Is pre-contract discovery free, and does accepting a proposal lock us in?
Wavesteam's published 30-minute introductory call is free, and taking the call does not create an obligation to sign. Detailed interviews, PRDs, prototypes, and technical proofs are not automatically free. Whether those deliverables can be handed to another developer depends on the written license; “no lock-in” does not mean every underlying method and intellectual-property right transfers without charge.
The introductory call is for understanding the objective, identifying obvious feasibility issues and major risks, suggesting a direction, and—when information is sufficient—giving a rough budget or timing range. It can answer whether further evaluation is worthwhile, whether a mature product is promising, and which unknown should be tested first. It cannot responsibly promise a complete screen inventory, interface estimate, build-ready PRD, or high-fidelity prototype.
When defining budget, scope, and cost assumptions, also compare Why are infrastructure, third-party, and operations costs separate from software development? and Where does the budget go in an expensive custom software proposal?; the linked guidance adds context that should be considered in the same decision.
| Stage | Charging | Reasonable output | Continuing obligation | Use boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30-minute introduction | Currently published as free | Direction, major risk, rough range, next step | None | General meeting conclusions, not ownership of templates or a complete design |
| Detailed planning/proof | Separate quote or included in signed scope | Interviews, workflow, scope, prototype, interface proof, estimate, acceptance baseline | May end after this stage | SOW states copying, modification, third-party disclosure, and source format |
| Design and development | Milestone contract | Design, code, tests, deployment, handover | Next-stage exit follows contract | Custom output, background components, open source, and third parties are separated |
A genuine no-lock-in arrangement has no exclusive purchase, hidden timed billing, automatic renewal, or compulsory next stage. The client may stop after the free discussion or after buying a bounded planning engagement. Confidentiality, fees already earned, intellectual-property conditions, and return of materials still survive as agreed.
Before detailed work, record scope and interview rounds; deliverable names, formats, and source files; total price or cap; revisions and acceptance; client material and third-party rights; ownership and licenses for bespoke output, supplier methods, and dependencies; and return, deletion, accounts, and transition assistance at exit. If a PRD or prototype should go to another developer, the SOW grants the necessary internal use, copying, modification, and disclosure rights explicitly.
Accounts can create hidden lock-in too. The client entity should normally own domains, cloud, repositories, stores, messaging, maps, and payment accounts, granting the supplier roles. A pre-sales demo needs synthetic or approved data, retention, and closure terms and should not leave the only usable version in a private supplier account.
Compare suppliers on understanding of the current process and baseline, exclusions and assumptions, complete cost for design through operations, explicit non-promises, exit, and asset control—not the page count of free material. A concise evidence-based evaluation can be more useful than a long untested proposal.
Use the free call for direction. Buy a defined planning deliverable when procurement or implementation needs reusable material. Put source files and third-party-use permission into the SOW before work if another team may continue. That combination—not a slogan—prevents binding by ambiguity.