Tips on Contracts & Agreements

Consider these tips before you begin the negotiating and contracting process:

• If you want to create a vendor-client relationship based on trust, first be able to describe in concrete terms what that trust will look like to both the client and vendor.

• Create a common understanding and agreement on the work to be done. Then document the agreement, including all terms and conditions.

• Avoid a common problem with an outsourced project or service – build in clear accountability and measurements with specific service levels and milestones.

• Look at the vulnerable areas in the contract and agreements – typically, these are open-ended areas such as assumptions and generalities. Document as many as practical as part of the contractual process.

• Stop valuable information going out the door when your vendor completes an outsourced project. Build into your vendor contract a deliverable, due at project end, which captures institutional knowledge and lessons learned.