There is no firm rule for preparing your model contract, but the following four suggestions on how to mark your model contract will optimise the template insertion work:
1. Align a multiple of word-documents
Where two or more Word-documents will be merged into one Weagree-template, make sure that the same clauses are indeed identical (and do not deviate for no reason). Weagree will address differences on the basis of ‘compares’ or tracked-changes.
2. Give each clause a ‘Caption’
It saves a lot of template-insertion time if each contract section, clause and subparagraph is given a short ‘title’: one, two or three words that ‘summarise’ the clause. These captions will be used in the template outline, which is visible on the left hand side of the questionnaire.
3. Within the model contract, mark Q&A-points with a colour
Reserve one colour for all questions that are triggered only once – select either yellow, green or turquoise. Do not colour-mark definitions (as such) and not cross-references. In the examples 1 and 2 (below), we used green. When colouring may clutter a document or become confusing, keep the simple data-insertion Q&A-points merely between square brackets.
Example 1: note that the text of the Q&A answer options is inserted here as well. In order to keep the document workable, consider reducing the colouring – note that certain ‘obvious’ Q&A questions are not coloured here:
Note that fine-tuning the Q&A formulations can always be done in the Q&A dialogue screen, where all Q&A elements of the entire template are brought together.
4. Formulate the global questions
We recommend that throughout your model contract, each ‘global question’ is given its own colour (and where helpful, the answer options are identified between that-colour brackets). Collect all global questions at the beginning of your document.
Example 2: (below) would relate to the following two global questions (GQ):
GQ1 The appointment will be restricted to:
A (geographical) territory
A (product) market
A territory and a market
No such restrictions
GQ2 The agreement will be:
Non-exclusive
Exclusive
Sole
Explanation: An exclusive appointment prohibits Supplier to operate in the relevant market itself. If Supplier should be free to operate there as well, choose Sole
Below is an example of identifying the paragraphs and phrases governed by these two global questions:
‘Global questions’ are those Q&A questions that affect the to-be-created contract in a multiple of contract clauses. By default, they are asked at the beginning of a Q&A.
