Contracts and Service Level Agreements

Contracts and Service Level Agreements (SLA) are both types of formal agreements between two (or more) parties. In the context of the Third Sector, a community group or organisation may be awarded a contract with a local authority following a tendering process. 

The contract or SLA will then be the formal agreement by the local authority to provide funding to that community group in return for the delivery of a specific service(s). 

Contracts and Service Level Agreements may cover more than one 12 month period setting out the details and requirements for the services to be provided and the mandatory conditions of the agreement.