Website Design and Development Agreement (Pro-Developer)
TR.WEB.16
This Website Design and Development Agreement has been written for use by
web designers and developers to govern the design and development of
complete websites for clients.
This agreement is designed to cover straightforward website design and
development. Alternative versions are available for websites that are also
supplied with a ‘toolkit’ for ongoing operation, maintenance, and the like.
This Website Design and Development Agreement has been updated with a range
of new provisions. Existing provisions have been streamlined where possible
to make the document easier to use. New provisions have been added
including those covering personal data processing, general data protection,
and acceptance testing.
This version of the template has been written in favour of the developer. A
client-biased version is also available.
Additional provisions in this ‘pro-developer’ version over and above the
‘pro-client’ version include a clause imposing certain responsibilities on
the client, ensuring that cooperate properly with the developer so that the
developer can, in turn, comply with their own obligations. In addition,
whereas in the pro-client version, only the client can request or propose
changes to the project specification, in this version of the document,
either party is entitled to do this.
The testing provisions in this version of the document also differ,
rendering the website ‘accepted’ for the purposes of the contract if the
client uses it in business despite defects being found, or unreasonably
delays the testing process.
From a liability standpoint, the provisions of both the pro-client and
pro-developer documents remain reasonably balanced; however, in this
pro-developer version, the developer benefits from additional exclusions of
liability for damage to software, hardware, and data.
This is a business-to-business (B2B) contract. Certain laws protecting
consumers will therefore not apply and this document should not be used in
a business-to-consumer (B2C) situation.
Detail is very important in a contract such as this. The developer needs to
know exactly what they are contractually obliged to produce and provide for
the client, and under what terms. A separate Project Specification should
be agreed upon between the developer and the client - this will form one of
the key elements of the contract and should be inserted into the contract
in the schedule provided.
Before the client accepts the website, it should be tested thoroughly. The
exact details of the testing (and re-testing, in the event of failure)
should be agreed between the client and developer and then described in
detail in the schedule provided. Various options are open to the client if
the website is still faulty after re-testing.
Fees and payment terms should be set out in detail in the schedule
provided. The main body of the agreement contains only the essential
provisions.
Optional reference is made to third-party software. This may, for example,
be used for back-office functionality such as content management. Full
details of any such software should be provided in the optional schedule
and the licence fees payable should be detailed along with the rest of the
fees and payment information.
Liability is another important area addressed by this document. The
provisions included represent a reasonably standard position, but it is
very important that the final terms are negotiated and agreed upon by both
the client and the developer.
The GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 are addressed in this template in
particular via an optional data processing clause. This provision assumes
that the client is the data controller and the developer is the data
processor. If the developer will not have any involvement with the live
website (and, therefore, no access to users’ personal data or similar) this
clause may not be necessary; however, if the developer’s involvement goes
further than initially planned, they may end up having access to such data.
Use (or remove) this clause with care.
Please also note that the data processing provisions in this document have
been designed to strike a reasonable balance between coverage, detail, and
brevity. In some cases, more detail may be desirable in which case a
separate data processing agreement is available. An optional alternative to
the full-length data processing clause is included in this document which
cross-refers to a separate processing agreement. If in any doubt, suitable
legal advice should be obtained first.
Personal data relating to the parties’ staff will also be exchanged when
using this agreement. A general data protection clause has been included,
referring to each party’s adherence to the law and to their respective data
protection policies.
Optional phrases / clauses are enclosed in square brackets. These should be
read carefully and selected so as to be compatible with one another. Unused
options should be removed from the document.
This document contains the following clauses:
1. Definitions and Interpretation
2. Project Specification and Client Site Materials
3. Client’s Responsibilities
4. Project Management and Reporting
5. [Third-Party Software]
6. Development, Testing, and Acceptance
7. Fees and Payment
8. Intellectual Property
9. Warranties
10. Liability
11. Data Protection
12. [Data Processing]
13. Confidentiality
14. Term and Termination
15. Force Majeure
16. Audit
17. No Waiver
18. Further Assurance
19. Costs
20. Assignment and Sub-Contracting
21. Relationship of the Parties
22. Third Party Rights
23. Notices
24. Entire Agreement
25. Counterparts
26. Severance
27. Law and Jurisdiction
and the following schedules:
1. Project Specification
2. Acceptance Tests and Acceptance Retests
3. Project Fees
4. [Third Party Software]
5. [Developer’s Data Protection Policy / Notice]
6. [Client’s Data Protection Policy / Notice]
7. [Data Processing]
This Website Design and Development Agreement is in open format. Either
enter the requisite details in the highlighted fields or adjust the wording
to suit your purposes.
Once you have purchased access to the appropriate document folder click on
the “Download Document” link below. You will be asked what you want to do
with the file. It is recommended that you save the document to a location
of your choice prior to viewing.