Writing AI requirements into a contract
Write requirements with a source, a check and a decision owner.
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Start with the idea
Write requirements with a source, a check and a decision owner.
Describe what a correct result looks like on defined cases. Specify behavior for missing or conflicting evidence. Name who records tests and who can accept the delivered work.
Acceptance evidence: The recorded results used to judge whether stated requirements were met.
See the example and check your understanding
A made-up teaching example
The training requirement uses twenty fixed notices. Deadline claims must match supplied source passages; missing dates must not be guessed. The designated owner reviews retained outputs and test evidence.
Ask yourself
Can a model rate its own answer as proof that a requirement passed?
Show the explanation
No. Check against the sources and stated rule. Classroom thresholds are examples, not federal standards.
Start with these checks
- Make tests executable by another reader.
- Keep evidence and configuration records.
- Do not imply contracting authority from a technical draft.
Use the different practice case below and check every requirement in its full instructions.
The video explains the main idea. Use the sources, instructions and checks below to complete the practice.
Captions appear here during playback.
Writing AI requirements into a contract
Write requirements with a source, a check and a decision owner.
Video playback is unavailable. Read the descriptive transcript below, go directly to practice, or open the video file.
Source-based teaching example · Fictional data · Reviewed 2026-10-03. Microsoft Mark · locally synthesized. On a small screen, use fullscreen for diagram details or read the transcript.
Read the descriptive transcript
0:00 · What you will learn
Write requirements with a source, a check and a decision owner.
What appears on screen
Write requirements with a source, a check and a decision owner.
0:06 · The idea
Describe what a correct result looks like on defined cases. Specify behavior for missing or conflicting evidence. Name who records tests and who can accept the delivered work.
What appears on screen
Describe what a correct result looks like on defined cases. Specify behavior for missing or conflicting evidence. Name who records tests and who can accept the delivered work.
0:21 · One useful term
Acceptance evidence. The recorded results used to judge whether stated requirements were met.
What appears on screen
The recorded results used to judge whether stated requirements were met.
0:30 · A worked example
The training requirement uses twenty fixed notices. Deadline claims must match supplied source passages; missing dates must not be guessed. The designated owner reviews retained outputs and test evidence.
What appears on screen
The training requirement uses twenty fixed notices. Deadline claims must match supplied source passages; missing dates must not be guessed. The designated owner reviews retained outputs and test evidence.
0:46 · Your turn to think
Can a model rate its own answer as proof that a requirement passed? Pause and decide before continuing.
What appears on screen
Can a model rate its own answer as proof that a requirement passed? Pause the video if you need more time.
1:03 · Why this answer works
No. Check against the sources and stated rule. Classroom thresholds are examples, not federal standards.
What appears on screen
No. Check against the sources and stated rule. Classroom thresholds are examples, not federal standards.
1:14 · Check 1
Make tests executable by another reader.
What appears on screen
Make tests executable by another reader.
1:20 · Check 2
Keep evidence and configuration records.
What appears on screen
Keep evidence and configuration records.
1:25 · Check 3
Do not imply contracting authority from a technical draft.
What appears on screen
Do not imply contracting authority from a technical draft.
1:32 · Now try a different case
Open the lesson and try its different practice case. Use every check in the full task. Watching alone does not mark the lesson complete.
What appears on screen
Open the lesson Try the new case Check and revise The full task and its requirements are in the linked lesson.
Watching explains the example. Complete the lesson practice to check what you can do. Explore all visual lessons →
Turn outcomes into testable requirements. Build a judgment you can explain and a result another reader can inspect.
Prerequisites: know the difference between generated text and source evidence. For configuration vocabulary, use the AI workflow reference. This is public self-study, not official government training, accreditation, a clearance or a professional credential.
Observable outcomes: Write five observable requirements with tests, thresholds and evidence; distinguish technical drafting from contracting authority.
Part 1 Turn outcomes into testable requirements
A requirement names user, input condition, observable output, threshold, measurement method and acceptance owner. “Accurate and secure” cannot be tested as written. Decompose quality into source support, omission, abstention, sensitive-data handling, access control and authorized action. Specify the corpus and version so the result can be reproduced.
A performance work statement describes required performance; a statement of objectives sets objectives for proposed approaches. Selection depends on the procurement and uncertainty, not a universal rule that all AI programs need one type. FAR 37.602 supports performance-oriented descriptions and measurable standards. Contracting officers act within delegated authority; course learners draft technical comments, not binding clauses or awards.
Requirements should cover change notification, regression testing, logs, incident support, accessibility, portability and exit. A framework citation such as NIST AI RMF does not by itself define a measurable contractual acceptance test.
Part 2 Synthetic worked example
Weak: “The assistant shall be accurate.” Synthetic rewrite: “For 20 frozen public-guidance fixtures, every deadline claim must cite the provided source span; conflicting or missing source dates must produce abstention. Zero unsupported deadline claims are allowed. The test lead records outputs; the designated acceptance owner reviews the evidence.” These thresholds are classroom choices, not federal standards.
Guided practice: write the tempting conclusion first, then underline the fact that does not support it. Rewrite the conclusion with that limitation visible. Identify one additional observation that would change the decision.
Next step: carry your artifact into risk governance in lesson 04; retain assumptions and unanswered questions.
Sources: FAR 37.602 and FAR 1.602-1, consulted 2026-10-02. Live acquisition requires applicable current rules and delegated officials.