The Terms and Conditions of a Contract are built up from a number of appropriate Clauses.
The Clauses feature allow you to create these Clauses one by one, along with Alternatives. Once created, they can be selected to build up your Terms and Conditions for your Contract Template.
Navigate to: Configuration => Clause Library => Clauses
Fig1 - Clauses Summary screen
The Clause summary screen will list all the Clauses that you have created so far. To edit an existing clause, click on the record. To create a new Clause, click [New].
Creating a new Clause
The header of the Clause is where you define its characteristics. Enter the relevant details and press [Save].
Fig 2 Creating a new Clause
Name: Give the Clause an identifiable name - this will not appear in your Contract Document, it is just a label for the record
Type: Select the associated Type from the drop down - this is the 'Clause Type' value set
Question: This is a generic question to help you identify a Clause
Classification: Default is 'Standard Clause', other options are 'Intro' and 'Outro'
Alternatives
Fig 3 - Alternative tab
The Alternative tab is where you detail all the all the Alternative Clauses directly relating to this Clause, including the default. To create an Alternate Clause click on the Clause Alternative tab and click [New].
Fig 4 - Creating an Alternative
- Give your Alternative Clause a Title
- If this is the default clause then check the default tick box.
- In the Content section write out your Clause text.
The Editor displayed can be used to format the Text how you see fit, the Placeholder button will display a list of drop down placeholder values that you have entered in the Value Set 'Placeholders'.
Styling Font
The Styling options are to be used to order your Clauses and sub clauses if required. Do not type numbers before the headings. At the time of contract creation, the numbering will be applied automatically based on the Heading Style set. Therefore, choose only the relevant Heading style for each of the headings.
Fig 5 - Styling options
If you need to remove any existing formatting then use the 'Remove Font Style' button.
Fig 6 - Removing Font Style
Complete the text for your Alternative Clause and then press [Save], your Alternative record will be added to your Clause in the Alternative tab
Fig 7 - Saved Alternative record
Continue creating your Alternatives until all are entered.
Fig 8 - Multiple Alternative records for a Clause
Note: There can only be one default Alternative Clause
Placeholders
Placeholders are used so you can enter a generic value that can be replaces later on. The enables you to create a standard document that can be used multiple times.
Fig 9 - Placeholders
In the above example we have used the Placeholder of [[PARTY B]], using the placeholder drop down list. When a document is created using this text the placeholder value will be identified by the system and it will ask you what value to replace the placeholder with, it will then replace all of those placeholders with the value provided.
It will ask you for a value for each placeholder identified.
If you need to create a new placeholder for this Alternative then you can manually add one to the text as you create it, the system will recognize it as a placeholder if it is surrounded by double square brackets [[PARTY A]].
Any text surrounded by these double square brackets will be recognized by the system and will ask you for its value when you are creating a document from a Document Template.
If you wish to add a recurring Placeholder to the drop down list then you must add it to the 'Placeholder' Value Set, once added it will appear in the drop down list.
Intro and Outro Clauses
At the beginning and the end of a Contracts Terms and Conditions, you may have standard introductory and conclusion text that you want to use. The 'Intro' and 'Outro' Type values must be created in the 'Clause Type' Value Set and then can be selected here for creation.
You create the Intro and Outro exactly the same as a normal Clause with Alternates if required but they must be Classified as such in the Clause header.
Fig 10 - Clause Classification
This will allow the system to differentiate an Intro, Outro and a Standard Clause when you are making a Contract Template.
Once all your Clauses are entered, you can then create a Contract Template with them.