Service level agreement
The service levels, responsibilities and exclusions that apply to the services ABS provides.
Introduction and relationship with the Master Services Agreement
1.1 This Service Level Agreement (“SLA”) sets out the service levels, performance commitments, responsibilities, exclusions, and operational processes applicable to the services provided by ABS Limited (“ABS”).
1.2 This SLA forms part of the ABS Master Services Agreement (MSA) and is incorporated by reference into each Order Form agreed between ABS and the Customer (“Order Form”). Capitalised terms used in this SLA have the meanings given in the MSA.
1.3 This SLA applies only to the services selected in the relevant Order Form. Each service module below will apply solely where that service is purchased.
1.4 If there is any conflict between this SLA and the Order Form, the Order Form prevails. If there is a conflict between this SLA and a Service Schedule (Schedules A-D), the Service Schedule prevails for the relevant Service.
Coverage and scope
2.1 This SLA applies to the following service categories, to the extent selected in the Order Form:
- IT Support Services (Schedule A)
- Priority ERP Consultancy, Customisation & Support (Schedule B)
- Hosting Services (Schedule C)
- Cloud Licensing & Platform Services (Schedule D)
- Any future service categories added by ABS.
2.2 The SLA covers:
- Incident management
- Request handling
- Response targets
- Escalation management
- Backups and recovery (where included)
- Monitoring (where included)
- Planned and emergency maintenance
- Responsibilities and dependencies
2.3 The SLA does not grant any uptime guarantee beyond that provided by the underlying platform vendor (e.g., Microsoft, Fasthosts, Priority).
Contact, access and support hours
3.1 Support hours (standard)
Unless otherwise specified in the Order Form:
- Business Hours: Monday to Friday, 09:00-17:00 (UK time), excluding UK public holidays.
- On-call emergency hours (if purchased): defined separately in the Order Form or Statement of Work.
3.2 Contact methods
- Email: helpdesk@abslimited.co.uk
- Telephone: 01296 696700
The Customer must log incidents through the Helpdesk system wherever possible.
3.3 Required information
When logging support requests, the Customer must provide:
- Clear description of the issue
- Impact and urgency
- User(s) affected
- System or module affected
- Screenshots, logs, or error messages
- Remote access availability
Failure to provide sufficient information may delay response or resolution.
Incident prioritisation
ABS assigns an incident priority after triage, based on impact and urgency:
| Priority | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| P1 - Critical | Complete loss of core system, no workaround | Server down, ERP unavailable, email outage |
| P2 - High | Major business process impaired | Key module slow, degraded performance |
| P3 - Medium | Limited impact, single user or non-critical function | Client workstation issues |
| P4 - Low | Minor issue, cosmetic, admin request | “How-to” queries, non-urgent changes |
Target response times
ABS will use commercially reasonable efforts to begin initial triage of all incidents reported during standard office hours within 1 hour, and always within a maximum of 2 hours. Where technician availability allows, response may begin sooner.
Urgent / high-severity incidents
For incidents that significantly impact business operations (e.g., system outage, Priority ERP inaccessible, server down):
- The Customer may request urgent escalation.
- ABS will prioritise the ticket and commence work as soon as reasonably practicable, typically immediately.
Resolution times
Resolution times cannot be guaranteed due to dependencies outside ABS control, including but not limited to:
- Third-party vendors and platforms (e.g., Microsoft, Priority, Fasthosts)
- Customer availability for testing and approval
- Network access limitations
- Complexity of the customer’s system, infrastructure or customisations
- Issues requiring vendor escalations or patch releases
ABS will, however, take all reasonable commercial steps to diagnose, progress and resolve incidents promptly, and will keep the Customer updated on progress where resolution requires extended investigation or third-party action.
Customer responsibilities (applicable to all services)
The Customer agrees to:
- Provide access, credentials, remote connectivity and personnel availability.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date contact details.
- Ensure staff are trained in internal processes.
- Maintain valid third-party licences.
- Keep systems within supported versions.
- Maintain backups unless ABS is contracted to manage them.
- Notify ABS of relevant system changes or security incidents.
These mirror the responsibilities set out in the MSA, Schedules A-D, and the General Terms.
Service modules (activated via Order Form)
7.1 Module A - IT Support Services
Applies only where IT Support is purchased. References Schedule A - IT Support Services.
SLA coverage includes:
- Remote helpdesk support
- On-site support (if included)
- Troubleshooting of devices, networks, server OS
- Assistance with Microsoft 365 applications
- Vendor escalation (Microsoft, hardware vendors, etc.)
SLA exclusions:
- Development, scripting, integrations
- Unsupported software/hardware
- Cyber incident response (unless contracted)
- Out-of-hours work unless purchased
7.2 Module B - Priority ERP Services
Applies only where Priority ERP services are purchased. References Schedule B - Priority ERP.
SLA coverage includes:
- Application-level support
- Troubleshooting system errors
- Guidance on existing features
- Liaison with Priority where platform issues are suspected
SLA exclusions:
- Training
- New features or customisations
- Data cleansing
- Major version upgrades
- Recovery where no valid backups exist
7.3 Module C - Hosting Services
Applies only where Hosting is purchased. References Schedule C - Hosting.
ABS responsibilities (where ABS manages hosting):
- Virtual infrastructure setup
- VM monitoring (as purchased)
- OS-level patching
- Backup management (if included)
- Recovery from backup
- Firewall/network configuration (as agreed)
Customer responsibilities:
- Application-level backups unless contracted
- Validation of restored data
- Maintaining secure access controls
Exclusions:
- Underlying vendor outages (Azure, Fasthosts, Priority)
- Customer misconfigurations
- Restore attempts without valid backups
7.4 Module D - Cloud Licensing & Platform Services
Applies only where Cloud Licensing is purchased. References Schedule D - Cloud Licensing.
ABS responsibilities (where contracted):
- Administering Microsoft 365 tenant
- User and mailbox provisioning
- Basic configuration support
- Vendor escalation
Exclusions:
- 24/7 monitoring
- DR/BCP services
- Uptime guarantee beyond Microsoft’s SLA
Backups and recovery
Activated only where:
- Hosting with ABS includes backups; or
- A Backup Service is selected in the Order Form.
ABS responsibilities (if included):
- Configure and monitor backups
- Retain backups for agreed duration
- Perform recovery where data and platform permit
Customer responsibilities:
- Ensure data integrity
- Maintain business-level backup strategy
- Understand that recovery depends on available snapshots
Maintenance (planned and emergency)
ABS may conduct maintenance to ensure security and stability.
9.1 Planned maintenance
- Scheduled outside Business Hours where possible
- Advance notice provided where reasonably practicable
9.2 Emergency maintenance
- Performed when needed to prevent security issues or system failure
- May occur without notice
Service exclusions (universal)
The following are excluded unless explicitly included in the Order Form:
- Development, scripting, integrations
- Major migrations or rebuilds
- Cyber security incident response
- Training services
- Unsupported or unlicensed software
- Infrastructure upgrades
- Third-party vendor outages
- Issues arising from Customer misuse or unauthorised changes
Reporting and service reviews
Where purchased or included:
- Monthly or quarterly service reports
- SLA performance metrics
- Incident summaries
- Capacity planning
- Continuous improvement actions
- Scheduled service review meetings
Changes to this SLA
12.1 ABS may update this SLA to reflect changes in law, security requirements, vendor policies or service improvements.
12.2 Material changes that reduce service levels will be notified at least 30 days before taking effect, and the Customer may terminate the affected service without penalty.
12.3 The current version of this SLA will always be available on the ABS website.
Version control
| Version | 1.0 |
|---|---|
| Effective date | January 2026 |
| Approved by | ABS Limited |