Working together
Working with Zetesis.
We start with an introduction and a mutual fit review. An NDA comes before confidential scoping, followed by an agreed scope, a signed project contract, and delivery.
This page explains our working practices. Your signed project contract sets the terms for your engagement, subject to applicable law.
01 / Before work begins
Scope and payments
Most engagements begin with a private referral from an existing client. New inquiries through our contact form are considered for project fit and an ongoing working relationship.
Start with a high-level introduction. We review the request and arrange a conversation where there is a fit. An NDA is signed before scoping or sharing confidential project material.
After the fit review and NDA, the initial project meeting establishes the scope, milestones, and payment amounts. These go into a written project contract signed by both parties before the initial payment and work begin.
Our engineering approach explains how access, testing, and failure handling inform the work and its review.
1%
Of the quoted price to start
The initial payment counts toward the agreed project total. The remaining 99% is split across the milestones in your contract.
Each later payment becomes due after you review and approve the completed milestone. The plan is flexible: the number of milestones and the amount assigned to each are agreed for your project during the initial meeting.
Example / $10,000 project
An illustration of the payment structure. Your contract will have its own deliverables and amounts.
| Payment stage | Amount |
|---|---|
| Initial payment After signing, before work starts | $100 |
| Core logic completed After your review and approval | $2,900 |
| Application milestone completed After your review and approval | $4,000 |
| Final milestone completed After your review and approval | $3,000 |
| Total project payments | $10,000 |
02 / Intellectual property
Ownership and handover
Ownership of the custom project code and source repository transfers to you after final payment. Earlier repository access can be arranged while the work is in progress.
Infrastructure is set up in client-owned accounts where practical. During the initial meeting, we walk through account setup or explain how the project and its accounts will transfer to you. The handover plan identifies what is already in your name and what still needs transferring.
Third-party software, libraries, and services retain their own licenses and terms. Those licenses continue to apply when the custom system is handed over.
03 / Client information
Confidentiality
Client work is covered by an NDA. Client identities, confidential materials, and product details are handled under that agreement.
Zetesis may publish anonymous engineering lessons only when they comply with the NDA and cannot identify the client. Public writeups focus on the technical problem, decisions, and lessons. Client names, logos, and product screenshots stay out of them.
04 / Accounts and running costs
Third-party services
A system may depend on hosting, databases, APIs, and other paid services. Each provider has its own terms, pricing, and availability. Account setup and the transfer plan are discussed as part of the project.
After transfer, you take responsibility for the system's ongoing provider costs and operation unless you choose a separate maintenance arrangement with Zetesis. With maintenance, Zetesis handles upkeep and the provider bills included in your monthly quote. Included provider-cost coverage is capped at $1,000 per month, with the allowance for your system specified in the quote.
05 / After full transfer
Warranties and corrections
Zetesis includes a free 30-day warranty starting on the date of full transfer. It covers correction of both system-critical and minor bugs in the agreed deliverable.
Your signed project contract defines the agreed requirements, coverage, exclusions, and correction process. We review these details at the final meeting, including how the following situations apply to your system:
- Defects in the agreed deliverable. Coverage includes bugs that prevent the system from meeting its agreed requirements, from a broken core workflow to a misplaced button or incorrect color in the agreed design.
- Third-party outages. A hosting or API outage may need a different response from a bug in the integration we delivered. The contract defines responsibility for troubleshooting, provider coordination, and any workaround.
- Newly discovered security vulnerabilities. We assess the issue against the agreed security requirements, including whether it affects our code or a third-party dependency or service. The contract defines the applicable coverage and remediation responsibilities.
- Client modifications. Changes made by you or another developer may affect the cause of an issue. The contract explains how those changes affect coverage and responsibility for corrections.
- Unsupported environments. Supported hosting setups, software versions, browsers, and devices are defined for your project. The contract sets the boundaries for issues arising outside those environments.
- Changes requested after acceptance. New features, expanded requirements, or a new design direction are handled through the agreed change process. Corrections to the agreed requirements remain defects; any additional small adjustments, such as moving a logo, depend on the coverage agreed for your project.
The contract sets out how to report issues, how they are prioritized, and any response or completion commitments. Unless agreed otherwise, minor fixes are scheduled based on availability. Work outside the warranty can be agreed as a separate scope or under an optional maintenance agreement.
Any rights or obligations that cannot lawfully be excluded remain unaffected.
06 / Optional ongoing service
Support after delivery
You can choose monthly maintenance for the delivered system. Pricing varies by system, with an indicative range of $200 to $1,500 per month. Your quote reflects the system's running costs and the maintenance work involved.
Under that arrangement, Zetesis handles system upkeep, periodic checks, code management, and the ongoing provider bills included in the quote. The maximum included allowance for provider costs is $1,000 per month. Costs above that cap are outside the plan's included coverage.
Upper-end plan / Monthly breakdown
A system with $1,000 in ongoing provider costs uses the $1,500 monthly plan. The remaining $500 covers code management and maintenance.
| Included in the plan | Monthly amount |
|---|---|
| Ongoing provider costs | $1,000 |
| Code management and maintenance | $500 |
| Total monthly payment | $1,500 |
The separate maintenance agreement defines the provider-cost allowance, services covered, check-in schedule, monthly payment, and how the arrangement ends.
Without maintenance, operation and upkeep pass to you after transfer, along with the ongoing costs. The free 30-day warranty for both system-critical and minor bugs in the agreed deliverable is still included. Further support or development outside that warranty can be discussed as a separate scope.
07 / The project commitment
Cancellation and termination
Projects are accepted as a commitment to the full agreed scope. Zetesis does not offer discretionary cancellation once the project contract is signed.
Any early termination, remaining payment obligations, and handling of completed or unfinished work are governed by the signed contract and applicable law. Raise a request to stop work directly so both parties can review those terms and record how the project will be handled.
Optional monthly maintenance has its own agreement and ending terms, separate from the fixed-scope project.
08 / Resolving a disagreement
Payment disputes
If a milestone payment is disputed or missed, we review the agreed scope, the delivered work, and the payment record together. Further project work pauses while the payment issue is resolved.
Send the milestone or invoice reference and a description of the issue to [email protected]. Any formal dispute procedure follows the project contract and applicable law.
09 / Project-specific terms
Limitation of liability
Liability terms are agreed separately in each project's written contract. Review the agreed limits, exclusions, and responsibilities before signing; the contract defines the terms for that engagement.
This page does not set a separate liability cap or replace those terms. Applicable legal requirements still govern the agreement.
Questions before committing to a project?