Guide · updated September 27, 2026
The templates found online almost all come from France. Here are the 10 sections of a good requirements document, with Québec’s own requirements, and a generator that writes yours in 15 minutes, right in your browser.
Without a requirements document, each agency imagines a different project. You get three quotes that do not describe the same thing, impossible to compare, and the final price drifts with every “small change”.
With a clear requirements document, agencies price the same project. They can commit to a fixed price, and you know exactly what you are buying. Good agencies appreciate it: they waste less time guessing.
For each: what to write, an example, and the common mistake.
What to write: Who you are, what you sell, where you stand (first site, redesign, app) and why now.
Example: “Neighbourhood bakery in Rosemont, 12 employees. Our current site dates from 2017 and does not display well on phones.”
Common mistake: Skipping this part: the agency guesses, and its proposals miss the mark.
What to write: What the site or app must change for your business, ideally measurable.
Example: “Receive cake orders online; go from 5 to 20 requests a week.”
Common mistake: “A nice modern site”: that is not a goal, it is a wish.
What to write: Who will use the site: clients, partners, employees; their age, language, device.
Example: “Neighbourhood families, mostly on phones, in French and English.”
Common mistake: “Everyone”: you cannot design for everyone.
What to write: The list of pages (or screens) and who provides copy, photos and translations.
Example: “Home, Our products, Order, About, Contact. We provide the copy; photos to be planned by the agency.”
Common mistake: Forgetting who writes the copy: it is the first cause of delay.
What to write: What the site must do, sorted into “must-have” and “nice-to-have”.
Example: “Must-have: online order and payment. Nice-to-have: newsletter.”
Common mistake: Putting everything at the same level: the agency prices everything, and the price explodes.
What to write: Your brand (logo, colours) and 2 or 3 sites you like, saying why.
Example: “We like such a site for its big photos and simple menu.”
Common mistake: “Make us a proposal” with no reference at all: three agencies, three directions.
What to write: French, Law 25 (privacy) and accessibility, especially for a public body (check the standards that apply to you). Write them in black and white: this is what templates from France leave out.
Example: “Site in French, with an English version. Privacy policy, consent banner and the contact details of the person in charge of personal information.”
Common mistake: Assuming the agency will think of it: many do not, even on their own site.
Charter of the French language, s. 52: catalogues, brochures and other commercial documents offered to the public, “whatever the medium”, must be in French; another language is allowed if the French version is accessible on terms at least as favourable. For software or an app, s. 52.1 requires a French version to be available if one exists. Read the text
Law 25 (private sector): the title and contact details of the person in charge of personal information are published on the site (s. 3.1); technologies able to identify, locate or profile a visitor must be activated by them (s. 8.1); a contract entrusting personal information to a provider is written and states the protection measures (s. 18.3). Read the text
What to write: Your constraints only: software to connect, existing hosting, a required platform. Otherwise, let the agency propose and justify.
Example: “Connect orders to our Lightspeed register. No required platform.”
Common mistake: Imposing a technology “because a friend uses it”: you miss better options.
What to write: What must be in your name and handed to you: domain, accounts, admin access, code, and a written assignment of rights.
Example: “Domain, hosting and accounts in the business’s name; full admin access and a copy of the site handed over at final payment.”
Common mistake: Only raising it at the end: by then, you have no leverage.
Copyright Act, s. 13: the author is the first owner of copyright, and an assignment is only valid if written and signed. Read the text
What to write: A budget range, a target date, your selection criteria, and the expected quote format (for example our 12 points).
Example: “Budget: $8,000 to $12,000 before taxes. Target launch: March. Please answer the 12 attached points one by one.”
Common mistake: Hiding the budget: agencies guess, and you get quotes impossible to compare.
Civil Code, art. 2109: with a fixed price, the agreed price does not change, unless agreed otherwise. A precise requirements document is what makes a fixed price possible. Read the text
Fill in what you know; the document writes itself as you go. Nothing is sent or kept: copy or download it at the end.
Your requirements document
REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT [to complete] · New website 1. The business and the context [to complete] 2. Goals [to complete] 3. Audience [to complete] 4. Pages and content [to complete] We provide the copy and photos. 5. Features (must-have unless stated otherwise) [to complete] 6. Design [to complete] 7. Québec requirements - Site in French; any other language is offered on terms at least as favourable (Charter of the French language, s. 52; s. 52.1 for software or an app). - Law 25: privacy policy, title and contact details of the person in charge of personal information published on the site, tracking technologies activated only with the visitor’s consent. - If the agency accesses personal information: written contract stating the protection measures (s. 18.3). - Phone-friendly layout and good loading speed. 8. Technical side [to complete] 9. Ownership and handover - Domain, hosting and every account linked to the site in our business’s name. - Full admin access, a full copy of the site (files and database) and documentation handed over at the latest at final payment. - Written assignment of copyright in the items created for the project, upon final payment. 10. Budget, schedule and responses Budget (before taxes): [to complete] Target launch: [to complete] Decision-maker on our side: [to complete] Please answer the following 12 points one by one, stating for each: included, optional (with its price) or not included. 1. Custom design 2. Phone-friendly layout 3. French version (and English if asked) 4. Basic SEO 5. Moving the old site’s content 6. Law 25: privacy policy and cookie banner 7. Visit statistics, in your name 8. First year of hosting 9. Maintenance after the launch 10. Bug-fix warranty 11. Domain name registered in your name 12. Code, files and admin access handed over Document prepared with AgencyVerity’s free template (agencyverity.com).
Nothing is sent or kept. Sections 7 and 9 and the 12 points are added for you.
Our free template asks agencies to answer, point by point, the 12 points that make quotes comparable. Prepare my request
Same document, same deadline to answer. To choose them: our Montréal agencies guide
Our analysis reads each quote and spots what is missing compared with your request. The first one is free. Check a quote
A document of a few pages describing your business, goals, the pages and features you want, your requirements (French, Law 25, ownership), your budget and schedule. It lets agencies give you precise, comparable quotes.
For a business site, 3 to 6 pages are enough. Longer, it is not read; shorter, it leaves too much room for interpretation.
Yes, at least a range. Without a budget, each agency imagines a different project, and quotes no longer compare. To set your range, see our guide to published prices.
French (Charter of the French language, s. 52; s. 52.1 for software or an app), Law 25 (privacy policy, person in charge of personal information, consent for tracking technologies) and, for a public body, accessibility. (This is not legal advice.)
The requirements document describes your project; the request for quote tells agencies how to answer. Send both together: our request-for-quote template contains the 12 points to have specified.
No. The text is built in your browser; nothing is sent or kept. Copy or download it before closing the page.
Texts read on September 27, 2026. The examples are fictional and show the form. This guide gives general information, not legal advice.
Guide written by the AgencyVerity team, Montréal. Updated September 27, 2026. Back to contents · All our guides