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MSA Variable Reference Guide

MSA Variable Reference Guide

Master Services Agreement Variable Tokens

This document lists all variable tokens used in the MSA template and provides guidance on how to populate them.

1. MSA METADATA

Variable Description Example Required
`` Unique agreement identifier “MSA-2025-001” Yes
`` Version number “1.0” Yes
`` Effective date of MSA “January 15, 2025” Yes

2. VRV (SERVICE PROVIDER) INFORMATION

Variable Description Example Required
`` Street address “123 Business Park Drive” Yes
`` City “Hampton” Yes
`` State “VA” Yes
`` ZIP code “23669” Yes
`` Primary contact email “contracts@valorrateventures.com” Yes
`` Primary phone “(757) 555-0123” Yes
`` Company website “www.vrvpages.com” No
`` Contact person for legal notices “Andrew Bliss, Managing Member” Yes
`` Name of person signing “Andrew Bliss” Yes
`` Title of signer “Managing Member” Yes
`` Email for invoices “billing@valorrateventures.com” Yes

3. CLIENT INFORMATION

Variable Description Example Required
`` Full legal entity name “Buckroe Beach Realty, LLC” Yes
`` Street address “456 Oceanfront Avenue” Yes
`` City “Hampton” Yes
`` State “VA” Yes
`` ZIP code “23664” Yes
`` Primary contact email “info@buckroebeachrealty.com” Yes
`` Primary phone “(757) 555-9876” Yes
`` Contact for legal notices “Jane Smith, Managing Broker” Yes
`` Name of person signing “Jane Smith” Yes
`` Title of signer “Managing Broker” Yes

4. PAYMENT TERMS

Variable Default Description
`` 15 Net payment days from invoice
`` 1.5 Monthly late fee percentage
`` 18 Annual interest rate (1.5% × 12)
`` 15 Days overdue before service suspension
`` 3.0 Processing fee for credit card payments
`` “PayPal” Other accepted payment methods
`` 250 Dollar amount requiring pre-approval

5. CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Variable Default Description
`` 3 Business days to assess change request
`` 150 Hourly rate for change orders
`` 2 Minimum billable hours
`` 0.5 Billing increment after minimum
`` 15 % variance requiring client approval
`` 3 Days to formalize emergency changes

6. ACCEPTANCE & REVIEWS

Variable Default Description
`` 5 Business days for deliverable review
`` 30 Days after launch for final acceptance
`` 2 Included design revision rounds
`` 1 Included development revisions

7. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Option A - Full Ownership Package

Variable Description Example
`` One-time fee for IP transfer “$2,500” or “TBD per SOW”
`` Days to deliver source after payment 7

Option B - Managed Services

Variable Description Example
`` Monthly service fee “$250” or “TBD per SOW”
`` Guaranteed uptime percentage 99.5
`` How often backups run “daily”, “weekly”
`` Included support hours per month 3
`` Response time for critical issues 4
`` Response for high priority (business hours) 24
`` Response for normal requests 48
`` Response for low priority 5
`` Days to migrate after termination 30

8. WARRANTIES

Variable Default Description
`` 30 Workmanship warranty period
`` 3 Days to respond to warranty claim

9. SECURITY & PRIVACY

Variable Default Description
`` 72 Hours to notify client of data breach

10. CONFIDENTIALITY

Variable Default Description
`` 3 Years confidentiality survives termination

11. LIABILITY

Variable Default Description
`` 12 Months of fees for liability cap (if no specific SOW)

12. TERMINATION

Variable Default Description
`` 15 Days notice for MSA termination
`` 15 Days notice for individual SOW termination
`` 25 % of remaining fees as termination penalty
`` 10 Days to cure breach before termination
`` 30 Days to remove project from portfolio

13. FORCE MAJEURE & DISPUTES

Variable Default Description
`` 5 Days to notify of force majeure event
`` 60 Days before termination allowed
`` 14 Days for good-faith negotiation
`` 30 Days for mediation attempt
Variable Default Description
`` “Virginia” State law governing the agreement
`` “Hampton” City for legal venue

VARIABLE FILLING STRATEGIES

For Small Clients (< $10K Projects)

Recommended Approach:

  1. Use all default values from Default Terms Legend
  2. Only customize: client info, VRV contact info, project fees
  3. Option B (Managed Services) typically appropriate
  4. Keep MSA standard; customize only the Mini-SOW

Time to Fill: 20-30 minutes

For Medium Clients ($10K - $50K)

Recommended Approach:

  1. Start with defaults, adjust key terms:
    • Payment terms (may extend to Net 30 for established clients)
    • Support hours (may increase to 5-10 hours)
    • Review periods (may extend to 7-10 days)
  2. Option A or B based on client sophistication
  3. May negotiate liability caps or indemnification
  4. Full SOW typically required

Time to Fill: 45-60 minutes

For Enterprise Clients (> $50K)

Recommended Approach:

  1. Expect negotiation on multiple terms:
    • Payment terms, liability caps, IP ownership
    • Indemnification, insurance requirements, SLA terms
  2. Legal review on both sides likely
  3. May require custom addenda or amendments
  4. Full SOW with detailed appendices required

Time to Fill: 2-4 hours + legal review

AUTOMATION TIPS

YAML Front Matter Example

---
# MSA Metadata
msa_id: "MSA-2025-001"
msa_version: "1.0"
msa_date: "January 15, 2025"

# VRV Information
vrv_address: "123 Business Park Drive"
vrv_city: "Hampton"
vrv_state: "VA"
vrv_zip: "23669"
vrv_email: "contracts@valorrateventures.com"
vrv_phone: "(757) 555-0123"
vrv_website: "www.vrvpages.com"
vrv_notice_contact: "Andrew Bliss, Managing Member"
vrv_signer_name: "Andrew Bliss"
vrv_signer_title: "Managing Member"
billing_email: "billing@valorrateventures.com"

# Client Information
client_legal_name: "Buckroe Beach Realty, LLC"
client_address: "456 Oceanfront Avenue"
client_city: "Hampton"
client_state: "VA"
client_zip: "23664"
client_email: "info@buckroebeachrealty.com"
client_phone: "(757) 555-9876"
client_notice_contact: "Jane Smith, Managing Broker"
client_signer_name: "Jane Smith"
client_signer_title: "Managing Broker"

# Terms (Use defaults or customize)
payment_terms_days: 15
late_fee_percent: 1.5
hourly_rate: 150
review_days: 5
warranty_days: 30
governing_state: "Virginia"
venue: "Hampton"

# IP Option Selection (set in SOW, not MSA)
# This MSA supports both options; SOW specifies which applies
---

Python Automation Script Pseudocode

# Load MSA template
template = load_template("MSA.md")

# Load client variables from YAML
vars = load_yaml("client_data.yml")

# Merge defaults for any missing values
vars = merge_with_defaults(vars, DEFAULT_TERMS_LEGEND)

# Replace all  tokens
filled_msa = replace_variables(template, vars)

# Save filled MSA
save_file(f"MSA_{vars['client_legal_name']}_{vars['msa_date']}.md", filled_msa)

# Generate PDF
generate_pdf(filled_msa, output="MSA_BuckroeBeach_2025.pdf")

COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID

  1. Forgetting to update MSA version in SOWs: Every SOW must reference the correct MSA version and date
  2. Mixing IP options: Each SOW must clearly specify Option A or Option B; don’t mix
  3. Inconsistent contact info: Ensure VRV contact info matches across MSA, SOWs, and invoices
  4. Default values in production: Review all defaults; don’t leave “TBD per SOW” in final MSA
  5. Skipping legal review: For enterprise clients or non-standard terms, get legal review
  6. Not versioning MSAs: When updating terms, increment version and update all new SOWs to reference new version
  7. Ambiguous effective date: Use full date format (“January 15, 2025”) not just “1/15/25”
  8. Missing signature dates: Both parties must date their signatures

CHECKLIST BEFORE SENDING MSA

  • All `` replaced with actual values
  • No “TBD” placeholders remaining
  • Client legal name matches exactly (spelling, punctuation, LLC/Inc/Corp)
  • All contact information verified and current
  • Default values reviewed and adjusted if needed
  • Governing state and venue correct
  • MSA version and date match SOW references
  • Signature page includes all required fields
  • Document reviewed for typos and formatting
  • PDF generated and tested (no broken formatting)
  • Legal review completed (if required for client size)

UPDATES & MAINTENANCE

When updating the MSA:

  1. Increment version number (1.0 → 1.1 or 2.0 depending on significance)
  2. Update Revision History table at end of MSA
  3. Update all SOW templates to reference new MSA version
  4. Grandfather existing clients - they remain on signed MSA version unless they sign new version
  5. Archive old versions - keep copies of all MSA versions for reference
  6. Notify active clients - if changes are material, offer amended MSA or grandfather them

END OF MSA VARIABLES GUIDE

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