Employment and contractors
Consulting agreement template
Consulting agreement: A consulting agreement engages an expert to give advice or deliver a defined piece of work to a business, usually for a daily rate or fixed fee.
Fill in the terms and send it for e-signature in minutes.
Use this template freeWhen to use a consulting agreement
- Strategy, finance, technical or regulatory advice
- Interim management roles
- Board advisers paid in cash or equity
Consulting agreement template: clause-by-clause outline
Sample starting wording for each clause. Replace the text in [brackets] with your details.
Scope
The Consultant will advise on [topic] and deliver [reports, workshops or recommendations].
Time commitment
The Consultant will provide up to [days] per [month].
Fees and expenses
The Client will pay [day rate] plus pre-approved expenses within [30] days of invoice.
Independence
The Consultant acts as an independent contractor and may work for other clients that do not compete with the Client.
Confidentiality
The Consultant will keep the Client’s information confidential during and after the engagement.
Limitation of liability
The Consultant’s total liability is limited to the fees paid in the [12] months before the claim.
Term
This Agreement runs for [6] months and may be ended by either party on [30] days’ notice.
What to check before you sign
- Is the scope tied to outputs, not just hours?
- Does the liability cap match the risk of the advice?
- Are conflicts of interest addressed?
How to send a consulting agreement for e-signature
- Start from the built-in template. Fill in the parties and terms; the contract and its plain-language review write themselves.
- Check it against your playbook. Points outside your positions are flagged, and approval rules route it to Legal when needed.
- Send it by email. Signers get a plain-language review and a secure link, sign on any device in the order you set, and can suggest changes as tracked changes.
- Keep the signed PDF. Everyone receives it with a certificate of completion, and key dates go to Upcoming with reminders.
Consulting agreement template: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between consulting and freelance contracts?
Consulting usually covers advice and expertise; freelance contracts usually cover producing specific deliverables. The structure is similar.
How should equity for advisers be documented?
In a separate advisor or share option agreement that sets vesting, with the consulting agreement referring to it.
Is an electronically signed consulting agreement legally binding?
In most countries, yes. E-signatures are recognised for commercial contracts under laws such as the ESIGN Act (US), eIDAS (EU), the Electronic Communications Act (UK) and the Information Technology Act (India). econtracts.ai adds a certificate of completion with each signer’s identity check and a fingerprint of the signed content.
Can I get a consulting agreement I received reviewed?
Yes. Upload it to econtracts.ai and you get a plain-language review: key dates, money and points to check, each quoting the clause it comes from.
Related contract templates
This outline is a starting point for discussion, not legal advice, and it is not a complete contract. Laws differ by country and sector; have a qualified lawyer review contracts that matter.