before the process. The following 25 questions provide a framework for comparing your interviews with three agencies on the same metrics. If you ask each question in the same order to all three proposals, the real difference appears in the scope, not the number.
The list is divided into six categories: scope, process, technical, team, commercial, and post-release. After every question why is it important explanation — knowing this motivation during the interview makes it easier to gauge whether the answer is clear enough.
Scope: What do we do, what don't we do?
1. Are the items included and excluded from the scope of the project written down one by one?
The scope sheet is a contract rather than a proposal. Without clarity, the “this wasn't included” argument is inevitable.
2. How many pages/screens/modules are included?
If the number is uncertain, the agency works with its own estimate and you wait with a different estimate.
3. What is the design level (ready-made theme, semi-custom, fully custom)?
Three offers with the same name may describe three different levels.
4. Who will produce the content (text, visual, video)?
If it is said "it will come from the customer", production speed and quality are your responsibility.
5. To what extent is SEO involved?
Meta boxes, technical SEO infrastructure or content architecture? SEO is an architectural decision Does the agency have an opinion?
Process: How will we work?
6. What are the phases and deliverables of the project?
Discovery, wireframe, design, development, QA, release — are the duration and deliverables of each phase defined?
7. At what stage and how many are the revision rights?
“Unlimited revisions” are often unrealistic; “2 revisions per stage” is healthier.
8. Which project management tool will be used?
Jira, Asana, ClickUp or Trello — can you access the project too? The process cannot be managed without visibility.
9. What will the meeting cadence be like?
Are weekly syncs, demo days, retrospectives specific? If communication is disorganized, the project is often delayed.
10. Will a special project manager be assigned to this project?
Developer direct communication is efficient, but a PM who looks at the big picture of the project is critical.
Technical: On what infrastructure do we build?
11. What technology / CMS will be used and why?
The agency, which cannot provide justification, actually dominates only one technology.
12. Are Core Web Vitals goals written into the contract?
Concrete targets such as LCP < 2.5 sec, CLS < 0.1, INP < 200 ms provide concrete measurements.
13. What are the safety standards?
- HTTPS, token-based authentication
- Form bot protection, rate limiting
- OWASP Top 10 tests
- KVKK/GDPR compliance
14. Have the integrations been named and the API documentation been reviewed?
The integration item is priced by complexity, not number. Unvetted integration generates “additional fees.”
15. Is measurement (GA4, GTM, conversion events) included?
What is not measured cannot be improved. Even the event taxonomy should be discussed at the initial proposal stage.
Team: Who will work?
16. What roles will there be in this project and who are the people?
PM, backend, frontend, mobile, designer, QA, DevOps — can the agency tell you by name?
17. Is the team in Turkey, remotely or outsourced?
This information is important for reliability and time zone compliance. There's no right or wrong answer — but it's a must-know.
18. How many other projects will be in the project simultaneously?
Having the team look at 10 projects in parallel at the same time means risk for your project.
19. Are there any existing customers I can call as a reference?
Even positive answers paint a true picture; challenges, solutions, and quality of support appear in the reference interview.
Commercial: Contract and payment
20. Is the payment plan linked to phases?
Extra payment such as 30% + 30% + 30% + 10% protects both parties.
21. What will happen in case of delay?
Penal clause, rate reduction or time extension requirement? If it's not written, it doesn't exist.
22. Will the source code, design files and access belong to you?
Without this clause, vendor lock is inevitable. You cannot change agencies in the future.
23. How are intellectual property (IP) rights shared?
IP transfer or licensing in custom software projects is a separate issue; It should be clear.
Post-release: Maintenance and support
24. What is the scope of the care package?
Are monthly hours, incident response time, resolution time, and out-of-coverage items written down?
25. Is there a warranty period for the first 90 days?
Free bug fixing in the first 30–90 days post-release is standard; Otherwise, it should be asked.
Practical advice
Instead of asking these questions out loud, turn them into a written brief form and send the same document to all agencies. The scope discipline of the agency increases when it has to give a written answer to a written question.
Evaluation matrix with 25 questions
| Category | Number of questions | Risk impact |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | 5 | very high |
| Period | 5 | High |
| Technical | 5 | High |
| Team | 4 | Middle |
| Commercial | 4 | High |
| post release | 2 | Middle |
For price details Website Prices 2026, Mobile Application Prices 2026 And Special Software Prices 2026 Check out our articles.
Frequently asked questions
Which document should I prepare in advance for the offer negotiation?
A short brief document: business purpose, target audience, competitors, desired features, delivery date and budget band.
Is a single offer enough?
Getting at least three quotes calibrates understanding of scope and price.
Is the price negotiable?
Negotiable is not on price but on scope. The offer that reduces the price without reducing the scope will subsequently generate an invoice.
What happens if you request a quote without a brief?
The agency works with its own scope estimate and offers are not comparable.
Sources and verification method
The following official sources were used for pricing, policies and technical requirements, which may vary. Project ranges are not proposals, but rather an editorial framework that facilitates comparison.
- OWASP — Application Security Verification Standard (access: 31 July 2026)
- KVKK - Personal Data Protection Authority (access: 31 July 2026)
- Google SRE — Service Level Objectives (access: 31 July 2026)
What does this information mean in your project?
Explain your need; Let's break down the required scope, the work that can be postponed, and the most logical next step.
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