Skip to content

Contract Management

A Guide for Administrators

What is This For?

Manage vendor contracts, service agreements, and institutional partnerships. This system helps you: - Track contracts with vendors and service providers - Manage collaboration agreements with partner institutions - Monitor contract expiration and renewal dates - Store signed documents securely - Set reminders for important deadlines

Note: For donor-related agreements (donations, gifts, bequests), see Donor Agreement Management.

The Dashboard

Find it at: Admin > Vendor Management > Contracts

+-------------------------------------------------------------+
|                  CONTRACT DASHBOARD                          |
+---------------+---------------+------------------------------+
| Active        | Pending       | Expiring Soon                |
|     28        |      5        |      3                       |
+---------------+---------------+------------------------------+
|                                                              |
|  RECENT CONTRACTS                                            |
|  --------------------------------------------------------    |
|  COL-2026-001  SARADA Collaboration    Active    Dec 2028    |
|  SLA-2026-005  IT Support Agreement    Active    Jan 2027    |
|  SVC-2026-012  Conservation Services   Pending   -           |
|                                                              |
|  EXPIRING THIS MONTH                                         |
|  --------------------------------------------------------    |
|  NDA-2024-003  Confidentiality - ABC Corp       15 Feb       |
|  MNT-2025-001  Equipment Maintenance            28 Feb       |
|                                                              |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+

Types of Contracts

Type Code When to Use
Service Agreement SVC General service provision contracts
Service Level Agreement SLA Contracts with defined service metrics
Collaboration Agreement COL Partnerships for joint projects, digitization, research
License Agreement LIC Software licenses, usage rights
Memorandum of Understanding MOU Non-binding agreements outlining intentions
Non-Disclosure Agreement NDA Confidentiality agreements
Data Processing Agreement DPA POPIA/GDPR compliance for data handling
Maintenance Agreement MNT Equipment or system maintenance
Lease Agreement LEA Equipment or space rental
Supply Agreement SUP Regular supply of materials
Framework Agreement FRM Master agreements for future work
Consultancy Agreement CST Professional consulting services

Creating a New Contract

  1. Go to Admin > Vendor Management > Contracts
  2. Click New Contract
  3. Fill in the form:

Basic Details

Field Description
Contract Type Select from dropdown
Contract Number Auto-generated or enter manually
Title Descriptive title for the contract
Status Draft, Pending, Active, etc.

Counterparty Information

Field Description
Counterparty Name Name of the other party
Type Vendor, Institution, Individual, Government
Link to Vendor Connect to existing vendor record
Contact Information Address, phone, email
Representative Person signing for them

Dates

Field Description
Effective Date When the contract starts
Expiry Date When it ends (if applicable)
Review Date When to review the contract
Auto-renew Whether it renews automatically

Financial Terms

Field Description
Contract Value Total value of the contract
Currency ZAR, USD, EUR, GBP
Payment Terms e.g., "30 days from invoice"

Terms & Conditions

Field Description
Scope of Work What services/deliverables are covered
Deliverables Specific outputs expected
General Terms Standard terms and conditions
Special Conditions Any unique provisions
IP Terms Intellectual property arrangements
Confidentiality Confidentiality clauses
Governing Law Jurisdiction for disputes
  1. Click Create Contract

Contract Workflow

+------------------+
| Draft            |  Initial creation
+--------+---------+
         |
         v
+------------------+
| Pending Review   |  Internal review
+--------+---------+
         |
         v
+------------------+
| Pending Signature|  Awaiting signatures
+--------+---------+
         |
         v
+------------------+
| Active           |  Contract in force
+--------+---------+
         |
         +---------------+---------------+
         |               |               |
         v               v               v
+------------------+ +--------+ +------------------+
| Renewed          | | Expired| | Terminated       |
+------------------+ +--------+ +------------------+

You can add your organization's logo to contracts for professional presentation.

How to Add

  1. Edit the contract
  2. Find Contract Logo field
  3. Click Choose File and select your logo
  4. Supported formats: JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP
  5. Save the contract
  1. Edit the contract
  2. Check Remove logo checkbox
  3. Save

Using Templates

Save time by creating template contracts.

Creating a Template

  1. Create a contract with standard terms
  2. Check Save as Template
  3. Save

Using a Template

  1. Find a suitable template in the list
  2. Clone it
  3. Update specific details
  4. Uncheck Save as Template
  5. Save as new contract

Managing Documents

Uploading Documents

  1. Go to the contract
  2. Click Add Document
  3. Select document type:
  4. Signed contract
  5. Draft
  6. Amendment
  7. Addendum
  8. Schedule/Annexure
  9. Correspondence
  10. Quote/Invoice
  11. Certificate
  12. Insurance
  13. Legal opinion
  14. Upload the file
  15. Add title and description

Document Types

Type Purpose
Signed Contract Final executed agreement
Amendment Changes to existing contract
Addendum Additional terms
Schedule Detailed specifications
Insurance Proof of insurance

Setting Reminders

Never miss a deadline.

Creating a Reminder

  1. Go to the contract
  2. Click Add Reminder
  3. Fill in:
  4. Type (Expiry warning, Review due, Payment due, etc.)
  5. Subject
  6. Date
  7. Priority
  8. Who to notify
  9. Save

Reminder Types

Type Use For
Expiry Warning Contract ending soon
Review Due Scheduled contract review
Renewal Required Time to renew
Payment Due Payment deadline
Deliverable Due Expected delivery date
Compliance Check Regulatory requirements
Insurance Expiry Insurance renewal needed

Recurring Reminders

For ongoing obligations: 1. Check Is Recurring 2. Select pattern (Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly) 3. Set end date

Risk Management

Contracts are categorized by risk level:

Level Description Review Frequency
Low Standard contracts, minimal risk Annually
Medium Moderate value or complexity Bi-annually
High Significant value or risk Quarterly
Critical Major contracts, compliance required Monthly

Collaboration Agreements

For partnerships with other institutions (digitization projects, research collaborations):

Key Sections

Section Purpose
Purpose & Scope What the collaboration aims to achieve
Responsibilities What each party must do
Intellectual Property Who owns what (Background IP, Foreground IP)
Access Levels Who can access resulting materials
Fees & Payment Publication fees, cost sharing
Duration Start date, end date, renewal terms

Sample: SARADA Collaboration Agreement

A pre-configured template for Rock Art digitization partnerships:

  1. Go to Contracts > New Contract
  2. Select Collaboration Agreement
  3. Or clone from "SARADA Collaboration Framework" template

The template includes: - Three-tier access levels (Educational, Researcher, Bona Fide) - Standard publication fees (R650 Africa / US$150 international) - IP terms for digitization projects - Code of Ethics compliance

Contract vs Donor Agreements

Use Contract Management for: Use Donor Agreements for:
Vendor service agreements Donations from individuals
Collaboration partnerships Gifts and bequests
SLAs with service providers Deposits and loans TO you
NDAs and data processing agreements Access restrictions on donated materials
Maintenance and lease contracts Reproduction rights from donors
Software licenses Material transfers from donors

Quick Reference

Contract Statuses

Status Meaning
Draft Being prepared
Pending Review Under internal review
Pending Signature Awaiting signatures
Active In force
Suspended Temporarily on hold
Expired Past end date
Terminated Ended early
Renewed Replaced by new version

Best Practices

Always use contract numbers - Provides unique reference - Makes tracking easier

Set review reminders - Before expiry dates - Regular compliance checks

Keep documents current - Upload signed versions immediately - Archive superseded documents

Link to vendors - Maintains relationship history - Enables reporting

Reporting

Available Reports

Report Description
Active Contracts All current contracts
Expiring Soon Contracts ending within 30/60/90 days
By Type Contracts grouped by type
By Vendor Contracts per vendor
Financial Summary Total contract values
Reminder Overview Upcoming deadlines

For technical support, contact your system administrator.