For IT consultants & small MSPs
Managed IT is a promise about response times. Put the promise in writing.
Small-business IT work comes in two shapes. Projects: a Microsoft 365 migration, a new office network, a backup system, laptop roll-outs. And managed services: a monthly fee per user or device for help desk, patching, monitoring and backups. The project quotes are usually tight. The managed agreement often isn't — and the first time a director's home printer, a new starter's phone or a server outage at 2am comes up, both sides discover they assumed something different.
ApeiroCraft sends both as proposals: managed tiers with what's covered, response targets and exclusions, and projects with scope and deliverables. You see when it's opened and reopened, the client signs in the browser, and the project deposit or first month is invoiced from the accepted proposal.
Where IT agreements cause friction.
'All-you-can-eat' expectations
A per-user plan is read as covering everything — new hardware set-up, personal devices, software training, a website problem. Unless exclusions are listed, everything is in scope.
Response times never agreed
A slow fix for a minor issue is treated as an outage. Without severity levels and targets, every ticket is urgent.
Projects hidden in support
An office move or a new line-of-business app is requested as a support ticket. Projects inside a monthly fee are where small MSP margins disappear.
Site survey to signed agreement.
Tiers with real inclusions
List what each managed tier covers — help desk hours, patching, monitoring, backup checks, on-site visits — and what it doesn't.
See when the director's reading
Opens and re-opens are recorded on the link. Reopens after a competitor's quote arrives are a good moment to walk through response targets.
Signed response targets
The signature records name, email, IP address and a UTC timestamp and can't be altered — inclusions, exclusions and targets are on record.
Project deposits and monthly fees
Convert an accepted project proposal into a deposit invoice in one click. Managed-service invoices go out monthly against the client record, with the user count you set.
What an IT services proposal has to include.
The difference between a good and a bad MSP relationship is usually in the exclusions list.
Covered users and devices
If it's left vague
Personal phones and home printers are assumed to be covered.
With ApeiroCraft
Define what counts as a covered user or device, and how the count is updated.
Services per tier
If it's left vague
Every IT issue is treated as covered.
With ApeiroCraft
List services in each tier, and exclusions like hardware, projects and third-party software issues.
Response targets and hours
If it's left vague
Every ticket is urgent and expected out of hours.
With ApeiroCraft
Define severity levels, response targets, support hours and out-of-hours rates.
Projects
If it's left vague
Migrations and office moves are logged as tickets.
With ApeiroCraft
Say projects are quoted separately, with their own scope and price.
Third parties and access
If it's left vague
You're blamed for an outage at the internet provider or a software vendor.
With ApeiroCraft
State that third-party services are outside your control and how you'll liaise with them.
- Monthly invoices with editable quantities and tax rate.
- Pipeline of prospects, projects and renewals.
- Team notes per client for network details and contacts.
Common questions.
How do IT consultants and MSPs usually price?
Managed services are commonly priced per user or per device per month, in tiers. Projects are typically fixed-price or day-rate. Some offer blocks of prepaid hours for ad-hoc support. ApeiroCraft holds the model; it doesn't suggest prices.
What does a managed-services proposal look like?
A summary of the site survey; three tiers, with the middle covering remote help desk in business hours, patching, endpoint monitoring, backup checks and a quarterly review; on-site visits charged per visit; exclusions for hardware, projects and personal devices; three severity levels with response targets; a per-user monthly fee and a minimum term. The director reopens it after receiving a competitor's quote, signs, and you invoice the first month.
When is ApeiroCraft not the right fit for an MSP?
It isn't a PSA or RMM platform: no ticketing, remote monitoring, asset inventory, time tracking or automated per-seat billing, and no API to connect to them. Established MSPs use those systems. ApeiroCraft fits independent IT consultants and very small MSPs who need clear proposals and simple invoicing.
Can I adjust the user count each month?
Yes. Edit the quantity on the monthly invoice before sending. ApeiroCraft won't sync user counts automatically.
Which template should I start from?
The website maintenance template — tiers with tasks, response times, included hours and what counts as new work — maps well to managed IT. Use the consulting template for projects.
Write the exclusions list before the per-user price.
Start from the maintenance template and adapt the tiers to your managed services.
Start freeStill deciding? Talk to the founder
Keep reading
Free template
Website maintenance proposal template
Care-plan tiers, response times, included hours, and a clear line between upkeep and new work.
Free template
Consulting proposal template
A sharpened problem statement, phased approach with a stop option, and value-anchored fees.
Solution
ApeiroCraft for consultants
Scope, phases, and value-anchored fees in a document that gets signed, not edited.