Mastering Service Level Agreements - Practical Drafting & Negotiation Skills

Introduction

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are a part of both modern business and modern government: many businesses and government departments (central and local) claim to offer compliance with SLAs, and SLAs lie at the heart of many agreements in the tech sector: cloud services, software support, outsourcing, help desks - any situation where one party delivers a service to another.

Though SLAs are often considered ‘technical’ documents, they are not always drafted by legal professionals or experienced contract drafters. In fact, the SLA could be the most frequently referenced document in the contract’s lifetime, despite being one of the least formally handled during creation. Ensuring the SLA is well-crafted from the start can save businesses and governments a lot of trouble later, avoiding conflicts over interpretations and enforcement.

Unfortunately, many SLAs fail because they are either too complex or too abstract, disconnected from the practical realities they are meant to govern. Drawing from years of personal experience in drafting and negotiating SLAs, this course offers real-world examples and practical guidance on how to get it right from the outset.

What You Will Learn

This live and interactive course will cover the following:

• How are SLAs put together?
• Relationship to the main agreement
• Who should do the first draft?
• How to measure the various services - which ones to include
• What remedies should be proposed for non-compliance with service levels?
• What is the right balance to strike when making an SLA?
• How to make sure your drafting works - aim for precision and simplicity
• What does the law say about SLAs - there has been a movement in the law’s approach to these things

Recording of live sessions: Soon after the Learn Live session has taken place you will be able to go back and access the recording - should you wish to revisit the material discussed.