Statement of Work in Qatar: Template, Key Clauses and Local Law (2026)

What a statement of work does in Qatar A statement of work (SOW) sets out the scope, deliverables, timeline, and price for a specific project. In Qatar an SOW usually sits under a master services agreement (MSA) or framework contract, which holds the legal terms, while the SOW carries the project detail. A clear SOW with the essential terms can also stand on its own as a contract. ## The Qatari law that applies Qatar is a civil law country, so an SOW is governed mainly by the Civil Code (Law No. 22 of 2004). The practical points: - Incorporation. If the SOW sits under an MSA, it inherits that agreement's terms. State clearly that the SOW is governed by the named MSA and which document wins on conflict.

• Good faith. The Civil Code requires contracts to be performed in good faith, and the courts can review clearly unfair terms.
• Language. For reliance before the Qatari courts, an Arabic version is usually needed, and where a bilingual contract conflicts, the Arabic text generally prevails.
• Electronic signing is supported by the Electronic Commerce and Transactions Law (Law No. 16 of 2010). Disputes can go to the Qatari courts or to arbitration under the Arbitration Law (Law No. 2 of 2017). This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the position with a Qatar qualified lawyer before you sign. ## Key clauses to get right - Link to the MSA: name the master agreement and the order of precedence.
• Scope and deliverables: exactly what will be produced, with clear acceptance criteria.
• Timeline and milestones: dates, dependencies, and what counts as done.
• Price and payment: fixed fee or time and materials, and the invoicing schedule.
• Acceptance and change control: how work is signed off and how changes are agreed.
• Assumptions and exclusions: what is out of scope, to prevent scope creep.
• Key personnel and reporting: who does the work and how progress is reported. ## A simple SOW skeleton 1. Reference to the master agreement

2. Project description and objectives
3. Scope and deliverables
4. Acceptance criteria and sign-off
5. Timeline and milestones
6. Charges and invoicing
7. Assumptions, dependencies, and exclusions
8. Key personnel and governance
9. Change control
10. Signatures ## Common mistakes - No acceptance criteria, so it is unclear when a deliverable is complete.

• Scope written loosely, which invites scope creep and disputes.
• No change control, so extra work has no agreed price.
• No Arabic version, which weakens the SOW before the Qatari courts. ## One workspace to manage it Project teams often run many SOWs under one MSA, and it is easy to lose track of which SOW is current and what was agreed. A single AI workspace like Adira can link each SOW to its master agreement, track milestones and sign-off, and keep versions in one place. Adira is deepest on Indian law today, and wider non-India jurisdiction depth, including Qatar, is on its roadmap, so treat local Qatari and Arabic language review as a separate step.