What contract risks do agencies face most often?

The three highest-risk areas for agencies are: scope creep clauses that allow unlimited additional work, IP assignment clauses that transfer ownership of creative work to the client, and payment terms that extend well beyond delivery.

How does scope creep appear in a contract?

Scope creep in contracts typically appears as open-ended service definitions, phrases like 'such other services as reasonably requested', or approval processes that allow the client to reject and rerequest work without triggering a change order.

Should agencies review every client contract?

Yes — especially client-paper contracts sent by the client rather than your own standard terms. Client MSAs, statements of work, and service agreements often contain terms written to favour the client.

Contract Review for Agencies

Q: How much does it cost to scan a contract with Clavico?

Clavico starts at $39 for 1 scan or $99 for a 5-scan pack.

Marketing, creative, and consulting agencies live and die by their contracts. Client scope creep, unfair IP clauses, and extended payment terms are the three most common ways agencies leave money on the table. Clavico catches all three.

Scan your next client contract →

Why agencies are especially exposed

Agency contracts — whether you're a marketing agency, a creative studio, a strategy consultancy, or a digital agency — share a common set of risks that are easy to miss and expensive to discover after signing:

Scope creep language — Service definitions written broadly enough to include work you didn't price
IP assignment clauses — Transferring ownership of creative work, code, or strategy to the client on delivery
Unfavourable payment terms — Net 60 or Net 90 payment terms that tie up your cash for months after delivery
Unlimited liability — Indemnity clauses that leave your exposure uncapped
Approval loops — Revision and approval processes that allow the client to request indefinite changes without triggering additional fees

These terms appear in client-paper contracts — agreements the client's legal team drafted to protect the client. Every one of them is negotiable before you sign.

The three contract clauses that cost agencies the most

1. Scope creep clauses

The most common form: "The agency shall provide such additional services as the client may reasonably require from time to time." This language, buried in a statement of work, effectively removes your ability to charge for additional work. It's the single most common source of revenue leakage for service businesses.

2. IP assignment on delivery

Many client contracts include broad IP assignment clauses that transfer full ownership of all creative work, code, designs, or strategy frameworks to the client immediately on delivery — sometimes even on creation, before payment is received. If you develop reusable frameworks, templates, or processes, this clause may transfer ownership of your most valuable assets.

3. Extended payment terms

Net 60 and Net 90 payment terms are common in large-client contracts. For a $50,000 project, Net 90 means waiting three months after delivery for payment. At 10% annual cost of capital, that's approximately $1,250 in financing cost per project — invisible, but real.

"Most agency contracts are written to protect the client. Clavico tells you where."

What Clavico does for agencies

Upload any client contract — MSA, statement of work, framework agreement, or retainer. In under 3 minutes, Clavico produces:

Risk score — Low / Medium / High / Critical, with the specific clauses driving the rating
Scope creep analysis — Flags open-ended service definitions and unlimited revision language
IP clause review — Identifies what you're assigning, licensing, or retaining
Revenue leakage score — Quantifies the financial risk from payment terms, scope, and indemnity exposure
Negotiation guidance — Specific redlines to request and what market-standard language looks like

Before vs. after: the cost of not reviewing

	Without Clavico	With Clavico
Scope creep clause	Discovered mid-project, after scope has expanded by 30%	Flagged before signing, amended before work begins
IP assignment	Client owns your framework on delivery	Negotiated to licence with ownership retained
Net 90 payment terms	3-month cash flow gap per project	Negotiated to Net 30 before signing
Uncapped liability	Unlimited exposure if deliverable is disputed	Cap inserted at contract value

Pricing

Clavico starts at $39 for 1 scan, or $99 for a 5-scan pack.

For most agencies, the cost of a single Clavico scan is recovered in the first client contract where a scope creep clause is successfully negotiated. A single revision of Net 90 to Net 30 on a $50,000 project saves more in financing cost than the scan costs.

Find out what your next contract is costing you

Upload any contract. Clavico finds the money you'd lose, the clauses to push back on, and the exit traps — before you sign. No lawyer needed. Results in under 3 minutes.

Start your free scan →