Business System Consultation Center - Our Business System ColumnVol.152 2024.06.01 Takahashi Minoru

Evaluating the quality of maintenance

Thank you for your interest and continued support.
This is Takahashi from the Marketing Plan Research Laboratory.


When commissioning an IT vendor to develop a business system,
you may find that the other party requests that you “sign a contract.”


While contracts are intended to protect the interests of both parties,
in the case of system-related contracts, this is rarely the case.


System-related contracts
are designed to protect the IT vendor (the contractor) rather than the customer (the client).


IT vendors include clauses with this intent in the contract to protect themselves.
"Even if the system is not completed, payment must be made based on the work performed."


From the client’s perspective, this is an unacceptable burden.
Even if the system is not completed, or if it is completed but does not function,
the client is still forced to pay nearly the full estimated amount.


While contracts are essential for the mutual benefit of both parties in projects involving massive sums of money,
in the reality of system development for small and medium-sized enterprises, cases where a contract is necessary are
I think it’s quite limited.


To avoid regretting it later when you revisit the contract after a problem arises,
If you are asked to sign a contract, I recommend that you carefully review the terms in advance.


That's all, Thank you for reading.

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