Open with the business problem, not your preferred technology. Which people will use the system, how often, and how is the job done today? An experienced team who understands the goal can propose a simpler way to reach it; someone handed only the requirements as given will price the list as written.

Set out the scope as short scenarios: what the user does and what the system does in response. Every bit as useful, state explicitly what is out of scope. A written out-of-scope list prevents more argument later than almost anything else in the document. Indicate as well which decisions are settled and which may still change — the difference changes the price, and pretending everything is fixed helps no one.

Set out your constraints. This means systems you must integrate with, existing databases and their quality, security and compliance rules, custom software development cost expected load, target platforms and infrastructure that is already decided. If a deadline is real, say why: an experienced team will often resequence the work to hit it, but only if they know it exists.

Write down what the word done means feature by feature. Clear acceptance criteria do not require special syntax: a plain-language note stating what must be true when the feature works will do. That one addition compresses the review at the end considerably and closes off the most common source of disputes.

One last thing, ai development agency state what you want in the response. Ask for a breakdown by feature or module, the assumptions used, whatever the team considers risky and a low number and a high number. Treat a wide range as information, not evasion: it usually points to exactly which requirement is unclear. Then clarify that area and ask again — the second estimate will be far closer to reality.