Managed services go wrong when the scope lives in emails and nobody can say whether a request is included. This statement of work states the services, the out-of-scope list, the deliverables with tests, the service levels and credits, who decides what, the fees and the term in one place a stranger could read and settle a dispute from.

The sample is an agreement between Thistledown Trading and its managed service supplier for three sites, with a fixed fee of $96,000 a year, a 99.9% availability target, credits paid automatically and a twelve-month term. Every name, figure and address is fictional. Replace the parties, deliverables and fees with your own, and have the client's legal team review the terms before signing.