It should, however, be flexible enough to support the Service Level Agreement, rather than conflict with it. This is a delicate area, and needs careful attention.

The generic outsourcing contract provided with the Outsourcing Toolkit (see left hand panel) is an excellent example of a flexible contract. The level at which it is pitched at makes it suitable start point for many exercises. The table of contents from this are as follows:

This gives a good idea of what is often included within such contracts. However, it is important to remember that the contract should properly and accurately define your own scenario, and meet your own specific requirements. This is actually the bottom line, and those who shortcut this often expose themselves to significant risk.