Clarify these responsibilities before implementation, especially when changing suppliers or handling sensitive business data.
Put the essentials in the agreement
- Access and ownership: who controls the repository, hosting accounts, domains, data and deployment credentials?
- Deliverables and rights: what source code, documentation and client-specific work are included, and when do the contractual rights take effect? Wavect’s published terms link rights in bespoke deliverables to full payment. Existing components and third-party licences need separate attention.
- Data and security: what data is needed, where may it be processed, who may access it, and what are the retention and deletion requirements?
- Acceptance and operation: what tests, release criteria, monitoring, backups and operating responsibilities are agreed?
- Exit: how will another team build, deploy and maintain the product after handover?
Read Wavect’s terms, the software handover checklist and Software Takeover.
For comparing suppliers, use the Software Agency Proposal Review Rubric. It covers 12 contract areas and is a practical review aid, not a certification or substitute for qualified contractual review.
Next step: tell the team your access, hosting and data constraints. Do not paste passwords, customer datasets or confidential files into the chat.