Guide for companies

Software development quotes: how to request and read them

Updated August 2026

The right quote is not found — it is provoked. Send five developers the same single line — “how much for an ERP?” — and you get five random numbers that cannot be compared, turning the choice into a lottery. Send a well-written request and you get quotes that line up in columns and compare properly. This guide covers how to write the request, what to demand in a quote, and how to spot the wrong one before signing it.

How to write the request for a quote

Six pieces of information. With these, whoever replies can price YOUR project rather than an imaginary one — and the quotes become comparable.

The problem, not the solution: “our technicians lose two hours a day retyping reports” is worth more than any feature list.
Who will use it and how many: ten colleagues in the office or a thousand customers online are different projects.
What must work on day one versus what can come later: separating essential from desirable cuts the price of the first version.
The systems it must talk to: ERP, e-commerce, machinery — with names and versions if you know them.
A budget range: it does not make you pay more; it prevents proposals at the wrong scale in either direction.
When you need it and why: a real deadline (a fair, a grant, a client) changes the technical choices.

What a serious quote must contain

A quote is not a number: it is a document. If one of these five parts is missing, you are not reading a quote — you are reading a figure tossed out.

The scope, in writing

What is included and — just as important — what is not. End-of-project disputes are almost all born here: in what went unsaid.

Itemised costs

Analysis, development, integrations, testing, go-live, training. A single figure can be neither understood nor negotiated; line items can.

Timeline and intermediate deliveries

Not just the final date: verifiable milestones along the way. It is the difference between spotting a delay in month one or month six.

Code ownership and sources

The code must be yours, with access to the sources, stated in the quote. It is the clause that keeps you free to change supplier tomorrow.

The after: warranty and maintenance

What happens to defects found after delivery, and at what rate future changes are made. Asking now costs nothing; finding out later does.

How to compare several quotes

Comparison only works if the quotes answer the same question. Then you look in the right order.

Same written request for everyone: if each supplier understood something different, the prices are incomparable by definition.
Scope first, price second: the lowest quote often simply prices fewer things. Check what it includes before looking at the figure.
Look at the questions they asked you: whoever asked for clarifications understood the project; whoever quoted in ten minutes quoted at random.
Distrust the extreme outlier: a quote at half the others is almost never a bargain — usually half the work is missing.
Weigh the communication: how they answer at offer stage is how they will answer mid-project. Usually worse, not better.

Quotes to discard immediately

No questions and an instant reply: they priced an imaginary project.
A single figure with no items, scope or timeline.
Nothing in writing about code ownership and sources.
All payment upfront, or all at the end: staged deliveries with progress payments protect both sides.
“We handle everything, don’t worry”: a supplier unwilling to explain what they do today will not explain it when something goes wrong either.

Frequently asked questions

How many quotes should I request?

Three to five, on the same written request. Fewer than three is not a comparison; more than ten becomes a full-time job to evaluate. On Araknet the cap is ten offers per project, and in practice three to five serious proposals are enough to decide.

Do quotes cost money?

For ordinary projects, no: the quote is part of the sale. A deep feasibility study on complex projects can be paid work in its own right — but that must be said upfront, not invoiced as a surprise.

How binding is an accepted quote?

As binding as its scope: if it describes well what is included, it protects both sides; if it is vague, it protects nobody. Mid-project changes are handled as written variations with price and schedule impact, not verbally.

Why are the quotes I receive so different from each other?

In 90% of cases because the request was vague and each supplier priced a different project. In the remaining 10%, because seniority and structure differ: an experienced freelancer and a software house can price the same work 40–50% apart.

How do I get comparable quotes without contacting ten suppliers one by one?

Write the request once and have it reach several developers identically. On Araknet you post the project anonymously — developers see what is needed, not who is asking — and receive up to 10 offers with price and timeline on the same scope. Whoever replies presents themselves with profile and portfolio.

Get up to 10 quotes with a single request

Describe the project once, anonymously: freelance developers reply with price and timeline on the same scope. Genuinely comparable, with no commission on the work.

Request quotes