Contracts

Understanding Contract Statuses

Contracts move through different statuses during their lifecycle:

• Draft - You're still preparing the contract
• Pending Approval - Waiting for internal approval before it goes active
• Active - The contract is in effect and SLA policies apply
• Expired - The contract reached its end date
• Terminated - The contract was ended early
• Completed - The contract finished successfully
• Archived - Stored for historical reference

Understanding Billing Models

When creating a contract, you'll choose a billing model:

• Per User - Monthly billing based on how many billable users are on the contract
• Hourly - Billed by the hour for work performed
• Block Hours - Company has prepaid for a block of hours
• Retainer - Fixed monthly retainer fee

Understanding Contract Types

Contract types help you organize your contracts into categories like "Managed Services Agreement", "Block Hours", or "Time & Materials". You can:

• Set default SLA policies for each contract type
• Configure billable user type templates (for per-user billing)
• Keep your contracts organized and consistent

Creating a Contract

Step 1: Start a New Contract

1. Go to Contracts in the main menu
2. Click "New Contract"
   • Or create one from a company's detail page

Step 2: Fill in Contract Details

Enter the basic information:

• Title: Name of the contract
• Company: Select which company this contract is for
• Contract Type: Choose a type (optional, but helps with organization)
• Status: Set to "Draft" initially
• Start Date: When the contract begins
• End Date: When the contract ends
• Contract Value: Total value of the contract
• Billing Model: Choose how this contract will be billed
  • Per User - For user-based monthly billing
  • Hourly - For hourly billing
  • Block Hours - For prepaid hours
  • Retainer - For monthly retainer

Step 3: Configure SLA Policy

1. If your contract type has a default SLA policy, it will be suggested
2. You can override it with a contract-specific SLA if needed
3. The SLA policy determines response and resolution times for tickets linked to this contract

Step 4: Add Contract Documents (Optional)

1. On the contract detail page, upload contract documents
2. You can drag and drop files or select them
3. Categorize documents as:
   • Contract - The original contract document
   • Amendment - Any contract amendments
   • Signature - Signed documents
   • Supporting - Supporting documents
   • General - Other related documents

Step 5: Link Projects (Optional)

If you want to track work against this contract:

1. Link the contract to relevant projects
2. This helps you see all work associated with the contract

Setting Up Per-User Billing

If you selected "Per User" as your billing model:

Step 1: Review Template Rates

If you used a contract type with billable type templates:

• The rates are automatically copied to your contract
• You'll see them on the "Billable Users" tab

Step 2: Customize Rates for This Contract

1. Go to the contract's "Billable Users" tab
2. Review the rates that were copied from the template
3. Make any adjustments needed:
   • Add or remove billable user types
   • Adjust monthly rates to match company-specific pricing
   • Remember: changes to the template won't affect this contract

Step 3: Assign Contacts to Billable Types

1. Still on the "Billable Users" tab
2. Click "Assign Contact"
3. Select a contact
4. Choose their billable user type
5. Set the effective date (when this assignment starts)
6. Click "Assign"

The system will alert you if a contact who isn't assigned to a billable type creates a ticket, so you can make sure everyone is properly categorized.

Managing Contract Types

Creating a Contract Type

1. Go to Settings → Contracts → Contract Types
2. Click "Add Contract Type"
3. Enter:
   • Name: e.g., "Managed Services Agreement"
   • Description: What this contract type is for
4. Click "Create"

Setting Up Default SLA

1. Find your contract type in the list
2. Configure a default SLA policy
3. This SLA will be suggested when creating new contracts of this type
4. You can still override it per contract if needed

Configuring Billable Types Template

For contract types that will use per-user billing:

1. Click "Configure Billable Types" on the contract type
2. Select which billable user types should be available
3. Set default monthly rates for each type
4. When you create a contract with this type, these rates are automatically copied

Managing Your Contract Lifecycle

Moving from Draft to Active

1. Draft → Pending Approval

   • Change status to "Pending Approval"
   • Wait for internal approval

2. Pending Approval → Active

   • Approve the contract
   • Change status to "Active"
   • SLA policies now take effect for tickets

Completing or Expiring Contracts

1. Automatic Expiration

   • Contracts automatically expire when they reach their end date
   • You can also manually mark them as "Completed"

2. Termination

   • If a contract ends early, mark it as "Terminated"
   • Document why it was terminated

3. Archiving

   • Archive completed contracts for historical reference
   • They'll still be accessible but won't clutter your active contracts list

Working with Contract Files

Uploading Files

1. Go to the contract detail page
2. Upload files by dragging and dropping or selecting them
3. Files are automatically organized and stored securely

Organizing Documents

Categorize your documents to keep them organized:

• Contract - The main contract document
• Amendment - Any amendments to the contract
• Signature - Signed versions of documents
• Supporting - Supporting documents like quotes or proposals
• General - Other related documents

Accessing Files

• All contract files are accessible from the contract detail page
• Download files as needed
• Files are organized by document type for easy finding

How Contracts Work with Other Features

Tickets

• Link contracts to tickets to apply SLA policies
• The contract's SLA determines response and resolution times
• Billable user assignments help track who's using services

Projects

• Link contracts to projects to track work
• See all time and work associated with a contract
• Useful for reporting and billing

Companies

• All contracts belong to a company
• View all contracts for a company on their detail page
• Track contract history per company

Billable Users

• For per-user contracts, track which contacts are billable
• Assign contacts to different billable user types
• See Billable Types Guide for details

Best Practices

1. Use Contract Types: Organize your contracts by type for consistency and easier management

2. Set Clear Dates: Always set start and end dates so you know when contracts are active

3. Configure SLA Policies: Assign appropriate SLA policies so tickets get the right response times

4. Document Everything: Upload contract documents, amendments, and signatures for easy reference

5. Track Status Changes: Use status transitions to track where each contract is in its lifecycle

6. Link Projects: Associate projects with contracts to track all work against the contract

7. Archive Completed Contracts: Archive finished contracts to keep your active list clean while maintaining history

Common Contract Scenarios

Managed Services Agreement (MSA)

• Billing Model: Per User
• Contract Type: "Managed Services Agreement"
• SLA: Standard MSA SLA policy
• How it works: Track billable users and bill monthly based on user counts

Block Hours Contract

• Billing Model: Block Hours
• Contract Type: "Block Hours"
• SLA: Standard SLA policy
• How it works: Company prepays for hours, and hours are deducted as work is performed

Hourly Project

• Billing Model: Hourly
• Contract Type: "Time & Materials"
• SLA: Project-specific SLA
• How it works: Bill for actual hours worked on the project

Monthly Retainer

• Billing Model: Retainer
• Contract Type: "Recurring Service"
• SLA: Retainer SLA policy
• How it works: Company pays a fixed monthly fee

Troubleshooting

I Can't See My Contract

Problem: A contract isn't showing up in your contracts list.

Solution:

• Check your filters - you might have status or date filters applied
• Make sure you have permission to view contracts
• Try refreshing the page

SLA Policy Isn't Working

Problem: The SLA policy on a contract doesn't seem to be affecting tickets.

Solution:

1. Make sure the contract status is "Active"
2. Verify the SLA policy is actually assigned to the contract
3. Check that tickets are linked to the contract
4. SLA only applies to tickets that are linked to the contract

Billable User Rates Didn't Copy

Problem: You created a contract with a contract type, but the billable user rates didn't appear.

Solution:

1. Check that the contract type has billable types configured
2. Make sure the contract's Billing Model is set to "Per User"
3. If both are correct, go to the "Billable Users" tab - the rates should be there

I Can't Upload Files

Problem: File uploads are failing.

Solution:

• Check that the file isn't too large
• Make sure you have permission to edit the contract
• Try a different file format
• Contact support if the problem persists

Contract Status Won't Change

Problem: You can't change a contract's status.

Solution:

• Make sure you have permission to update contracts
• Some status changes might have restrictions (check with your admin)
• Try refreshing the page and trying again

See also

• Billable Types Guide - Learn how to set up per-user billing