Contracts-- Troubleshooting Guide

I am not getting what I expect in a contract, when I click the Write Contract button!

Here are some trouble shooting checklists of possible causes for incorrect contract text, when using Goldenseal contract writing software.

General

Check the following if the contract seems to have the wrong text:

  1. Choose Contracts from the Income menu, and locate the contract record.
  2. What is in the Contract Package field? That will provide the 'boilerplate' clauses for the contract.
  3. What is in the Specs Source field? That will provide a 'scope of work' for the contract.
  4. Click the Contract Text button. The text there will appear in the contract near the top, middle and bottom respectively. Click OK or Cancel when done.
  5. Click the Write Contract button. Be careful to remember where you are saving the file! People sometimes save it in one location, and then open a different contract from a different location-- and are confused when they aren't the right thing!
  6. Use a word processor to open the contract (e.g. Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, NotePad). Goldenseal can't open large text documents. Excel will show some of the text but will drop the ends of long paragraphs.
  7. If that doesn't solve the problem, check one of the specific areas below.

Contract Clauses (Boilerplate)

If some "boilerplate" contract clauses are not what you expect, follow these steps:

  1. Choose Contracts from the Income menu, and locate the contract record.
  2. What is in the Contract Package field? That will provide the 'boilerplate' clauses for the contract.
  3. Choose Contract Setup from the Options menu, ahd choose Contract Packages from the submenu.
  4. Open the Contract Package you are using, and check which items are included.
  5. Choose Contract Setup from the Options menu, ahd choose Contract Clauses from the submenu.
  6. Open the Contract Clauses you are using, and check the text. You can change it, if you want the contract to use a different wording.
  7. If the clause text includes substitution words like ProjectCost or ClientAddress, Goldenseal will replace them with values from the Specs Source record in the contract. Check the values in that record (for example, a Project account or an Estimate).
  8. If the address is missing and the Specs Source is an Estimate, go to that Estimate. Click More Info, and fill in the Project Address field. NOTE-- starting with version 3.7 we will fetch the second party name and address directly from the Account field.
  9. If you are getting weird words like ProjectCost in the contract, somebody probably changed the "match text" that Goldenseal uses to fill in values. To fix that, choose Preferences from the Options menu, and choose Contracts from the submenu. NOTE-- You usually should not change the values on the right. If you accidentally did, open the Sample Company File or one of the starter files, and re-enter what that file includes.

Scope of Work

If some "scope of work" contract clauses are not what you expect, follow these steps:

  1. Choose Contracts from the Income menu, and locate the contract record.
  2. What is in the Specs Source field? That will provide a 'scope of work' for the contract.
  3. Open that record (or if it's a project, open the Estimate that is referenced in the Project account).
  4. What is in the Breakdown popup field on the left side of the window? If something other than Items, there will be no specs.
  5. Is there a specific clause that is missing or incorrect? If so, what is in the Cost Area column for that line item in the breakdown?
  6. If it is something other than Cost Item or Assembly, Goldenseal will not be able to write anything for the contract, and you'll have to add it by hand.
  7. If it is Cost Item or Assembly, open that record. HINT-- double-click in the Item Total column to open it quickly.
  8. Click the Contract Setup button.
  9. What is in the Specs Text field? If it's blank, there won't be anything in the contract until you add some text there. HINT-- usually it is easiest to find a similar item, copy the text from it, past it in and then change it.
  10. If you are getting weird words like ItemCost, it's possible that somebody changed the "match text" that Goldenseal uses to fill in values.
  11. To fix that, choose Preferences from the Options menu, and choose Contracts from the submenu. NOTE-- You usually should not change the values on the right. If you accidentally did, open the Sample Company File or one of the starter files, and use what that file includes.

Down Payment

If the down payment amount is zero, check the following:

  1. Choose Contracts from the Income menu, and locate the contract record.
  2. What is in the Specs Type popup field? If something other than Project, Goldenseal won't know the down payment amount, and you'll need to type it in by hand, in the word processor document.
  3. Do you have a project in the Specs Source field? If it's blank, there is no way to get a down payment.
  4. Choose Project Account from the View menu, and open the project.
  5. Click the More Info button.
  6. What is the Billing Type? If it is something other than Draw Schedule, Goldenseal won't know what the down payment is, and you'll need to type it in by hand.
  7. Check the Draw Schedule used for this project. Make sure you either have a value typed into the Deposit field, or have the First Item Is Down Payment checkbox turned on.

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