Statements of work clients sign, phase by phase
Situation, objectives, approach, phases, deliverables, team and assumptions in one SOW the sponsor and procurement sign online.
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With QuoteCloud a consultant builds each statement of work from a template and the content library: situation, objectives, approach, phases and deliverables, team, fee and assumptions, with a Gantt of the phases on the Business plan. The client comments and ticks options, the sponsor and procurement each sign online, and the first payment is taken on signing.
The contents page of a sample statement of work from a fictional firm, Ashcombe Partners, for Wexley Distribution Group, filling up section by section: situation and objectives (tailored), approach and phases and the engagement plan (from the content library), the team (from the price book), fees and options (the client chooses), assumptions and exclusions (a locked block) and acceptance (both sign). A content library card lights the block each section uses, and the progress bar ends at seven of seven sections, ready to send, valid until Friday 13 November 2026.
Inside a statement of work, part by part
Ashcombe's 12-week network review for Wexley. Open each part to see the content block behind it and what it settles before work starts.
The problem, as the sponsor described it
The situation and the objectives come first, written from the briefing so the sponsor recognises their own words. Objectives are numbered, because each one should map to a deliverable later in the SOW.
Draft it with the AI Co-WorkerSituation, objectives & approach
The situation
Wexley has grown by acquisition into four distribution centres with overlapping catchments. Freight costs have risen faster than revenue for two years, and the executive team wants a clear view of cost to serve before the next lease decisions in mid-2027.
Objectives
- A fact base of cost to serve by customer segment and site
- Three network options, each with a business case your board can test
- A 12-month roadmap with owners, ready to start
Three phases, each with a deliverable
Diagnose, Design and Mobilise, each with its weeks and the thing the client receives at the end of it. The Gantt shows the same plan with the design sign-off and the roadmap as milestones.
Gantt charts: Business plan
Phased HR & change programsApproach & deliverables
- DiagnoseWeeks 1–3 Diagnostic report and cost-to-serve model
- DesignWeeks 4–8 Network options paper with business cases
- MobiliseWeeks 9–12 Roadmap and mobilisation plan
Engagement plan · 12 weeks
Who does the work, and what it costs
Four people, their estimated days and day rates from Ashcombe's price book, then a fixed fee by phase. Carla ticked the leadership workshop and the total and first payment followed.
Price tables and the product catalogue: Essentials and up
Rate cards & marginsYour team
Days are our estimate for planning; the fee is fixed.
| Team | Days | Day rate | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imogen HartPartner · Leads the engagement and the steering group | 6 | $3,200 | $19,200 |
| Rafael OrtegaPrincipal · Day-to-day lead and your main contact | 18 | $2,400 | $43,200 |
| Mei TakahashiSenior consultant · Interviews, site visits and options | 20 | $1,650 | $33,000 |
| Joel AbaraAnalyst · Data, modelling and the cost-to-serve model | 16 | $1,100 | $17,600 |
- 60 days at standard rates
- $113,000
- Fixed fee for this scope
- $102,000
Day rates from Ashcombe's price book. Cost and margin are visible to our team only.
Fixed fee
| Item | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed fee by phase | $102,000 | ||
Phase 1 · DiagnoseWeeks 1–3 · interviews, site visits, cost-to-serve model
|
1 phase | $32,000 | $32,000.00 |
Phase 2 · DesignWeeks 4–8 · options and business cases
|
1 phase | $42,000 | $42,000.00 |
Phase 3 · MobiliseWeeks 9–12 · roadmap and mobilisation
|
1 phase | $28,000 | $28,000.00 |
| Options Tick to add | |||
| 1 day | $6,500 | $6,500.00 | |
| 4 wk | $6,000 | $24,000.00 | |
- Subtotal
- $108,500.00
- Tax (10%)
- $10,850.00
- Total
- $119,350.00
- Plus, monthly
- $0.00/mo
- First payment, paid on signing (30%)
- $35,805.00
What the fee assumes, and what it leaves out
Data by week 2, up to 14 interviews, decisions within five days, and anything else agreed as a revised SOW. The wording comes from a locked library block, so nobody softens it under deadline.
Content locking: Business plan
When the scope changesAssumptions & exclusions Locked company block
Assumptions
- Wexley provides 24 months of freight, order and site cost data by week 2.
- Up to 14 leadership interviews, scheduled by your office.
- Steering group meets fortnightly; decisions within five working days.
- Changes to scope are agreed in writing as a revised SOW before work starts on them.
Not included
- Implementation beyond the roadmap (offered as an option)
- Lease negotiations and legal advice
- IT system changes
The sponsor and procurement sign the scope they read
Carla and Tom each sign in their own browser, with no account, and the 30% first payment is paid through Stripe. Your team sees each open, comment, signature and payment.
eSignatures: every plan · payments: Essentials and up
Sponsor & procurement signingAccept and sign the statement of work
2 of 2 signed
- Carla MendesSponsor · Chief Operating Officer SignedFri 23 Oct, 9:14 am
- Tom HaddowProcurement manager SignedMon 26 Oct, 2:40 pm
First payment, paid on signing (30%)
$35,805.00
Paid via StripePay with card or PayPal
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Activity
- SOW openedCarla Mendes, Wexley
- Comment on the workshopAnswered by Imogen Hart
- Signed by the sponsorCarla Mendes
- Signed by procurementTom Haddow · 2 of 2 signed
- First payment paid$35,805.00 via Stripe
- Pipedrive deal updatedThe SOW status shows on the deal
The eight parts every SOW needs
Build them into your SOW template once, so every partner sends the same structure in the same order.
Situation
The client's problem in their own words, so the sponsor recognises it on the first page.
Objectives
Numbered outcomes the engagement works towards, each traceable to a deliverable.
Approach & phases
Your method, phase by phase, from a library block you keep up to date.
Deliverables & plan
What the client receives at the end of each phase, and when, as a Gantt (Business).
Team
Who does the work, their role and their days, priced from your rate card.
Fees & options
The fee in the engagement model you chose, with options the client can tick.
Assumptions & exclusions
What the fee depends on and what it leaves out, in a locked block (Business).
Acceptance
A signature block for each stakeholder and the first payment on signing.
Scope creep, fenced in writing before anyone signs
Most scope arguments start with an assumption nobody wrote down. Put yours in the SOW: the data the client provides and when, how many interviews, how fast decisions come back, and what is out of scope. Save them as a locked block so every SOW carries the same wording.
Questions are answered in the document itself. Carla asked whether the workshop could include two regional managers, and Imogen answered in a comment before anyone signed. Anything that changes the fee becomes a change request.
- Assumptions and exclusions as a library block
- Locked so the wording can be used but not edited (Business)
- Comments and replies inside the SOW, never real-time co-editing
- Revise Last Version before signing keeps the earlier version
Content library: Essentials and up · content locking: Business
How content locking worksAssumptions & exclusions Locked company block
Assumptions
- Wexley provides 24 months of freight, order and site cost data by week 2.
- Up to 14 leadership interviews, scheduled by your office.
- Steering group meets fortnightly; decisions within five working days.
- Changes to scope are agreed in writing as a revised SOW before work starts on them.
Not included
- Implementation beyond the roadmap (offered as an option)
- Lease negotiations and legal advice
- IT system changes
Before we start
- Fees are fixed for the scope above; options can be added before you sign.
- We will share the data request within two days of signing.
- Steering group: Carla Mendes (chair), Wexley's CFO and head of logistics, Imogen Hart and Rafael Ortega.
Carla MendesCould the workshop include our two regional managers?
Imogen, AshcombeYes. We've added them to the week 4 workshop at no extra cost.
Turn your SOW into a QuoteCloud template
Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Send us the statement of work you use now and we'll convert one template for you during the trial.
Sample SOW · AP-2417
The plan the client signs is the plan you run
Twelve weeks, three phases and three milestones, drawn as a Gantt inside the statement of work. When the steering group asks where the project is, everyone is looking at the plan they agreed.
Engagement plan · 12 weeks
How to write a statement of work in QuoteCloud
Six steps from the briefing call to a signed SOW, with the same structure for every partner.
Start from your template
Create the SOW from your firm's template, with the client's name and the offer's expiry date.
Write the situation
Set out the problem and objectives from the briefing. The AI Co-Worker can draft a first version for you to edit (Business).
Add method and plan
Drag your approach, phases and engagement plan in from the content library and adjust the weeks.
Price the team
Add roles and days from your price book and set the fee in the model you chose.
Fence the scope
Insert the locked assumptions and exclusions, and add options the client can tick.
Send for signature
Send to the sponsor and procurement; each signs online and the first payment is taken on signing.
Start from a real consulting template
Templates from the QuoteCloud library you can turn into your own SOW.
- Proposal template Consulting Services Proposal Executive summary, objectives and scope, methodology, timeline, pricing options and acceptance, for strategy and management consultants. View template
- Contract template Consulting Contract A consulting contract to adapt, with room for your statement of work and the services you provide. View template
- Agreement template Consulting Agreement A basic consulting agreement for independent advisers and freelancers, ready to tailor to your sector. View template
- Form template Project Customer Acceptance Form A project sign-off document with eSignature, for accepting a phase or a deliverable. View template
All consulting templates Templates for business consulting & strategy
Statement of work questions, answered
What should a consulting statement of work include?
A consulting SOW should set out the situation, the objectives, your approach and phases, the deliverables and plan, the team, the fee and how it is paid, the assumptions and exclusions, and an acceptance section for each person who signs. In QuoteCloud each part is a content block in your SOW template, so every partner sends the same structure in the same order.
Can the sponsor and procurement both sign the same SOW?
Yes. Add each person as a signer and they get their own signature block. Each signs in their own browser with no QuoteCloud account, and you can ask for a one-time passcode by email before signing. The signed SOW carries a certificate and audit trail. eSignatures are included on every plan, including Free.
Can I take a payment when the client signs the SOW?
Yes, from the Essentials plan with Stripe or PayPal connected. Set the payment on signing as a percentage or a fixed amount, such as 30% of the fixed fee. Later milestone payments can be written into the SOW as content, and you invoice those yourself: QuoteCloud takes only the payment on signing.
How does a SOW help stop scope creep?
By writing down what the fee assumes and what it leaves out before anyone signs. Keep your assumptions and exclusions as a content library block, locked on the Business plan so the wording cannot be edited, and answer client questions in comments inside the SOW. Anything that changes the fee goes out as a change request or a revised version the client signs.
Can I show the engagement plan as a Gantt chart?
Yes. The Gantt chart block is on the Business plan. Add each phase with its start and length and mark sign-offs as milestones, so the plan the sponsor signs is the plan the team runs. On other plans you can set the phases out in a table block with their weeks and deliverables.
More for consulting firms
Every page of the QuoteCloud consulting microsite.
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Fixed fee, day rate, retainer & value pricingEngagement models side by side as options the client chooses, with the price table, phases and timeline to match.Explore
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Change requests & revised SOWsScope changes as a revised version or a change request the client signs, with the earlier versions kept.Explore
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Sponsor & procurement signing, and NDAsThe sponsor and procurement each sign the SOW in their own browser, and NDAs go out for signature before the first briefing.Explore
- Tender & RFP responsesCorporate and government bids from approved answers, case studies and locked compliance wording, priced and approved before you submit.
- Team rate cards, margins & discount approvalsDay rates by role from your price book, cost and margin your client never sees, and discounts routed for approval.
- Case studies, methodology & AI-drafted summariesYour methods, case studies and team bios as reusable blocks, and an executive summary drafted with the AI Co-Worker for you to accept or edit.
- HR, change & people programsChange programs, workshops, training and HR reviews as phased proposals with sessions, participants and options.
- Retainer agreements & renewalsMonthly fees shown in the agreement, an expiry date you can see coming, and renewal offers bulk-sent to retainer clients.
- CRM & accounting integrationsPipedrive direct, HubSpot through Zapier, Xero and QuickBooks native on Business, and the API for your own systems.
- Consulting templatesReal QuoteCloud templates for consulting proposals, strategic plans, consulting contracts, HR proposals and NDAs.
- QuoteCloud implementation for consulting firmsYour SOW template converted, rate card imported, methodology blocks in the library and partners trained.
- FAQAnswers to the questions consultants, advisers and boutique firms ask most.
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