Questions to ask before your first big contract
A good contract does not show at signing. It shows at the third unpaid invoice. What is worth settling while you still have leverage.
The first big contract brings excitement, and excitement is exactly the state in which people sign things they later regret. Not because the other side means harm, but because nobody asked the uncomfortable questions early.
When exactly does payment happen
“On delivery” means nothing. Ask from which moment the term runs, who confirms delivery, and what happens if that confirmation is late. Most collection problems come from this ambiguity, not from bad faith.
What happens when the work changes
On long projects the scope always changes. A healthy contract says in advance how a change is handled: who requests it, how it is estimated, who approves it. Without that, changes become free work.
The most expensive clause in a contract is the one that is missing.
How either side gets out
Nobody wants to discuss termination at the start. But a contract you cannot leave is a problem, especially in a long engagement with a single large client.
What it means for your numbers
A large contract changes the shape of your revenue and sometimes the company's obligations. That is worth discussing before signing, not at the first report afterwards. We look at what it means concretely for you and tell you what we see.
A short checklist
- The payment term, and the moment it starts running.
- Who confirms delivery, and within how long.
- How scope changes are handled.
- What happens on delay, on both sides.
- How the engagement ends, for each party.
