Contracts

Goldenseal is contract writing software which writes contracts, subcontracts and spec sheets, using the other info in your company file.

Use Contracts to track legal documents for customers, subcontractors or other parties. You can also use the Write Contract button to create the full text of a contract, including "boiler-plate" clauses and a Scope of Work.

Website Info Links
Contract Writing Software | Project Management Software

Entering Contracts

To enter a Contract, follow these steps:

Choose Contracts from the Income menu.
Click the New button, or click on an existing item and click the Edit button.

QUICK SETUP HINT-- You only need to enter a Type and Account.

Data Fields

Enter the following information for each Contract:

Type-- Choose the type of job where the contract occurs.
Account-- Choose the job where the contract occurs.
Contract Package-- Choose the type of contract this is.
Specs Type-- Choose the package of contract clauses that will be included in this contract.
Specs Source-- If the contract includes specifications, choose the record that will be used to create them.

Date-- Enter the date of the contract.
Record Number-- A record number is assigned automatically.
Acceptance Deadline-- Enter the last date when this contract can be accepted.
Action Taken-- If an action has been taken with this contract, choose what it was. For more about the Actions Taken list, see page .
Action Taken By-- Enter the person who took action or signed the contract.
Comments-- Enter any comments you have about this contract. The comments will not be included in the contract.

Contract Setup

Click the Contract Setup button to enter more details for the contract's contents.

Contract Setup
Spec Headings-- Choose the type of heading you'd like to use for each line item in the specifications portion of a contract.
Subcontract Type-- If this is a subcontract that covers only some items in a project, enter the type of subcontract. If this is a general contract for the entire project, leave this field blank.
Include Allowances-- Turn on the checkbox to include allowances, when the contract is based on a project or an estimate.
Include Bids-- Turn on the checkbox to include bids, purchase orders and work orders, when the contract is based on a project or an estimate.
NOTE-- Bids include the text from the Details field. You may need to check the contract and write out the specifications more completely.
Include Category Breakdowns-- Turn on the checkbox to include items in an estimate that uses a category breakdown..
NOTE-- Category breakdowns will not write out a complete contract clause, so you'll need to check the contract and write them out more completely.
Include Unlisted Items-- Turn on the checkbox to include unlisted items from an estimate's breakdowns.
NOTE-- Unlisted items will not write out a complete contract clause, so you'll need to check the contract and write them out more completely.

Job Cost Setup
Category-- If making a subcontract from a Sale or Estimate and you want to include only items from one cost category, choose the category that will be included.
Subcategory-- If making a subcontract from a sale or estimate and you want to include only items from one cost subcategory, choose the category that will be included.
Location-- If making a subcontract from a sale or estimate and you want to include only items from one cost location, choose the category that will be included.

Contract Text

Click the Contract Text button to enter text that applies to this specific contract. There are three blocks of contract text that appear in different parts of the contract.

Contract Header-- Enter any text that you would like to appear near the beginning of the contract.
Contract Body-- Enter any text that you would like to appear in the middle of the contract.
Contract Footer-- Enter any text that you would like to appear near the end of the contract.

Contract Packages

Each contract can include a package of stock legal clauses. Choose the Contract Package that includes the contract clauses that you'd like to have in this contract.

If you don't want to include any stock clauses in this contract, leave the field blank.

Specs Source

Contracts can use specification from a variety of sources. The choices are:

No Specs-- No specifications will be included.
Estimate-- An estimate for the given job account will provide specifications for a contract or subcontract.
Project-- A project account will provide specifications for a contract or subcontract.
Sale-- A sale made to the given job account will provide specifications for a contract or subcontract.

Allowance-- An allowance will provide specifications for contract or subcontract.
Bid-- A supplier or subcontractor bid will provide specifications for a subcontract.
Change Order-- A change order will provide specifications for a subcontract.
Purchase-- A material purchase will provide specifications for a supplier contract.
Work Order-- A work order to the selected cost account will provide specifications for a subcontract.

If you enter an item for the Specs Source, Goldenseal will include a Scope of Work section that describes that items that are included in the project. It writes specifications for each item in the Item breakdowns from the source transaction.

If you don't want to include specifications, leave the Specs Source field blank, or choose No Specs.

Writing Contracts

Click the Write Contract button to create a text file that includes all the text for this contract.

To create a contract, follow these steps:

Choose Contracts from the Income menu.
Find the contract you'd like to print.
Click the Write Contract button.
You'll be asked for a file name, and a location to save it. Enter that information, then click Save.
Open your favorite word processor program.
Choose Open from the File menu.
Locate the file you created in step 4, and open it.
Do any formatting that you'd like.
Print the contract.

Contract Structure

When you click the Write Contract button, Goldenseal assembles a contract. There are three sources for contract text:

The text you write into the Contract record itself, in the Header, Body and Footer fields.
All Contract Clauses that are included in the Contract Package that you choose for this contract.
Specifications that come from the record entered into the Specs Source field.

Goldenseal assembles text for a contract in the following order:

Contract Clauses in the selected package that have At Beginning in the location field.
The text from the Contract Header field in the Contract record.
Contract Clauses in the selected package that have After Header in the location field.
The text from the Contract Body field in the Contract record.
Contract Clauses in the selected package that have After Body in the location field.
Any specification line items from the Specs Source record.
Contract Clauses in the selected package that have After Specifications in the location field.
The text from the Contract Footer field in the Contract record.
Contract Clauses in the selected package that have At End in the location field.

For each chunk of Contract Clauses, Goldenseal includes any items that are in the Contract Package for this contract, and that belong in the current section.

HINT-- Goldenseal enters the clauses in alphabetical order, based on the name of the Contract Clause.

Contract Clauses

When you include a Contract Package in a contract, Goldenseal gets text from the list of Contract Clauses. You'll generally use Clauses for "boilerplate" text that is similar in each contract that you write.

Text Substitutions

Goldenseal keeps a list of substitution text in Contract Preferences. When it sees that text in a Contract Clause, it replaces the key word with data for the project or for your company.

You can use the substitutions to write clauses that include the clients name and address, and other project details.

HINT-- To see a list of text substitutions, choose Preferences from the Options menu, and choose Contracts from the submenu.

Clause Location

When it writes a contract, Goldenseal puts each Clause into one of five parts of the contract. To change the location of a clause, follow these steps:

Choose Contract Setup from the Options menu, and choose Contract Clauses from the submenu.
Open the Clause you'd like to change.
Enter a new location into the Location popup.

Contract Specifications

Goldenseal allows you to include a specifications "scope of work" in any contract. It lists a short sentence or two for each item that is included in a contract.

The Specifications portion of a contract only contains line items from an Items breakdown. It does not include unlisted items, or items that are handled with an allowance, bid, purchase order or work order.

Specifications Text

Enter the text for each Specifications line item in the Specifications Text field of each Assembly and Cost Item.

You can write the exact text that you'd like to include.

Text Substitutions

When you write Specifications text, you can include key words which will be replaced with values in the actual contract. Use any of the following:

CTRNAME-- the contractor or subcontractor doing the work
ITEMCOST-- the cost of this item
QTY-- the quantity of an item
UNITSIZE-- the text from the Unit Size field

HINT-- To see the text that can be replaced in contracts, choose Preferences from the Options menu, and choose Contracts from the submenu.

Singular and Plural Text

You can set up Specifications text so it shows different words when there is one of an item, or more than one. Type the singular, then two # signs, then the plural form-- box##boxes or foot##feet.

When Goldenseal creates a contract, it will choose the correct text, depending on the actual quantity of the item.