Step 4 — Master agreement and go-live (Days 22-30)

Purpose of this step

Master Services Agreement signed; punch-out / catalog setup; first full PO released; QBR cadence agreed. You are now in production. This is one of four steps in our 30-day onboarding flow — see the full overview.

Agenda / what we cover

• MSA negotiation (term, pricing review cadence, exclusivity, IP, audit rights)
• SLA definitions (OTD, defect rate, response time)
• Catalog setup (cXML / OCI for punch-out, or hosted catalog)
• Payment terms confirmation and accounts setup
• First PO drafted and released
• QBR scheduling (typically week 4 of each fiscal quarter)

Outcomes / what you receive

• Signed Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Catalog live (punch-out or hosted) with contract pricing
• First production PO released and in flight
• QBR cadence and KPI scorecard agreed
• Direct contact channels established

Deliverable

A live B2B procurement relationship: signed contract, integrated catalog, first PO in production, and a clear cadence for ongoing improvement.

How long it takes

This step typically takes 3-10 calendar days, depending on your internal review cadence. We track elapsed time against the 30-day target and flag risk if any step exceeds plan by more than 50%.

Common questions in this step

• Can we customize the deliverable? Yes — adapt to your existing procurement templates if you already have them.
• What if we need more time? Fine. The 30-day plan is a goal, not a hard deadline. Most clients land in 35-45 days.
• Can we run this remotely? Yes — every step is fully remote-capable. On-site visits available for premium tiers.
• What if we don't proceed after this step? No obligation. There is no penalty for stopping at any step before the master agreement.

Next step

Once this step closes, we move to the next phase. Return to the full onboarding flow for the bigger picture, or email onboarding@merch.am with questions.