2024 October Release
Contracts
Fabasoft Contracts supports you in managing your existing and new contracts with a host of different use cases. If you already have physical contracts and you want to migrate them via import, read up on the relevant use cases in chapter “Imports”.
Note: Contracts, requests and legal files are also called “contract manager files”. Similarly, contract folders, legal areas and configuration lists are summarized by the umbrella term “contract manager lists”, and both terms are frequently used throughout this document.
Areas
Contracts are divided into the following areas:
- Tasks
Displays the tasks of the contract. - Assigned Legal Files
Displays the legal file created from the current contract. - Documents
Displays the documents of the current contract. - All Documents
Displays the documents of the current contract without folder hierarchies. - Received Requests
Displays the requests received in the current contract. - Previous Contracts
Displays the contracts that preceded the current contract.
Note: This area is only visible if the current contract is the following contract to another. - Documents from Previous Contracts
Displays the documents from the contracts that preceded the current contract.
Note: This area is only visible if the current contract is the following contract to another. - Subordinated Contracts
Displays the contracts that are subordinated to the current contract.
Note: This area is only visible if the current contract has subordinated contracts. - Documents from Subordinated Contracts
Displays the documents of the subordinated contract.
Note: This area is only visible if the current contract has subordinated contracts. - Superordinated Contract
Displays the contract that is superordinate of the current contract.
Note: This area is only visible if the current contract is a subordinated contract. - Documents from Superordinated Contract
Displays the documents of the superordinate contract.
Note: This area is only visible if the current contract is a subordinated contract. - Other Signatory Contracts
Displays further contracts of the signatory. - Signatory Documents
Displays the documents of the signatory.
Note: This area is only visible if the signatory is a contact object with the category “Contractual Partner“ (see the notes in chapter “Defining a Default Contact Room“). - History
Displays the changes in the contract metadata.
Note: Some areas are only visible if there is at least one entry.
Actions
You can perform the following actions:
- Open Contract
Opens the properties of the contract in a split (two-part) view.
In this view, the properties of the contract are displayed alongside the PDF preview of documents contained in the contract, given that at least one document exists. If there are several documents, you can switch between them via a button. - Manage Assignments
Opens a list of available assignments to assign the contract to them.
Note: This action is only visible if the superordinate contract folder manages or uses at least one assignment. - Create Subordinated Contract
Creates a new contract that is subordinate to the current contract. - Create Following Contract
Creates a new contract that follows the current contract. - Create Request
Creates a request that is visible to the administrators of the contract.
Further information can be found in chapter ”Requests“.
Note: A request can only be created in a contract if the option Allow Requests is active in the superordinate contract folder. - Create Legal File
Creates a legal file from a contract, allows to define its properties and upload documents.
Note: This action is only visible if there is a legal area in the contract manager configuration. - Upload
Uploads files and/or documents. - Define Tasks/Manage Tasks
Defines a new task for the contract. If there are tasks already, you can manage them in a dialog. - Start Process
Defines and starts adhoc process, and also offers the option to execute a pre-defined BPMN process. - Start Signature Process
Starts the signature process for the contract.
Note: This action is only visible if there is at least one document in the “Documents” area. - Set/Remove Legal Hold
Sets or removes a legal hold for the current contract. - Add Remark
Adds a remark to the contract. In the dialog, you can also paste shortcuts to documents or upload them from the file system. - Add Internal Remark
Adds an internal remark to the contract. This remark is not visible to members holding restricted access in the superordinate contract folder. In the dialog, you can also paste shortcuts to documents or upload them from the file system. - Properties
Opens the properties of the contract.
Properties
In the properties of a contract, you can specify the following:
Tab “Contract“
- Contract Folder
Contains the contract folder that the contract is assigned to. - Superordinated Contract
Indicates the name of the superordinated contract.
Note: This field is only visible if the current contract is subordinated to another contract. - Reference Additional Contract Folders
If this option is active, you can add further contract folders in the field Additional Contract Folders to reference the contract therein. Members holding access rights to these additional contracts are then granted access to the contract in said additional contract folders if they also hold at least restricted access in the contract folder wherein the contract originates.
Note:- This field is only visible if there is at least one more contract folder.
- If you assign a contract to additional contract folders, it is displayed there in the area “Referenced Contracts”.
- Additional Contract Folders
Defines additional contract folders in which the contract should be referenced.
Note: This field is only visible if the setting Reference Additional Contract Folders is active. - Previous Contract
Defines the previous contract that the current one succeeds.
Note: This field is only visible if the current contract has a preceding contract. - Following Contract
Defines the following contract that the current one precedes.
Note: This field is only visible if the current contract has a preceding contract. - Subordinated Ordinal
Defines the ordinal of a contract that is subordinate to another contract.
Note: This field is only visible if the contract is a subordinate contract. - Year
Contains the year when the contract was created. - Ordinal
Contains the ordinal that the contract was assigned upon creation in the contract folder. - State
Defines the state of the contract.
For example, if you want to indicate that a contract is not finished yet, define the state “Draft“. When a contract ends, the state is automatically set to “Inactive“. The various states sequentially describe all stages from the first draft up to expiration.
Note: Members holding full control in the contract folder can define a value in the field Default Contract State in the “Administration“ tab of the contract folder settings which will affect all newly created contracts. - ICT Service
Determines whether the ICT service is used.
Note: This field is only visible if the user has a “Fabasoft DORA” license. - Type of Contract Agreement
Determines the type of the contractual agreement.
Note: This field is only visible if the option ICT Service has been selected. - Use data from a higher-level contract
Determines whether the data of the higher-level contract should be used.
Note: This field is only visible if the contract has a parent contract. - Use Multiple Signatories
Defines if the contract can be assigned multiple signatories.
Note: This field is only visible if the option Multiple Signatories in the “Administration“ tab of the superordinate contract folder. - Signatory/Signatory List
Defines the signatory or the signatories.
Note:- If at least one option (e.g. Contact Person) is selected in the field Standard Signatory in the “Administration“ tab of the superordinate contract folder, the selection in the field Signatory must be a standard signatory, otherwise the name must be entered manually.
- If two or more signatories have been added to the list, the option Use Multiple Signatories cannot be unselected until only one signatory is in the list.
- Department
Defines the responsible department of the signatory. - Signatory Contact
Defines the contact of the signatory. This can be a member or a contact person from the contact management. - E-Mail Address
Defines the e-mail address of the signatory contact. - Contact Information
Defines additional contract information. - External Reference
Defines an external reference for the contract. - Street, Zip code, City, Country
Defines the address data of the signatory. - Telephone Numbers
Defines the telephone numbers of the signatory. - Internal Editor
Defines a member as an internal editor for the contract. The internal editor receives change access to the contract and its documents. Furthermore, reminder e-mails are sent to the internal editor by default.
Note: The member defined in the field Internal Editor must be assigned a role in the superordinate contract folder. - E-Mail Address
Defines the e-mail address of the internal editor. - Internal Purchaser
Defines a member as an internal purchaser for the contract. The internal purchaser receives change access to the contract and its documents. Furthermore, reminder e-mails are sent to the internal editor by default.
Note: The member defined in the field Internal Purchaser must be assigned a role in the superordinate contract folder. - E-Mail Address
Defines the e-mail address of the internal purchaser. - Internal Responsible
Defines a member as an internal responsible for the contract. The internal responsible receives read access to the contract and its documents. If there is no member defined in the field Internal Responsible, reminder e-mails are sent to the internal responsible by default.
Note: The member defined in the field Internal Responsible must be assigned a role in the superordinate contract folder. - E-Mail Address
Defines the e-mail address of the internal responsible. - Internal Service Provision
Defines information on the internal service provision as free text. - Internal Reference
Defines the internal reference of the contract. - Subject
Defines the subject of the contract. - Contract Subject Matter
Defines the subject matter of the contract. - Description
Defines the description of the contract. - Terms
Defines terms for tagging the contract.
If there already are terms, you can select them. You can also create new terms that are stored in the default thesaurus (see chapter “Default Thesaurus“). - Choose Terms
Opens a dialog to select terms from the default thesaurus to tag the request (see chapter “Default Thesaurus“). - Contract Type
Defines the type of the contract. - Contract Language
Defines the language of the contract. - Contract Amount
Define the currency and amount of the contract. - Annual Cost
Define the annual cost of the contract.
Note: This field is only visible if the user has a valid “Fabasoft DORA” license and the option ICT Service has been selected. - Contract Penalty
Defines the currency and penalty of the contract. - Payment Agreements
Defines the payment agreement of the contract. - Legal Basis
Defines the legal basis of the contract. - Applicable Law
Define the applicable law of the contract. - Jurisdiction
Defines the jurisdiction of the contract. - Location of Jurisdiction: Country
Determines the location of jurisdiction as a country.
Note: This field is only visible if the option ICT Service has been selected. - Special Contract Terms
Defines special contract terms
Note: This field is only visible if at least one term has been created in the field Special Contract Terms in the “Administration“ tab of the contract manager configuration. - Remarks for Special Contract Terms
Defines remarks for the special contract terms as free text.
Note: This field is only visible if at least one entry was selected in the field Special Contract Terms. - Grant Subscription Rights
Determines whether subscription rights can be granted on the contract.
Note: This field is not visible by default for contracts in newly created contract folders. To make it visible, the option Grant Subscription Rights should be deactivated under Contract folder Properties -> Forms and Properties -> Hidden Elements in Contracts. - Contract Folders with Subscription Rights
Defines contract folders so that users who have read and change access to these contract folders are granted subscription rights to the contract.
Note: This field is only visible if the field Grant Subscription Rights is activated. - Users with Subscription Rights
Displays all users who have subscription rights to the contract.
Note: This field is not visible by default for contracts in newly created contract folders. To make it visible, the option Users with Subscription Rights should be deactivated under Contract folder Properties -> Forms and Properties -> Hidden Elements in Contracts.
Tab “ICT-Service”
Note: This tab is only visible if the user has a “Fabasoft DORA” license and the “ICT Service” option in the “Contract” Tab has been selected.
- Multiple Service Levels
Allows the definition of multiple ICT-Services. - ICT Place of Service Provision (Country)
Determines the ICT service provision location. - Storage of Data
Determines whether the data should be saved. - Location of the Data (Storage)
Determines the storage location (storage) of the data. - Location of Data Management (Processing)
Determines the location of data management (processing). - Data Sensitivity of the ICT Third-Party Service Provider
Determines the data sensitivity of the ICT third-party service provider. - Reliance on Critical ICT Service
Determines the dependency of the critical ICT service. - Functions
Determines the list of functions provided by the ICT-Service.
Tab “Supply Chain“
Note: This tab is only visible if the user has a “Fabasoft DORA” license. The aim of this tab is to identify and connect the ICT third-party service providers that are part of the same ICT service chain.
- Type of ICT Service
Determines the type of ICT service. - Country of Data Storage
Determines the country in which the ICT service stores data.
Note: This field is only visible if the setting “Show EBA-Specific Fields” is enabled in the “DORA” tab of the “Contract Manager Configuration”. - Country of Data Processing
Determines the country in which the ICT service stores data.
Note: This field is only visible if the setting “Show EBA-Specific Fields” is enabled in the “DORA” tab of the “Contract Manager Configuration”. - Subcontractor
Determines the subcontractor of the ICT service. - Rank
Determines the rank of the ICT service provider.
Note: If the ICT third-party service provider signs the contractual agreement with the financial institution, it is considered as a direct ICT third-party service provider and the 'rank' to be reported is 1, If the ICT third-party service provider signs the contract with the direct ICT third-party service provider, it is considered as a subcontractor and the 'rank' to be reported is 2, The same logic applies to all subsequent subcontractors, with the 'rank' being increased. If several ICT third-party service providers have the same "rank" in the ICT service chain, the financial institutions must report the same "rank" for all these ICT third-party service providers. - Recipient of the Sub Service
Determines the recipient of the sub-service.
Tab “Assessments“
Note: This tab is only visible if the user has a “Fabasoft DORA” license and the “ICT Service” option in the “Contract” Tab has been selected.
- Significance of Outsourcing
Determines the significance of the outsourcing. - Significance Evaluated on
Determines the last date of the evaluation of the significance. - Reasons for Criticality or Importance
Determines the reasons for the criticality or importance.
Note: This field is only visible if the setting “Show EBA-Specific Fields” is enabled in the “DORA” tab of the “Contract Manager Configuration”. - Test
Determines the audit result of the cost-benefit analysis. - Last Test on (KNA)
Determines the date of the last review of the cost-benefit analysis. - Next Test on (KNA)
Determines the date of the next review of the cost-benefit analysis. - Test
Determines the audit result of the risk assessment. - Last Test on (RB)
Determines the date of the last risk assessment check. - Next Test on (RB)
Determines the date of the next risk assessment check. - Substitutability of the ICT Third-Party Service Provider
Determines the substitutability of the ICT third-party provider. - Reason if the ICT Third-Party Service Provider is Considered not Substitutable or Difficult to be Substitutable
Determines the reason why the ICT third-party service provider might be considered irreplaceable or difficult to replace. - Date of the Last Audit on the ICT Third-Party Service Provider
Determines the date of the last audit of the ICT third-party service provider. - Date of next Audit
Determines the date of the next audit of the ICT third-party service provider. - Existence of the Exit Plan
Determines whether an exit plan is available. - Possibility of Reintegration of the Contracted ICT Service
Determines the possibility of reintegrating the contracted ICT service. - Impact of the Discontinuing the ICT Service
Determines the effect of the ICT services setting - Are there Alternative ICT Third-Party Service Providers Identified?
Determines whether alternative ICT third-party service providers have already been identified. - Last Test on (EX)
Determines the date of the last review of the ICT third-party provider's replaceability & exit strategy - Next Test on (EX)
Determines the date of the next review of the replaceability & exit strategy of the third-party ICT provider - Possibility of Sub-Outsourcing of Material Parts of the Outsourced Functions included in Contract
Determines the possibility of sub-outsourcing of material parts of the outsourced functions included in the contract. - ID Type of Alternative ICT Third-Party-Provider
Determines the type of id to identify the alternative ICT third-party-provider. - LEI
Determines the LEI of the alternative ICT third-party-provider.
Note: This field is only visible if the value “LEI” has been selected for the field “ID Type of Alternative ICT Third-Party-Provider”. - Corporate Registration Number
Determines the corporate registration number of the alternative ICT third-party-provider.
Note: This field is only visible if the value “Corporate Registration Number” has been selected for the field “ID Type of Alternative ICT Third-Party-Provider”. - Alternative providers
Determines alternative providers.
Tab “Dates“
- Use data from a higher-level contract
Determines whether the data of the higher-level contract should be used.
Note: This field is only visible if the contract has a parent contract. - Signing Date
Defines the signing date of the contract. - Signing Date Remarks
Defines remark to the signing date. - Start
Defines the start date of the contract. - Start Terms
Defines terms for the start date. - Permanent Contract
Defines if the contract has a concrete end date. - Prolongation Terms
Defines terms for the prolongation of the contract. - Cancelation Waiver/Minimum Duration Until
Define the minimum duration of the contract. - Cancelation Waiver Terms
Defines cancelation waiver terms. - End
Defines the end date of the contract.
Note: This field is only visible if the option Permanent Contract is not active. - End Terms
Define end terms.
Note: This field is only visible if the option Permanent Contract is not active. - Cancelation Mode
Offers several cancelation modes. - Cancelation Terms
Defines cancelation terms. - Contract Period
Offers several time intervals.
Note: This field is only visible if the option Permanent Contract is active. - Contract Period Terms
Defies contract period terms.
Note: This field is only visible if the option Permanent Contract is active. - Notice Period
Defines the notice period in days, weeks, months, or years. - Notice Period Signatory
Defines the notice period for the signatory in days, weeks, months or years.
Note: This field is only visible if the user has a valid “Fabasoft DORA” license and the option ICT Service has been selected. - Notice Period Terms
Defines notice period terms. - Special Termination Terms
Defines the desired special termination terms.
Note: This field is only visible if at least one term has been created in the field Special Termination Terms in the “Administration“ tab of the contract manager configuration. - Remarks for Special Termination Terms
Defines remarks for the special termination terms as free text.
Note: This field is only visible if at least one entry was selected in the field Special Termination Terms. - Cancelation Date
Defines the cancelation date. - Cancelation Date Remarks
Defines remarks to the cancelation date. - Effective Cancelation Date
Defines the effective cancelation date. - Effective Cancelation Date Remarks
Defines remarks to the effective cancelation date remarks. - Contract Termination Reason
Determines the reason for the termination of the contract.
Note: This field is only visible if the option “ICT Service” has been selected in the “Contract” tab. - Additional Reminder Date
Defines the date for an additional reminder.
Note: Further information on dates can be found in chapter ”Managing Dates“.
Tab “Roles“
- Required Approval Levels
Defines the desired approval levels.
Note: This field is only visible if approvers are defined in the superordinate contract folder (see chapter “Approvals“). - Approvers
Defines one or more approvers.
Note: This field is only visible if there is at least one entry in the field Required Approval Levels. - Internal Role
Defines the internal role as free text. - Internal Signers
Defines one or more internal signers for the contract. Determines the order in which the internal signers of the contract provide their signature.
Note: If the available internal signers have been restricted on the contract list, only these signers will be available. Changes will only affect new contracts. - Internal Signer 1
Defines the first internal signer. - Function
Defines the function of the first internal signer as free text. - Internal Signer 2
Defines the second internal signer. - Function
Defines the function of the second internal signer as free text. - External Role
Defines the external role as free text. - External Signers
Defines one or more external signers for the contract. Determines the order in which the external signers of the contract provide their signature. - External Signer 1
Defines the first external signer. - Function
Defines the function of the first external signer as free text. - External Signer 2
Defines the second external signer. - Function
Defines the function of the second external signer as free text.
Tab “Assignments“
This tab contains a list of all available assignment targets. By default, you can select one entry each (see chapter “Assignment Targets“).
Note: This tab is only visible if at least one assignment is managed in the superordinate contract folder.
Tab “Incoterms®“
This tab contains a list wherein you can define incoterms for the contract and write comments.
Tab ”Tasks“
- Open Tasks
Contains a list wherein you can add tasks to the contract.
You can define the task type (“Start“, “Check“, or “End“), define a due date and time, add a comment, and mark the task as “Done“ after completion. - Done Tasks
Contains a list of all done tasks.
Tab “Documents“
This tab contains a list you can add documents to the contract.
Tab “Remarks“
- Enter Remark
Allows adding remarks. - Add Attachments
Allows adding attachments.
Tab “Internal Remark“
- Enter Internal Remark
Allows adding internal remarks. - Add Attachments
Allows adding attachments.
Tab “Canceled Documents“
This tab contains a list of all canceled documents in this contract. It is only visible if there are canceled documents in the contract.
Tab “Canceled external rooms“
This tab contains a list of all cancelled external rooms in this contract. It is only displayed if there are cancelled external rooms in the contract.
Creating a Contract
In order to create a new contract, proceed as follows:
- In the contract manager dashboard, click the “Create Contract” action.
Note:- This action is only visible if there is at least one contract folder in the contract manager configuration.
- You can directly create a contact inside a contract folder as well. In this case, the create dialog will already display a reference legal area and the setting Reference Additional Legal Areas is visible.
- If there are templates available for this object type, a selection dialog is displayed. Select the desired entry from the list.
Note: Check the settings of the legal area if you cannot find a template that you need (see chapter “Restricting Templates“). - In the field Contract Folder, select the contract folder where the new contract is stored.
Note: If the contract is created in the contract manager dashboard and there are several contract folders, then, initially, only the field Contract Folder is visible. - If the contract is to be referenced in other contract folder, activate the option Reference Additional Contract Folders and select the desired contract folders in field Additional Contract Folders.
- By default, the fields State and Signatory are required properties, indicated by a red asterisk. Define the signatory.
Note:- The default contract state is “Active”. A member holding full control can change the default state in the contract manager configuration > “Administration” tab > field Default Contract State.
- Depending on the settings in the contract folder or contract manager configuration, the information of the signatory can be entered manually or a signatory can be selected in the dropdown menu of the field Signatory. Further information can be found in chapter “Signatories“.
- Optionally, select a contract type.
Note: Selecting a (custom-made) contract type may cause changes to and/or add further tabs to the current dialog (see chapter “Contract Manager File Types“). - Optionally, tag the contract by selecting entries in the field Terms or via the button Choose Terms.
Note: This field and button are only visible if at least one term is available in the default thesaurus (see chapter “Default Thesaurus“). - If the field State displays the value “Active”, you must enter a date in field Start in the “Dates” tab.
- On the “Dates” tab, check if the field Cancelation Mode displays the desired value and change it if necessary.
- Optionally, if you want to define assignments, switch to the tab “Assignments“ and make the desired settings (see chapter “Assignments“ and/or “Defining an Assignment“).
- If there are approval levels defined in the superordinate contract folder, the “Roles” tab displays the field Required Approval Levels as a required property. Select the appropriate approval levels (see chapter “Approvals“).
- Add any further desired metadata.
Note: Depending on the settings defined in the contract folder (see chapter “Settings“), further fields may be required or hidden. These settings can be overwritten, depending on the properties of a request type (see chapter “Contract Manager File Types“). - Click ”Next“.
The request will be automatically given a name that contains the ID of the contract manager list, the year of creation, a sequential number, and (if available) the subject of a contract.
If the contract has several signatories, the name of the first selected signatory is used in the ID.
Note:
- For a quicker and more efficient contract creation, you can employ templates (see chapter “Creating a Contract Manager File Type Template”). Through a template, several of the contract properties (listed in chapter “Properties”) can be prefilled (for example, Internal Editor, Internal Purchaser, Internal Responsible, etc.).
- You can create a contract via an import as well (see chapter “Imports”).
- If you have configured the use of structural thesauri in the contract manager configuration, this may change the create dialog. Further information can be found in chapter “Structural Thesauri“.
- By default, members with restricted access or read access cannot create requests. However, this setting can be activated in the corresponding contract folder (see chapter “Creating a Contract Folder“).
Uploading a Contract
In order to add an existing contract to the contract manager, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the contract manager dashboard.
- Upload a contract form the file system (e.g. as a PDF file).
- If your organization uses Fabasoft Contracts AI, the contract metadata is already pre-filled in the create dialog.
Otherwise, you need to manually enter the metadata in the corresponding fields.
Note: In both cases, the split view offers the option to review and edit the document and its metadata together. - Select the desired contract folder that the contract will be stored in.
- If necessary, complete the desired metadata, then click on ”Save“.
Note:
- You can also upload a contract in the desired contract folder, hence the manual selection of the target contract folder is no longer necessary.
- Further use cases for uploads involving text recognition, classification, and/or metadata extraction can be found in chapter “Imports”.
Reassigning a Contract
In order to move a contract from one contract folder to another, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desired contract.
- In the contract menu of the contract, click on “Reassign”.
- In the field “Contract Folder”, select the target contract folder.
- Optionally, select the option Keep a reference of the selected objects in the current contract manager list. The contract is then moved from the current contract folder to the target contract folder and the “Referenced Contracts” area contains a referenced to the moved contract.
- Optionally, select the option Use Signatories for Assignment in order to assign the contract to a contract folder bearing the same name as a signatory. For example, if there is a signatory named “Supplier One Ltd.“ and there is also a contract folder named “Supplier One Ltd.“, making use of this option is possible.
Note: In order to use this option, at least one signatory in the field Standard Signatories in the “Administration” tab of the superordinate contract folder must be selected. - Click on “Next“.
Subordinate a Contract
To subordinate a contract to another contract, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desired contract.
- In the contract menu of the contract, click on “Subordinate”.
- In the field “Contract Folder”, select the target contract folder.
- In the field “Subordinated Contract”, select the target contract.
- Optionally, the contract can also be reassigned in the target contract folder. To archive this, select the option Should the selected Objects also be reassigned to the contract manager list? With the option Keep a reference of the selected objects in the current contract manager list, you can optionally create a reference to the moved contract in the “Referenced Contracts” area of the original contract list.
Note: These options only appear if the parent contract is in a different contract folder than the contract to be subordinated. - Click on “Next“.
Note: If the subordinated contract is not in the same contract folder as the parent contract, a prefix with the current contract folder is added to the subordinated contract in the standard name build.
Canceling/Deleting/Restoring a Contract
Canceling
In order to cancel a contract, proceed as follows:
- Navigate to the desired contract.
- In the context menu of the contract, click on “Cancel“.
- Click on “Yes”.
- If other contracts are subordinated to the selected contract, a Yes/No dialog is displayed, click on "Yes" if you want to cancel the subordinated contracts of the selected contract too and on "No" if you want to cancel only the selected contract.
Deleting
In order to delete a contract, proceed as follows:
- In the contract folder, navigate into the area “Canceled Files” and select the desired contract.
- In the context menu of the canceled contract, click on “Delete”.
- Click on “Yes” in order to put the contract into the wastebasket.
- In order to delete the file from the wastebasket, click the action “Open Wastebasket”.
- In the context menu of the contract, click on “Delete”.
- Click on “Yes” in order to delete the contract irreversibly.
- Click on “Close” in order to leave the wastebasket.
Restoring
In order to restore a canceled contract, proceed as follows:
- In the contract folder, navigate into the area “Canceled Files” and select the desired contract.
- In the context menu of the canceled contract, click on “Restore”.
Managing Dates
In the “Dates“ tab of the contract settings, you can manage all dates relating to the contract lifecycle . These dates and options each have a neighboring field for remarks and/or terms.
Besides the tasks of a contract (see chapter “Defining a Task“), the calendar displays the end of a contract period, the end of a notice period, and the effective cancelation date. Additional reminders are sent to the recipients and/or groups of recipients if concrete members and/or teams have been defined (see chapter “Defining Recipients for Reminder E-Mails“).
If your contracts have been imported with the help of the AI capabilities of Fabasoft Contracts AI, all relevant and recognizable dates were added to the calendar. If the contracts are migrated manually, however, this chapter explains how to properly work with Fabasoft Contracts and considers that active and valid contracts from a physical file cabinet have been or will be migrated.
Note:
- In the calendar, dates appear highlighted in the following colors:
- The end of a notice period is highlighted in purple.
- The effective cancelation date is highlighted in red.
- The end of a contract period is highlighted in yellow if the contract is permanent.
- The end of a contract period is highlighted in orange if the contract has a clear end date.
- Dates in the calendar can be seen by members holding read access or higher.
- Follow-Up appointments are displayed in the calendar on the dashboard and in the contract lists as soon as the Follow-Up widget is available on Home. Only Follow-Ups created in the context of contract lists are displayed.
- Follow-Ups are highlighted in green.
- Personal Follow-Ups are highlighted in blue.
Relevant Dates
In the “Dates“ tab of the contact setting, you can view the following properties.
- The field Signing Date defines when the contract was signed or will be signed. If the signing date is the day of the contract creation (or after that) and the field State on the “Contract” tab displays the value “Active”, you are warned.
- The field Start defines when a contract became valid or will become valid. Upon creation, make sure that the field State in the “Contract“ tab displays the value “Active“. In this case, the field Start is a required property and you are required to enter a date.
- The option Permanent Contract defines if a contract has a clear end or exists in contract periods. If active, the field End is made invisible and the field Contract Period is made visible in order to enter the corresponding information.
- The field Cancelation Mode defines the date before which the contract cannot be canceled. It is a required field and offers numerous modes. One of these is set by default, hence you need to check the mode and correct it if necessary.
- The field Additional Reminder Date and its function are explained in chapter ”Defining an Additional Reminder Date“.
Defining Recipients for Reminder E-Mails
The settings for the recipients of reminder e-mails must be made in the contract folder and in the contract. Proceed as follows:
Contract Folder
- Navigate to the desired contract folder.
- Click the action ”Settings“.
- Navigate to the fields beginning with Reminder E-Mails.
- Activate all relevant options.
The members and e-mail addresses for the roles “Internal Editor“, “Internal Purchaser“, and “Internal Responsible“ must be entered manually in every single contract. The remaining roles are automatically assigned via the access rights in the contract folder (see chapter “Access Rights“).
Note: Before activating the options, make sure that the corresponding members are allowed to and/or have to receive the e-mails. - Optionally, in the field Reminder Custom Text, enter a text.
- Click on ”Next“.
Contract
- Navigate to the desired contract folder.
- Click the action ”Settings“.
- Navigate to the fields beginning with Internal.
- Define the desired members.
Note: If the options Multiple Internal Editors, Multiple Internal Purchasers, and/or Multiple Internal Responsibles are active on the “Administration” tab in the setting of the superordinate contract folder, you can add multiple members to the corresponding fields. If this setting is needed, it should be set before creating the first contract in the contract folder (see chapter “Creating a Contract Folder“). - Click on ”Next“.
Defining an Additional Reminder Date
You may want to be informed about a significant, impending date of a certain contract, for example the end, the cancelation waiver, or the beginning of the notice period.
For such cases, you can define an additional reminder that will call attention to the contract at a desired date.
In order to define an additional reminder date, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desired contract.
- Click on ”Properties“.
- Switch to the tab “Dates“.
- In the field Additional Reminder Date, enter the desired reminder date.
- In the field Repetition, define the desired time interval. The generated reminder data is then displayed in the field Next Deadline.
- In the field Additional Contacts for Reminder E-Mails , enter the desired member who should receive reminders.
- Click on ”Next”.
Defining a Special Contract Term
A contract can be assigned special contract terms that contain information on certain contractual clauses. They can also provide information for BPMN processes or reports.
The proper settings for special contract terms must first be made in the contract manager configuration and then in the contract. Proceed as follows:
Contract Manager Configuration
- Navigate into the contract manager configuration.
- Click the action ”Settings“.
- Switch to the tab “Administration“.
- In the field Special Contract Terms, enter the name of the desired term.
Note: If there are already terms in the default thesaurus, they can be used as special contract terms. If there are none, create them by clicking “Click here to create the entered term” (see chapter “Default Thesaurus“). - Repeat this procedure to create all desired special contract terms.
- Click on ”Next“.
Contract
- Navigate to the desired contract folder.
- Click the action ”Settings“.
- In the field Special Contract Terms, select the desired terms.
- Optionally, in the field Remarks for Special Contract Terms, enter a remark.
- Click on ”Next“.
Defining a Special Termination Term
A contract can be assigned special termination terms that contain information in case of an exceptional termination.
Defining and using special termination terms is equivalent to special contract terms (see chapter “Defining a Special Contract Term“). The termination terms can be found on the “Dates” tab of the contract properties.
Defining a Role
In order to define roles for a contract, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desired contract.
- Click on the action “Properties“.
- Switch to the tab “Roles“.
- In the field Internal Role or External Role, enter the role as free text.
- In the field Internal Signers or External Signer, define the members in the desired order.
- In the field Internal Signer 1 or External Signer 1 etc., define the desired members.
In the field Function, enter the respective functions as free text. - Click on ”Next“.
Defining an Assignment
In order to assign a contract to an assignment instance, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desired contract und click on the action “Manage Assignments“.
Note: Alternatively, you can open the properties of the contract and switch to the “Assignments” tab. - In the field <Assignment target> , select the desired assignment instance.
For example, in order to assign a contract to a supplier, select the desired entry in the field Supplier. - Click on ”Next“.
Defining an Incoterm
In order to add Incoterms to a contract, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desire contract.
- Click the action “Properties”.
- Switch to the tab “Incoterms“.
- Click on “Add Entry”.
- In the column Term, open the dropdown menu.
- Select the desired entry.
- If necessary, add a remark in the column Remarks.
- Click on “Next”.
Defining a Task
In a contract, you can create and manage tasks. These tasks are added to the calendar upon creation and deleted from the calendar upon completion.
In order to manage the tasks of a contract, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desired contract.
- Click the action “Define Tasks“ or “Manage Tasks“.
Alternatively, you can open the properties of the contract and switch to the “tasks” tab. - In order to create a new task, navigate to the field Open Tasks, click on “New Entry“, and define both the type and the due date of the task. Also, write a comment in order to further describe the content of the task.
- In order to complete an existing task, click the checkbox in the column Done in the field Open Tasks. The task can be moved to field Done Tasks immediately by clicking the “Apply” button.
- Click on “Next“.
Note:
- In the calendar, tasks appear highlighted in blue.
- The tasks in the calendar can be seen any member with read access or higher.
Managing Retention
In some cases, there may an obligation to preserve a contract for a specific period of time during which the contract can neither be canceled nor deleted. Furthermore, a retention period can be defined until the end of which the contract must be kept.
Setting/Removing Legal Hold
In order to activate or deactivate mandatory retention in a contract, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desired contract.
- Click the action “Set Legal Hold” or “Remove Legal Hold”.
- Note:
- If there is a contract under active legal hold in a contract folder, neither the contract nor the contract folder can be deleted/resolved.
- If a sequence of contracts has been defined (see chapter “Creating a Following Contract”), and a contract in the sequence is under an active hold, not only this contract but also all contracts preceding this contract cannot be canceled or deleted.
Defining Retention
A contract under legal hold can be assigned a retention period during which it cannot be canceled/deleted.
In order to define such a period for a contract, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desired contract under legal hold.
- Click on “Properties”.
- Switch to the tab “Retention”.
- In the field Retention Period, enter the desired end date.
- Click on “Next”.
The legal hold will remain until the specified date.
Note:
- Even if the legal hold is deactivated, the contract still cannot be canceled or deleted until the specified retention date.
- If the specific contract is part of a sequence of contracts (see chapter “Creating a Following Contract”), not only this contract but also all contracts preceding this contract cannot be canceled or deleted until the specified date.
Adding a Document
In order to add documents to a contract, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desired contract and then into the “Documents” area.
- Add the documents by uploading them (e.g. via drag-and-drop).
- Alternatively, you can directly create the desired documents by clicking on “Add entry” > “New”.
Note:
- You must add at least one document to the contract in order to make the action “Start Signature Process” visible.
Further information can be found in chapter “Signatures“. - If there is an entry in the field Default Document Category for Documents in the “Administration” tab of a contract folder, said document category is assigned to the document upon adding it.
- In the context menu of an existing document, you can use the action “Create PDF” to create an additional PDF version of the document, or use the action “Convert to PDF” to convert the document from its current format into PDF. In both cases, existing text modules within the document are resolved.
These actions are available in all contexts that allows the creation of content objects. - Several documents can also be uploaded at the same time. There you can decide whether the documents should be registered individually or together. When registering, for example the document category or subject can be entered. When registering together, the settings are then used for all documents.
- There are other options for adding documents to contracts. Further information can be found in chapter “Imports”.
- When adding documents, the system checks for duplicates in the documents and all folder structures of the contract.
Documents are recognized as duplicates if their names and sizes match. Email objects are recognized as duplicates if their names and sending dates match.
The duplicated objects are numbered in ascending order, e.g. file, file (2), file (3) etc.
Adding a Remark
In order to add a remark to the contract, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desired contract.
- Click on the action “Add Remark“.
- In the field Enter Remark, enter the desired remark.
- Optionally, in the field Add Attachments, add the desired attachments.
- Click on “Next“.
Note: If a contract contains remarks, they are displayed in the “Remarks” area. In this case, new remarks can also be created in this area.
Adding an Internal Remark
Internal remarks are functionally analogous to regular remarks. However, they cannot be seen or accessed by members holding restricted access.
In order to add an internal remark to the contract, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desired contract.
- Click on the action “Add Internal Remark“.
- In the field Enter Internal Remark, enter the desired internal remark.
- Optionally, in the field Add Attachments, add the desired attachments.
- Click on “Next“.
Note: If a contract contains remarks, they are displayed in the “Internal Remarks” area. In this case, new remarks can also be created in this area.
Setting up a Confidential Room
Confidential rooms can be created in the “Documents“ area of a contract and allow a group of select members view documents. By default, only members holding read access or higher and, other than is the case with external rooms, no one involved in the contract. Access rights to other participants in a confidential room must be granted manually.
In order to create a confidential room, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desired contact and then into the “Documents“ area.
- Click on the action “Create Confidential Room“.
- Optionally, enter a subject and click “Next“.
- Navigate into the newly created confidential room.
- Click on the action “Team“ and define the desired access rights.
Note:
- Members holding full control in the contract folder are automatically granted full control in the confidential room as well.
- In order to add documents to an existing confidential room, select them and click the context menu action “Assign to Confidential Room“.
Alternatively, you can select documents and move them via drag-and-drop. - In order to retrieve documents from a confidential room to the “Documents“ area of a contract, you can either cut and paste them, or select them and click the context menu action “Retract From Confidential Room“.
- A contract folder cannot be dissolved if it contains at least one confidential room.
If this applies, you are informed in the dissolve dialog and the affected objects are listed.
External Room
External rooms allow internal members to make documents available to a select group of external members. This is usually done when the contract and its related files are ready for the signature process in order to have the external users view, discuss and, if applicable, object to the documents before the conclusion of the contract.
Setting up an External Room
Members holding access rights and full control can create external rooms in the “Documents“ area of a contract folder.
Note:
- Before an external room can be created, one of the following two conditions must be met: Either, a standard signatory must be used (contact person, organization and/or assignment instance), or at least one assignment instance must be assigned to the contract.
Thus, make sure that the corresponding setting have been made before you continue. If necessary, follow the instructions in chapters ”Signatories“ and/or ”Assignment Instances“. - If necessary, read the complementing chapter ”Manage External Members: new window“ in the document ”User Help Fabasoft Cloud“.
In order to create and set up an external room in a contract, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desired contract and then into the “Documents“ area.
- Click on the action “Create External Room“.
- In the field Assignment, select the desired organization, contact person or assignment instance for the external room.
Note: In the properties of an assignment instance, members can be granted access rights by entering them in the fields Change Access for all External Rooms in Assigned Contract Manager Files and Read Access for all External Rooms in Assigned Contract Manager Files (see chapter “Defining “). - Optionally, enter a subject and click “Next“.
- If necessary, define internal and external members in the fields Grant Changes Access for and Grant Read Access for who can view the external room.
- In the field Documents for External Room, add the documents that external members can view. You can do this in two ways:
- Before creating the external room (or in another browser tab), copy the desired documents and add them to the list via “Add Entry“ > “Paste Shortcut“.
- Use the action “Search and Add“ to add the documents to the list. If you enter an asterisk (*), all available documents are in the “Documents“ area are displayed.
- Click on “Next“.
- Navigate into the newly created external room.
- Optionally, click the “Team“ action and grant access to other desired members. Members holding full control in the contract folder are automatically granted full control in the confidential room as well and are listed in “Access via Hierarchy”.
The external room is now ready for external users.
Note:
- Beware that the documents in the “Documents“ area of the contract are displayed as shortcuts once they have been moved to the external room. Before the signature, the documents must be retrieved from the external room. Otherwise, they cannot be selected in the dialog of the signature process (see chapter “Starting the Signature Process“).
- In order to retrieve documents from an external room to the “Documents“ area of a contract, you can either cut and paste them, or select them and click the context menu action “Retract From External Room“.
- In order to add documents to an existing external room, select them and click the context menu action “Assign to External Room“.
Alternatively, you can select documents and move them via drag-and-drop. - A contract folder cannot be dissolved if it contains at least one external room.
If this applies, you are informed in the dissolve dialog and the affected objects are listed.
Dissolve external room
If an external room is no longer needed, it can be dissolved with sufficient rights. However, the documents that exist in the external area should not be lost. There are different possibilities for this:
- Retrieve documents
In the context menu of an external room all documents can be retrieved. These documents are then stored at the level of the external area. - Dissolve
When an external room is dissolved, there is the option to retrieve all documents before dissolving. The retrieved objects are then stored in the place where the external area was before.
Creating a Following Contract
A contract can also have following contracts which, in turn, can also have further following contracts in order to represent chains of contracts.
In order to create a following contract, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desired contract.
- Click on the action “Create Following Contract“.
- If there are templates available for this object type, a selection dialog is displayed. Select the desired entry from the list.
Note: Check the settings of the legal area if you cannot find a template that you need (see chapter “Restricting Templates“). - In the “Contract Folder” drop-down list, select the contract folder, where you want to store the following contract.
- On the “Contract“ tab, the fields Contract Folder and Previous Contract are already pre-filled and cannot be changed.
Note: If you want to assign a contract and it future following contract to another contract folder, do so before creating the following contract (see chapter “Reassigning a Contract“). - Add any further desired metadata.
If necessary, follow the instructions in chapter ”Creating a Contract“. - Click on “Next“.
Note: The previous contracts of a following contract are displayed in the “Previous Contracts” are. The documents from previous contracts are displayed in the “Documents from Previous Contracts“ area.
Creating a Subordinated Contract
A contract can be assigned subordinated contracts in order to represent framework contracts, for example.
Subordinated contracts retain the signatory of the superordinated contract. Further subordinated contracts can be assigned to a subordinated contract, which means that a multi-level hierarchy of contracts is possible.
In order to create a subordinated contract, proceed as follows:
- Navigate into the desired contract.
- Click on the action “Create Subordinated Contract“.
- If there are templates available for this object type, a selection dialog is displayed. Select the desired entry from the list.
Note: Check the settings of the legal area if you cannot find a template that you need (see chapter “Restricting Templates“). - In the “Contract Folder” drop-down list, select the contract folder, where you want to store the subordinated contract.
- On the “Contract“ tab, the fields Contract Folder and Signatory are already pre-filled, but these values can be changed.
- Add any further desired metadata.
If necessary, follow the instructions in chapter ”Creating a Contract“. - Click on “Next“.
Note:
- If a contract is assigned subordinated contracts, these are displayed in the “Subordinated Contracts” area. Also, the documents of subordinated contracts are listed in the “Documents from Subordinated Contracts” area. Likewise, within a subordinated contract the widgets “Superordinated Contract” and “Documents from Superordinated Contract” are offered for displaying the superordinated contract and its documents respectively.
- Subordinated contracts retain the name of the superordinated contract, extended by a sequential number in square brackets.
Creating a Legal File From a Contract
In order to create a new legal file from a contract and to link the two files, proceed as follows:
- Inside the contract, click the action “Create Legal File”.
- Enter all desired metadata.
If necessary, follow the instructions in chapter ”Creating a Legal File“. - Click on “Next”.
The contract and the legal file now refer to each other.
Note: If you have configured the use of structural thesauri in the contract manager configuration, this may change the create dialog. Further information can be found in chapter “Structural Thesauri“.