Compare software development proposals on the same baseline.
Paste two or three proposals. Normalize the deal before you compare the number, then take the unresolved questions back to each provider.
Free local comparison
Put every proposal on one baseline.
Paste two or three proposals. Ratly32 compares which decision terms have a signal, are mixed, explicitly excluded, deferred, or not found—without declaring a vendor winner.
Each proposal needs at least 80 meaningful characters.
The best software proposal is not automatically the cheapest or most detailed. It is the one that makes the buyer’s outcome, the provider’s responsibility, and the acceptance decision least ambiguous for a justified total cost.
A polished proposal is only useful when both sides can see the same work, proof, responsibilities, and decision path.
Use one comparison frame
| Dimension | What to extract | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Deliverables | Features, environments, migration, documentation, handover | Only goals or activities |
| Acceptance | Tests, reviewer, decision window, defect threshold | “To client satisfaction” |
| Price | Total, currency, tax, assumptions, payment schedule | A number without inclusions |
| Change | Out-of-scope list, estimate and approval process | “As needed” or unlimited revisions |
| Ownership | Code, design, licenses, credentials, third-party assets | IP left unstated |
| After launch | Support window, defects, maintenance, response time | Delivery ends at deployment |
Do not compare hourly rate with project value
An experienced team can charge a higher hourly rate and still produce a lower total cost. A fixed quote can be predictable while silently excluding critical work. Model the expected total, the plausible change range, and which side carries uncertainty.
Test one milestone before the whole contract
Take a proposed milestone and ask: What exactly arrives? What evidence arrives with it? Who reviews it? What objective condition passes? What happens if it fails? If neither side can answer, the payment schedule is not yet a delivery system.
Price without normalized scope is not a comparison. It is two unrelated numbers.
Questions buyers should send back
- Which deliverables are included, and which commonly expected items are excluded?
- How will each milestone be tested and explicitly accepted?
- Which client inputs or third parties can change the timeline or price?
- Who owns the source code, design assets, accounts, and licenses after payment?
- How are defects separated from new requests?
- What record is used if delivery or payment is disputed?
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose the cheapest software proposal?
Not until the proposals have been normalized. A lower price may omit testing, deployment, ownership, migration, support, or change capacity that another proposal includes.
Can hourly and fixed-price proposals be compared?
Yes, but only by modeling the likely total cost, uncertainty, change rules, and who absorbs delivery risk—not by comparing the hourly rate with a fixed total.
What is the most important missing term?
Acceptance criteria. If neither side can test whether a milestone is done, every later payment decision becomes subjective.
Does the comparison tool choose the best vendor?
No. It compares visible structural coverage. It cannot verify a provider’s skill, references, technical feasibility, legal terms, cultural fit, or whether the quoted price is fair.
Are pasted proposals uploaded or stored?
The comparison runs locally in your browser, and Ratly32 does not receive the proposal text. If you choose Build Deal Spec, the selected proposal is placed temporarily in this browser’s session storage and removed after it is imported.
Next move
Chosen a direction? Make it testable.
Carry the strongest proposal into a Deal Spec with milestones, acceptance, evidence, ownership, and change rules.