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A service level agreement is useful only when both parties can tell whether the service met its promise. Define the start, end and exclusions of each clock before comparing monthly percentages.
Define service clocks
Separate service availability, delivery timeliness and issue resolution. A platform can be available while a critical transfer remains broken. State severity criteria and the person who may authorise an interim workaround, particularly when a delay affects safety information.
Agree acceptable delivery
For laboratory transfers, define receipt as a file that passes agreed structural checks rather than an email attachment sent. Record time zone, expected delivery window, acknowledgement and rejected-file handling. Keep contractual targets distinct from any applicable regulatory reporting obligations.
SLA reporting checks
- Agree objective severity definitions and escalation contacts.
- Track stopped clocks and exclusions with written reasons.
- Require issue closure evidence and follow-up for recurring failures.
Review impact and recurrence
Accept monthly service reporting when sampled events can reproduce the reported metrics. Discuss trends, participant or data impact and corrective actions together. Retain unresolved performance decisions in the oversight log; a service credit alone does not resolve a clinical risk. Test weekend escalation with a representative event; a telephone number in the contract does not demonstrate that an appropriate responder can act.
Frequently asked questions
- Is uptime enough to assess a clinical vendor?
- No. Include the service outputs and dependencies that matter to study delivery.
- Are suggested response targets regulatory deadlines?
- No. Contractual targets are operational choices and must not replace applicable reporting requirements.