Should a software project be fixed price or time and materials?

Fixed price is not safer, it is differently risky. It only works when the scope is written down in enough detail that both sides can point at it, and the supplier prices the risk of being wrong into the number. If the scope is vague, a fixed price is a bet you are paying for either way.

Time and materials is not a blank cheque when it has a ceiling. We do not invoice past the ceiling without your written approval, and every change to the estimate happens before the work, not after it. Change requests on fixed-price projects are billed from the same hourly table, which is published.

Payment terms are the same either way: 40% to start, the rest against milestones. Monthly engagements are billed in advance.

We tell you which one fits on the first call, including when that means less money for us.