Six things to line up before you compare totals
| Line up | What to look for | What it hides when missing |
|---|---|---|
| What is included | Features described in enough detail to test against | “User management” can mean one screen or ten |
| What is not included | A written list of what this release leaves out | The extras you discover after signing |
| What the price assumes | Number of users, platforms, languages, who supplies content and data | A wrong assumption becomes your problem, not theirs |
| Quality | Testing and a security review as priced lines | “We care about quality” in the proposal, and nothing in the quote |
| After launch | Hosting, fixes, support period — as separate lines | A launch price that is not the cost of owning it |
| Terms | How long the price holds, how changes are priced, what you own | Every surprise that arrives as an invoice |
Put each vendor’s answers side by side in those six rows. Gaps are information: a vendor who cannot fill a row has not finished quoting.
Why the totals differ by multiples
The usual reason is not that one vendor is greedy and another generous. It is that each filled the gaps in your brief differently — and wrote down only some of what they assumed. The quote that says the most about what it excludes often looks the most expensive, because it is the most honest about the size of the job.
Compare totals, not rates
A lower rate with more time, or a higher rate with less, can land on the same total. What you pay is the total for the scope — so that is what to compare, on the same scope.
Fixed price or time and materials?
Both are legitimate. A fixed price suits a scope that is written down and agreed; time and materials suits work that is genuinely open-ended. The risk sits in the mismatch — a fixed price on a vague scope, or time and materials with no budget ceiling.
Five questions that expose a low quote
- What is not included? Ask for the list in writing.
- What does the price assume — and what happens if an assumption turns out wrong?
- Are tests and a security review lines in the quote?
- How long does this price hold?
- How is a change priced — before you approve it, or on the invoice?
How Pricient quotes
Describe the project. Today a person runs the intake with you by email. You receive the specification, wireframes of every screen, the Not in this release list, the assumptions register and a quote in three tiers with blended totals — so you can compare like with like, including against other vendors. QA and security are in every tier, every specification and quote is reviewed by a person, and the price is locked for 14 days.