If an IT proposal includes a 36-month term, review the scope, responsibilities, pricing and exit provisions together. The number of months alone cannot tell you how the working relationship will operate.
Begin with the responsibilities
Ask what the provider will take responsibility for across your people, accounts, devices, networks, cloud services and backups. Make sure the proposal reflects your actual locations and the systems your business uses.
Work through a few ordinary situations: an employee starts, someone leaves, a computer fails, a vendor needs access or the business adds an office. Which tasks fit the agreement? Which need approval or separate scope? Who coordinates work involving another vendor?
Use the written scope to resolve unclear points before deciding whether the commitment suits your business. Keep a list of any answers that still need to be reflected in the proposal.
Understand the costs throughout the agreement
Ask how the monthly fee is calculated and what happens when your users, devices, locations or requirements change. Review licenses, subscriptions, equipment and project work alongside the recurring service.
Questions worth taking to the provider include:
- Which charges apply when the relationship begins?
- What can change the recurring price?
- How are changes discussed and approved?
- Which work is outside the recurring scope?
- What payment or other obligations apply if the agreement ends early?
Use Pricing to see ProIncident’s starting prices. Your proposal and agreement need to address the environment and terms that apply to you.
Look closely at the transition into service
Ask the provider to explain how access, documentation and vendor handoffs will be organized. Find out what your business and the current provider need to contribute, and who coordinates each part of the transition.
ProIncident manages onboarding as a structured project with documented milestones, clear responsibilities and defined transition assistance. The process is:
- Document the environment and plan the transition.
- Coordinate access, documentation and vendor handoffs.
- Review security and backups, and establish monitoring and management.
- Stabilize and move into ongoing managed operations.
That gives the conversation a practical structure. Read Switching to ProIncident and bring any existing agreement or handoff concerns into the planning discussion.
Ask how the relationship will be managed
The agreement is the beginning of the working relationship. Ask how you will raise a concern, discuss an upcoming change and review business and technology priorities.
ProIncident’s approach includes regular business and technology reviews, technology planning and lifecycle guidance. Many clients with a dedicated arrangement have a dedicated ProIncident team member they can call, email or text directly. Discuss the arrangement proposed for your business.
Also ask how issues involving several vendors will be handled. ProIncident stays involved, coordinates the people needed to solve the problem and remains accountable through resolution.
Read the ending before you agree to the beginning
Before signing, understand the stated term, any renewal process, notice requirements, early-termination provisions and transition arrangements. Ask who will coordinate access, documentation and vendor responsibilities when the relationship changes.
ProIncident has terms and early-termination provisions. Have the actual agreement reviewed by your legal adviser if you need advice about its meaning or your obligations. Plan from the written terms rather than assuming that another provider’s arrangement applies.
For the account handoff, use the accounts and documentation questions.
Frequently asked questions
Does ProIncident require a 36-month term?
Yes. New Fully Managed IT agreements use a 36-month term. Review the scope, pricing, renewal language and early-termination provisions together before signing so both sides understand the commitment.
Can we leave an agreement early?
That depends on the agreement you signed. Review its early-termination provisions and seek legal advice where needed before making a transition commitment.
What should we ask about account access and documentation?
Ask which accounts and records are involved, who controls access, what is available to your business and how a future handoff would work. Make sure the agreed responsibilities are clear in writing.
Is a longer agreement proof of better service?
Evaluate the proposed service, responsibilities, communication and transition arrangements. Choose the commitment after you understand how those parts will work together.
Discuss the relationship before signing
Bring the proposed agreement, the responsibilities that matter most and any questions about the handoff. A good relationship starts with both sides understanding the commitment.