Who prepares a statement of work?

The service provider usually prepares the statement of work. The vendor knows what delivering the project actually involves, so the agency, consultant, or contractor drafts the scope, timeline, and price, and the client reviews and signs.

The exception is formal procurement. When a company issues an RFP, its procurement team often writes the SOW first and vendors respond to it. In construction and government work, client-drafted SOWs are the norm.

Who writes it matters less than who agrees to it: an SOW binds once both parties sign, so review it as carefully as you would a contract, because functionally it is one. Provider-drafted SOWs favor providers and client-drafted ones favor clients, which is precisely why you read the other side's draft line by line.

This scope of work template gives providers a fair, complete draft to start from.