Statement of Work 03
| Client | ACME Highland Health, a national health insurance company |
| Service Provider | Pulaski Advisory Group, a management and technology consulting firm |
| Engagement Lead | C. Tyrrell, Program Director |
| Executive Sponsor | M. Kavanagh, Chief Operating Officer, ACME Highland Health |
| SOW Effective Date | 02 January 2029 |
| Term | 02 Jan 2029 – 29 Aug 2029 (8 months) |
| Fee | $29,700,000 (Year 3 of the $99,000,000 total Program budget) |
| Version | 1.0 |
| Predecessor SOWs | SOW-01 (Year 1) and SOW-02 (Year 2), completed 30 Sep 2027 and 15 Dec 2028 respectively |
1. Definitions
- "Agreement" means, collectively, the Master Consulting Services Agreement between ACME Highland Health ("Client") and Pulaski Advisory Group ("Consultant") dated 03 August 2026 (the "MSA"), this Statement of Work, and all Exhibits attached hereto.
- "Program Charter" means the Program Charter for "Project Catalyst" (the ACME Highland Health AI Transformation Program), dated 03 August 2026, as may be amended, which is incorporated into this SOW by reference.
- "Deliverables" means the work product, documentation, software configurations, models, and reports identified in the Deliverables section of this SOW.
- "Confidential Information" has the meaning given in the Confidentiality section below.
- "PHI" means Protected Health Information as defined under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended ("HIPAA").
- Capitalized terms not otherwise defined in this SOW have the meanings given in the MSA or the Program Charter.
2. Relationship to Master Agreement and Program Charter
This SOW is issued pursuant to, and is governed by the terms and conditions of, the MSA between Client and Consultant. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this SOW and the MSA, the terms of the MSA shall control unless this SOW expressly states that a specific MSA provision is superseded for purposes of this SOW. In the event of a conflict between this SOW and the Program Charter, this SOW controls as to the commercial and legal terms of the engagement described herein, and the Program Charter controls as to program governance, decision rights, and technical/functional scope not otherwise addressed in this SOW.
3. Background & Purpose
This Statement of Work is issued under the Program Charter for "Project Catalyst," following Client's acceptance of all Year 1 and Year 2 Deliverables under SOW-01 and SOW-02, including full production scale of all three BRDs (Claims & Prior Authorization AI, Member & Provider Experience AI, and Underwriting & Risk AI). This SOW governs the Program's final leg.
Year 3 does not deliver new AI capability; it hardens, integrates, and institutionalizes what Years 1 and 2 built — enterprise-wide integration across all three BRDs, MLOps maturity, a formal benefits realization audit against the baselines set in Phase 0, and the transition of the AI Governance & Center of Excellence, Independent Model Validation, and Data Privacy Office into permanent Client steady-state operations, so governance continues after this SOW, and the Program itself, ends.
4. Scope of Services
Enterprise Integration & MLOps Maturity
- Integration testing and hardening across BRD-01, BRD-02, and BRD-03 as a single enterprise AI capability, including cross-workstream data flows and shared monitoring.
- MLOps maturity uplift: automated retraining pipelines, drift detection, and incident-response runbooks for all three production models.
- A full Independent Model Validation re-certification pass across all three BRDs, reflecting a full year (BRD-01) or partial year (BRD-02/BRD-03) of production data.
Benefits Realization & Program Closeout
- Benefits Realization Audit measuring actual outcomes (prior-authorization cycle time, call-center handle time, underwriting consistency) against the Phase 0 baseline.
- CoE Steady-State Transition Plan: formal handover of AI Governance & CoE, Independent Model Validation, and Data Privacy Office staffing, budget, and reporting lines from the Program into Client's permanent organizational structure.
- Program Closeout Report and Lessons Learned Register.
Out of Scope for This SOW
- Any new AI use case not already authorized under BRD-01, BRD-02, or BRD-03 — new use cases proposed during Year 3 are logged through the AI Governance & CoE intake process for consideration under a future, separately-scoped engagement.
5. Deliverables
| Deliverable | Target Date |
|---|---|
| Enterprise Integration Certification (All Three BRDs) | 15 Apr 2029 |
| MLOps Maturity Assessment & Uplift Complete | 30 Jun 2029 |
| Full Independent Model Validation Re-Certification (All Three BRDs) | 30 Jun 2029 |
| Benefits Realization Report | 31 Jul 2029 |
| CoE Steady-State Transition Plan & Formal Handover | 15 Aug 2029 |
| Program Closeout Report & Lessons Learned Register | 29 Aug 2029 |
| Year 3 Program Status Reporting (monthly, cumulative) | Throughout term |
Each Deliverable shall be submitted to Client for written acceptance per the Acceptance Criteria below. Client shall notify Consultant of acceptance or specific, written grounds for rejection within ten (10) business days of submission; a Deliverable not rejected in writing within that period is deemed accepted.
6. Staffing
Consultant staffing tapers through Year 3 as workstreams transition to steady-state; the Program Leadership & PMO, AI Governance & CoE, Independent Model Validation, Enterprise Architecture, and Data Privacy Office teams remain active through Closeout to execute the transition to Client steady-state operations, while the three BRD delivery teams wind down to a smaller production-support presence. Client's HR/Workforce Planning and Corporate Communications teams lead the internal transition communication and staffing plan for the functions being handed over. Approximately 100–120 of the 262-person life-of-program roster remain active at Year 3's start, tapering to a small permanent Client-side steady-state team by Program Closeout. The Quality Assurance & Testing and User Acceptance Testing teams wind down following the final BRD-03 production acceptance, retaining only the capacity required for regression testing during optimization and retraining cycles.
The table below sets out the functions engaged under this SOW and their peak concurrent staffing. Headcount reflects peak concurrency within the year, not the Program's 262-person life-of-program roster, which ramps on and off by phase.
| Function / Team | Peak Engaged | Staffing Model | Role in This Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Program Leadership & PMO | 14 | Pulaski onshore + Client | Program direction through closeout |
| AI Governance & Center of Excellence | 12 | Pulaski onshore | Governance handover to permanent CoE |
| Enterprise Architecture | 6 | Mixed | Architecture simplification and tech-debt reduction |
| Data & Cloud AI Platform | 14 | Onshore + offshore | Optimization, then steady-state handover |
| Claims & Prior Authorization AI (BRD-01) | 8 | Onshore + offshore | Production support and retraining |
| Member & Provider Experience AI (BRD-02) | 8 | Onshore + offshore | Production support and retraining |
| Underwriting & Risk AI (BRD-03) | 8 | Onshore + offshore | Production support and retraining |
| Quality Assurance & Testing | 8 | Onshore + offshore | Regression testing for retraining cycles |
| User Acceptance Testing | 5 | Client (non-billable) | Final acceptance and regression confirmation |
| Independent Model Validation | 6 | Pulaski onshore | Annual model re-validation cycle |
| Cybersecurity / InfoSec | 6 | Mixed | Ongoing controls assurance |
| Legal | 4 | Client onshore only | Contract and vendor closeout |
| Compliance | 5 | Client onshore only | Regulatory monitoring and audit |
| SOX / Financial Controls | 4 | Client onshore only | Financial close and controls testing |
| Data Privacy Office | 4 | Client onshore only | Privacy assurance in steady state |
| IT Operations / Infrastructure | 10 | Client | Steady-state operations transition |
| Change Management & Training | 6 | Mixed | Final adoption reinforcement |
| Program Finance | 6 | Client | Benefits audit and financial close |
| HR / Workforce Planning | 4 | Client | Roll-off and workforce redeployment |
| Corporate Communications | 3 | Client | Transition and closeout communications |
| Customer Service Operations | 10 | Client | Steady-state operation of delivered capability |
| Year 3 opening concurrency | 151 | Of the 262-person life-of-program roster, tapering through the year to a permanent Client steady-state team. | |
7. Fees, Payment Schedule & Acceptance
| Milestone Payment | Amount | Due Upon |
|---|---|---|
| SOW Execution / Mobilization | $3,981,000 | SOW effective date |
| Enterprise Integration Certification | $6,635,000 | All three BRDs certified integrated |
| MLOps Maturity & Re-Certification Complete | $6,635,000 | Independent Model Validation sign-off |
| Benefits Realization Report Accepted | $3,981,000 | Executive Steering Board acceptance |
| CoE Steady-State Transition & Program Closeout | $5,308,000 | Final Closeout sign-off |
| TOTAL YEAR 3 FEE | $29,700,000 |
Fees are fixed-fee per milestone as set out above and are not subject to adjustment except through formal Change Order (see below). Client shall pay each milestone invoice within thirty (30) days of acceptance of the corresponding Deliverable. Undisputed amounts unpaid after thirty (30) days accrue interest at 1.0% per month or the maximum rate permitted by law, whichever is lower. Reasonable, pre-approved travel and out-of-pocket expenses are billed at cost, without markup, monthly in arrears.
Change Orders
Any change to this SOW's scope, fee, or schedule baseline requires a written Change Order signed by both parties' Program Director/Executive Sponsor and approved by the Executive Steering Board, consistent with the Program's Change Control Log. No verbal or informal modification is binding.
Acceptance Criteria
- Each Deliverable is accepted only upon written sign-off from the Executive Steering Board, and, where applicable, the AI Governance Board and Enterprise Architecture Review Board, per the decision-rights structure in Charter Section 6.
- Any Deliverable involving a production AI model additionally requires a clean Independent Model Validation certification with zero uncorrected Critical/High findings.
8. Service Levels & Performance Measures
Consultant performance under this SOW is measured against the following service levels. Measures are reported monthly by the PMO to the Executive Steering Board as part of standard program reporting, and reviewed formally at each phase gate. Persistent failure to meet a service level is a material performance issue under Section 15.
| Performance Measure | Target | Measurement Basis | Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milestone delivery to agreed dates | ≥ 95% on time | Milestone acceptance record | Recovery plan within 10 business days; no milestone payment until accepted |
| Deliverable first-pass acceptance | ≥ 90% | Client acceptance log (Section 7) | Rework performed at Consultant's cost |
| Critical / high-severity defects escaping to production | 0 critical | Post-release defect log | Hypercare remediation at no additional charge |
| Key-personnel continuity | ≤ 10% unplanned turnover per year | Quarterly staffing review | Replacement of substantially equivalent skill within 15 business days |
| Independent Model Validation turnaround | 5–10 business days per submission | IMV queue log | Escalation to the AI Governance Board |
| Security incidents attributable to Consultant | 0 | InfoSec incident log | Immediate remediation and root-cause analysis |
| Monthly program & EVM reporting | 100% delivered on cadence | PMO reporting record | Escalation to Program Director |
Service levels are measured only against work within Consultant's control. Delays caused by Client dependencies described in Section 9, or by Client-directed changes processed under the Program's change-control procedure, are excluded from the measurement.
9. Client Responsibilities & Assumptions
- Client will designate permanent, budgeted headcount to receive the AI Governance & CoE, Independent Model Validation, and Data Privacy Office functions at handover, per the CoE Steady-State Transition Plan.
- Client will provide access to a full year of BRD-01 production data and partial-year BRD-02/BRD-03 data for the Benefits Realization Audit.
- Any Client decision to pursue new AI use cases beyond BRD-01/02/03 is understood to require a new, separately-negotiated Statement of Work outside this engagement.
10. Independent Contractor Status
Consultant is an independent contractor and not an employee, agent, joint venturer, or partner of Client. Nothing in this SOW shall be construed to create an employment, partnership, or agency relationship between Client and Consultant or any of Consultant's personnel, whether onshore or offshore, all of whom remain employees or subcontractors of Consultant. Consultant is solely responsible for the payment of all compensation, benefits, and applicable federal, state, and local taxes and withholdings for its personnel. Consultant retains sole discretion over the manner and method by which its personnel perform the Services, subject to the governance, quality, and acceptance standards set out in this SOW and the Program Charter.
11. Confidentiality
Each party acknowledges that it may receive Confidential Information of the other party in the course of performing this SOW. "Confidential Information" means all non-public business, technical, financial, and member/patient information disclosed by either party, including without limitation Client's claims data, member and provider information, underwriting criteria, and system architecture, and Consultant's methodologies, tools, and pricing. Each party agrees to protect the other's Confidential Information using at least the same degree of care it uses to protect its own confidential information of similar nature, and in no event less than a reasonable degree of care, and to use such Confidential Information solely to perform its obligations under this SOW. This Section survives termination or expiration of this SOW for a period of five (5) years, except with respect to PHI and other information required by law to be protected for a longer period, as to which the confidentiality obligation survives for so long as required by applicable law.
12. Data Protection, Privacy & Business Associate Terms
To the extent Consultant's performance of the Services requires access to, use of, or disclosure of PHI, the parties shall execute a Business Associate Agreement ("BAA") consistent with HIPAA and its implementing regulations prior to any such access, and Consultant's obligations with respect to PHI shall be governed by that BAA in addition to this SOW. Consultant shall ensure that any de-identification, offshore data-access, or subcontracting arrangement affecting PHI or other member-identifiable data is reviewed and approved in advance by Client's Data Privacy Office, consistent with the data governance and de-identification standards established under the Program Charter. Consultant shall promptly notify Client of any suspected or actual unauthorized access to, use of, or disclosure of PHI or other Confidential Information in accordance with the notification timelines set out in the BAA and applicable law.
13. Intellectual Property Ownership
Except as set forth below, all Deliverables specifically created for Client under this SOW, including all AI models, prompts, configurations, and documentation developed specifically for Client's use (excluding Consultant's pre-existing tools, accelerators, methodologies, and generalized know-how, collectively "Consultant IP"), shall be deemed "work made for hire" to the extent permitted by law and, to the extent not so deemed, are hereby assigned to Client upon full payment of all fees attributable to the applicable Deliverable. Consultant retains all right, title, and interest in Consultant IP, and grants Client a perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use any Consultant IP embedded in the Deliverables solely as necessary for Client's use of the Deliverables. For clarity, third-party cloud/SaaS AI platform licenses remain governed by the applicable vendor's license terms and are not assigned under this SOW.
14. Representations and Warranties
Consultant represents and warrants that: (a) the Services will be performed in a professional and workmanlike manner consistent with generally recognized industry standards for AI program management and delivery; (b) it has the right to engage the onshore and offshore personnel assigned to this SOW; and (c) to its knowledge, the Deliverables will not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party. EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION, CONSULTANT MAKES NO OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY THAT ANY AI MODEL DELIVERED UNDER THIS SOW WILL BE ERROR-FREE OR WILL OPERATE WITHOUT INTERRUPTION, IT BEING UNDERSTOOD THAT THE INDEPENDENT MODEL VALIDATION, HUMAN-REVIEW, AND ESCALATION PROTOCOLS DESCRIBED IN THIS SOW AND THE PROGRAM CHARTER ARE THE PARTIES' AGREED MECHANISM FOR MANAGING THAT INHERENT RISK.
15. Indemnification
Consultant shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Client from and against third-party claims, damages, and reasonable expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from Consultant's gross negligence, willful misconduct, or material breach of its confidentiality or data-protection obligations under this SOW. Client shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Consultant from and against third-party claims arising from Client's use of the Deliverables in a manner inconsistent with the acceptance criteria, human-review protocols, or governance requirements set out in this SOW and the Program Charter, or from Client's breach of its payment obligations. Neither party's indemnification obligation extends to claims arising from the other party's own negligence or misconduct.
16. Limitation of Liability
EXCEPT FOR (A) BREACHES OF CONFIDENTIALITY OR DATA PROTECTION OBLIGATIONS, (B) INDEMNIFICATION OBLIGATIONS ABOVE, OR (C) GROSS NEGLIGENCE OR WILLFUL MISCONDUCT, NEITHER PARTY'S AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF THIS SOW SHALL EXCEED THE TOTAL FEES PAID OR PAYABLE UNDER THIS SOW IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM. NEITHER PARTY SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS OR LOST DATA, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
17. Insurance
Throughout the term of this SOW, Consultant shall maintain, at its own expense: (a) Commercial General Liability insurance with limits of not less than $2,000,000 per occurrence; (b) Professional Liability / Errors & Omissions insurance, including coverage for technology and AI-related services, with limits of not less than $10,000,000 per claim; (c) Cyber Liability insurance with limits of not less than $10,000,000 per occurrence, given the Services' access to PHI and member-identifiable data; and (d) Workers' Compensation insurance as required by applicable law. Consultant shall furnish Client with certificates of insurance evidencing this coverage upon request.
18. Non-Solicitation
During the term of this SOW and for twelve (12) months thereafter, neither party shall directly solicit for hire any employee of the other party who was materially involved in the Services, without the other party's prior written consent, except pursuant to a general solicitation not specifically directed at such employee.
19. Force Majeure
Neither party shall be liable for any delay or failure to perform resulting from causes beyond its reasonable control, including acts of God, natural disaster, act of government, change in law materially affecting the scope of Services, labor dispute, or failure of third-party cloud/SaaS infrastructure providers, provided the affected party gives prompt notice and uses commercially reasonable efforts to mitigate the impact. If a force majeure event continues for more than sixty (60) consecutive days, either party may terminate the affected portion of this SOW upon written notice.
20. Assignment
Neither party may assign this SOW without the prior written consent of the other party, except that either party may assign this SOW to a successor in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of substantially all of its assets, upon written notice to the other party.
21. Dispute Resolution & Governing Law
The parties shall attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute arising out of this SOW through escalation to the Executive Steering Board within thirty (30) days of written notice of the dispute. If unresolved, either party may pursue binding arbitration under the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association, seated in Nashville, Tennessee. This SOW is governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles.
22. Notices
All notices under this SOW shall be in writing and delivered to the Executive Sponsor (for Client) and the Program Director (for Consultant) identified in the meta-table above, by email with confirmed receipt or by certified mail.
23. Entire Agreement; Order of Precedence; Counterparts
This SOW, together with the MSA and the Program Charter, constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the Year covered by this SOW, and supersedes all prior discussions, negotiations, and proposals relating to that Year. In the event of conflict, the order of precedence is: (1) this SOW's commercial terms (fees, payment schedule, term), (2) the MSA, (3) the Program Charter, (4) this SOW's scope/deliverables narrative. This SOW may be executed in counterparts, including by electronic signature, each of which is deemed an original.
24. Approval
M. Kavanagh, Executive Sponsor / COO, ACME Highland Health
C. Tyrrell, Program Director, Pulaski Advisory Group