Statement of Work Template for Professional Services Businesses (UK 2025)
Last updated: February 2025
Why Professional Services Businesses Need a Statement of Work
Professional services statements of work define specific advisory engagements such as audit assignments, transaction support, planning applications, or litigation support with clear scope boundaries and deliverable specifications. These must comply with the relevant regulatory body's engagement standards, define the professional team and their qualifications, and establish clear boundaries on the scope of professional advice being provided to manage liability. Quality assurance procedures including peer review are often mandated by regulatory requirements.
Key Clauses for Professional Services
- Engagement scope with explicit exclusions and limitations
- Professional team composition and qualification requirements
- Quality assurance procedures including regulatory-mandated peer review
- Deliverable specifications compliant with professional standards
Common Mistakes
- Not explicitly stating what is excluded from the engagement scope, leading to expectation gaps and potential negligence claims
- Failing to comply with regulatory requirements for engagement documentation and file management
Template Sections
- Engagement scope and explicit exclusions
- Professional team and qualifications
- Quality assurance and peer review procedures
FAQ
Why are scope exclusions particularly important in professional services SOWs?
Scope exclusions define the boundary of the professional's duty of care. Without explicit exclusions, a client may argue that the professional should have identified issues outside the stated scope. For example, an accountant engaged for tax compliance should explicitly exclude business advisory services, and an architect engaged for design should exclude structural engineering advice.
Do professional services SOWs need to specify the team members involved?
For regulated professions, yes. The SOW should identify the lead professional, their qualifications, and their regulatory status. Many regulatory bodies require disclosure of who will handle the work and at what level. Clients are entitled to know the experience level of the team and the supervision arrangements, particularly where junior staff perform significant portions of the work.
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Get Started FreeThis is guidance for UK businesses, not legal advice. Templates are illustrative. Consult a solicitor for complex matters.
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