A contract is not about distrust; it is about both sides remembering the same agreement six months later. This is a checklist of topics, not legal advice, and local law differs.
- Parties and roles. Who is who, with correct legal details.
- Scope. What will be delivered, with a description or an attached specification, and what is explicitly excluded.
- Timeline and milestones.
- Price and payment. Amounts, currency, the schedule tied to milestones, taxes and late-payment terms.
- Changes. How additions or modifications are requested, priced and approved.
- Acceptance. How you check the work, how many fix rounds are included and what counts as done.
- Intellectual property. Who owns what, as described in the previous question.
- Confidentiality and data protection. Treatment of your information and of personal data the project handles.
- Warranty and support. What bugs are fixed free and for how long, and what maintenance costs after.
- Third-party components. Licences and subscriptions, and who pays for them.
- Termination. How either side can stop, and what is paid and handed over if so.
- Governing law and disputes.
Keep it readable
A contract both sides understand is more useful than a long one nobody read. If a clause surprises you, ask what it means.
For significant projects, a short review by a local lawyer is inexpensive compared with the cost of a dispute.