9 tips to prevent a horrifying contract with your IT partner in Ukraine

9 tips to prevent a horrifying contract with your IT partner in Ukraine

Ukraine is a large emerging market providing expanding businesses with strategic positioning in the heart of Europe.

Doing business in Ukraine is quite different from doing it in other countries such as USA, England or Germany. It is not easy to do business abroad, but in Ukraine it is definitely guaranteed to be exciting. Having had a rather difficult history, Ukrainian nation has a strong bond towards their culture.

That’s why, when you decide to find a partner IT company in Ukraine you should bare in mind the following rules and pieces of advice:

Get a contract.

Why do you need a contract for outsourcing

Be sure that both sides understand specifically what has to be done. Create a contract that will include any changes that may take place:

  • pricing;
  • timeframe;
  • specific constraint;
  • milestones.

Get everything fixed on paper.

Make sure your contract includes the following points:

The main points for contract with your outsourcing partner

  1. Scope and services. Be specific on assignments you give and your partner who undertakes it according to the provision. Reach an agreement on all the tasks, acts, bills that you and your partner work on together.
  2. Obligations of the parties. Agree on what responsibilities you and your partner take. Be certain to provide the necessary materials in time, to approve the tasks, acts of performed work and other documents.
  3. Payment of services. Be sure to discuss the cost issue. Decide how the payment will be done – per month, per hour or per the whole project done. The issue may significantly vary depending on the particular IT outsourcing companies in Ukraine.
  4. Terms of the agreement. Make sure the contract is made in two languages – your native and Ukrainian, so each of it will have equal validity.
  5. Intellectual property Rights. This point should put a clear understanding on what part of the job performed is your intellectual property. You should make clear for your IT partner in Ukraine and guarantee that all objects of copyright under the contract will be made to order without involving a third party.
  6. Privacy Statement. Here parties should agree to refer to each other and specify a partnership. Agree that the information specified in the contract, is an important and confidential information for both of you.
  7. Dispute Settlement Procedures. Be sure to resolve all disputes through negotiations. If not, agree on a third party according to both of your legislations.
  8. Force Majeure. We are never protected from disasters, fires or floods 100%. So this point should help you understand how the business will be done in case of force majeure.
  9. Other conditions. If there are other points that would not fit any of points numbered, be sure to create an *other conditions paragraph. If any part of the conditions is not regulated by the contract, it should be governed by the laws of Ukraine.

Last but not least, make it transparent. Avoid ambiguous statements, phrases or even words. Reread your ready-made contract once again and think carefully if anything written there may be used against you or your partner. Don’t hesitate to discuss each item in face to face conversation, by skype or by other ways that will give you the opportunity to look at each other. In this way everything is clear and it will only brace credibility and  enlarge the effectiveness. Besides, the outsourcing companies list in Ukraine can always provide you with a really wide choice.

Maybe you can’t expect Ukrainians to organize a well-structured meeting, but you will see that they strictly follow the agenda to perform all the necessary steps for good results. Besides, Ukrainian nation is famous for being reliable. They have a sense of personal responsibility, and socializing, friendliness outside the office will more than compensate for the setbacks.