Statement Of Work

A statement of work (SOW) defines which work a contractor performs for a client, which results it delivers, by when and at what price. The SOW usually forms an annex to the contract and fixes the scope, deliverables, milestones, acceptance criteria and payment terms.

Guide: You find all 14 sections, a complete example and a free template in our article How to write a statement of work, with example and template.

Assumptions: Assumptions are conditions that client and contractor take as given when they sign, without verifying them, for example that the premises are accessible from a set date or that the client supplies data in a specific format. The SOW lists them one by one. If an assumption turns out to be false, that is grounds for changing scope, schedule or price.

Statement of work vs. scope of work: The scope of work only describes the work itself, "what gets done". The statement of work contains it as one section and adds who works, when, where, to which standards and for which payment.

In Merlin Project, you attach the signed SOW via Insert > Attachment > File to the milestone for the contract signature; the attachment keeps every version of the file.