A master services agreement (MSA) is a foundational legal contract that sets the overarching terms, expectations, and responsibilities between a vendor and a client. It establishes the commercial and legal framework for the relationship, defining standards for confidentiality, intellectual property, liability, dispute resolution, and payment. By agreeing these principles upfront, both parties create a stable foundation for long-term collaboration.
In B2B marketing and service delivery, MSAs streamline future engagements by removing the need to renegotiate core terms for each new project. Instead, individual pieces of work, such as campaigns, deliverables, or service packages, are governed through statements of work (SOWs) or insertion orders (IOs) that reference the MSA. This structure accelerates procurement, reduces administrative friction, and enables teams to begin execution more quickly.