Scope of Work
Define pages, templates, responsive behavior, CMS handoff, content responsibilities, and any exclusions to prevent scope creep and disputes.
A clear written contract reduces scope disputes, preserves intellectual property rights, sets client expectations, and protects both parties by documenting payment milestones, acceptance criteria, and remedies for nonperformance.
Agencies, freelance designers, in-house marketing teams, and corporate legal or procurement departments commonly use this contract to standardize website engagements.
Choosing the right signatory and workflow reduces approval delays and ensures the contract is enforceable and executable once signed.
Typically a marketing director, procurement manager, or company officer with authority to bind the client. This signer should be identified by job title and confirm any delegated approvals in writing.
Usually the agency principal or assigned account lead who can accept the scope, represent deliverable warranties, and commit to payment and timeline obligations on behalf of the vendor.
Define pages, templates, responsive behavior, CMS handoff, content responsibilities, and any exclusions to prevent scope creep and disputes.
Specify milestones, review cycles, acceptance criteria, and consequences for missed dates to align expectations and payment timing.
State fees, deposit, milestone payments, late fees, and invoicing cadence including reimbursable third-party costs.
Address ownership of custom code, creative assets, licensed materials, and whether a work-for-hire assignment applies upon final payment.
Limit warranty period for defects, define bug-fix scope, and outline optional support or maintenance packages after launch.
Cap damages, exclude consequential losses, and include indemnity for third-party claims where appropriate.
| Field | Configuration |
|---|---|
| Signature Field | Place on final page; require signer name and date. |
| Initials Field | Use on each page where incremental consent is needed. |
| Conditional Fields | Show pricing or schedule fields only when selected options apply. |
| Authentication | Choose email link or stronger MFA depending on document sensitivity. |
Select delivery methods that match signer access and compliance needs, including email links, in-person signing, or embedded signing in client portals.
Choose authentication level (email, SMS code, KBA, or MFA) according to risk and regulatory requirements and retain the audit trail for future reference.
Start of design and discovery work; set in MM/DD/YYYY format.
Feedback window, commonly 7–14 calendar days per milestone.
Acceptance period typically 10 business days after deliverable delivery.
Target production deployment date tied to final payment.
Commonly 30–90 days for bug fixes after launch.
An agency delivered a ten-page redesign with CMS migration
A freelancer built a campaign landing page with tracked conversions
Attach a detailed SOW listing pages, integrations, content responsibilities, and acceptance criteria as an exhibit to the contract.
Provide final source files, image assets, CSS/JS bundles, and CMS export instructions in common formats like PDF and ZIP.
Document third-party font, image, or plugin licenses with proof of purchase and redistribution rights.
Keep a versioned log of accepted change requests and signed change orders to avoid scope disputes later.
| signNow | DocuSign | Adobe Sign | PandaDoc | HelloSign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $8/user/mo | $15/user/mo | $14/user/mo | $19/user/mo | $15/user/mo |
| Free Trial | 7-day free trial | Varies by vendor | Varies by vendor | Varies by vendor | Varies by vendor |
| Bulk Send | Yes | Varies by plan | Varies by plan | Varies by plan | Varies by plan |
| Audit Trail | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA Compliant | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Envelope Cap | No cap | 100 envelopes/user/year | Varies | Varies | Varies |