Price the catalogue work that must actually be done

Two catalogue projects with the same number of pages can require very different work. One business has approved product records and a consistent set of documents. Another has duplicate references, unresolved units and several translations whose source is unclear. A page count does not reveal that difference.

The proposal needs to describe the work behind the pages. Faith Forge Labs prices and schedules an agreed scope after discussing the task, available material and dependencies. This page provides no fixed quotation or promised delivery time.

Identify the preparation included

Ask who will reconcile product identities, select images, check document rights and approve technical descriptions. Cleaning those materials can be a substantial task. It should not disappear into an assumption that the client will “provide content” without a usable definition of what content means.

Polish-facing material may need translation and contextual review. A service page, error message and generated document can require separate attention even when they describe the same product. Agree the review arrangement and who manages later corrections.

Distinguish a catalogue from a transaction system

A public product page with an enquiry route has different dependencies from a logged-in price list or checkout. The latter may add customer roles, commercial rules, provider access, migration and operational reconciliation. Each added task needs an acceptance example and an accountable business decision.

If an integration is uncertain, a bounded investigation may precede an implementation price. Its deliverable should be explicit: supported operations, known limitations and a recommendation based on the access actually inspected. Do not mistake an exploratory prototype for a commitment to every downstream feature.

Account for transition and review

Existing addresses, documents and records may need migration. Editors may continue changing the source during development. The scope should explain how those late changes enter the final version and who approves retirement of the old working copy.

Review time is real work. Identify the journeys, roles, devices and exceptions covered, the people providing decisions and the treatment of changes requested after an agreed design. A private preview gives reviewers evidence; it does not remove their responsibility to approve business facts.

Separate recurring obligations

Hosting, domains, external subscriptions, provider charges, maintenance and continuing support have their own owners and terms. Establish which are paid directly by the business and which services, if any, are included in a continuing agreement. General development work does not imply continuous monitoring or unlimited future changes.

Compare proposals by their included result, assumptions and acceptance responsibilities. A lower figure may represent a smaller task; a larger figure may include necessary preparation. Use project planning to make that difference visible before requesting a proposal.