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Free · Email-gated · South Africa

Free Master Services Agreement (MSA) Skeleton

Attorney-drafted master terms plus a Statement of Work template. Set the rules once, then add an SOW per engagement instead of renegotiating the whole contract.

Written by

Martin Kotze

Attorney, Conveyancer & Notary Public

Quick answer

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What’s in the template

MSA + Statement of Work (SOW) structure — sign once, then add SOWs
Order of precedence between the MSA and each SOW
Services standard — due skill, care and diligence
Timelines tied to the customer providing inputs and approvals on time
Subcontracting with responsibility retained + consent for data access
Acceptance procedure + a change-control mechanism
Fees, invoicing + expenses framework
Intellectual-property ownership of the deliverables
Confidentiality + POPIA data-protection basics
Liability cap tied to fees paid under the relevant SOW
Term, renewal + termination (for convenience and for breach)
A blank SOW template at the back, ready to copy per engagement

What it’s not

A skeleton is a starting point, not a substitute for an attorney. It doesn’t cover:

  • The actual scope — each engagement still needs a properly drafted Statement of Work.
  • Regulated-industry terms, or deep IP and source-code escrow arrangements.
  • A POPIA operator agreement where the provider processes personal information at scale — pair the two.

Want the MSA built around your business?

We tailor the master terms, liability position and SOW template to how you actually deliver — or review the MSA a customer has put in front of you in 48 hours from R12,300.

Why you can trust this: Martin Kotze has been an admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa, registered Conveyancer, and Notary Public since 2014, practising from Pretoria. The firm is regulated by the Legal Practice Council under firm registration 17444.

This guide is general information, not legal advice for your specific matter.