Scope of work template (UK), with a worked web agency example

Download a free scope of work template for UK agencies, consultancies and software firms, with no sign-up: Word template (.docx), PDF to print (.pdf) and a filled-in web agency example (.docx). It also works as a statement of work (SOW) template. Its 15 parts run from deliverables and exclusions to acceptance, change control and fees.

A scope of work is the document a client signs to say what you'll deliver, what you won't, and how you'll both know the work is finished. The legal and VAT points were checked on legislation.gov.uk and GOV.UK on 2 November 2026; they are general information for England and Wales, with notes for Scotland and Northern Ireland, not legal advice.

Key Takeaways

• "Scope of work" and "statement of work" are used loosely. The Association for Project Management's glossary defines a statement of work as a contract annex setting out deliverables and timescales; this template treats the scope as the work inside it.
• In this template, the parts that guard against scope creep are the exclusions, the client's responsibilities with dates, the acceptance test and a written change process.
• Match the fees to your quote, and name the terms of business or master services agreement the scope sits under.

Download the free template

• Word template (.docx): all 15 parts with [square-bracket] placeholders and a grey guidance note under each heading. Delete the notes before you send it.
• PDF to print (.pdf): the same blank template on three A4 pages.
• Worked example (.docx): the template filled in for a fictional web agency building an eight-page site, used in the example below.
• Google Docs: upload the Word file to Google Drive, then open it with Google Docs.

Scope of work vs statement of work

The two terms overlap, and no single body owns the definitions. Two UK sources show how they're used:

• The Association for Project Management (APM) glossary defines a statement of work as "an annex to the main body of a contract" setting out the detail of deliverables, timescales and management procedures. It defines scope as the outputs, outcomes and benefits and the work required to produce them.
• The Crown Commercial Service's specification guide for its RM6160 framework tells public buyers to set out what they need from a supplier in a specification, "also often referred to as a statement of requirement", which becomes part of the call-off contract.

This template places the documents in this order, from first to last:

This template merges the scope of work and statement of work rows into one document that both sides sign and that names the contract it sits under. For a hard line between the terms, call part 4 the scope and the whole signed document the statement of work.

What goes in each part

Each of the template's 15 parts answers a question the client would otherwise answer for you.

1. Parties and reference. The SOW number and version, both businesses, and the quote and contract it relates to.
2. Background. Two or three factual sentences on the client and why the project exists.
3. Objectives. What the client wants to achieve. Don't word them as guarantees.
4. Scope of work. The activities by phase, with quantities: pages, templates, revision rounds, workshops, days.
5. Deliverables. What the client receives, in what format and when. If the client can't check it, rewrite it.
6. Out of scope. Anything the client could reasonably assume is included but isn't. If it came up in a call, list it.
7. Assumptions. What your price depends on, and what happens if an assumption turns out wrong.
8. Client responsibilities. What the client provides or decides, by when, and what a delay does to the timeline.
9. Timeline and milestones. Dates for both sides, or weeks from the start date.
10. Acceptance. The criteria, how long the client has to test, and when a deliverable counts as accepted.
11. Change control. How a change is asked for, priced and approved in writing before work starts.
12. Fees and payment. The price from your quote, VAT, the payment stages and when invoices are due.
13. Ownership of the work. Who owns the designs, code or documents, and when ownership passes.
14. Contract and governing law. Which document wins if they conflict, and which law applies.
15. Sign-off. Names, roles, signatures and dates for both sides.

Get parts 6 to 11 right before you sign: they decide who pays when the project changes. The Crown Commercial Service's RM6160 guide gives buyers a related warning about specifications: "If it is not specified it probably won't be provided."

A worked example: a small business website

Penwick Studio, a fictional web agency, is building an eight-page WordPress site for Ashcombe Joinery, a fictional joinery firm. It uses an illustrative day rate of £550, not a market rate. The worked example file fills in every part; the core is below.

Scope and fees. Fifteen days in five phases, as a fixed fee:

Out of scope. Copywriting and photography; hosting, domain and email; an online shop or bookings; more than 8 pages or 3 templates; moving content from the old site; SEO beyond page titles and descriptions; support after a 30-day fix period.

Client responsibilities. One decision-maker gives consolidated feedback within 3 working days. Copy and photos arrive by the end of week 3; hosting access by the end of week 5. If either is late, launch moves back by the same number of working days.

Acceptance. All 8 pages live, correct display on the latest Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox and on an iPhone and an Android phone, the form delivering to the client's inbox, and no broken links. The client has 5 working days to list defects in writing; if none are listed, the site counts as accepted.

Change control. Changes are asked for by email. The agency replies within 3 working days with the cost and the new launch date, and starts only on written approval.

The scope prices the same 15 days as the agency's quote. If you haven't written the quote yet, the free job quote template covers the itemised lines, VAT and validity date, and the day rate guide shows how to set the rate.

UK points to get right

Four UK points affect the fees, ownership and contract parts. This is general information, not legal advice; for your own contract, ask a solicitor.

VAT on the fees

If you're VAT registered, show VAT on each payment and the total. The standard rate is 20% (GOV.UK: VAT rates). You must register once taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or if you expect it to go over £90,000 in the next 30 days alone (GOV.UK: Register for VAT). If you aren't registered, write "Not VAT registered".

Who owns the work

Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the author of a work is its first owner, and an employer owns what employees create in the course of their job, subject to any agreement to the contrary (section 11). So a client doesn't automatically own a commissioned design's copyright because they paid for it. At most, they may have an implied licence to use it. An assignment of copyright "is not effective unless it is in writing signed by or on behalf of the assignor" (section 90).

Part 13 says what passes to the client, when, and what you keep, such as your own code library.

The contract the scope sits under

Leave liability, confidentiality and termination to your terms of business or a master services agreement, as this template does. Part 14 names that contract, says which document wins in a conflict, and states the governing law. Firms in Scotland or Northern Ireland should name their own jurisdiction.

Business clients and consumer clients

For a business client in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 implies a term that you'll carry out the service with reasonable care and skill (section 13). If a business pays late, you can charge statutory interest at 8% plus the Bank of England base rate, unless your contract sets its own late-payment rate (GOV.UK: late payment).

A consumer client, an individual acting wholly or mainly outside their trade (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 2), brings the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 into play:

• You must perform the service with reasonable care and skill (section 49), and a term that tries to exclude that isn't binding on the consumer (section 57).
• What you say or write about the service that the consumer takes into account can become a term of the contract (section 50), so your proposal and the scope should say the same thing.
• Give the total price including VAT before the consumer is bound: Schedule 1 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 covers contracts agreed at your premises (regulation 9), and Schedule 2 covers contracts agreed elsewhere or at a distance.
• A contract agreed away from your premises, such as at the client's home (off-premises), or usually when agreed entirely online, by email or by phone (distance), gives the consumer 14 days to cancel (Part 3). If you don't give them the cancellation information, that period can run on for up to 12 months (regulation 31).
• You can start work within the 14 days only if the consumer expressly asks you to; for an off-premises contract the request must be on paper or another durable medium such as email. If they then cancel, they pay a proportionate amount for the work done, but only if you told them beforehand about their right to cancel and that they'd pay for work done; otherwise they pay nothing for it (regulation 36). Once the work is fully performed at their request, and they acknowledged they'd lose the right, they can no longer cancel. Add a dated early-start request to the scope for these clients.

Mistakes that cause scope creep

The APM glossary describes scope creep as "the continual extension of the scope" of a project. Each gap below lets it in.

• "A new website" with no quantities. Name the pages, templates and integrations. "Up to 8 pages" ends an argument that "a website" starts.
• Revisions "until you're happy". Set the number of rounds, and say what a further round costs.
• No exclusions. On web projects, list content, hosting, licences and support.
• Client tasks with no dates. If the copy is late, the scope should say the launch moves, not that you absorb the delay.
• No acceptance test. Without criteria and a review period, "finished" becomes a matter of opinion.
• Changes agreed on a call. Confirm each one by email, with its cost and new dates, before you start.
• A scope that doesn't match the quote. If the quote says 15 days and the scope describes 20 days of work, you'll argue over which document wins. Part 14 settles that, but keeping the two in step avoids the argument. If the job grows before the client accepts, reissue the quote; quote vs estimate explains when each price binds.

Where ChatQuote fits

We make ChatQuote, AI quoting software for UK service businesses. It doesn't write scopes of work; it handles the step before. An assistant on your website asks enquirers the scoping questions you'd ask, such as how many pages, which integrations and whether the content is ready, then drafts a day-rate quote and proposal from your own rates, with assumptions and exclusions stated. Drafts wait for your team's approval unless you switch on automatic sending. See how it works for web agencies, or how it compares with a quote request form. There's a 30-day free trial, and no card is needed.

Frequently asked questions

Is a scope of work legally binding?

As a general rule, a scope binds both sides once it forms part of the contract you've both agreed. This guide can't confirm that for your contract, so ask a solicitor if it matters. Public sector buying illustrates the idea: the Crown Commercial Service's RM6160 guide calls a buyer's specification "an integral part of the call-off agreement" that becomes legally binding on both sides. That guide covers its own framework, not private contracts, so get your scope signed and name the terms it sits under.

Who writes the scope of work?

In this template, the supplier drafts it from the client's brief and a discovery call, and both sides agree it. In public sector buying, the buyer writes a statement of requirements first.

What if the scope can't be fixed up front?

Split the work. Scope and price a paid discovery phase first, with the findings as its deliverable, then write a second scope for the build once the requirements are known. For agile or sprint-based work, set the pricing basis in part 12 to a day rate for a capped number of days, list what each sprint aims to deliver, and use part 11's change control when priorities move.

Do I need a scope of work if I've sent a quote?

A quote prices the work; a scope says how it's delivered and accepted. A small, well-defined job may need only a quote with clear assumptions and exclusions. Multi-week projects with client inputs and sign-offs should have a signed scope.

About this guide

Written by the ChatQuote team at CodeLeap Ltd, the company that makes ChatQuote. Sources checked on 2 November 2026. This guide is general information for England and Wales, with notes for Scotland and Northern Ireland, not legal or tax advice. More guides to quoting and pricing. Spotted something out of date? Email support@chatquote.app.