The interesting thing is that “transparent”, as a word, has two meanings that are often used but are also the complete opposite of each other.
One (literal) means “translucent” – the light passing through the material = hard to see
The other (figurative) meaning is “easily seen through, recognized, or detected; obvious; readily understood” = easy to see.
The same is kind of true for “common sense” conditions of work, where the more “common sense” it is to include a condition of work into an agreement, the easier it is to skip or not define it. I often made that mistake and got the scars to prove it.
Things like-
“The deadline only starts after I get from you the resources and access I need to start working”
“Invoices must be paid according to the agreed-upon schedule”
“Any issues or disputes should be communicated and resolved promptly”
That’s one thing worth copying from bigger companies as a practice – has general terms of conditions. They should be written by a professional, and cover you in case you forget to include some pillars of good business practice or simply common decency.
However, if you have your own “terms and conditions”, you don’t even need to bring them up in polite conversation. Just focus on all of the important parts of the negotiation, and let your “terms and conditions”, displayed on your website and profiles, do the rest on their own. 🙂