Any particular rule on who should provide the contract?

[d000hg]

In a B2B relationship between supplier and client, is there a rule of thumb which party should provide the contract? I know often if one party is much larger they can force the issue but is there a "right way" when that's not the case?

[craig1]

In a B2B relationship between supplier and client, is there a rule of thumb which party should provide the contract? I know often if one party is much larger they can force the issue but is there a "right way" when that's not the case?

There's no hard rule but in my experience it's usually the supplier in most B2B situations. This is probably because the supplier's contracts tend to be drafted towards the specific service/transaction involved while the client's are usually far more generic.

[TheFaQQer]

Most suppliers will have a set of standard terms and conditions. Many clients will also have a set of standard terms that they contract under. Start with one set (I'd see what the supplier's terms are first) and then negotiate anything that you want changing.

[javadude]

I've had two direct contracts and in both cases the customer refused to use my contract, preferring instead to use their own despite signs of not understanding contracting and with their contract being inferior with respect to ir35 etc. In both cases it was HR that was drafting the contract. In one it took them over a week when I'd taken two hours.