Industry kit

Consulting templates for independent consultants and small firms

A consultant sells expertise by the day or the project, so the paperwork has to pin down scope, deliverables and time. This kit links finished examples of the discovery booking form, the proposal, the agreement, the statement of work and the master services agreement, written for invented Australian consultants.

Scope is the product

A consultant sells hours and judgement, and the client buys an outcome, so the documents have to bridge the two. It starts with a discovery call, often booked through a form that qualifies the client first. Then comes a proposal with the problem, the approach, the deliverables, the timeline and the price, often at a day rate with an estimate of days. Once accepted, an agreement sets the legal terms, and for clients who buy repeatedly a master services agreement sets them once, with a statement of work for each project.

Where engagements go wrong

Consulting engagements go wrong when the scope drifts: more interviews, another workshop, a second draft of the report. A statement of work that lists each deliverable, the assumptions and the change process lets the consultant say yes to more work and get paid for it. The examples below show the full set, from the first booking form to the signed statement of work, plus a proposal deck for clients who decide in a meeting. Each card opens the finished example, so the wording and the prices can be read as a client would read them.

Who the kit is for

The kit is written for independent consultants and small consulting firms in Australia, in management, operations, HR, marketing, engineering and technology. Independent consultants should check whether they are treated as a contractor or an employee under the ATO and Fair Work tests, especially with a single long term client. Fees are in dollars with GST at 10%, and the firms and clients are invented. Every card opens the complete example, from the booking form to the signed statement of work.

The kit, piece by piece

Write the proposal around the decision

A consulting proposal is read by someone deciding whether to spend money, so lead with their problem in their words, then the approach, the deliverables, the timeline, the team and the price. Show the day rate and the estimated days, and list what is assumed, such as access to staff and data. The engagement proposal example follows this order. In the proposal builder the client receives a tracked link, so you can see when it was opened, and accepts with a drawn signature.

Agreement, MSA and statement of work

For a one off engagement, a consulting agreement covers the terms. For a client who will buy again, a master services agreement sets the legal terms once, such as liability, IP, confidentiality and payment, and each project gets a statement of work with the scope, deliverables, timeline and price. The statement of work can be sent for e-signing to both parties in order, each confirming with an email code, and both receive a certified PDF.

Contractor status and getting paid

An independent consultant with one main client should check the ATO employee or contractor guidance, because the answer affects tax, super and insurance. On payment, a deposit on acceptance and invoices at milestones keep cash flowing. Acceptance with a deposit issues the deposit invoice straight away; milestone invoices can be created from the proposal items, and reminders follow up late payments.

The tools behind the kit

Step by step in the builders: Create a quote with AI, then Send a tracked proposal link.

Questions people ask

What should a consulting proposal include?

It should include the client problem, objectives, approach, deliverables, timeline, team, price with the day rate and estimated days, assumptions, what is out of scope, payment terms and how to accept. Keep it short enough to read in one sitting.

What is the difference between an MSA and a statement of work?

A master services agreement sets the legal terms of the relationship once, such as liability, IP and payment. A statement of work sets the scope, deliverables, timeline and price for one project under it. The MSA rarely changes; a new statement of work is signed for each project.

Should consultants charge day rates or fixed fees?

Day rates suit work whose scope is uncertain; fixed fees suit well defined deliverables and let clients budget. Many consultants quote a fixed fee built from a day rate estimate and state the assumptions, with extra days charged at the rate.

How do consultants prevent scope creep?

List deliverables and assumptions in the statement of work, set a change process, and price changes before doing them. A short change request that the client signs keeps the relationship friendly while protecting the fee, and it gives both sides a record of how the project grew.

Do consultants need a contract for small jobs?

A short agreement or an accepted proposal with terms is enough for a small job. It should still state the scope, fee, payment terms, IP and confidentiality. Larger or ongoing work should use a full agreement or an MSA with statements of work.

Start the first piece of the kit

The button opens a generator with a starting description already filled in. Change the business details to your own before you run it.

Create a proposal with OneCraft

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Sources

Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .