Do I need a user agreement for my business?

It is almost always possible to amend a signed contract, but, of course, all signatories to the original contract would also need to sign any amendment. If, however, you foresee things you may want to sign later down the road, it'd be best to negotiate changes to the original contract, rather than amending an existing one....for one thing, what if the other signatories don't agree to your proposed amendment(s)?

Some contracts incorporate both reasons for breaching or ending a contract, and some incorporate the amount of a penalty. Most business contracts incorporate what state's laws apply, and whether a dispute will be taken to arbitration or court. If nothing is specified in a contract, parties are most likely to sue for lost income. To truly make an informed decision, I recommend that you consult with a business attorney BEFORE you sign a contract, so that he or she can review the proposed contract and recommend changes BEFORE you sign.

It is not necessary to have a witness(es) witness the signing of a contract, but it can be helpful if you later wanted to content that you were coerced into signing or agreeing to terms that you protested. However, if you have such concerns, you should not sign any contract. The advantage of having a notary witness a signing is that a WA State notary will check the legal indentification of all signatories to a contract and ensure they are who they say they are; appear to be competent to understand what they're signing; etc.

I suggest you submit a proposal and let lawyers bid on it.

You should have a simple template that can be used for multiple projects. The key terms to include are: - Contract period - Your specific responsibilities and deliverables - Fees and payment terms - Who owns the work - Non-disclosure clauses - Termination rights (for both parties) if things don't go well - Indemnification (i.e. if something goes wrong, who is responsible for what) This can be a relatively simple contract that can be revised quickly and for multiple clients. One thing to note is that companies will typically prefer to use their own vendor contracts, so you might end up having to review and use their contract instead of yours.