SOW template · E-commerce
Headless Commerce Build Statement of Work Template
A headless storefront SOW for a Next.js front end on Shopify, BigCommerce or commercetools, with the CMS, search, page types and performance targets defined up front.
- 6
- Deliverables
- 5
- Exclusions
- 2 rounds
- Revision rule
E-commerce · Exclusion rule
Custom checkout and checkout extensions.
Ambiguity fix
A fast, modern headless storefront.
LCP under 2.5s and CLS under 0.1 on mobile for three page types, measured on the agreed test profile.
Best for
Commerce engineering agencies building a composable storefront for a brand with complex content needs.
Headless projects multiply decisions: which commerce engine, which CMS, which search, which personalization. Every vendor added mid-project brings integration work, and headless means the agency owns the glue. This template fixes the stack by name, counts page types and CMS components, sets measurable performance targets, and rules out features the commerce platform handles natively.
Copy any clause block below into your own SOW. Numbers, appendix names and tools are placeholders drawn from a typical engagement, so replace them with the counts from your proposal. Every clause is written to be read by a client, not used against one.
Deliverables
Count everything. A deliverable a client cannot count is a deliverable a client can expand.
- 2.1A Next.js storefront consuming the Shopify Storefront API, deployed on Vercel.
- 2.2Sanity CMS with up to 24 content components and schemas for the 7 page types in Schedule A.
- 2.3Product listing and search powered by Algolia with filters for up to 12 attributes.
- 2.4Cart, account pages and handoff to Shopify Checkout.
- 2.5Preview and publishing workflow for content editors.
- 2.6Core Web Vitals targets on mobile for home, collection and product pages.
Exclusions (out of scope)
Name what the engagement does not include. These are the lines your PMs will cite most often.
- 3.1Custom checkout and checkout extensions.
- 3.2Personalization, A/B testing platforms and recommendation engines.
- 3.3Multi-language and multi-currency storefronts beyond one market.
- 3.4Content entry and migration of existing CMS content beyond 30 pages.
- 3.5Vendor subscription costs for Vercel, Sanity, Algolia and Shopify.
Revision limits
Designs include two consolidated revision rounds per page type. CMS component specifications include one round. Adding components after the component specification is signed is a change.
Acceptance criteria
Acceptance needs a measurable test and a window. Without both, delivery never formally ends.
- 5.1Largest Contentful Paint under 2.5 seconds and Cumulative Layout Shift under 0.1 on mobile for home, collection and product pages, measured with the agreed test profile.
- 5.2A full purchase flow completes from search to Shopify order confirmation.
- 5.3Editors can create, preview and publish each page type without developer help.
Client assumptions & dependencies
Tie each dependency to a date so a late input has a known effect on the schedule.
- 6.1The client holds accounts on each named vendor at the plan levels needed.
- 6.2Product data and attributes in Shopify are complete and consistent before search indexing.
- 6.3Third-party scripts added by the client after launch are excluded from performance targets.
Change control
Adding a vendor, page type, component, market or integration, or changing the stack, is a change. The agency replies with a change order within two business days stating architecture impact, hours, cost and timeline effect.
These clauses are drafting guidance written from agency delivery practice. They are not legal advice. Agencies should have final MSAs and SOWs reviewed by counsel, especially for liability, IP, payment and termination terms, which this template does not cover.
Ambiguity check
The phrases that turn into free work, and what to write instead.
These are the vague lines we see most often in e-commerce SOWs. Each one sounds reasonable at signature and becomes a dispute three months later.
Before
A fast, modern headless storefront.
Safer rewrite
LCP under 2.5s and CLS under 0.1 on mobile for three page types, measured on the agreed test profile.
Why it matters: Fast is a feeling. Core Web Vitals are numbers.
How to adapt it
7 steps from template to signed SOW.
A template saves drafting time. The protection comes from replacing every placeholder with the real counts, names and dates from your engagement.
- 1
Read the Headless Commerce SOW end to end and mark every number, appendix and named tool that does not match your engagement.
- 2
Lock vendors before signature and name them in the deliverables.
- 3
Count components from the design system and add a 15% buffer.
- 4
Exclude client-added scripts from performance targets in writing.
- 5
Put checkout customization in its own optional phase.
- 6
Run the ambiguity check: search your draft for words like all, any, ongoing, as needed, unlimited and timely, and replace each one with a count, a list or a date.
- 7
Have your counsel review the final MSA and SOW before signature, then load the signed SOW into TWINJAM so every request is checked against it.
Editable Word file
Get the Headless Commerce SOW as a DOCX.
Every clause on this page in one formatted document, with numbered sections, appendix placeholders for your counts and a one-page change order form to attach to the SOW.
- 17 numbered clauses
- Revision and change control language
- Change order form with hours and rate fields
Headless Commerce SOW.docx
Editable Word file with appendix placeholders
One email with the file, then The Profitable Agency newsletter. Unsubscribe in one click.
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Client asking for something outside the SOW already? Use a change order script to raise it warmly.
Signed the SOW? Let TWINJAM hold the line.
TWINJAM turns these clauses into boundary rules, flags Slack and Jira requests that cross them, and drafts the change order with the clause already cited.