Outsourcing agreements that match the services being handed over

The difference usually shows up when the provider is handling a meaningful part of your operations rather than supplying a simple one-off service. Outsourcing arrangements often need more detail around service levels, reporting, dependencies, access to systems or information, ownership of outputs, subcontracting, and what happens if the provider underperforms. If the arrangement affects customer delivery, internal workflows, or business continuity, a short-form supplier contract may leave important gaps. That is where a more considered outsourcing agreement becomes useful.

Most outsourcing agreements need to cover the services being provided, any measurable service standards, fees and charging model, responsibilities of each party, confidentiality, intellectual property ownership or licensing, liability allocation, dispute procedures, and termination rights. In many cases, it is also important to address transition assistance, return of business information, use of subcontractors, and who is responsible for fixing service failures. These points matter because outsourcing often involves ongoing operational reliance, not just a simple purchase of goods or a one-time engagement.

Key drafting points usually depend on the type of work being outsourced, how critical it is to your business, whether the provider will access sensitive information or systems, and how performance will be measured. We also consider whether the provider can subcontract, whether there are milestone-based deliverables, and whether you need a handover process if the relationship ends. A software support arrangement, for example, may need different service levels and IP wording from a back-office operations arrangement or a marketing services engagement.

Sometimes a template helps identify the broad headings, but outsourcing deals often turn on the detail inside those headings. Generic forms may not deal properly with service credits, transition support, dependencies on your internal team, ownership of custom work, or the practical consequences of missed service levels. They can also be too broad in some areas and too thin in others. If the provider is taking over a function your business relies on, a more tailored agreement is usually the safer option than relying on a generic precedent.

Timing depends on the complexity of the arrangement and how settled the commercial terms already are. If the services, pricing model and responsibilities are clear, drafting or review can often be completed within a few business days. More detailed matters may take longer, especially where there are layered service levels, multiple deliverables, or a detailed exit plan. The next step after engagement is for us to gather the relevant background and identify the contract points that need to be reflected in the document.

Just submit an enquiry via this page or click the 'get started' button on our website to submit an enquiry. After you've submitted an enquiry, one of our legal consultants will review your enquiry within 1 business day and get in touch to get a better idea of exactly what you are looking for.

Then your legal consultant will send through an email with a bit more information about the services you need, along with a fixed fee quote setting out costs, scope of the service and timing. Have a read through it, and if you're happy with the scope, you can accept and sign our engagement letter online - easy!

Once you've formally accepted, we'll connect you with a specialist lawyer and they will work with you to complete your project. They will contact you by email or phone if they need to get in touch.

Sprintlaw works on fixed-fee pricing wherever possible, so you can review the scope and cost before you decide whether to proceed. For the Outsourcing Agreement service, pricing starts from $900.00.

After you enquire, a legal consultant will confirm what is included, the expected timing and whether any extra work is needed before you engage us.

We operate completely online, which means we can help you wherever you are in New Zealand. We have office spaces in Sydney, and in Melbourne, but our use of technology allows our team members to work remotely from around the world. Our legal team are mostly based in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. We also have a London office for Sprintlaw UK.

Our legal team is made up of experienced lawyers, who are specialists in various areas of law and hold an Australian legal practising certificate. None of our Sprintlaw lawyers are New Zealand qualified lawyers and they do not currently hold a New Zealand practising certificate.

They provide legal services working remotely from Australia via our 'legal consultancy' model, through which (under section 6 and section 35 of the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006) our Australian legal team are permitted to provide legal services to New Zealand businesses provided they do not provide services in certain 'reserved' areas of law. You can read our FAQ page to learn a bit more about our 'legal consultancy' model.

Given the strong similarities between Australian and New Zealand law, and the areas of law in which we practice (being small business and startup law), we do not view the fact that our lawyers have not qualified in New Zealand as having any substantive impact on the quality of our service. We are committed to ensuring that we provide high quality, affordable legal services to all our New Zealand clients.

Our legal team have all trained at leading firms, but have left the traditional corporate law world to join us on our mission to create a new and better way of delivering legal services. They have specialist expertise in technology law, intellectual property law, contract drafting and review, corporate law and commercial law.