Blog
Tools & Workflow23 February 2026
3 min read
Accountable, Kontist, Lexoffice: Why Your Proposal PDF Isn't Enough
Accounting tools are strong on tax and invoicing. Why they inevitably leave gaps when it comes to protecting your proposal.
Why This Matters
Accounting tools are strong on tax, invoicing, receipts, and e-invoicing requirements. That's exactly what they're built for. The product and help pages of Accountable, Kontist, and Lexware Office make that clear.
Many freelancers, however, start with a different problem: the proposal PDF contains only deliverables and a price — but no clear ground rules for the project. Then a "yes" to the proposal later turns into "that was supposed to be included", and the dispute begins.
What These Tools Do Well (and What Isn't Their Core Job)
The three tools mentioned above primarily solve invoicing and accounting processes:
- Accountable: invoices and e-invoices, templates, sending, tax workflows (source, source)
- Kontist: invoices directly in the business account, receipt capture, accounting features (source)
- Lexware Office: create and progress proposals/invoices, e-invoice workflows (source, source)
That's not a drawback of these tools. It's simply a different focus. They're built for correct documentation and processes — not automatically for project-specific risk management in individual cases.
Comparison: Invoicing Strength vs. Proposal Protection
| Area | Typically strong in accounting tools | Typically open in the proposal PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Proposal/invoice | Fast document creation, progression, sending | Scope definition often too vague |
| E-invoice | Structured format, process support | No substitute for clear scope rules |
| Payment | Reminders, status, overview | No rule for additional effort |
| Documentation | Archiving/receipts | No clear acceptance criteria |
| Compliance | Tax/format requirements | No project-specific cooperation obligations |
Why this matters: since 1 January 2025, new e-invoicing rules with transitional periods apply to domestic B2B transactions in Germany. This improves invoicing processes — not automatically the project clauses in your proposal (BMF FAQ, as of October 2025, BMF letter 15.10.2024).
What to Clarify Concretely in Your Proposal
Define scope clearly
Define what deliverables are included and which aren't. This avoids implicit expectations.
Establish a clean change process
Set out how additional requirements are commissioned and costed. That protects your budget.
Set acceptance criteria and deadlines
With a clear acceptance deadline, a project won't stay open indefinitely.
Practical Tip
Keep your wording short and unambiguous. The clearer your proposal, the less renegotiation you'll face during the project.
A Real-World Mini-Case
A typical scenario:
- The proposal mentions "website relaunch" and a fixed price.
- During the project, several "small" additional requests come in.
- Without a clear change process, extra work is often not properly commissioned.
Just two missing building blocks cause problems:
- No clear "not included" exclusions
- No rule for how additional requirements are costed and approved
The problem isn't the invoice. The problem is the missing agreement before the invoice.
Typical Mistakes in Practice
- Describing services without clear limits
- Accepting changes without a process
- Agreeing acceptance only verbally
- Leaving liability questions open
Important
When scope, acceptance, and the change process are missing, the risk of unpaid extra work rises significantly.
Three Copy-Paste Building Blocks for Better Protection
1) Change Request
"Services not covered by the agreed scope will only be carried out as additional work after written approval. The client will receive an effort and cost estimate before implementation begins."
2) Acceptance Deadline
"The client reviews the deliverable within 5 working days of handover and communicates any defects in text form. If no response with a specific description of defects is received within that period, the deliverable is deemed accepted."
3) Excluded Services
"The following are not part of this proposal: subsequent feature additions, additional content production, external tool or licence costs, and third-party services, unless explicitly stated."
Note: These are practical wordings and do not constitute legal advice.
Basic Legal Framework (DE) in Brief
A few pointers from the German Civil Code (BGB) help put things in context:
- Proposals are generally binding unless the binding nature has been excluded (§ 145 BGB).
- Deadlines for acceptance can be stipulated (§ 148 BGB).
- In a work-contract context, acceptance is a central milestone for project completion (§ 640 BGB).
This doesn't replace individual legal advice, but it shows: a good proposal document needs more than line items and a price.
With ScopeCard you can analyse your existing proposal PDF and automatically fill in missing proposal components.
Sources
- Accountable product page: https://www.accountable.de/
- Accountable Help (invoicing via app): https://www.accountable.de/help-center/gibt-es-apps-zum-rechnung-erstellen-und-funktioniert-das-auch-mit-accountable/
- Kontist product page (accounting/CRM): https://kontist.com/product/kontist-buchhaltung-crm/
- Lexware Office Help (create invoice): https://help.lexware.de/de-form/articles/11001927-wie-erstelle-ich-eine-rechnung
- Lexware Office Help (e-invoice): https://help.lexware.de/de-form/articles/10199856-so-erstellen-sie-eine-e-rechnung-in-lexware-office
- BMF FAQ e-invoice (as of October 2025): https://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/Content/DE/FAQ/e-rechnung.html
- BMF letter dated 15.10.2024: https://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/Content/DE/Downloads/BMF_Schreiben/Steuerarten/Umsatzsteuer/2024-10-15-einfuehrung-e-rechnung.html
- BGB § 145: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__145.html
- BGB § 148: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__148.html
- BGB § 640: https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__640.html
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