Master service agreement (MSA)

The overarching legal contract that sets the standing terms (liability, IP, confidentiality) between agency and client. Individual projects run as SOWs underneath it.

For example, an agency and a long-term client sign one MSA covering ownership of intellectual property, confidentiality, payment terms and liability caps. Over the next two years they launch five separate projects, each as a short SOW that simply references the MSA - so they never renegotiate the legal basics again.

Why it matters to your firm: an MSA lets you start new work in days instead of weeks, because the heavy legal terms are agreed once up front. It protects you on liability and IP across every engagement, and signals to clients that you operate like a serious, established business.