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This template provides general legal language. For complex or high-value agreements, consult a qualified attorney.
Consulting work is harder to write down than production work, because what is being bought is judgement. The agreement therefore has to be specific about the shape of the engagement even when it cannot be specific about the output.
The clauses that earn their place are scope, availability, confidentiality and limitation of liability. A consultant advising on something material carries real exposure, and the cap on that exposure is normally the most negotiated line in the document.
What the consultant is engaged to advise on, and what they will produce: a report, a set of sessions, availability for questions. Be explicit that advice is not a guarantee of outcome.
Days per month, response times, and what happens when the client wants more. On a retainer this is the substance of what is being sold.
Rate, invoicing period, payment terms, and which expenses are reimbursable and whether they need prior approval.
Consultants see the inside of a business. Either a full clause here or a separate NDA, but not nothing.
A cap, usually tied to the fees paid. Without it, advice on a decision worth millions carries exposure worth millions for a fee worth thousands.
Whether the consultant may advise competitors, and what disclosure is required. Silence here causes avoidable trouble later.
Day rate suits variable work, a retainer suits ongoing availability, and a fixed project fee suits a defined piece of analysis. Whichever you choose, write down what happens when the work exceeds it, because that is the conversation you will actually have.
Not if the consulting agreement contains a proper confidentiality clause. A separate NDA is useful when confidential discussions start before the engagement is agreed.
Commonly the total fees paid under the agreement, sometimes a multiple of them. What is reasonable depends on the size of the decision the advice informs, and it is worth taking advice on this specific clause.
This is not legal advice. It describes what these documents normally contain and how the rules commonly differ between countries. Rules change and your situation may not be ordinary. For anything with real money or real risk attached, have a qualified lawyer in the relevant country read it before you sign.