App Requirements Template: Scope Before You Ask for Quotes

An app requirements template is a short written scope that lists who uses the app, what it must do, what it connects to and what is out of scope, so every developer prices the same thing. In the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the document should also cover Arabic and right-to-left screens, local sign-in, data protection and app store rules. Send the same document to every developer and the quotes become comparable.

Why do app quotes come back so different?

Quotes differ because each developer fills the gaps in your brief with their own guesses. One assumes an admin panel. Another assumes you only want the mobile app. A third leaves out push notifications and adds them later as a change request.

Say a Dubai courier company asks three agencies for "a driver app". Quote one covers Android only. Quote two includes iPhone and a dispatcher web page. Quote three includes COD collection but not the reconciliation report. The prices look far apart. The scopes are too.

A requirements document stops that. Clockwise Software lists the standard contents: background and goals, stakeholders, risks and limits, system description with user roles and integrations, functional and non-functional requirements, and diagrams. You don't need all of it on day one. You need enough that two developers would build the same product.

Which app requirements template sections do developers need to price?

Developers need ten sections to price an app: goal, users, features, screens, integrations, data, languages, rules, release and budget. The table below shows what to write in each and a GCC example.

The Must, Should, Could labels are the MoSCoW method. Web-Pioneer's template uses it too. It lets a developer price the Must list first and the rest as options.

Write features as user stories

Write each feature as one sentence plus a test. For example:

• Story: As a driver, I mark a COD order as paid and enter the amount.
• Test: The amount shows in the finance report within a minute. The driver cannot edit it after submitting.

The test line is what stops arguments at delivery. It tells both sides what "done" means.

What GCC-specific items belong in the document?

Five items belong in every UAE or KSA app brief, and most generic templates skip them. Write each as a clear line, not a hope.

1. Arabic and RTL. Say whether the app is Arabic only, English only or both. If both, say whether users can switch language inside the app. RTL layouts change every screen, so developers price it.

2. Sign-in method. Do you want email and password, phone OTP, UAE Pass or Nafath? Name the option. If you want a government sign-in, ask the developer to confirm in writing how they will get access, because each provider has its own onboarding. Check the provider's own documentation for current rules.

3. Addresses and maps. Delivery apps in the Gulf deal with Makani numbers, the Saudi National Address, landmarks and pins dropped on a map. State which one the app must capture and validate.

4. Cash on delivery. COD is common here. If the app handles it, describe who collects cash, how it is recorded and who reconciles it. A COD payment that does not reconcile is usually a missing requirement, not a bug.

5. Data protection. The UAE's Personal Data Protection Law is Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021, in force since 2 January 2022, according to u.ae. Saudi Arabia has its own PDPL, with SDAIA as the competent authority. In your document, list what personal data the app collects, why, where it is stored and how a user can ask for deletion. Then have a lawyer confirm which law applies to you. Free zones such as DIFC and ADGM can have their own rules, so ask. Check official SDAIA pages for the Saudi text, since this post does not quote it.

Which app store rules should be written into the scope?

Write the store rules into the document so nobody can price them as extras. Two matter most.

Account deletion on iPhone

Apple's guideline 5.1.1(v) says that if an app lets users create an account, it must let them delete it inside the app. See the App Store Review Guidelines. Apple's developer news post adds that the option should be easy to find, and that deactivation alone is not enough. Apps that use Sign in with Apple must also revoke tokens. Apps must follow local legal requirements on data retention.

So your document needs a line: "Users can delete their account and data inside the app. Deleted data is handled as the privacy policy states."

Target API level on Android

Google Play sets a minimum target API level for new apps and updates. Its policy page says new apps and updates must target an API level within one year of the latest major Android release. The exact number changes, and Google's own pages have shown different dates. So write: "The app targets the API level Google Play requires at the time of submission." Don't hard-code a number.

Other lines worth adding

• Apple's guidelines say third-party SDKs and analytics tools must give user data the same protection your privacy policy states. List every SDK you expect.
• Apple also bans hidden or undocumented features. A full feature list protects you here.

How do you turn one document into comparable quotes?

Send the same document to three or four developers, ask for the same quote format and compare line by line. Follow these steps.

1. Finish the draft. Fill all ten sections. Mark unknowns as "to be decided" instead of leaving them blank.
2. Add a one-page summary. Developers read this first. Put the goal, users, platforms and launch date on it.
3. Hold one Q&A call per developer. Write down every question. Send the answers to all of them in writing, so nobody has an advantage.
4. Ask for a standard quote layout. Use the table below.
5. Compare the Must list first. Price the Should and Could items as options.
6. Check the exclusions. The line "not included" tells you more than the total.
7. Attach the final document to the contract. Web-Pioneer notes it can be attached to the contract. Your lawyer should confirm how.

Ask every developer to fill in this table.

If one quote is far lower, check the exclusions column before you celebrate.

What mistakes make a requirements document useless?

Most failures come from vague wording, not missing pages. Watch for these.

• "Easy to use" and "fast". Replace with a test: "A driver completes a delivery in under five taps."
• No priority. If everything is a Must, nothing can be cut when the budget is tight.
• Missing integrations. The app talks to your ERP, couriers or a marketplace feed. Name each one and say who gives API access.
• No admin side. Many apps need a web page for staff to manage users, orders and reports. Ask whether it is included.
• Forgetting what happens after launch. Add support period, bug fixes and who updates the app when Apple or Google change rules.
• Skipping the out-of-scope list. Write "Not in version one: loyalty points, in-app chat." It saves a dispute later.

Where does Quickship fit?

If you want a second opinion on your draft before you send it out, Quickship builds mobile apps and custom software on quote. See app development and custom software. We are a technology company, so we only build and support software. We don't ship, store or deliver goods. Send us your document and we will quote against it, like any other developer. Compare us line by line with the others.