Web Agency in Bucharest: What to Demand Before You Sign the Contract

Working with a web agency in Bucharest goes badly more often than it should. Not always because the agency is incompetent or acting in bad faith, but because at the start nobody clarified exactly what is delivered, in what timeframe, with what warranty and who owns what at the end.

If you’re negotiating with a web agency or you’re about to sign a contract, this guide shows you exactly what to ask for and which clauses to check before you pay anything.

The technical specification in writing before the advance

The first requirement, non-negotiable: before you pay any advance, you must have a written technical specification of the project. Not a commercial quote with a price, but a document that describes what is actually being built.

The specification must contain: the exact list of pages and templates (not “unlimited pages” but “homepage, about, services, contact and blog”), specific features (contact form with which fields, newsletter integration with which provider, product filter with which options), responsive on which devices (mobile, tablet, desktop), supported browsers, and what is explicitly not included.

Without a technical specification, any discussion about whether the agency has met its obligations is subjective. With a specification, it’s an objective comparison.

Ownership of the code, the design and the domain

This section of the contract is the most often ignored and the one that generates the most later conflicts.

Explicitly ask that on final delivery you receive: the complete source code of the WordPress theme (PHP, CSS and JavaScript files), the PSD or Figma files of the design (if the agency did the design), full access to the database, and all access credentials (WordPress admin, cPanel or FTP, DNS provider).

Check the intellectual property clause. The rights to the custom design and code must be transferred to you on final payment. Some contracts provide that the agency keeps the right to use the design as a template for other clients, which can mean that competing businesses have the same website as you.

The domain must be registered in your company’s details, not the agency’s. If the agency offers to register the domain “to keep things simple”, insist that it be in your details and that the agency only has delegated access.

Delivery deadlines with penalties

A contract without clear deadlines isn’t a contract, it’s a verbal promise in PDF format. Deadlines must be: specific (a calendar date, not “about 6 weeks”), tied to clear deliverables and accompanied by a penalty or remedy clause if the deadlines aren’t met.

A reasonable wording: “Deliverable X is handed over on date Y. If the deadline is exceeded by more than Z business days for reasons attributable to the Provider, the Client is entitled to a reduction of N% of the remaining amount due.”

Keep in mind that delays don’t always come from the agency. If you don’t send the content, don’t give feedback or don’t approve a deliverable on time, the agency has grounds to extend the deadline. The contract must also specify your obligations: how quickly you give feedback, how many rounds of revisions are included and how change requests outside the original scope are handled.

Post-launch warranty

Any professionally delivered website comes with a warranty period in which the agency fixes bugs at no additional cost. The minimum acceptable standard is 30 days, a good standard is 60-90 days.

The warranty must specify what it covers: bugs in the delivered code (features that don’t work according to the specification), and what it doesn’t cover: content changes, adding new features, problems caused by WordPress updates you made yourself after delivery.

After the warranty, ask what the support model is: hourly, a monthly retainer package of hours, or pay-as-you-go for one-off interventions? Ask for the hourly rate explicitly in the contract, not “we’ll discuss it at the time”.

Payment structure: how to protect yourself

The correct payment structure ties each installment to a specific deliverable that has been delivered and approved by you. A typical structure for a mid-size project:

30% on signing the contract and confirming the technical specification. 30% on delivery of the approved design (wireframes or mockups). 30% on delivery of the website in a staging environment (a test URL where you can check everything before launch). 10% on launch on the live domain and handover of all accesses.

Avoid paying more than 50% of the contract value before you have something tangible to see and approve. Also avoid withholding large percentages for “after launch”, because the agency has little motivation to finish quickly if the money is withheld for a long time.

The mandatory staging environment

Explicitly ask for the project to be delivered first on a staging environment (a test URL, for example dev.yourwebsite.ro) where you can test it completely before launching on the live domain.

Testing on staging lets you check features, the contact form, the code on mobile, loading speed, links and anything else, without the risk of breaking an existing live website or launching something with publicly visible bugs.

Any professional agency has a workflow with staging included. If the agency refuses or says it isn’t necessary, it’s a negative signal about their working process.

Which clauses to refuse in the contract

There are clauses that appear in some contracts and that excessively favor the agency to your detriment.

The exclusivity clause: the agency is the only provider you can use for changes and maintenance, at rates set unilaterally by the agency. Refuse this clause, you must be free to work with anyone after delivery.

The code retention clause: the agency keeps the intellectual property rights to the code and licenses its use to you. Refuse it, the custom code paid for by you must be entirely yours.

Asymmetric penalties: the contract provides large penalties if you’re late with payments, but says nothing if the agency is late with deliveries. Ask for symmetry or at least reasonable clauses for both parties.

Frequently asked questions

Is it normal to pay 100% in advance for a website?

No, it isn’t normal and it isn’t recommended. An advance of 20-30% when signing the contract is standard. Full payment in advance removes the agency’s motivation to deliver on time and leaves you with no leverage if something goes wrong. An agency that insists on 100% payment in advance either has cash flow problems or isn’t used to working professionally.

Can I ask for changes after I’ve approved the design?

It depends on what the contract specifies. Most contracts include 1-3 rounds of revisions in the project price. Major changes after design approval or scope changes (new features that weren’t in the specification) are usually billed separately. Clarify this explicitly before you sign.

What do I do if the project has started and the agency disappears or stops answering?

If you have a contract with a registered company and you’ve paid installments tied to undelivered deliverables, you have a legal basis for court action or a payment demand. Document all communications. That’s why the installment payment structure matters: you limit the financial exposure to a single unrecovered installment.

How do I check whether a web agency contract is balanced?

Look for the following: deliverables are described specifically, not generically; deadlines have calendar dates; intellectual property is transferred on final payment; the post-launch warranty is specified; payments are in installments tied to deliverables. If all are present, the contract is reasonable. If two or more are missing, renegotiate before you sign.

Does the agency have to give me the design files too (Figma, PSD)?

There is no implicit legal obligation, but you can and should ask for it explicitly in the contract. Design files are useful if you want to make changes or work with another agency in the future. Some agencies deliver them as standard, others consider them their own property unless the contract states otherwise.

Conclusion

A good collaboration with a web agency in Bucharest starts with clarity: what is delivered, when, with what warranty and who owns what at the end. These questions aren’t signs of distrust, they’re signs of professionalism on your part as the client.

A serious agency won’t be bothered by these requirements, it will appreciate them. They simplify its project too: when everyone knows exactly what is being done, there are no unpleasant surprises for either party.

At Nexium Web we always work with technical specifications, clear contracts and platforms on the client’s account. If you want to talk about your project without pressure, write to us at nexium.ro/contact or learn more about how we work.