Compare digital provider proposals
A cheaper proposal may leave more work to your team or exclude support. Compare delivered outcomes and responsibilities first, then costs over the same period. Preserve assumptions and unresolved questions before making the decision.
Set a common scope
Give providers the same need: audience, journeys, existing content, integrations, constraints and expected outcome. Separate mandatory elements from work that can be deferred. Require explicit inclusions, exclusions and contributions expected from your team.
For a redesign, check content migration, redirects, search visibility, accessibility and training. For business software, examine data migration, permissions, integrations and error handling. Prices are only comparable once these responsibilities are described.
Examine delivery method and evidence
Request a relevant example identifying context, actual role and constraints. Examine how deliverables will be accepted through criteria, tests and documentation. A technology list alone says little about understanding the problem.
Clarify contacts, possible subcontracting, milestones, expected feedback and handling of deviations. Judgements should refer to evidence or unresolved questions. Avoid an overall score that conceals a missing essential requirement.
Calculate cost over a chosen period
Separate setup, recurring charges, internal effort, change and exit. Identify the basis of each amount: tax treatment, period, volume and conditional elements. Do not combine inconsistent assumptions in one total.
Use the site comparator to explore a shared duration. Inputs are your assumptions, not market prices. Keep unknown costs visible in the decision instead of implicitly treating them as zero.
Clarify support and handover
Ask who controls the domain, content, code, accounts and documentation. Examine export formats, transfer to another provider, licences and exit costs. Export availability does not prove that another system can reuse the output.
Specify post-delivery support: scope, channels, hours, corrections and change work. Resolve ambiguities before committing. Keep the dated proposal, answers and decision criteria; obtain appropriate advice for contractual clauses that require it.
A record to keep with the decision
| Item | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Scope | Mandatory deliverables, exclusions and your team’s contribution. |
| Evidence | Relevant work, acceptance criteria and delivery method. |
| Cost | Setup, recurring charges, internal effort and exit over one period. |
| Continuity | Support, ownership, access, documentation and testable export. |
Download the worksheet to fill in (CSV)
Frequently asked questions
Should the cheapest proposal always win?
First compare coverage of requirements and remaining internal work. A lower price may fit a smaller scope; assess its exclusions and recurring costs.
Is a weighted score sufficient?
It can clarify priorities, but mandatory requirements need separate checks. Keep the evidence and uncertainties behind every assessment.
Reference material
France Num — Cahier des charges pour un site internet
The practical checklist is an editorial synthesis to adapt to your service. It does not constitute a certification or an audit result.
Continue with a related decision
Resources for this project
Web service provider
Française du Numérique
For a web proposal, compare creation, content, SEO and maintenance against the same deliverable and responsibility checklist; request exclusions and recurring costs.
Web and communication provider
CFSN
For a small business or craft business proposal, examine coordination between website, identity and local communication. Compare deliverable ownership and handover options.
Website in French
Sites from the AR ecosystem, selected for their relevance to this topic. Check scope, terms and current offers with each publisher. Our selection method.