Fillable Printable Statement of Work Guide
Fillable Printable Statement of Work Guide
Statement of Work Guide
GUIDE TO PREPARING A
STATEMENT OF WORK
State of Arizona
State Procurement Office
ABBREVIATED GUIDELINE FOR
PREPARING A STATEMENT OF WORK
A statement of work (SOW) is a narrative description of a contract’s goals/agenda. It is also
a valuable project management tool. The SOW is the key in the evaluation of proposals
received and contractor selection. After award of a contract, the SOW becomes the standard
against which the State of Arizona (State) will measure a contractor’s performance. It
should set measurable limits as to what the State can demand and what a contractor must
perform in order to be compensated. An SOW should include the following sections:
I. Introduction/Background
II. Objectives
III. Scope
IV. Task Identification
V. Time Frames and Deliverables
The statement of work (SOW) describes the framework within which a contractor is
expected to operate — that is, the work to be performed and/or the results to be achieved).
The SOW normally consists of six sections:
I. Introduction/Background
II. Objectives
III. Scope
IV. Task Identification
V. Time Frames and Deliverables
INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND
__This section identifies the need for this particular work, cites the contract’s goals,
describes the location of the work, and identifies how the contract work fits into the
State’s mission and goals.
__This section should consist of no more than three to four paragraphs.
OBJECTIVES
__These are well-defined statements of the results to be achieved in order for the overall
mission of the work to be accomplished.
__The objectives should be quantifiable criteria that must be met for the work to be
considered successful.
SCOPE OF WORK
__This section briefly states what the scope of work does and does not cover. The scope of
work paragraph should be limited to what is necessary to convey the intent of the
contract.
__It includes an outline of the extent of the work, a brief overview of the steps of the
project, a brief description of the methodology to be used, and a description of the
location of the work.
TASK IDENTIFICATION
__Tasks are activities and milestones that need to be completed to accomplish the contract
objectives. Tasks can be structured by milestones, deliverables, or processes.
__Include the following in this section:
__A clear delineation of responsibilities
__A detailed description of each work element
__The approach or methodology
__Timelines and deliverable requirements with each task description
__State support in terms of equipment, staffing, computers, software, or
subcontractors, as applicable
__A clear description of any specific equipment or software compatibility requirements
__Identification of documentation that must be followed or used as guidelines
__Clear instruction of contract phasing or sequencing, if necessary
TIME FRAMES AND DELIVERABLES
__Specify time frames as they apply to completion of tasks, milestones, and/or completion
of the entire contract.
__State what the contractor is responsible for delivering during the course of the work and
at the end of the project, as applicable.
__Deliverables should:
__Be specific
__Have clear instructions regarding their submission
__Clearly define the manner in which the State will determine if they are acceptable
PREPARING A STATEMENT OF WORK
The SOW describes the basic framework within which a contractor is expected to operate,
that is, the work to be performed and/or the results to be achieved. It should include
information on the relationship to the program it supports and a summary of the statutory
and regulatory requirements that pertain to the work. The SOW is intended to act as a
baseline for resolving questions of interpretation about the scope of the work in the final,
negotiated contract. It is intended to supplement, rather than to duplicate a contract. An
SOW should clearly reflect what the State expects the contractor to accomplish. The more
specifically tasks are delineated; the more accurately the cost of a proposed contract can be
estimated. Poorly drafted SOWs can lead to confusion about expected performance,
unnecessary disputes or litigation, cost overruns, delays, or deteriorating relations between
the public and private sectors.
The objectives of a well-defined SOW will
1. Provide precise and clear definition of all deliverable items
2. Employ cost-effective contracting measures
3. Establish contract requirements
4. Provide clear guidelines for both the State and the contractor
5. Provide criteria by which to inspect and accept deliverables
6. Develop performance standards for the contracting parties
7. Provide for uniform technical requirements
8. Ensure consistent quality output
9. Provide for and promote safety
10. Assure that the contractor can be compensated on time and fully for acceptable
deliverables
11. Develop realistic time frames, tasks, and deliverables
The components of an SOW are described in the next section. In general, a well-prepared
SOW should provide answers to the following summary questions:
__Why — (Introduction/Background)
__Where, What If — (Scope of Work)
__How — (Tasks Identification)
__Who — Responsibilities of the parties (Task Identification)
__When — Time frames, deadlines (Timeframes and Deliverables)
__What — Outputs, deliverables (Timeframes and Deliverables)
I. INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND
The introduction explains how this contract fits into the State’s mission and goals and
describes the location of the work. The introduction provides a brief historical description
of events leading to the current need(s) and sets the stage for the subsequent explanation of
what the State requires in terms of performance. The background section defines why the
contract is being pursued and the particular need of the State.
The introduction should be no more than three or four paragraphs and should provide the
following information:
__The need for this particular work, including a description of events leading to this need
— that is, why the contract is being pursued and the particular need of the State — and
a description of how the work relates to other on-going or future work at the State or in
conjunction with other governmental entities or non-profit organizations.
__The contract’s goals and the relationship of the contract goals as they relate to the State’s
project/program goals.
__A description of how the work relates to the State’s missions and priorities.
__The legal basis for the statement of work — referencing legislation, legal requirements,
or State policy.
__Key terms that will be referenced throughout the statement of work, e.g., minimum
flows and levels, Indian River Lagoon, and surface water improvement and
management, as well as a general description of the work location.
__Include any additional background information that would be useful in understanding
the nature of the proposed contract.
II. OBJECTIVES
Objectives are well-defined statements of the results to be achieved in order for the overall
mission of the work to be accomplished. In other words, work objectives are the
quantifiable criteria that must be met for the work to be considered successful. This section
must communicate a concise description of work objectives and how those objectives
interrelate.
The following acronym can be used to remember the essentials that characterize a
statement of objectives. A work objective must be SMART:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-limited
Following are examples of contract objectives:
1. The objective of this study is to obtain information defining the relationship between parameters
X, Y, and Z.
2. The objective is to develop and implement a cost-effective project control system that would track
and measure the performance of projects with respect to their schedule and budget, by December
31, 2001.
3. The objective of this work is to develop training materials in the area of Managing Teams and to
train supervisory personnel by December 30, 2001.
4. The objective of this contract is to procure 120 10-mile-range radio units for use in government
vehicles.
5. The purpose of this work is to develop, mail, analyze, and interpret the results from a
questionnaire/survey to 10,000 residences to measure the residents’ perception regarding the
quality of the water in the city of Palatka.
6. The objective of this work is to undertake a feasibility study to determine the technical and
economical feasibility of a 4-day workweek by December 31, 2001.
III. SCOPE OF WORK
Since the amount of work involved is directly connected to the contract’s scope, scope
management is arguably the single most important contract management activity in terms
of achieving time and cost targets.
The scope of work is a small part of the overall SOW. The scope section briefly states what
the SOW does and does not cover. The scope paragraph defines the breadth and limitations
of the work to be performed — not how to do it. The information contained in the scope
should be limited to only what is necessary to convey the intent of the contract. For
instance; the following elements should be in the Task section and not in the Scope section:
1. Directions to the contractor to perform work tasks
2. Contract specifications or data requirements
3. Detailed description of deliverable products
Consideration of the contract’s scope is an important step in developing the contract
documents. The scope section of the SOW will be used to determine whether additional
work is “in or out” of scope. Out-of-scope requirements require a separate contract action.
The scope section should include the following:
__An outline of the extent of the work envisioned
__A brief overview of the steps, tasks, and/or phases of the project
__A brief description of the approach or methodology to be used
__A brief description of the location of the work. A detailed legal description of the
property may be required and, in some cases, it will be necessary to include a map
showing more detailed site location(s)
__Any pivotal decision points following completion of a task or phase (e.g., ‘stop/go.’ Is it
cost effective? Was the result of the initial study successful? Does the State have the
appropriate authority, e.g. permits, easements?).
__Identification of work that is not encompassed in the scope and which may need
clarification. Examples of this are:
1. Contractor provides sample collection; State provides lab.
2. State provides pumps; contractor installs pumps.
3. Should contractor encounter hazardous waste on the project site, the State will be responsible
for removal and any remediation necessary.
IV. TASK IDENTIFICATION
Tasks are the activities and milestones that need to be completed to accomplish the contract
objectives. Tasks are a narrative description of the spectrum of services to be rendered or
work to be performed. Tasks can be structured by milestones, deliverables, or processes.
Clear definition of the tasks is a must in order to reduce scope creep. Following are some
specific guidelines and examples:
__Define the range of contractor activities, beginning the following tasks with the phrase
“All work required to …”:
1. Design, sample and test
2. Develop, manufacture, and field test
3. Test and evaluate
4. Collect and analyze
__Define all detailed technical requirements that are required in the delivered product or
service.
__Categorize requirements (reporting, documentation, survey, design, etc.):
1. The survey shall include a minimum of 10,000 households.
2. Analysis shall be made to determine the statistical relationship between X, Y, and Z, etc.
3. The radio shall operate in the temperature range of –20 to +60 degrees centigrade.
__Use a standard formatting system, for example, Construction Specifications Institute
(CSI), Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee (EJCDC), etc., if applicable. If not,
the following items should be considered in preparing this section:
1. Tasks (subtasks/project specific details, define the major tasks in such a way that the sequence
allows for progress measurement and easily measured task costs)
2. Design Details, permits, etc.
3. Quality Assurance/ Control (e.g., QAPP, CIAP, EPA study)
1. A growth or change in your project which happens while you’re developing the statement of
work. It typically involves adding or modifying features as the design evolves.
2. The migration of a project from a budget, schedule, or defined plan to a slowly expanding
source of conflict, confusion, and additional costs.
3. A term architects and engineers use for the tendency of projects to grow, expand, or swell
beyond the original intent.
__Scope Creep
