Vague brief in, vague quote out. The projects that run over budget almost always started with a one-line email. Here is what to put in a brief so the quote you get back is one you can hold someone to.
The five things that matter
- What the site must achieve. "More trade enquiries from Gauteng" beats "a modern website" every time.
- Pages and content. List what exists, what needs writing, and who writes it.
- The moving parts. Payments, bookings, logins, CRM connections. Name every system the site must talk to.
- Two or three reference sites, with one sentence each on what you like about them.
- Budget range and deadline. Hiding the budget does not get you a better price; it gets you a guess.
The thing that wrecks projects
Scope drift. Not big changes, the small "while you're in there" additions that each feel free. A good developer prices change honestly instead of absorbing it silently and resenting you by launch. Ask how changes get handled before you sign, not after.
What you should get back
A fixed figure tied to a written scope, a timeline with stages you can check, and clarity on what you own at the end. That is the standard our own process is built around. Got the brief ready? Send it through and test us on the 48 hours.