Briefly, what should you know?
A maintenance contract is not a vague promise of support; It should define in a measurable manner which incident will be handled in how long, which tasks are covered and who is responsible.
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.
The project does not end when the software goes live; The operation begins. The phrase “support is provided when necessary” is not a care model. The contract should define event types, durations, scope and responsibility in measurable terms.
Separate maintenance, support and new development
Error correction ensures that the current function works as in the contract. Support addresses user or operational issues. New development is a change in scope. Fare and priority rules for these three lines should be written separately.
How are incident priorities defined?
| Level | Example | Expectation |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | System or payment is completely not working | Quick first response and regular status information |
| High | Main function is severely affected | Evaluation within the same business day |
| Normal | Limited issue with workaround | Placement in planned maintenance queue |
Determine the times according to your own operation; Not every system needs 24/7 support.
Which periods should be written separately in the SLA?
Notification receipt period, first response, temporary solution and permanent solution are not the same thing. The contract should separate these concepts; It should indicate working hours, public holidays and communication channel.
Security, backup and monitoring
- Library and infrastructure updates,
- Backup frequency and restore testing,
- Certificate and domain name tracking,
- Error, capacity and availability monitoring,
- Notification flow on security incident.
Monthly hours and out-of-scope work
How many hours does the package contain, are unused hours rolled over, how is the overage confirmed? Write on which line the integration provider's outage, data correction, training and new report requests will be evaluated.
Code, access and end-of-contract transfer
Ownership of the source code repository, server, cloud, domain, and third-party accounts should be visible. When the contract ends, updated code, installation documentation, access list and open works must be delivered.
What you need to share when requesting a maintenance quote
A healthy maintenance offer cannot be created without knowledge of the technology stack, number of users, critical operating hours, current bug list, integrations, access status and expected growth.
To complete your company selection software company evaluation guide can use or from the special software discussion page You can explain your current system.
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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