PIM contract checklist: 38 checks before you sign
A PIM contract checklist should cover six groups before signature: commercial terms such as metric and renewal cap, service levels, data ownership and exit, security and data protection, AI credits and data use, and the implementation partner's commitments. This checklist holds 38 checks, each with what good looks like and the related red flag.
How should you use this PIM contract checklist?
Use the checklist in week 11 to review both finalists' contracts side by side, and close every gap before you choose. Contract terms are part of the decision. Once a vendor knows it has won, renewal caps, AI credit terms and exit rights become hard to secure.
The checklist belongs to the 12-week PIM selection process, alongside the negotiation step. It holds 38 checks in six groups:
| Group | Checks | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial | 8 | Procurement |
| Service levels | 6 | IT and procurement |
| Data and exit | 7 | Legal and product data owner |
| Security and data protection | 6 | IT and legal |
| AI | 6 | Legal and selection lead |
| Implementation partner | 5 | Selection lead and procurement |
Each check states what good looks like and, where relevant, the matching flag in the Red Flag Register. Mark each check as met, partly met or open for each vendor. Open checks become negotiation points.
Legal counsel should review every contract alongside this checklist. The values in the "what good looks like" column are PIMvendors recommendations, so adapt them to your policies.
Commercial terms
Commercial checks protect total cost over the full term, with the renewal cap as the most important single term.
| ID | Check | What good looks like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| CC-01 | Licence metric is defined and forecastable | Metric stated on the order form, with your three-year volumes priced | RF-15 |
| CC-02 | Price per volume band is fixed for the term | Price per step published for growth, locked for the full term | RF-15 |
| CC-03 | Renewal price increases are capped | Cap tied to a named index or fixed percentage, on the order form, for every renewal | RF-20 |
| CC-04 | Automatic renewal notice is short | Notice of 90 days or less, with a written reminder from the vendor | RF-25 |
| CC-05 | Modules match the demo scenarios | Every scenario shown in the demo maps to a licence line in the quote | RF-18 |
| CC-06 | Non-production environments are included | At least one test or staging environment included, extra environments priced | RF-19 |
| CC-07 | Volume can be reduced at renewal | Right to reduce volume within a set band at each renewal | RF-15 |
| CC-08 | Linked online terms are frozen | Current versions of linked policies attached; material changes need consent | RF-23 |
Service levels
Service level checks make the availability figure and support times meaningful for a team that publishes to channels every day.
| ID | Check | What good looks like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| CC-09 | Availability is defined and measured monthly | Percentage per calendar month, with a clear definition of downtime | RF-22 |
| CC-10 | Planned maintenance is limited | Maximum hours per month, outside your business hours, with advance notice | RF-22 |
| CC-11 | Support response and resolution times are set per priority | Response and resolution targets in hours per priority level, in your time zone | |
| CC-12 | Service credits are automatic | Credits apply without a claim process and scale with the breach | |
| CC-13 | Repeated breaches allow termination | Right to terminate without penalty after repeated SLA failures | |
| CC-14 | Backup and restore are committed | Recovery point and recovery time objectives stated in hours |
Data and exit
Data and exit checks decide whether your data model, relations, history and assets leave the platform intact. Read them as if you were leaving in year three.
| ID | Check | What good looks like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| CC-15 | You own your data and configuration | Contract confirms ownership of product data, assets, model and configuration | |
| CC-16 | Export formats are open and complete | Documented open formats covering values, model, relations, history and assets | RF-21 |
| CC-17 | Export is available at any time at no extra cost | Self-service export during the term and at exit, without fees | RF-21 |
| CC-18 | Access continues after termination | A defined read and export period after termination, such as 30 to 90 days | |
| CC-19 | Exit assistance is defined | Number of assistance days and the day rate agreed in advance | |
| CC-20 | Switching terms reflect the EU Data Act | Notice of at most two months, transition of at most 30 days, no switching fees from 12 January 2027 | RF-21 |
| CC-21 | Deletion is confirmed in writing | Written confirmation of deletion from production and backups, with a date |
Under the EU Data Act, cloud providers can generally no longer charge switching fees from 12 January 2027. Ask legal counsel to confirm how the switching rules apply to your contract.
Security and data protection
Security checks confirm that the vendor protects your data to the standard your policies require, and that you can verify it.
| ID | Check | What good looks like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| CC-22 | A data processing agreement covers GDPR Article 28 | Processing on your instructions, confidentiality, security, audits, return or deletion at the end | |
| CC-23 | Sub-processors are listed and changes notified | Current list attached; advance notice of changes with a right to object | |
| CC-24 | Hosting region matches your policy | Production, backups and support access in the regions you require | |
| CC-25 | Security certification is current | ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certificate or an independent assurance report, renewed on time, with scope covering the PIM service | |
| CC-26 | Breach notification is fast | Notification without undue delay, with a maximum in hours, such as 72 | |
| CC-27 | Access control fits your organisation | Single sign-on, role-based permissions and an audit log of user actions |
The ISO/IEC 27001 transition period for certificates to the 2013 version ended on 31 October 2025. Check that the certificate refers to the 2022 version and covers the service you are buying.
AI terms
AI checks turn AI features from an open-ended cost and data risk into a defined, metered service. AI usage grows quickly once teams adopt it.
| ID | Check | What good looks like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| CC-28 | Included AI credits are defined | Annual volume stated, with what one credit buys per function | RF-16 |
| CC-29 | Extra credits have a fixed price | Price per extra credit fixed for the term; rollover or pooling of unused credits | RF-16 |
| CC-30 | Your data is excluded from model training | No training on your data or outputs, by the vendor or its model providers | RF-24 |
| CC-31 | Model providers and processing locations are listed | Named providers, regions and the sub-processor terms that apply | RF-24 |
| CC-32 | Human approval and output ownership are clear | You own AI outputs; approval steps before publication are configurable | |
| CC-33 | Changes to AI pricing or models need notice | At least 6 months' notice, with the right to keep current terms until renewal | RF-16 |
The EU AI Act entered into force on 1 August 2024. Ask the vendor how it meets the obligations that apply to its AI features and model providers.
Implementation partner
Partner checks tie the delivery promise to named people, written assumptions and a fair change process.
| ID | Check | What good looks like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| CC-34 | Key people are named | Solution architect and lead consultant named, with a replacement clause | RF-31 |
| CC-35 | Scope assumptions are listed | Data volumes, quality, integrations, channels and buyer effort written into the contract | RF-32 |
| CC-36 | Change requests follow a fixed rule | Change process, day-rate cap and approval thresholds agreed in advance | RF-32 |
| CC-37 | A warranty period follows go-live | Defects fixed at no cost for a defined period after go-live | |
| CC-38 | You own custom work and documentation | Ownership or a perpetual licence for custom code, configuration and documentation | RF-34 |
The choosing a partner page explains how to assess partners before you reach this stage.
Read the contract as if you were leaving in year three. If the exit terms work, most of the other terms will too.
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Frequently asked questions
Who should review a PIM contract?
A PIM contract should be reviewed by procurement and legal counsel, with the selection lead, the IT architect and the product data owner checking the operational terms. Procurement owns price and renewal terms, legal owns liability, data protection and exit, IT owns security and service levels, and the product data owner confirms that export formats preserve the data model and history.
What is the most important clause in a PIM SaaS contract?
The most important clauses in a PIM SaaS contract are the renewal price cap and the exit terms. The cap protects you at every renewal, when switching is slow and the vendor's position is strong. The exit terms decide whether your data model, relations, history and assets leave the platform intact. Both are hard to secure once the vendor knows it has won.
Does the Data Act change PIM exit clauses?
The EU Data Act changes PIM exit clauses for cloud services in the EU. It requires that customers can switch after a notice period of at most two months, with a transitional period of at most 30 days, and from 12 January 2027 providers can generally no longer charge switching fees. Ask legal counsel to confirm how these rules apply to your contract.
What AI terms belong in a PIM contract?
A PIM contract should define the AI credits included per year, what one credit buys per function, the price per extra credit and rollover of unused credits. It should exclude your data and outputs from model training, list the model providers and where they process data, and require notice before changes to AI pricing or models.
Sources and method
- EU Data Act: switching requirements for cloud services (Alston & Bird)
- Contracts, UK GDPR guidance (ICO)
- ISO/IEC 27001 transition: what you should know (SGS)
- The EU AI Act implementation timeline (Kennedys)
How this page was made: drafted by the PIM Selection editors from the sources listed, checked against the PIMvendors selection method, and signed off by a named expert. Editorial policy.
Cite this page
PIM Selection (2026). PIM contract checklist: 38 checks before you sign. PIMvendors.com. https://pimselection.com/process/contract-checklist/ (version 2026-10-14).