Offering your services as an IT consultant can be beneficial to every business. This is because not all business owners are equipped with the knowledge to create a website or system. After getting in touch with a client, you can start creating a document with your pitch.
If you don’t know how to draft an IT consulting agreement, you might be worried about this. Thankfully, you’ve come to the right page. This guide will help you write a contract to start landing clients for your IT consultancy.
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How to Write an IT Consulting Agreement
Before anything, let’s discuss what a consulting agreement is. This is basically a legally binding document where you talk about your consulting services and terms. At the end of the document, there will be space where you and the client sign to make it official.
Consulting agreement VS consulting proposal
Do you need an agreement or proposal for your consultancy? Both are legal documents that are enforceable, but which one is better suited for your IT business?
Also known as a consulting contract, an agreement is a document that formalizes what you have presented to the client. You may have submitted a proposal prior to an agreement. Once the client signs this document, the project is considered official.
Meanwhile, a proposal is simply a document that formalizes what you have verbally discussed with the client. You may have already discussed the project in a meeting. After that, you have to put it into writing.
Writing IT consulting agreement
Knowing how to write your consulting agreement clearly can help you win potential clients. So, how do you put together a document that will land you the job? Here’s what you need to include in the agreement:
- Parties – The names of both parties the agreement is for
- Services provided – The services you will provide for the client
- Term – The date when the agreement begins and when it is expected to be completed
- Fees – The cost of the project and when you expect to be paid
- Expenses – The possible expenses of the project and who will be responsible for them
- Intellectual property – The owner of the project deliverables
- Confidentiality – The information that should not be made public
- Termination – The possible causes that the project will be terminated by either party
Use an IT Consulting Agreement Template
When drafting an IT consulting agreement, you can use a template you can easily customize. The template allows you to fill in the information without starting over with every contract.
IT Consulting Agreement
Components of a Standard IT Consulting Agreement
Now that you’re ready to fill up the template remember to pay attention to the following parts of the agreement:
Parties, date, and signatures
This section contains the basic information of both parties. It also includes their addresses since it is a legal document.
You will also need to include when the agreement goes into effect, which is when it was signed.
Description of services
The contract you write should include the different IT consulting services you will provide. It should also list the benefits that the client will accept and pay for.
Be specific about the deliverables expected from you. Include the consultation sessions you will be providing and their frequency and objectives.
Duration of the project
Will you be starting work at the time the contract gets signed or at a later date? What is the estimated duration of time that you will work on the project?
These are the things that you need to include in the agreement.
Payments and fees
The IT consulting agreement creation process requires you to be detailed about the project as much as possible. This includes information on your rates as a consultant. Will you be paid hourly or at a fixed rate? When do you expect the payment to come in?
Include your payment details in the agreement and who will cover transfer fees and exchange rates.
Termination policy
Since this is a legal document, you must provide information on termination or cancellation. What happens at the end date of the agreement? Will the project automatically expire, or will the client have the option to renew?
The termination policy can protect both parties if anything goes wrong during the project.
Confidentiality & intellectual property
Your agreement should also include a section for confidentiality and intellectual property. As an independent contractor, you can access your client’s internal documents. You need to sign a non-disclosure agreement to protect their data.
How Fill Helps Create Your IT Consulting Agreement
Knowing how to create an IT consulting agreement is good, but there are now tools that you can use. You can customize a template from Fill to help you out.
Aside from the template, Fill has an online signature tool, so you don’t have to print out the document. Create an account today to start customizing your template and collaborate with team members remotely.
