Sounds like a lot of work/overkill, but I've always given out a detailed statement of work (based on a boilerplate from my own experience) that: * outlines my

Sounds like a lot of work/overkill, but I've always given out a detailed statement of work (based on a boilerplate from my own experience) that: * outlines my current understanding of the project with enough detail to not trivialize potential areas of difficulty * bullet points of what's in scope and out of scope * list of expectations from the customer to ensure timeliness and adherence to the budget * change control procedure * clearly state that it's a time and materials budget * clearly state that there's a margin of error and that you will diligently manage the project to budget * outline any potential risks and showstoppers that will add $/scope You also have to make sure they sign off on this SOW as proof they read it. This habit is just a carryover from my experience working in consulting agencies.