Service agreement checklist: scope, payment, and completion

1. Identify the service and the parties

Describe the work in language both sides understand. Identify whether you are dealing with an individual or a business, and record the relevant contact person. A job title alone may not tell you who is actually providing the service.

• Name the provider and customer.
• Describe where and when the service will take place.
• Identify who will answer questions and approve work.

2. Separate what is included from what is extra

For an imaginary room-painting project, ‘paint the room’ might leave open whether preparation, materials, furniture moving, and cleanup are included. Resolve those details before the work starts. A checklist of included tasks is often easier to review than a broad label.

• List the included tasks and deliverables.
• Discuss materials, access, equipment, and customer responsibilities.
• Record exclusions that could otherwise be misunderstood.

3. Explain the price and payment schedule

Discuss whether the price covers the whole job or depends on time, quantities, or milestones. Specify the currency and clarify how expenses will be handled. An estimate and an agreed fixed price communicate different expectations, so make the intended arrangement clear.

• Identify what triggers each payment and when it is due.
• Agree how additional costs will be approved.
• Clarify invoice details and the payment method.

4. Decide how changes will be agreed

A customer may request extra work, or the provider may discover a condition that changes the plan. Discuss how both sides will approve an adjustment to scope, timing, or price before proceeding with it. Keep the recorded change with the original agreement.

• Identify who can approve a change.
• Discuss rescheduling, cancellation, and unfinished work.
• Record the revised scope and any agreed price or date changes.

5. Make completion something both sides can recognize

Describe what the customer will review and how they should raise an outstanding issue. For the painting example, that conversation might include a walkthrough, cleanup, and recording any remaining touch-ups. Avoid leaving ‘finished’ to mean something different to each person.

• Identify the handover or review step.
• Discuss how outstanding items will be recorded and addressed.
• Keep the agreement, changes, and completion records accessible.

Further reading and local requirements

The university publishes separate service-agreement resources for businesses and individuals. Those forms are intended for university procurement; they illustrate why identifying the parties matters and are not a general recommendation for your project.

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