Whether your business is to offer consulting services to others or whether your businesses needs to procure the services of a consultant, you should be clear on what terms, at a minimum, need to be included in your contact. Note, please do your due diligence when hiring any consultant, even when you receive a referral.
- Defined Objectives of the Parties
- Scope of Services: tightly define the consultant’s specific duties and responsibilities with particularities.
- Sign-off provision: Enables you to sign-off on each stage of the project in order to ensure that you have been satisfied with the work as it progresses.
- Fees, Costs, and Expenses should be articulated in detail.
- Project Timeline: A specific timeline for when the project will start and when the project will end and must include when all payments to the consultant will be made during the course of the project.
- Independent Contractor Clause: Ensure the consulting agreement meets the independent contractor standard as defined by Mississippi state law.
- Insurance: Depending on the nature of their business, the consultant may need to carry certain insurances.
- Non-compete provision: Depending on the nature of the consulting services provided, this clause prohibits the consultant from providing work for any competitors to your business within a certain geographical range and for a certain period of time.