Service Agreements & Contracts

Free Statement of Work Template (PDF)

A statement of work (SOW) authorizes one specific engagement under an existing master services agreement — scope, deliverables, timeline, and fees for that project alone, without re-negotiating the underlying legal terms.

When to use it

Use a SOW alongside an MSA you already have in place with a client or vendor — it's the fast, project-specific paperwork for each new piece of work, referencing the MSA for everything else (liability, confidentiality, IP) rather than repeating it.

What's typically included

• Reference to the governing MSA
• Scope of work
• Deliverables and acceptance criteria
• Timeline and milestones
• Fees for this engagement
• Personnel
• Term of this SOW

How to fill it in

• Fill in the actual date of the governing MSA in the reference line — a SOW that doesn't clearly tie back to a specific MSA leaves the legal terms it depends on ambiguous.
• Edit the pricing table's phases to match this specific engagement's actual scope and fees — a SOW should stand on its own for what this one project costs.
• Keep the scope section specific to this engagement only; anything you want to apply to all future work belongs in the MSA, not repeated in every SOW.

This template is a general starting point, not legal advice — customize it and have it reviewed for your situation.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use this SOW template without an MSA already in place?

It's built to reference an existing MSA for the underlying legal terms (liability, confidentiality, IP) — without one, use a standalone proposal or service agreement template instead, since this SOW alone doesn't restate those terms.

Is an electronically signed SOW legally binding on its own?

Yes, under the U.S. ESIGN Act and state UETA laws — combined with its referenced MSA, a signed SOW is a binding authorization for that specific project.

What happens if this SOW's terms conflict with the MSA?

Typically, the specific SOW's terms control for that engagement while the MSA governs everything else — but state this explicitly in your MSA's own conflict-of-terms clause rather than assuming it.