Guide · updated October 2026
How to commission custom software. A guide from A to Z.
For companies and public authorities that do not build software every day. What to decide before you approach the market, how to choose a vendor, how to keep development on track, and how to stay independent. No jargon, with figures from sources and templates you can use.
- 25chapters in four parts plus a bonus
- 310+terms explained
- ~6 minreading per chapter
- NKÚ, ÚOHS, DIAand other verified sources
- Freeno sign-up, no email
Overview
Guide map
The chapters follow the order in which software decisions are made. Choose where you are now or who you are, and the map will show you where to start.
- 01Why it goes over budget(read)
- 02Buy vs. build(read)
- 03A colleague with AI(read)
- 04True cost (TCO)(read)
- 05Will it pay off?(read)
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- 06Brief, people, data(read)
- 07Vendor types(read)
- 08Approaching the market(read)
- 09Vendor selection(read)
- 10Pricing models(read)
- 11Contract and license(read)
- 12Public procurement(read)
- 13Common mistakes(read)
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- 14Analysis and scope(read)
- 15Technology(read)
- 16Process and your role(read)
- 17Meetings and oversight(read)
- 18Scope changes(read)
- 19When it goes wrong(read)
- 20Acceptance and launch(read)
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Introduction
Before you start
This guide is for directors, department heads, IT managers, purchasers, and contracting authorities in companies and public administration who have software built for them. You do not need to know how to code. You only need to know what you want to solve and be willing to ask the vendor the right questions.
The chapters follow the order in which decisions about a project are made: from whether to build software at all, through vendor selection and development, to operations. Read them in order or jump straight to where you are now. Each chapter opens with a summary in a nutshell and ends with a comparison of how it goes wrong and how to do it right. Technical terms have an explanation on hover or tap.
The guide is based on the Czech context: Czech law and public procurement rules, Czech public authorities, and prices in CZK.
What the boxes in the text mean
- In a nutshellthe chapter summed up in three sentences
- What it meansthe concept the chapter is built on
- Watch outa mistake that costs money
- Red flagreact to this, in a vendor or in the project
- Tippractical advice
- For public authoritieswhat is different in public administration
- Casea public case with a link to the source
- Human factora psychological trap, more in chapter 25
- Did you know?a side note
- Not legal adviceas of the update date, have a lawyer check the contract