A framework agreement is a central contract between an organization (university, association, PCO, agency) and its software or service provider, in which essential terms are established once and apply to any number of specific events. This typically covers data protection, payment processing with KYC, accounting interfaces, pricing, services, and service levels.
Also known as: Master Service Agreement (MSA), Master Agreement
Suitable for: Universities, associations, PCOs, agencies
Term: Typically 1–5 years, often with auto-renewal
What is a framework agreement?
A framework agreement – often referred to in international business as a Master Service Agreement (MSA) – is an overarching agreement that permanently establishes the fundamental terms of a business relationship. Instead of renegotiating a complete contract for every single event, the organization and the provider agree on the essential ground rules once. Specific events are then handled via streamlined individual orders (often called a Statement of Work, or SoW), which contain only the event-specific details.
In practice, this saves a significant amount of time, reduces legal friction, and creates planning security—which is especially valuable for organizations with many recurring or concurrent events.
Who benefits the most?
- Universities: Multiple faculties organizing their conferences in parallel—uniform standards for data protection, accounting, and IT security, with centralized negotiation by the administration
- Scientific associations: Annual conferences, symposia, training sessions, and regional events under a single contract
- Professional Congress Organizers (PCOs): Managing a portfolio of multiple client events – multi-tenancy as a contractual basis
- Event agencies: Multiple client mandates, various event types, standardized platform terms
- Corporations with internal event departments: Conferences, training sessions, and client events across multiple business units
- Political foundations and funding organizations: A wide range of regional and thematic events
Typical contents of a framework agreement
Data protection and IT security
- Data Processing Agreement (DPA) as an integral component
- List of sub-processors
- Technical and organizational measures (TOMs)
- Data flow documentation for all processing purposes
- Procedures for data breaches and notification requirements
- Organization's rights to audits and reports
- Data deletion and return upon contract termination
Payment collection with KYC
- Selection and integration of the payment service provider
- Responsibilities for the KYC process – one-time effort instead of per event
- Fee structures and payout terms
- Handling of reverse charge and international rates
- Refund workflows and cancellation processes
- Security requirements (PCI-DSS)
Accounting interfaces and standards
- Accounting export to your own system (DATEV, SAP, etc.)
- Account and cost center structures
- Multi-tenancy for different subsidiaries or brands
- GoBD-compliant document processing
Pricing and Services
- Modular pricing structure: Which modules are available and at what rates?
- Volume-based pricing across all events
- One-time vs. recurring costs
- Setup and migration services
- Special terms for strategic partners
- Inflation clauses and price adjustment policies
Service levels and support
- Response and resolution times
- Platform availability guarantees
- Escalation procedures for incidents
- Event-specific support (e.g., standby during live events)
- Maintenance windows and notification periods
Multi-tenancy
- Data separation between events, subsidiaries, or clients
- Role and permission management for cross-functional teams
- Branding configuration per event
- Reporting at the individual event and portfolio level
General terms and conditions
- Term, termination, renewals
- Liability and insurance
- Jurisdiction and applicable law
- Adjustment clauses for legal changes (e.g., new GDPR interpretations)
Advantages over individual contracts
- Time savings: No need to repeat negotiations for every event
- Consistency: Uniform standards across all events
- Better terms through volume bundling
- Faster event launch: New events at the push of a button
- Legal certainty: Compliance issues negotiated thoroughly once
- Operational efficiency: Teams know the ground rules, no friction with the legal department
- Strategic partnership: Supplier-customer relationship evolves into a long-term collaboration
What should you look out for during negotiations?
- Beneficial owners and KYC clarify early – who actually goes through the process?
- Flexibility for event sizes: terms must make sense for both small and large events
- Clear definitions: what is an "event," what are "participants," and what is a "module" – especially regarding billable units?
- Scalability: what happens if the event portfolio grows (or shrinks)?
- Organizational obligations define clearly – not everything is the provider's responsibility
- Service level agreements with realistic, measurable goals
- Audit rights for compliance teams
Best practices
- Clear governance: who in the organization is authorized to place individual orders under the framework agreement?
- Onboarding process define lean processes for new events
- Regular review meetings for balance sheets and adjustments
- Single Point of Contact on both sides – one account manager for the organization
- Training concept for new employees
- Documentation access: All versions and attachments available centrally
- Compliance updates: Changes in the legal situation are proactively communicated by the provider
Framework agreements with Converia
Converia offers customized framework agreements for organizations that work with recurring or multiple parallel events. Data protection, KYC, accounting standards, pricing, and SLAs are negotiated thoroughly once – for all future events. You save on negotiation effort and create internal planning security.
Negotiate once, benefit long-term
Talk to us about a framework agreement if you organize congresses regularly or manage multiple brands/conferences under one roof.
- DPA (Data Processing Agreement) – Compliance & Law
- KYC process – Compliance & Law
- Professional Congress Organizer (PCO) – On-site event operations
Negotiate data protection, KYC, accounting, and terms once – for all your organization's events.