At its most basic, an MSA is a contract between two or more parties that establishes what terms and conditions will govern all current and future activities and responsibilities. MSAs are useful because they allow the parties to plan for the future while also speeding the ratification of future agreements.
There is a big difference between a master service agreement (MSA) and a service level agreement (SLA) in India. An MSA sets the terms and conditions for the services provided by one party to another, whereas an SLA sets the agreed-upon performance standards for an organization's services.
An MSA is a comprehensive agreement that governs the overall business relationship between the parties, establishing general terms and conditions. On the other hand, an SLA focuses on specific performance metrics and service levels to be achieved for a particular project or service.
SLAs often commit organisations to targets or quality standards, while MoUs are often used for more informal relationships.
In the IT sector, internal and external relationships are often governed by legal or quasi-legal documents. In IT and ITSM, the terms "Master Service Agreement" and "Service Level Agreement" are often used interchangeably.
If you are a business that enters into multiple Master Service Agreements per year, it is to your advantage to work with a business lawyer to prepare your own Master Service Agreement template and related Statements of Work for consistency, risk mitigation and control purposes.
Service Agreements can be made between individuals, a business and an individual, or between two or more businesses. Having a Service Agreement in place is equally as important for service providers as for the receivers of services.
A customer service-level agreement is between a service provider and its external or internal customers. It is sometimes called an external service agreement. In a customer-based SLA, the customer and service provider come to a negotiated agreement on the services that will be provided.
MSAs are contracts that formulate the basic terms between vendors and clients at the beginning of a business relationship. This initial agreement helps to speed up the negotiation process for future contracts and facilities the project management process, resulting in a more efficient and streamlined process.
Sometimes, a contract covers a one-time action between parties, but what happens when the relationships or circumstances are ongoing? When signing parties know they will continue to work together in the future, a Master Service Agreement (MSA) can simplify those future agreements and speed up the negotiation process.