What you are being engaged to do.
WHY IT MATTERS MOST
Unclear scope produces unbilled work, disputes and claims.
WHAT AN ENGAGEMENT LETTER SHOULD STATE
Who the client is What work is being performed What is excluded What the client must provide Fees and how they are calculated Billing and payment terms Duration Who will perform the work Limitations on liability How the engagement ends Confidentiality and conflicts
WHY IDENTIFYING THE CLIENT MATTERS
Acting for a company is not acting for its directors, and confusion produces conflicts and claims.
WHAT TO STATE
The client, precisely.
WHY EXCLUSIONS MATTER
Clients assume matters are included unless stated otherwise.
WHAT TO EXCLUDE EXPLICITLY
Adjacent matters that look related Work requiring different expertise Implementation, where you are only advising
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT CLIENT OBLIGATIONS
What information they must provide, and by when.
WHY
Delay caused by the client is the commonest reason engagements overrun.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT CHANGES
That additional work is agreed and priced before it is performed.
WHY BEFORE
Work performed and then discussed is rarely paid for in full.
WHAT TO DO WHEN SCOPE GROWS
Stop, and agree the variation.
WHY
Continuing quietly means absorbing it.
WHAT TO OBTAIN
Signed acceptance, before work begins.
WHY
Engagements begun on a conversation are where disputes originate.
