Is It Out of Scope? — Web development
Is adding an affiliate or referral program out of scope for a web development project?
Usually yes. Building referral tracking, unique codes, and payout logic is a substantial standalone deliverable.
This is a substantial ask disguised as a small one — "just add a referral link people can share" actually means unique code generation, attribution tracking, fraud basics, and usually a way to calculate and report payouts.
Is it out of scope?
Yes, unless it was specifically quoted. Referral/affiliate tracking with attribution and payout logic is a standalone system, not a small addition to the site being built.
Clause typically implicated
Clause typically implicated
Deliverables clause→ — The quote covers the site's core build; affiliate/referral tracking and payout logic is a new, unquoted deliverable given its real scope.
Example contract wording
Example contract wording (illustrative, not legal advice)
A referral program means real tracking, attribution, and usually payout logic — that's a standalone system I'd need to scope and quote separately from the current build.
How MarginFlow flags it
MarginFlow flags affiliate/referral program build requests outside_scope on development contracts unless the SOW explicitly listed that system as a deliverable.