Contracts

Contracts holds what has been agreed with each customer and the document that says so. A contract starts as a draft from a template, is reviewed (and, if your organisation requires it, approved), then issued: the number is allocated, the PDF is rendered and sealed with the organisation's certificate, and nothing can change afterwards except through a new version or an amendment. In the commerce journey it sits between the quotation in Finance and the customer's signature in Signing. Contracts needs Customers: every contract names a customer.

Where to find itCopy Anchor Link

Open Contracts from the sidebar's app row or All apps (shown when Contracts is installed and you hold a role in it). The sidebar has a top list and a foldable Setup group.

A customer's Contracts tab (/customers/<id>?tab=contracts) lists the contracts for that customer and offers New contract.

Main workflowsCopy Anchor Link

Create a contractCopy Anchor Link

1. Press New contract on the index or on a customer's Contracts tab (needs contract.create).
2. Choose the Customer, a Template (or "No template (empty document)"), a Title and the Start.
3. Choose how it Ends: "From the template and settings", "A fixed date" or "No fixed end".
4. Press Create contract. Parties, address, tax identifiers, currency and payment terms come from the customer record.

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1. 1CustomerParties, address, tax identifiers, currency and payment terms come from this record.
2. 2TemplateWhat the contract starts from, or No template for an empty document.
3. 3TitleThe contract’s name in lists and on the document.
4. 4EndFrom the template and settings, a fixed date, or no fixed end.
5. 5Create contractCreates the draft and opens it.

Edit a draftCopy Anchor Link

1. Open the draft. The breadcrumb leads back to Contracts and the customer. Changes save themselves once you stop typing; Save writes them at once.
2. Counterparty shows the customer's and your details as taken at creation; use Refresh from the customer record if the customer's details changed.
3. Set the Key terms: Start, End, Notice period (days), Renewal, Currency, Language of the document, VAT, Tax notice and an Internal note.
4. Write the document under Sections: its Title, then Add a section for each part. Below follow Positions (the fees), Project, Documents and History.
5. On the right, read What is still missing: "Must be fixed" items block issuing, "Worth checking" items do not. Stages shows where the contract stands.
6. The Document card holds the next steps, and Take back to the template if the template has a newer version. At the foot, Preview is the real PDF with a draft stamp; Render again after changes.

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1. 1ContractsThe breadcrumb leads back to Contracts and to the customer.
2. 2Refresh from the customer recordTakes over the customer’s changed details into the draft.
3. 3What is still missing“Must be fixed” items block issuing; “Worth checking” items do not.
4. 4StagesWhere the contract stands, from Draft to Running.

Review and issueCopy Anchor Link

1. On a draft press Send for review, then Mark as ready (needs contract.manage). Back to draft reopens it.
2. A person with contract.issue uses Slide to issue and sign. This allocates the number, freezes the contract, renders the PDF and signs it.
3. With approval switched on the steps differ:
   • Press Submit for approval, choose Who should approve this?, add a Note.
   • The approver finds it under Waiting for my approval, then uses Slide to approve and sign or Send it back with a reason.
   • The approver needs a recorded signature first (Record a signature opens account settings › Signature).

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1. 1ApprovalWho it waits on, who submitted it, their note, and the signature that will be placed.
2. 2Slide to approve and signIssues the contract with your signature; nothing about it can be changed afterwards.
3. 3ReasonWhy it goes back; needed before Send it back.
4. 4Send it backReturns the contract to its author with your reason.

Get the customer's countersignatureCopy Anchor Link

Once a contract is Issued or Sent (all need contract.issue). These steps come first on the contract's actions card; Start a new version, Draft an amendment and ending it follow below them:

1. Choose a Recipient and press Record as sent — this only records who it went to.
2. Either press Send for signature to have the customer sign online (also needs contract.create and signatures switched on). The contact receives a link and a code by email; the sealed result is filed as the countersignature. See Signing.
3. Or upload a signed scan with Upload the countersigned document (PDF only).
4. The Documents card lists the issued and countersigned PDFs; Replace the scan keeps the old one as "Replaced".

Contracts can also be published to and signed in the Customer Center, unless the template requires written form.

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1. 1RecipientWho the contract went to.
2. 2Record as sentOnly records who it went to; nothing is sent from here.
3. 3Send for signatureHas the customer sign online; the sealed result is filed as the countersignature.
4. 4Upload the countersigned documentOr upload a signed scan (PDF only).

Draft a data processing agreement (AVV/DPA)Copy Anchor Link

1. Press New data processing agreement on the index, or Draft one for this customer on a Finance engagement (opens /contracts/new/avv with the customer fixed). Needs contract.create.
2. Step through Controller, Processor, Processing, Technical and organisational measures, Sub-processors, Contacts and Review and create.
3. Every measure must be marked implemented or not applicable before you can continue.
4. Press Create the contract, then Open the draft that was created and issue it as usual.

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1. 1StepsController to Review and create; finished steps carry a tick.
2. 2Review progressHow many measures are reviewed; all must be before you can continue.
3. 3StatusMark each measure Implemented or Not applicable.

Change, end or file away a contractCopy Anchor Link

1. Start a new version copies number and content into a new draft; the current one becomes Superseded.
2. Draft an amendment creates a separate document naming this contract.
3. Slide to end the contract with a Reason terminates it (needs contract.issue).
4. Archive files a contract that is not running; Take out of the archive restores it. Delete draft removes a draft for good (contract.manage).

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1. 1Start a new versionCopies number and content into a new draft; this one becomes Superseded.
2. 2Draft an amendmentCreates a separate document naming this contract.
3. 3ReasonWhy the contract ends; needed before you slide.
4. 4Slide to end the contractTerminates the contract with that reason.
5. 5ArchiveFiles away a contract that is not running.

Maintain templatesCopy Anchor Link

1. Open Setup › Templates (needs contract.template.manage).
2. Under Our templates press Use this one to take your own copy, or start an Empty template.
3. Set Form required by law. With written form the contract cannot be signed electronically.
4. Archive or Delete templates you no longer use.

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1. 1Our templatesThe templates shipped with the product.
2. 2Use this oneTakes your own copy of a shipped template.
3. 3EditOpens your template, where Form required by law is set.
4. 4ArchiveArchive or Delete templates you no longer use.

Roles and permissionsCopy Anchor Link

Permissions apply to every contract in the organisation.

Administration and settingsCopy Anchor Link

• Setup › Administration (contract.admin):
  • Approval before issue — "Contracts have to be approved" and a Default approver.
  • Contract numbers — Prefix, Next number, Digits.
  • Signing certificate — store a PKCS#12 file; without one no contract can be issued.
  • Roles live at /admin/access/roles (Open roles).
• Setup › Processing profile — your data-protection contact, place of processing and sub-processors, copied into every new DPA.
• Module settings: default term, notice period, VAT rate, currency, language, the notice warning, whether drafts may be downloaded, whether documents may be sent for signature, and the timestamp service.
• Your organisation's legal name, address and VAT identifier come from Settings → Legal.

TipsCopy Anchor Link

• Keep Notice due soon in view; it is the list of contracts whose notice date is close.
• ⌘K jumps straight to the lists you use most: type drafts for Contract drafts, notice for Contracts with notice due soon, approval for Contracts waiting for my approval (offered to whoever may issue) and signatures for the envelope list.
• Searched or filtered to nothing, the list offers Clear filters, which also returns you to All contracts.
• Readiness checks confirm that statements and figures are present; they are not legal advice.
• Only one envelope per contract can be out at a time.
• The electronic seal satisfies text form, not written form.

RelatedCopy Anchor Link

• Customers
• Signing
• Customer Center
• Mail
• Finance