When users add a new contract to the system, one of the first things they need to do is select a Contract Type. The contract type they select then determines:
- The setup steps required
- What sub-areas of information are visible in the contract 'Details'
- What registers are available when managing the contract
VendorPanel provides some default Contract Types that can be used when first setting up the module. These can either be retained, overwritten or deleted.
Administrators can configure these details per contract type and can add, update and remove contract types when needed. This is done from the 'Lists' section of the module settings, which can be accessed by following the below steps:
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Navigate to the Contracts Management module, either via the app launcher icon in the menubar or through the navigation tile on your Homepage.
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Click on the Manage Module tab in the top right to open the module settings.
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Select the Lists tab and then click on the ‘Contract Types’ heading to expand the list of existing Contract Types
Creating a new Contract Type
Click on the plus (+) symbol to the right of the contract type list. A pop-up will appear where you can enter the details of the new contract type, including:
- Name of the contract type
- The term used for the second party of the contract (e.g. Vendor, Supplier, Customer, Funder, etc)
- Prefix (only applicable when ‘Contract type’ is required for the system-generated contract number)
Once you have provided these details, click the 'Save' button in the top right corner of the pop-up. This saves the record and enables you to proceed with any Setup and Management configurations.
Setup Configurations
Select the Setup configuration area, then set which information is required to be input during the contract setup process.
See below for more information on each step.
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| High Level Details | Includes specifying a contract name and number, summary, and department the contract belongs to. Allows users to also capture a contract category and subcategory, and to upload or link to a contract document. |
| Vendor (Second Party) | Includes specifying a second party to the contract, either by selecting from an existing list of vendor records or creating a new vendor record. |
| Procurement Details | Includes specifying any details (free-text summary, reference #, linked or attached documents) relating to the establishment of the contract. If enabled, this step is available but will remain optional. |
| Value |
Includes capturing the initial value of the contract and the option to specify an expenditure type and cost centre. This step is only applicable for Standalone and Subcontracts – the value of Head Agreements is the sum of the Subcontracts linked under the head. |
| Duration | Includes specifying the initial duration of the contract and entering the details of any known extensions. |
| Roles | Includes allocating a Contract Manager (required) and any additional roles such as a Contract Owner or Sponsor (optional). |
Management Configurations
Select the Management configuration area, then determine what information and registers are available to users when viewing and managing the contract.
Registers
Users can use the contract registers to capture certain information against a contract (e.g. contract KPIs, risks, etc) or perform certain actions (e.g. setup custom reminders). A System Administrator can choose which of the registers they want to enable at a system-wide level (you can find more information on this here), and then they can be enabled/disabled per each contract type.
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Click on the Refresh List button at the bottom of the list to pull an up-to-date list of all available registers.
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Tick/untick the box to enable/disable registers to determine which registers you want to make available for the contract type
The registers available in-system will vary depending on whether you have a Lite or Advanced Contracts Management license.
Details
Once a contract is setup, users can refer to the ‘Details’ tab for all key contract details. These details are displayed across various 'sub-areas' which can be enabled or disabled per contract type.
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Click on the Refresh List button at the bottom of the list to pull an up-to-date list of all sub-areas
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Tick/untick the box to enable/disable these sub-areas to determine what is visible on the contract 'Details' tab
Other Settings
This is where you can determine whether to display the vendor’s details under a dedicated tab on the contract record. This will include the vendor’s name and a link to their vendor record. Clients with an Advanced license can also link vendor contacts and compliances to this section of the contract.
Saving the Contract Type
Once all the above information has been determined, click on the ‘Save and Close’ button in the top-right corner of the pop-up.
Editing a Contract Type
Any changes made to an existing contract type will reflect on all existing contract records using that contract type and be effective for all new contracts.
With the contract type list expanded, click on the contract type you wish to edit – this will open the configuration details in a pop-up. Make any required changes (review above information on creating a new contract type for further information), then click the ‘Save’ button in the top-right corner of the pop-up.
Deleting a Contract Type
Deleting a contract type removes it from the list of contract types available to users when creating a new contract record. It does not remove/impact existing contract records using that contract type.
With the contract type list expanded, click on the contract type you wish to delete – this will open the configuration details in a pop-up. Scroll to the bottom of the pop-up to find the ‘Click here to delete this record’ heading. Click on the heading, then on the ‘Yes - delete this record’ button to confirm the action.