Is It Out of Scope? — Web development
Is creating a client portal out of scope for a web development project?
Usually yes. A portal is a full application build — auth, data models, permissions — well beyond a marketing site's development scope.
The request usually starts small — "can customers log in to see their order status" — but a portal means real authentication, a data model for what each user can see, and ongoing account-management surface area none of that was priced into a site build.
Is it out of scope?
Yes. The signed scope covers the site's public build; a portal is a second application with its own auth, data layer, and permission logic — a new deliverable, not an extension of the existing pages.
Clause typically implicated
Clause typically implicated
Deliverables clause→ — The quote listed the site's public pages and functionality; a login-gated portal with its own data model is a new, unquoted deliverable.
Example contract wording
Example contract wording (illustrative, not legal advice)
The site build didn't include a customer portal — that's a separate application with its own auth and account data, which I'd need to quote as its own project rather than folding into the current build.
How MarginFlow flags it
MarginFlow flags portal-build requests outside_scope on development contracts, distinguishing a new application deliverable from a revision to the site that was actually quoted.