# Service Level Agreement (SLA)

Source: https://contracko.com/fr/bibliotheque-de-clauses/accord-de-niveau-de-service

# Service Level Agreement (SLA)

Defines measurable service standards (uptime, response times) and the credits or remedies when they are missed.

## Ce que c'est

An SLA sets quantified performance targets for a service (availability, response and resolution times, capacity) and the consequences if the provider falls short, usually service credits. It turns vague quality promises into measurable obligations.

## Pourquoi c'est important

For SaaS and managed services, performance is the product. A clear SLA aligns expectations, gives the customer a remedy short of termination, and protects the provider by capping that remedy at agreed credits.

## Comment l'appliquer

- Define each metric, its measurement method and the measurement window.
- Set service credits as a percentage of fees, tiered by severity of the breach.
- Carve out planned maintenance and force majeure from availability calculations.
- Add an escalation path and, for chronic failure, a termination trigger.

## Exemple de formulation

> The Provider shall maintain 99.9% monthly availability of the Service. For each 0.1% below target, the Customer receives a service credit of 5% of the monthly fee, up to a maximum of 50%.

## Conseils de négociation

- • Customers should make chronic SLA failure a ground for termination, not just credits.
- • Providers should make service credits the sole remedy for missed targets.

## Pièges courants

- • Setting metrics with no agreed measurement method, making breach impossible to prove.
- • Forgetting to exclude scheduled maintenance from uptime calculations.

### Comment Contracko aide

Contracko's AI review extracts SLA targets and credit tiers from your service contracts and flags clauses that lack a defined measurement method or a termination trigger for chronic failure. Upcoming measurement-window review dates and credit calculation deadlines can be tracked as contract milestones with automated reminders, keeping operations and finance aligned without manual diary entries.

## Références juridiques

- [BW 6:74 Damages for non-performance Droit néerlandais](https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0005289)
- [BW 6:248 Reasonableness and fairness Droit néerlandais](https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0005289)

Sauf mention contraire, les références renvoient au droit néerlandais (Burgerlijk Wetboek, le Code civil néerlandais) ; les instruments de l'UE tels que le RGPD s'appliquent dans toute l'UE. Il s'agit d'informations générales, pas de conseils juridiques. D'autres juridictions traitent ces concepts différemment. Vérifiez le texte en vigueur et votre situation avec un avocat qualifié.

## Pertinent pour

[Logiciels & SaaS](https://contracko.com/fr/secteurs/logiciel-saas)[Entreprises de SaaS B2B](https://contracko.com/fr/secteurs/b2b-saas)[Fournisseurs de services managés](https://contracko.com/fr/secteurs/prestataires-services-geres)[Services informatiques](https://contracko.com/fr/secteurs/services-informatiques)[Télécommunications](https://contracko.com/fr/secteurs/telecommunications)

## Clauses associées

- [Warranties Clause](https://contracko.com/fr/bibliotheque-de-clauses/garanties)
- [Limitation of Liability Clause](https://contracko.com/fr/bibliotheque-de-clauses/limitation-de-responsabilite)
- [Liquidated Damages Clause](https://contracko.com/fr/bibliotheque-de-clauses/clause-penale)

## Termes associés

- [Service level agreement (SLA)](https://contracko.com/fr/glossaire/accord-de-niveau-de-service)
- [Warranty](https://contracko.com/fr/glossaire/garantie)
- [Breach of contract](https://contracko.com/fr/glossaire/rupture-de-contrat)

### Ne manquez plus jamais une échéance de contrat

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Conforme au RGPD. Chiffré. Jamais utilisé pour l'entraînement de l'IA.

## Foire aux questions

Questions courantes sur cette clause.

- **Q:** Are service credits a customer's only remedy under an SLA?
  **A:** Often yes. Providers usually draft credits as the exclusive remedy, so customers should negotiate a termination right for chronic failure.

- **Q:** How is uptime measured?
  **A:** Per the agreed window (usually monthly) excluding planned maintenance; the measurement method must be defined or the metric is unenforceable.

- **Q:** What is a typical uptime target in a SaaS SLA?
  **A:** Most SaaS providers offer 99.9% monthly uptime ("three nines"), which allows about 44 minutes of downtime per month; mission-critical services may require 99.95% or higher.

- **Q:** Can a customer terminate if the provider repeatedly misses SLA targets?
  **A:** Only if the SLA includes a chronic-failure termination right. Without it, the customer is typically limited to service credits regardless of how often targets are missed.

- **Q:** Who bears the burden of proving an SLA breach?
  **A:** Usually the customer, unless the SLA places a reporting duty on the provider. Agreeing on a shared monitoring tool or provider-generated reports avoids later factual disputes.

## Ne manquez plus jamais une clause risquée

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