Gathering of the information needed to develop a design contract begins at the time of the initial meeting with the client. Only rarely will you be able to offer a complete contract to the client at this initial meeting. You should also not be overeager to quote specific design fees at the initial meeting. You should consider your fees after you have the information you need to make that determination. The initial meeting is to get to know the client and the project, and for the client(s) to get to know you. What is critical here is to gather the information you need to write your design contract.