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Service agreement (Word & PDF)
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For a service provider and a client, and the counsel drafting the engagement, in the GCC. It covers consulting, technology, marketing or software: scope, fees, confidentiality and ownership of the output. Whether the contract is muqawala is under review.
Sources: 2 official sourcesNot legal advice
What this template includes
This page does not characterise the contract as muqawala
A service agreement in Arabic and English: consulting, technology, marketing, or software. Keep one variant and delete the rest. A standalone confidentiality contract is the non-disclosure agreement. A supply of goods is the supply agreement. If the contract processes personal data, use the GCC data protection guide and do not copy article numbers into this file. For the terms, see muqawala and penalty clause. For the drafting workflow, see contract review. This is a starting point. Have it reviewed by a lawyer licensed in the relevant jurisdiction before you use it.
What the service agreement records
Scope and an SLA annex, deliverables and acceptance, fees and invoicing with a VAT line and no rate, term and termination, confidentiality, ownership of the output, personal data, a liability cap, and governing law and disputes. In Saudi Arabia muqawala is performing work for pay without being the employer’s subordinate.[1] Whether this contract is muqawala or another nominate contract is under review with a lawyer.
- Consulting, technology, marketing, or software. One variant. Delete the other three.
- No tax rate, no liability multiple and no notice period on this page. The blanks are for the parties.
- A standalone confidentiality contract stays the non-disclosure agreement. The clause here is short.
- The data clause points at the guide. This file states no data-protection article number.
Muqawala and a service contract
Article 461 of the Saudi Civil Transactions Law defines muqawala as performing work for pay without the contractor being the employer’s subordinate.[1] Whether a consulting, technology, marketing or software contract is muqawala is under review. The equivalent in the UAE Civil Transactions Law now in force is under review. No article number.[2]
Template text
Service agreement
A service agreement in the GCC: consulting, technology, marketing or software. Replace every [phrase in brackets] and delete the three variants that do not apply. This draft states no tax rate, no liability multiple and no notice period. The blanks are for the parties. This is a starting point. Have it reviewed by a lawyer licensed in the relevant jurisdiction before you use it.
This agreement is between [service provider], commercial registration or ID [●] (the “Provider”), and [client], commercial registration or ID [●] (the “Client”), for one service only: [consulting / technology / marketing / software], described as [●]. The annex sets out the deliverables and the acceptance test.
Drafting note
Delete three variants. A narrow scope is stronger than “whatever the client asks”.
- (a) Time to answer a request: [●]. Time to perform it: [●]. Periodic report: [●].
- (b) These times are what the parties agree. This page states no statutory time.
Drafting note
Write the time or delete the line. Do not copy a figure from someone else’s contract.
The Provider delivers the items in the annex. The Client has [●] to review them. A deliverable is accepted if [acceptance is notified / the review period ends with no written objection]. An objection names the defect. This page states no statutory acceptance period.
Drafting note
The review period is a blank. If it is empty, this page does not fill it with a number.
- (a) The fee is [●] [currency], invoiced every [●], and due within [●] of the invoice.
- (b) VAT: [applies at the rate in force / exempt / not applicable]. This draft states no rate.
Drafting note
Currency and amount. The tax line is for the parties and for the tax law of the country. The page names no rate.
The agreement starts on [date] and ends on [date], unless ended by written notice of [●]. The statutory notice, if the contract is muqawala, is under review. Do not copy a period into this blank from anywhere but the text.
Drafting note
Notice is a blank. See penalty clause if you add agreed compensation. It is not in this clause.
What one party learns in performing this agreement, and what is not public, stays confidential for [●] after it ends, and is not used for anything else. A standalone confidentiality contract, if the parties want one, is the non-disclosure agreement, not this clause.
Drafting note
The confidentiality period is a blank. This clause does not replace a standalone agreement if the parties want one.
Ownership of the output: [passes to the Client when the fee is paid / stays with the Provider, with a licence for the Client to use it for [●]]. That is the parties’ choice. This draft copies no intellectual-property rule.
Drafting note
One option. Tools the Provider had before the agreement are carved out in writing if that is what you want: [●].
If either party processes personal data to perform the agreement, it follows the law that applies to it. The detail is in the GCC data protection guide. This clause states no article number.
Drafting note
If no data is processed, delete the clause. If it is, the guide is the place to read, not this page.
Each party’s liability under this agreement does not exceed [●]. The cap does not cover what the parties exclude in writing: [fraud or wilful harm, or “no exclusion”]. This page states no statutory multiple.
Drafting note
The cap is a sum or a phrase the parties write. The page does not suggest a multiple of the fees.
Law: [the GCC country the parties choose]
Disputes: [the courts of ● / arbitration ●]
Signature: Provider [●] · Client [●] · date [●]
Drafting note
The page does not impose a forum. A court with no connection to the contract is a question for a lawyer, not a rule in this file.
Notes on Saudi Arabia
What was confirmed is the definition of muqawala. How this contract is characterised is under review.[1]
| Point | Text |
|---|---|
| Definition | Muqawala is performing work for pay without the contractor being the employer’s subordinate (Article 461).[1] |
| This contract | Whether it is muqawala or another nominate contract: under review. Do not build termination or warranty on that characterisation before the review. |
Notes on the United Arab Emirates
The Civil Transactions Law in force is Federal Decree-Law No. 25 of 2025. It has applied since 1 June 2026.[2]
| Point | Text |
|---|---|
| Muqawala equivalent | Under review. No article number. |
Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman
- Bahrain: under review. No article number.
- Qatar: under review. No article number.
- Kuwait: under review. No article number.
- Oman: under review. No article number.
Annex. Deliverables and acceptance
One row per deliverable. The parties write the acceptance test. This page states none.
| Deliverable | Acceptance test | Date |
|---|---|---|
| [deliverable] | [acceptance test] | [date] |
| [●] | [●] | [●] |
| [●] | [●] | [●] |