Sign a statement of work online

What a SOW is and how it fits with the MSA

A statement of work describes one piece of work: what will be delivered, by when, for how much, and how the client will decide it is done. It usually sits under a master services agreement (MSA) or consulting agreement that holds the legal terms such as liability, IP and termination.

Each SOW should say which agreement it falls under and what wins if they conflict. A typical order of precedence clause says the MSA prevails, except where the SOW expressly overrides a named clause.

What a good SOW contains

If a deliverable cannot be tested against the acceptance criteria, it will be argued over later.

• Background and objectives, in a paragraph.
• Scope: deliverables listed one by one, and an explicit list of what is out of scope.
• Milestones and dates, with client dependencies such as access to systems or approvals.
• Acceptance criteria and the review period for each deliverable.
• Fees: fixed price per milestone, or time and materials with a cap.
• Assumptions the price depends on.
• Change control: how changes are requested, priced and approved.
• Named contacts on each side.

Who signs a SOW

On the client side, someone with authority over the budget, which may differ from the day-to-day project contact. Check the MSA: some say SOWs must be signed by a named role, such as a director or the procurement team, to be binding.

On the supplier side, an account director or company officer. Many suppliers ask the client to sign first and then countersign, so the supplier only commits staff once the client has approved.

Mistakes that lead to disputes

Starting work on an unsigned SOW because the deadline is tight, then disagreeing on scope. Deliverables described as activities ('support the migration') rather than outputs. No change control, so new requests are absorbed without a price. Assumptions hidden in an email instead of written into the SOW.

None of this is about the signing method. An e-signature is valid for a SOW under the US ESIGN Act, UK law and the EU eIDAS Regulation; the risk is in the drafting. Not legal advice.

Sending a SOW through Sign PDF

Upload the SOW and Sign PDF places the 'Client' and 'Supplier' sign-off boxes. Ask the assistant for 'client initials beside the fee table' or 'add a box for the SOW number'. Keep a SOW template on the Full plan so each new one only needs the scope and dates edited.

Both signers confirm an email code and sign in the browser. When the project is later reviewed, the sealed SOW shows the agreed scope and the certificate shows who approved it and when. For changes during the project, use a change order.