Every project with Amazing Soft starts from a written quote. The quote sets out what we build, in what order, how it is priced and how it is invoiced. This page explains the three ways we price work, what you sign, how confidentiality works and what is yours at the end. Our full Terms of Service are public, so you can read them before the first call.
Fixed price vs time and materials. When each fits
There are three ways to price software work. They differ in who carries the risk when the scope moves.
Fixed price. The scope is written down and the price is set for it, as a whole or per stage. It fits when you know what has to be built: a defined first version of an app, a migration with a clear end, an integration between two known systems. Anything outside the written scope is a change request. We estimate it in writing, and work on it starts only after you accept the estimate.
Time and materials. You pay for the hours or days worked, at the rate in the quote. It fits when the scope will move as you learn: a product still being shaped, a system you want to improve month by month, a takeover where the old code holds surprises. We keep a record of hours, and you can see it on request.
Monthly subscription. A fixed monthly fee for maintenance and support: updates, monitoring, small fixes and a set number of hours for routine requests. It fits software that is already live and has to keep working. The hours included in a month do not carry over to the next one. Hours beyond them are billed on timesheets, after you approve them.
| Fixed price | Time and materials | Monthly subscription | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | A defined scope | A scope that will change | Software already live |
| You pay for | The scope in the quote | Hours or days worked | The monthly service, plus approved extra hours |
| Scope changes | Estimated and approved in writing | Absorbed in the hours | Estimated separately |
| Invoiced | Advance, then per accepted stage | Monthly, on timesheets | Monthly, in advance |
| Your risk | Low on cost, less room to change course | Cost follows the work | Predictable monthly cost |
The rate and the cost of each option are set in the quote.
What we usually propose. An estimate by stage
For most new projects we propose a fixed price per stage. After the consultation we write a short specification, with the architecture and an estimate for each stage. You approve stage by stage, so the budget does not rest on a single number given at the start. Once the first version is live, further work usually moves to time and materials or to a monthly subscription.
The cost is agreed after the consultation.
The software development contract. What you sign
- The quote. A written proposal with the services, the deliverables, the schedule, the price and the payment terms. It is valid for 30 days. You accept it by e-mail, by signing it or by paying the advance.
- Our Terms of Service. They apply to every quote that refers to them. They cover delivery and acceptance, changes of scope, payment, confidentiality, intellectual property, warranties, liability and termination.
- A dedicated contract, for larger projects. It is negotiated and signed separately, and it prevails over the quote and the Terms.
- The data processing agreement. It applies automatically when we process personal data for you. You can also sign it as a separate document.
- Later work. Added by written work order, by e-mail, under the same contract.
The contract is governed by Romanian law. The Romanian text of the Terms is the binding version, and the English one is provided for information.
Payment terms. In writing, before work starts
- Structure. Usually an advance when you accept the quote, instalments as stages are accepted, and the balance on final acceptance. Monthly subscriptions are invoiced in advance. Extra hours are invoiced monthly, on timesheets.
- Due date. 7 calendar days from the invoice date, unless the quote says otherwise.
- Currency. Companies outside Romania are invoiced in the currency set in the quote: EUR, USD, GBP or CAD. Another currency is possible on request, where our banks can receive it. Payment is by bank transfer. Bank and currency charges are yours.
- Tax documents. For companies abroad, we provide our certificate of tax residence and the documents needed to apply the double taxation convention.
- The advance. It reserves the schedule and covers the initial work. If you stop the project after accepting the quote, the advance is set against the work done and is not refunded.
The full rules are in article 8 of our Terms of Service.
Confidentiality and NDAs. Covered before you share details
Confidentiality is already part of the contract. Under our Terms, each party keeps the other’s non-public information confidential: business, technical and financial information, data, access credentials, prices and the content of the quote. The obligation lasts for the contract and for three years after it ends, and for trade secrets as long as they stay secret.
If you need an app development NDA or a software development NDA of your own, we can sign it before you share project details. Where your NDA and our Terms differ, your NDA prevails. Write to us with it, or mention it when you book the consultation.
Deliverables and rights. What is yours at the end
We hand over the domain, the hosting, the accounts, the files and the documentation. Domains, hosting and developer accounts are registered in your company’s name from the start, and we work with delegated access.
Intellectual property and source code. These are the default rules in our current Terms of Service, for projects quoted under them. When you have paid in full, the economic copyright in what we build specifically for you passes to your company, worldwide and for the whole term of protection. You can use, modify, adapt and exploit it in your business. The quote or the contract can provide otherwise, for example a licence instead of an assignment. Tools, libraries and components we already had stay ours. You receive a non-exclusive, perpetual, royalty-free licence to use them as part of what we delivered. The source code is handed over if the quote provides for it, in the form it sets out, after payment in full. Our own development tools, infrastructure and accounts are not part of the handover. Open-source and third-party components keep their own licences, and we tell you about any licence that carries special obligations. The full wording is in article 10 of our Terms of Service, where the Romanian text is the binding version.
The app development process. From consultation to handover
- Consultation. 30 minutes, free, to understand what has to exist and what is not worth building.
- Specification and quote. A written document with what gets built, in what order and at what cost per stage.
- Versions. We build in versions you see and test along the way, not only at the end.
- Acceptance. At the end of each stage you test the deliverable and send your objections in writing. We fix what does not match the specification and deliver again.
- Launch and handover. Store release for apps, go-live for systems. We hand over the domain, the hosting, the accounts, the files and the documentation.
- After launch. Maintenance under a monthly subscription, or new work under a new quote.
The exact schedule is set in the quote after the first conversation.
Questions. Short answers
What is the difference between fixed price and time and materials?
With a fixed price you pay for a scope written in the quote, and changes are estimated and approved separately. With time and materials you pay for the hours or days worked, and the scope can move as you go. We usually propose a fixed price per stage for a new build, then time and materials or a monthly subscription once it is live.
Do you sign NDAs before a project starts?
Yes, before you share project details, when you need one. Confidentiality is already in our Terms of Service, and a separate NDA signed with us takes precedence over them.
What does a software development contract with you include?
A written quote with the scope, the schedule, the price and the payment terms, plus our public Terms of Service and data processing agreement. Larger projects get a dedicated contract, signed separately.
How do you invoice companies outside Romania?
In the currency set in the quote: EUR, USD, GBP or CAD, or another currency on request, where our banks can receive it. Payment is by bank transfer, due 7 calendar days from the invoice date, unless the quote says otherwise.
What happens if the scope changes during a fixed-price project?
We estimate the change in writing, with its effect on the cost and the schedule. Work on it starts after you accept the estimate. Without acceptance, the project continues on the original scope.
Who owns the work when the project ends?
Under our current Terms of Service, the economic copyright in what we build specifically for you passes to your company after payment in full, unless the quote or the contract provides otherwise. The source code is handed over if the quote provides for it. The details are in article 10 of our Terms of Service.
Related: working with a software company in Romania, for companies in Canada and the US, for companies in the UK and the EU, and how to choose a software development partner.