# Test 002 invalid pilot - Trial 2

## Requirements check

| Requirement | Northline Web Co. | Spruce Digital |
|---|---|---|
| Home, Services, About, Gallery, Contact | Meets: five required pages | Seven pages offered, but whether they include all five required pages is **Not stated** |
| Existing Jobber request form | Included as an embed; custom Jobber/API integration excluded | Included as an embed; custom data synchronization excluded |
| Staff update text and photos | CMS editor access and one training session; ability to update both text and photos is **Not stated** | Editor access and recorded handoff; ability to update both text and photos is **Not stated** |
| First-12-month cap of $7,000 before tax | Meets based on stated mandatory charges: calculated $6,400 | Meets based on stated mandatory charges: calculated $6,540 |
| Go live within six weeks of selection | Not established. Estimate is six weeks from kickoff after agreement and kickoff payment, assuming feedback within two business days | Not established. Estimate is four to five weeks after questionnaire, assets, photos, and cleared first installment |
| Own and move complete site and content | Stronger stated position, but approved third-party licenses may not transfer | Does not transfer the complete site: Spruce retains the template, design system, configuration, and repository |
| Predictable ongoing costs | Hosting renewal stated at $30/month; later content work is hourly | Care plan continues at $195/month after month 12 and may change with 30 days’ notice |

## Normalized commercial terms

### Northline Web Co.

- One-time setup/project cost: $6,400 fixed.
- Mandatory recurring cost during first 12 months after launch: No separate charge stated; hosting is included for that period.
- **Calculated first-12-month cost:** $6,400 fixed fee = **$6,400** before tax, excluding Jobber and domain registration.
- Optional/hourly cost: Later content work at $140/hour.
- Renewal cost: Hosting at $30/month after the included 12 months.
- Cancellation/refund cost: **Not stated**.
- Payment schedule and kickoff-payment amount: **Not stated**.
- Taxes: **Not stated**.

### Spruce Digital

- One-time setup cost: $4,200.
- Mandatory recurring cost during first 12 months after launch: $195/month care plan.
- **Calculated first-12-month cost:** $4,200 + (12 × $195) = **$6,540** before tax, excluding Jobber and domain registration.
- Optional/hourly cost: Work beyond the care-plan allowance at $125/hour.
- Renewal cost: Care plan continues after month 12 at $195/month, subject to change with 30 days’ notice.
- Cancellation cost during initial term: 50% of remaining monthly payments.
- First-installment amount and full payment schedule: **Not stated**.
- Taxes: **Not stated**.

## Material differences

### Sourced facts

Northline provides custom visual design, two design-revision rounds, one pre-launch QA round, and a 30-day implementation-defect correction period. The client supplies final copy and images.

Spruce adapts a template, drafts up to 1,500 words of copy, and includes metadata, an XML sitemap, an unnamed analytics dashboard, backups, updates, and 60 minutes of monthly content changes. Unused time does not roll over. Its revision count is **Not stated**.

After final payment, Northline transfers the final custom design, site files, and approved content, subject to possible non-transferability of approved third-party licenses. Spruce transfers ownership of approved copy and supplied photos but retains the template, design system, configuration, and source repository; it offers a content/image export after termination.

Spruce targets a weekday response within two business days. Resolution time and uptime guarantee are **Not stated**.

## Risks and unknowns

### Judgment based on stated terms and gaps

- Neither schedule proves launch within six weeks of vendor selection because each estimate begins only after additional prerequisites.
- Northline’s portability appears stronger, but third-party license restrictions could limit migration.
- Spruce’s retained technical assets materially limit full-site portability.
- Spruce provides more continuing managed assistance, but its renewal price can change and early cancellation carries a stated charge.
- Revision scope is uncertain for Spruce; cancellation and refund exposure is uncertain for Northline.
- Neither proposal explicitly confirms that editor access permits staff to update both text and photos.

## Conditional decision guide

If full-site ownership and future migration are the leading preference, Northline has the stronger stated terms, subject to clarifying third-party licenses and confirming transferable operation elsewhere.

If included copy drafting and continuing hosting, updates, backups, and monthly content assistance matter more, Spruce provides those services, with less complete portability and an ongoing care-plan commitment.

If deadline certainty, cancellation flexibility, or exact editing permissions are decisive, the current proposals do not support a decision until clarified. Because preference weights are unassigned, no overall choice is established.

## Five clarification questions

1. Will every named required page be delivered, and can staff independently update both its text and photos?
2. What exact event starts the schedule, what client dependencies apply, and what happens if the estimated launch window is missed?
3. What are the payment amounts, due dates, taxes, and every mandatory charge through the first 12 months after launch?
4. On termination or migration, exactly which files, code, configuration, licenses, content, and credentials transfer, and in what usable format?
5. What revision, cancellation, refund, support-resolution, uptime, and post-launch defect terms apply?

## Confidence and review

Confidence is high in the normalization and arithmetic because they use only the stated proposal terms. Human review is still needed to verify contract language, technical fit, vendor reliability, and all items marked **Not stated**.