Service contract pre-bid review checklist StartBusinessByState.com — practical planning aid. Not legal advice. Not a fill-in contract template. Short answer: before you price or submit, verify scope and exclusions, how extra work is authorized, access/hours/security, response times, price-change rules, payment/retainage, remedies, renewal/termination, insurance/indemnity flow-downs, and any public wage clauses. Private commercial vs government solicitation [ ] Document type identified: private MSA / work order / PO OR government solicitation + attachments [ ] If government or public: solicitation rules for format, evaluation, contacts, Q&A, and amendments govern — do not override with generic sales advice [ ] Amendments / addenda list checked; pricing uses the latest issued version Parties, documents, and order of precedence [ ] Legal names, notice addresses, and authorized signers match who you intend to contract with [ ] All exhibits, SOWs, SLAs, insurance exhibits, wage determinations, and drawings are listed and attached [ ] Order-of-precedence clause noted (which document wins if terms conflict) Scope and exclusions [ ] Included services, frequencies, locations, and deliverables are specific enough to price [ ] Exclusions / owner-furnished items / out-of-scope work are written (not only discussed verbally) [ ] Acceptance criteria or “completed work” definition is clear Extra work / change orders [ ] Who can authorize extra work in writing (and what counts as authorization) [ ] Pricing method for changes (T&M rates, unit prices, lump-sum quote) [ ] Whether verbal direction on site creates a binding change without follow-up paperwork Access, hours, and security [ ] Allowed work hours, blackout dates, building access, escort rules, badge/background requirements [ ] Keys, codes, parking, dumpster, water/power, staging — who provides what [ ] After-hours premiums or restricted-area costs priced if required Response times / SLAs [ ] Emergency vs routine response clocks (start of clock, stop of clock) [ ] Liquidated damages, credits, or cure periods tied to missed SLAs [ ] Whether SLA applies to your subcontracted work (flow-down) Price adjustments [ ] Fixed price vs adjustable; CPI / wage / material adjustment language (if any) [ ] How long prices are firm; renewal-year pricing rules [ ] Fuel, disposal, permit, or union wage pass-throughs — allowed or not Payment terms and retainage [ ] Invoice trigger (calendar, completion, approval, portal submission) [ ] Net terms, early-pay discounts, disputed-invoice process [ ] Retainage %, release conditions, and final payment timing [ ] Cash float checked against terms (see cash-before-contract guide) Remedies and default [ ] Cure notice periods; suspension rights; set-off / back-charge rights [ ] Termination for convenience vs for cause — notice and payment for work performed [ ] Cap on liability / consequential damages (if any) — note presence; counsel if material Renewal and termination [ ] Initial term, auto-renewal, non-renewal notice window [ ] Early termination fees or wind-down obligations [ ] Transition / de-mobilization / return of keys and data Insurance and indemnity flow-downs [ ] Required coverages and limits match what your carrier will actually endorse [ ] Additional insured / waiver of subrogation / primary-and-noncontributory language flagged for broker review [ ] Indemnity and hold-harmless scope noted (especially for FM / prime flow-downs) [ ] See insurance-requirements guide; do not bid limits you cannot meet Public / wage clauses (if applicable) [ ] Service Contract Act / Davis-Bacon / state prevailing wage / living wage — present or not [ ] Wage determination ID or schedule attached; fringes understood [ ] Certified payroll / labor reporting requirements priced into admin time Bid decision [ ] Terms you can accept as-is [ ] Terms you will ask to change (private) OR Q&A / exception process you will use (solicitation) [ ] Walk-away issues listed (access, SLA, payment, insurance, wages) [ ] Pricing and staffing still make sense after the above Related tools (no forced affiliate products) - Cash float: https://startbusinessbystate.com/how-much-cash-before-taking-a-commercial-contract/ - Pricing (cleaning example): https://startbusinessbystate.com/how-to-price-a-commercial-cleaning-contract/ - Insurance exhibits: https://startbusinessbystate.com/insurance-requirements-commercial-government-contracts/ - New-business gov readiness: https://startbusinessbystate.com/can-a-new-business-win-government-contracts/ - FM subcontractor terms: https://startbusinessbystate.com/how-to-become-a-subcontractor-for-a-facilities-management-company/ Not included - Not individualized legal advice - Not a universal contract form or fill-in template - Not a substitute for reading the actual documents you will sign or bid against