Client Requirement out of scope

[fdynasty]

Hello Everyone,

I am working on real estate wordpress website for a client, he wanted everything custom so i am using advance custom fields, and build the site according to his work scope shared initially when i onboard the project, the site is live on his server and yesterday i was about to close the project by giving the client training of how we can post properties including complete video tutorial so he can watch the video and follow it.

On the site he can upload single properties, as well as multi space properties under one building having seperate section for each space including (details, picture slider, video tour and inquiry form which you can see i completed and he agress on the design and the visual and ask me to make the website live on his server.

**Edited for Community Guidelines**

Now during our zoom call he open a real estate state which i cant even access and it requires a membership plan, probablly with millions of listing, track by geo location and including CRM and in house IT time to manage that complex site.

The client came with a new requirement that is totally out of scope and i am not sure if their is a solution to it or not as i took the project on intitial work scope and hes showing me some custom build site which he did not shared previously.

So my question to the support of upwork is, hes saying if i dont provide the solution he wont pay me for a new requirement, what is the upwork policy for it the project is fully funded  for your information.

Please guide me

Thanks

[759e32fa]

Hi Azam,

Thank you for reaching out to us. I checked the project that you are referring to and found that it is currently paused by Upwork. Please know that if a contract is on hold, it means that there is a problem with your client’s Upwork account, and you cannot continue to bill that client through Upwork until the issue is resolved. There are many possible reasons this could occur, although we can’t share the specifics regarding your clients' accounts due to privacy concerns. 

It's recommended that you stop working on the contract immediately and get in touch with your client to see when you can resume working, once they've resolved the issue with their account. Feel free to check this help article to learn more.

[fdynasty]

Hello Annie,

Thanks for your quick response, i have few questions:

- How do i know if the contract is on hold or how can i see if the contract is on hold from my contract page?

- I have been working on this project for a month now you are suggesting me to stop the work but the site i made is already live and what about the escrow funded amount?

- Can i tell this to my client that your project or account is on hold if yes? how do i prove it?

I hope you are getting my point

Let me know if this client has been doing similar activity in the past thanks,

Thanks

[NikolaS · Accepted solution]

Hi Azam,

Thank you for following up. I would like to clarify that the status of the contract being on hold would show next to the contract's title in the Contract Room as well as on the My Jobs page.

I also encourage you to check out the help article Annie Jane shared as it contains a lot of information about how to proceed in such situations.

[fdynasty]

Hello Nikola,

Highly appreciate your quick feedback, this is the first time i am facing such issue, yes i have read the article it helps a lot, so should i be checking my jobs frequently for the client who are new on upwork and does not have a verified payment method.

Also does upwork send a notification or i just have to check it manually

Thanks

[PradeepH]

Hi Azam,

Thank you for your message. Yes, you will receive a notification when the contract is reinstated. Additionally, you can manually check your contract page as well.

Thank you,

Pradeep

[prestonhunter]

re: "The client came with a new requirement that is totally out of scope and i am not sure if their is a solution to it or not as i took the project on intitial work scope and hes showing me some custom build site which he did not shared previously."

Yes.

There is a solution:

Don't do out of scope work.

Ever.

If the client asks for event the tiniest out of scope task, you should not do it until:

a) The client closes the current fixed-price contract and releases all escrow money to you, and creates a new hourly contract.

[or]

b) The client closes the current fixed-piece contract and releases all escrow money to you and sets up a new fixed-price contract to do the specific new task, using the dollar amount you tell him.

Those are the client's options. The client must choose one of those two options, or you do NOTHING further.

Aside from that, if this client's account or contract is suspended, then you DO NOTHING until you have received payment for all of the work you have done this far.

It is a client's responsibility to make sure his payment method is valid and that money is flowing reliably to your account.

If there is a chance that you're not getting paid for the work you are doing, then stop all work until the client sorts things out.