Your guide to B2B contracts in 2025

Business relationships don’t run on trust alone. They run on contracts. 

B2B contracts set the rules for how you work with customers, suppliers, and partners. Whether you’re closing deals, partnering up, or locking down suppliers, a strong contract gives you the clarity you need to move fast – and the protection you need if things go wrong.

Let’s walk through how to write, manage, and improve your B2B contracts – so you can focus on closing deals, not fixing mistakes.

What is a B2B contract?

A B2B (business-to-business) contract is a legally binding agreement between two commercial entities. It sets out the terms of their cooperation, from deliverables and service levels to payment schedules and dispute-resolution routes.

Put simply, it is the playbook that tells each side who does what, when, and on what terms.

B2B vs B2C contracts

B2B and B2C deals share many of the same characteristics. However, generally speaking, B2B deals demand precise wording and proactive management. There’s more money and reputation at stake, and fewer protective statutes to fall back on.

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In B2B deals you trade with savvy counterparties, not protected consumers, so the contract is your only safety net. That is why it's so important to get your contract management right.

How B2B contracts govern commercial relationships

B2B contracts govern every commercial deal you make – whether that's service deals, sales orders, supplier terms, partnership pacts. A comprehensive contract ensures both parties start on the same page from day one.

• Sales and service: Contracts lock down pricing, SLAs, invoicing cadence, and risk allocation. This ensures cash flows predictably and both sides know who pays if delivery or quality slips.
• Partnerships & joint ventures: A comprehensive contract will outline contributions, profit-share, and decision rights upfront. Both brands will be aligned from day one, which will prevent small disagreements from stalling the venture.
• Supplier relationships: These contracts set minimum order sizes, delivery windows, and quality specs, backed by clear remedies. As a result, production keeps moving even if a shipment runs late or arrives defective.

The most common types of B2B contracts

A handful of contracts cover most B2B deals. If you can draft, negotiate, and manage the following legal agreements, then you’ve got the essentials covered.

Here are a few examples:

Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)

An NDA is a promise to keep any shared confidential information private. It defines what stays secret, how long the duty lasts, and what happens if either party slips.

Grab the template → Non-disclosure agreement

Master services agreement (MSA)

An MSA is an umbrella deal that locks in baseline terms – payment terms, IP ownership, liability caps, dispute resolution – so future projects can launch quickly under consistent guardrails.

Grab the template→ MSA

Statement of Work (SOW)

An SOW is a project-specific schedule that outlines tasks, deliverables, timelines, responsibilities, and fees. It gives both sides a shared, measurable definition of when something is “done.”

Grab the template → SOW

SaaS agreement

SaaS agreements usually cover usage rights (like seat counts), pricing, uptime commitments from the service provider, support levels, data protections, and the contract renewal process. Due to these variables, SaaS contract management brings its own challenges.

Grab the template→ SaaS agreement

Order form

An order form is a short, commercial add-on that references the SaaS agreement and spells out deal-specific variables: edition, user licenses, contract value, term start/end.

Grab the template→ Order form

Supply or distribution agreement

Supply chains break when terms are vague. A solid agreement fixes quantity, delivery schedule, quality standards, and remedies for missed deadlines.

If you're a supplier, check out this template → Supplier agreement

Or if you're a reseller, try the following → Distribution agreement

Licensing agreement

A licensing agreement is created where the owner of intellectual property (IP) grants another party defined rights to use, sell, or distribute that IP in exchange for royalties or fees.

Grab the template→ IP licensing agreement

Partnership / joint venture agreement

A pact that spells out each party’s contributions, profit-sharing, decision rights, and exit routes when two businesses team up.

Grab the template → Partnership agreement

Ready to create your own contracts? Check out our contract templates library, helping legal professionals and business teams start from proven language instead of a blank page.

Creating global B2B contracts in 2025

Modern deals rarely stay inside one jurisdiction. A buyer in Texas, a vendor in Berlin, and data hosted in Singapore can all sit in the same agreement – and each location adds fresh details to settle before anyone signs. So, what key considerations do you need to bear in mind when creating cross-border B2B contracts?

First things first, contracts should clearly stipulate what each party agrees to in terms of money and tax.

As the University of Pittsburgh School of Law explains, "Make sure that you specify the payment methods, currency, payment milestones and timing, and any applicable taxes or fees to avoid ambiguity and financial disputes when you draft your contract or agreement."

Cross-border agreements also need a governing-law clause and a forum for dispute resolution. Some parties lean toward their home courts, while others prefer a neutral seat or private arbitration to keep matters confidential.

Then there's the contract's language. English is the default drafting language, but that does not mean both sides will necessarily read it the same way.

Harvard’s Program on Negotiation points out that indirect phrasing valued in some cultures can read as vague or even evasive to others, causing friction at the bargaining table. Define key terms, provide translations if needed, and specify which version prevails if there are any differences between them.

Beyond language, cultural differences also shape how parties view contracts. Research on international negotiations shows that some cultures treat a signed agreement as a firm destination, while others might see it more as a flexible roadmap that will evolve as the relationship develops.

Recognizing this early helps in-house teams set clear amendment procedures if change orders are necessary. It also preserves goodwill if the scope does evolve over time.

Common B2B contract pitfalls – and how to avoid them

There are several major pitfalls to look out for when drafting or managing B2B contracts. Spot them early, build guardrails, and you will make contract lifecycle management easier for everyone.

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By addressing these pain points listed above, you’ll curb risk, protect revenue, and keep your contract lifecycle running smoothly from first draft to renewal.

Five B2B contract management best practices

Use these five best practices as guidelines to follow during your own contracting processes.

1. Draft in plain English

Clarity beats clever wording. Replace legal jargon like “reasonable efforts” with a measurable standard, spell out deliverables, and insert definitions for every business-critical term.

We've created an in-depth guide to plain language contracts packed out with examples and top tips.

2. Standardize simple deals with templates and a clause library

Reusable, version-controlled templates cut cycle time and reduce contractual risk. Standardizing templates allows commercial teams to self-serve while ensuring the contracts are legally sound.

3. Automate approvals and other hand-offs

Bottlenecks appear when stakeholders do not know a contract is waiting for their approval. Good contract management software routes each draft to key stakeholders, stamps an audit trail, and sends reminders automatically – saving legal hours chasing up over email.

There's a reason why 81% of businesses surveyed by the World Commerce & Contracting Association plan to implement contract automation solutions in the future.

4. Track renewal dates and obligations from day one

The contract’s real life starts after signature. Log SLAs, reporting duties, and renewal deadlines in your CLM, then set automated alerts 30–90 days before each milestone. That single step prevents both unwanted auto-renewals and missed service credits.

5. Use AI where possible

AI is transforming legal work. According to Juro’s State of in-house 2025 survey, 58 percent of legal teams already use AI to handle the contract review process, and 93 percent say their CEOs want even broader adoption.

Use AI tools to flag risky clauses, extract data from contracts, and review drafts – freeing your team to focus on negotiation.

How Juro helps in-house legal teams create, edit, and sign B2B contracts

Juro centralizes the entire contract workflow into one AI-native workspace. Legal opens a template, sales adds the deal data, and procurement teams check price compliance.

Everyone works in the same live document – not scattered email threads. AI then reviews the draft in seconds, spotting risky clauses and mapping renewal dates straight into the repository.

Once both sides sign with Juro’s built-in eSignature, the platform handles the rest: obligation tracking, renewal reminders, audit trails. Cycle times shrink while renewals never slip through the cracks – and the business always knows which contract version to trust.

Fill in the form below to discover how Juro helps businesses regain control over B2B contracts and save valuable time.