Improve Your Statements of Work to Hold Your Vendors Accountable
Identify and reduce performance risk before you execute your next SOW.
- SOW reviews are tedious, and reviewers may lack the skills and experience to effectively complete the process.
- Vendors draft provisions that shift the performance risk to the customer in subtle ways that are often overlooked or not identified by customers.
- Customers don’t understand the power and implications of SOWs, treating them as an afterthought or formality.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- There is often a disconnect between what is sold and what is purchased. To gain the customer’s approval, vendors will present a solution- or outcome-based proposal. However, the SOW is task or activity based, shifting the risk for success to the customer.
- A good SOW takes time and should not be rushed. The quality of the requirements and of the SOW wording drive success. Not allocating enough time to address both increases the risk of the project’s failure.
Impact and Result
- Info-Tech’s guidance and insights will help you navigate the complex process of SOW review and identify the key details necessary to maximize the protections for your organization and hold vendors accountable.
- This blueprint provides direction on spotting vendor-biased terms and conditions and offers tips for mitigating the risk associated with words and phrases that shift responsibilities and obligations from the vendor to the customer.
Member Testimonials
After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.
9.5/10
Overall Impact
$666,500
Average $ Saved
15
Average Days Saved
Client
Experience
Impact
$ Saved
Days Saved
SaskTel
Guided Implementation
9/10
$100K
10
Dollar General
Guided Implementation
10/10
$1.23M
20
I especially appreciated the advice and counsel for the hidden costs of change orders. That was very helpful.
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst
Get the help you need in this 1-phase advisory process. You'll receive 2 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.
- Call 1: Review common SOW pitfalls, performance risk–shifting phrases, and ways to hold the vendors more accountable.
- Call 2: Discuss next steps for the SOW and any applicable negotiation required with vendor.
Contributors
- Pat Campbell, retired IT executive
- Dave Whitinger, Consultant, SELect IT Consulting
- CJ Anderson-Johnson, Senior Manager, Indirect Sourcing, Sleep Number Corporation
- 3 anonymous company contributors
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Jump Start Your Vendor Management Initiative
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Design and Build an Effective Contract Lifecycle Management Process
Maximize Value From Your Value-Added Reseller (VAR)
Drive Successful Sourcing Outcomes With a Robust RFP Process
Reduce Risk With Rock-Solid Service-Level Agreements
Slash Spending by Optimizing Your Software Maintenance and Support
Identify and Manage Financial Risk Impacts on Your Organization
Identify and Manage Strategic Risk Impacts on Your Organization
Identify and Manage Reputational Risk Impacts on Your Organization
Identify and Manage Security Risk Impacts on Your Organization
Evaluate Your Vendor Account Team to Optimize Vendor Relations
Elevate Your Vendor Management Initiative
Prepare for Negotiations More Effectively
Implement Your Negotiation Strategy More Effectively
Evaluate and Learn From Your Negotiation Sessions More Effectively
Proactively Identify and Mitigate Vendor Risk
Master the Public Cloud IaaS Acquisition Models
Essentials of Vendor Management for Small Business
Identify and Manage Regulatory and Compliance Risk Impacts on Your Organization
Identify and Manage Operational Risk Impacts on Your Organization
Don’t Allow Software Licensing to Derail Your M&A
Identify and Reduce Agile Contract Risk
Improve Your Statements of Work to Hold Your Vendors Accountable
Understand Common IT Contract Provisions to Negotiate More Effectively
Master Contract Review and Negotiation for Software Agreements
Master the MSA for Your Managed Services Providers
Negotiate SaaS Agreements That Are Built to Last
Establish a Vendor Management Roadmap to Succeed With Autonomous Technologies
Price Benchmarking & Negotiation
Stop Wasting Time Evaluating Commoditized Products and Services