In short

  1. 1. Start with the commitment, not the documentWrite the proposed promise in one place: price, discount, payment terms, implementation date, SLA, custom work, security obligations, service credits, termination and liability positions. A document review can hide the commercial picture because different clauses sit in different places.
  2. 2. Check five thingsAuthority: who can make this promise? Evidence: what supports the assumptions? Economics: does margin and cash still work? Feasibility: can delivery do it? Interaction: do the terms become risky when combined?
  3. 3. Look for the smallest repairIf the commitment is weak, do not jump straight to rejection. Ask what one change would restore acceptability: more time, narrower scope, a price change, different service-credit mechanics, stronger evidence or higher decision authority.
  4. 4. Record the versionThe decision only applies to the exact promise that was reviewed. If price, scope, SLA, delivery date, liability or supporting evidence changes materially, the commitment should be reviewed again.

Start with the commitment, not the document

Write the proposed promise in one place: price, discount, payment terms, implementation date, SLA, custom work, security obligations, service credits, termination and liability positions. A document review can hide the commercial picture because different clauses sit in different places.

The first question is simple: what are we actually promising the customer if all of these terms operate together?

Check five things

Authority: who can make this promise? Evidence: what supports the assumptions? Economics: does margin and cash still work? Feasibility: can delivery do it? Interaction: do the terms become risky when combined?

Do not let a green answer on four dimensions hide a material red answer on the fifth.

Look for the smallest repair

If the commitment is weak, do not jump straight to rejection. Ask what one change would restore acceptability: more time, narrower scope, a price change, different service-credit mechanics, stronger evidence or higher decision authority.

The aim is not to block the deal. The aim is to make the deal safe enough to make.

Record the version

The decision only applies to the exact promise that was reviewed. If price, scope, SLA, delivery date, liability or supporting evidence changes materially, the commitment should be reviewed again.

A non-standard commitment is safest when one person can see the whole trade-off before the customer sees the promise.