#procurement
11 pieces filed under “procurement”.
Reading agency contracts: IP, liability and the licence traps
A plain-English tour of the contract clauses that matter in creative engagements: IP assignment vs licence, portfolio rights, liability caps, kill fees, warranty windows.
Skip the RFP: a better way to buy creative work
RFPs select for proposal-writing, not building. A better process: a short 'request for conversations', a shortlist of three, paid discovery with two.
Buying accessible software: a procurement playbook
A procurement playbook for accessibility: brief language that binds, evaluating claims beyond the VPAT, acceptance criteria that bite, and keeping standards after launch.
The budget conversation: why hiding the number costs you more
Why sharing your real budget with an agency saves money: what ranges actually buy, how vague scope inflates quotes, and how to negotiate scope instead of rate.
Switching agencies mid-flight: a transition playbook
How to leave an agency — or inherit a fired one's work — without losing the project: asset inventories, handover audits, the two-sprint overlap rule.
How to read an agency SOW before you sign it
Most SOW disputes were visible in the document. How to read scope boundaries, assumptions, change control, acceptance criteria and warranties before signing.
Retainer or project? An honest decision guide
Retainer or fixed-scope project? An honest guide to when each engagement model wins — risk profiles, budget shapes, switching costs, and the questions to ask first.
Plan your exit before you sign: vendor lock-in for agencies and clients
Every platform decision is also an exit decision. Portability tests, export drills, contract clauses and the abstraction seams that actually matter.
Reference calls: what to ask an agency's past clients
Twelve questions for agency reference calls that surface reality — first missed dates, month-three invoices, vanishing seniors — and how to read the hedges.
Pilot projects: proving fit before the retainer
How to structure a paid two-to-four-week pilot with an agency: what a pilot can actually prove, honest pricing, exit criteria, and converting a pilot into an engagement.
Choosing an agency: signals over showreels
How to evaluate a studio beyond the deck: process evidence, who does the work, reference questions that reveal truth, and red flags in pricing.