SOW (Statement of Work)

The Statement of Work defines a single, specific engagement: this build, this scope, these deliverables, this price, this timeline. It sits beneath the MSA — if the Master Services Agreement is the passport that governs the relationship, the SOW is the particular trip. Because the standing terms already live in the MSA, a new SOW can be short, which is what lets an established client add work quickly. Clear scope in the SOW is also your defense in negotiation: when a buyer pushes on price, phasing the build into two SOWs is a way to trade scope while holding your rate.

Source: Gary S. Luefschuetz, Selling Professional Services to the Fortune 500 (McGraw-Hill) — the book-level source on the MSA/SOW contracting structure. Standard professional-services practice, not a course coinage.

First used in: 3.3 · Procurement, MSA/SOW & the paper process