Practical guide · September 14, 2026
Director service engagement scope: a buyer's checklist
Before choosing a corporate directorship service, turn the proposal into a list of tasks, responsible people and written deliverables. The phrase “director support” alone does not tell you who prepares appointment documents, reviews a banking request, maintains records or handles the eventual transition.
Use this checklist to compare the proposed engagement with the work your company actually needs. It is a planning aid for discussing scope, not an appointment document or a substitute for advice on your corporation's jurisdiction and circumstances.
Begin with the company and the proposed role
Record the company's legal name, incorporation jurisdiction, business activity and current stage. Then ask why a director appointment is being considered, which role the proposed person would hold and what review must occur before an engagement can be accepted. Do not assume the service is necessary solely because the founder lives outside Canada.
Keep the commercial scope separate from the director's legal duties. For a corporation governed by the federal Canada Business Corporations Act, section 122 sets out duties of honesty, good faith and care. Subject to subsection 146(5), a contract cannot relieve a director of the duty to comply with the Act or liability for breach. Provincial corporations require review under their applicable law. A scope document should clarify work and authority without presenting the director as an automatic signatory.
Build a scope matrix before comparing prices
For each row below, record whether the task is included, separately quoted or assigned to someone else. Add the deliverable and the information needed to begin. “Support included” is not a complete answer if the parties mean different things by support.
| Work item | Ask the proposed provider | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|---|
| Suitability and document review | What is reviewed before acceptance, and what can prevent acceptance? | Requested documents and written acceptance conditions |
| Appointment paperwork | Who prepares, reviews and completes each required step? | Named preparer, reviewer and completion record |
| Decision and signing requests | How are requests submitted and reviewed, and what falls outside scope? | Request procedure and documented authority |
| Corporate records | Who maintains the records and supplies copies to the director? | Record custodian and access arrangements |
| Banking coordination | Which administrative tasks are offered, and which decisions belong to the bank? | Specific tasks and explicit exclusions |
| Ongoing communication | Who supplies information, handles urgent requests and follows up? | Contacts, agreed process and any response commitments |
| End of engagement | Who coordinates the transition, records and outstanding items? | Transition responsibilities and separately identified charges |
These are questions to resolve, not claims that every item is included in this site's service. Start with the published included-services FAQ and service exclusions, then obtain a proposal for your case.
Test the proposal with one realistic request
Consider a hypothetical company that expects to ask a director to review bank documents after incorporation. “Banking support” in the proposal could refer only to coordinating documents. Ask who obtains the bank's checklist, who explains unfamiliar obligations, how the director receives supporting information and how the request is assessed.
Record what happens if the bank requests a different document or declines the application. A promise to assist with paperwork does not establish bank approval, director approval or authority to sign every document. If the proposal cannot explain the workflow, clarify it before relying on the phrase in your launch plan.
Compare the same work on both quotes
Create one list of assumptions and send it with each enquiry: jurisdiction, company stage, activity, expected appointment duration, anticipated requests and the support already provided by your lawyer or accountant. Ask for one-time fees, recurring fees, separately billed work and termination or transition charges to be identified where applicable. Treat an omitted amount as an open question rather than zero.
If one proposal includes record coordination and another leaves it to your adviser, compare that difference explicitly. Do not rank the two prices as equivalent scopes. Confirm how a change in business activity or a new category of signing request would be reviewed and priced.
Agree on the handoff before work begins
Name the person who will gather company information and the contact who will respond to questions. Agree on a secure document channel. A first enquiry can describe the company and its needs without attaching passports, bank statements or other sensitive material.
After the scope is settled, use the board-reporting checklist to plan the ongoing information flow. That operational checklist serves a different purpose from deciding what the engagement includes.
Contact the team about your proposed engagement with your jurisdiction, business activity and the unresolved rows in your scope matrix. Ask for a written explanation of inclusions, exclusions and the review needed before an appointment can proceed.