Sample IT support contract

Our sample IT support contract will help you understand the main things your business IT support contract should cover

You can compare our IT support contract template with your chosen supplier's contract, to make sure you're getting a fair deal. It is free to download and you can customise specified sections to suit your own business needs.

Download sample IT support contract >>
(Microsoft Word, 66KB)

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When you read through the example IT support contract template, you'll see it's made up of a number of different sections.

We've also provided a summary of key points below, to help you understand more about what this sample IT support contract covers:

1. Items covered by the contract

Our IT support contract template starts by listing the items to be covered by the contract. This section can be amended to include the software, hardware and services specific to your business that are to be covered.

2. IT support contract exclusions

It's totally normal for an IT support contract to exclude certain situations. For instance, you might not be covered for problems that arise from you spilling coffee in your hard drive, or if a power surge knocks out your server.

That doesn't mean your support company won't help in these circumstances - they'll probably just charge you extra.

3. Activities

This is a detailed list of the tasks and situations that the contract covers. Our IT support contract template lists some common examples. For instance:

• Testing your backup system
• Installing software updates when required
• Dealing with support requests on an ad-hoc basis
• Checking security software and firewall logs

4. IT support contract tiers

The IT support contract example provides for three different tiers of support.

Most IT support companies use a tiered system to track and respond to support requests. Typically, a request starts at tier one, then gets escalated to tiers two and three if it cannot be easily solved.

Ask if you don't understand your IT contract

Contracts can often be confusing, and sometimes the temptation is to sign on the line without checking the details too closely.

With your IT support contract, that's a mistake. It's really important that you understand what's covered, what isn't, and how long you might have to wait for help.

If anything in the contract is unclear, or different to what you discussed with the supplier, ask them about it. The best support companies won't be happy until you're happy - and will rewrite or clarify any confusing areas of their support contract.

Sample IT support contract >>
(Microsoft Word, 66KB)

Written with expert input from Craig Sharp of Abussi Ltd.