Open your store, choose one important customer journey and apply each section to the decisions your team is making now.
Frame the decision
The meaningful question is not the day rate; it is which commercial risks the project must remove. Catalogue size, design originality, integrations, migration complexity and content readiness all change the work.
What to inspect
A useful proposal separates strategy, design, development, third-party fees, content responsibilities and post-launch support. It should also explain what is excluded, because hidden assumptions are where budgets usually drift.
Evidence worth keeping
Analytics checks, annotated screens, customer questions, technical profiles and a prioritised decision log make recommendations easier to act on.
Turn the finding into action
Compare partners on the clarity of their process and technical decisions, not on the number of pages listed. A reusable section system may create more long-term value than a large set of rigid templates.
Make the recommendation useful: assign an owner, a success signal and a review date.