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1. What is this module about

The Contract module in Workplace Management is designed to facilitate users to register and manage contracts with customers, suppliers and partners. Register the monthly, quarterly or yearly financial obligations associated to the contract. Straight forward contract periods (extend yearly) and deviating contract periods (1st renewal after 5 year, 2nd renewal after 2 year and after that a yearly renewal) are supported. Receive contract notification emails, if contracts are about to expire or automatcially extended.

The next parts will go into more detail on some of the core concepts of this module.

1.1 Contract periods (and schemes)

1.1.1 General

When initially creating a new contract the user can specify the startdate, the duration, a term of notice period and the desired renewal. For example:

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Original start date: This is the start date of the contract. This date can be in the past, if old or not yet digitalized contracts need to be registered.

Duration: When entering a new contract the default duration can be selected (e.g. 1 year). In this case, every renewal of the contract will be with 1 year.

Term of notice: The term of notice period is the period at the end of the contract period until the contract can be ended without having it (automatically) renewed. Once the term of notice date is exceeded, the contract cannot be ended in the current period anymore.

For example:

• Contract period: 01-10-24 - 30-09-25 (1 year)

• Term of notice period: 1 month

• Term of notice date: 30-08-25

• Renewal: Automatic

If i do not end the contract by 30-08-25, the contract is automatically renewed with 1 year, which will result in:

• Contract period 01-10-24 - 30-09-26 (extended with 1 year)

• Term of notice period: 1 month

• New term of notice date: 30-08-26

• Renewal: Automatic

Renewal after the end of the previous period: The renewal of a contract period can be:

• None: The contract is ended/terminated after the actuve contract period.

• Possible:

• Automatic:

1.1.2 Period schemes and periods

When creating a new contract, a period scheme is created with the initial duration. The period scheme determines the contract period. It is possible to have one or multiple period schemes. Multiple period schemes are used if a contract period needs to be renewed with different periods (e.g. the first contract period is 5 years, then it will be renewed with 2 years and then the contract period will be renewed every year).

Every period scheme can have its own duration, term of notice period and renewal.

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So one or more period schemes are used to automatically determine the contracts period. There is always one contract period which corresponds with one or more contract periods.

The current (active) contract period can always be consulted via the general contract page a.o.:

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1.2 Contract items

Financial obligations can be registered as contract items in the contract via the ‘Contract items' tab. This tab shows some details about the contract period (price period, invoice period, total amount of all contract items within the period, etc.). This include also shows all contract items which are divided over several includes:

• Active contract items: Contract items currently active.

• Historical contract items: Contract items ended in the past.

• Future contract items: Contract items with startdate in the future.

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Via the 'Active contract items' include, new contract items can be added.

Adding contract items can be done with a few options. Below each of the options are described.

1.2.1 Generic item

When the user adds a generic contract item, the user needs to enter all contract details (e.g. the name, the price, the VAT rate, etc.) and the contract items is not linked to any other object.

1.2.2 Add asset

When the user selects 'Add asset' a list of assets is shown where the user can select the assets associated with the contract. For each selected asset, a contract item will be created. This is useful if a particular maintenance contract only consists of several assets. It will be clear that the linked assets are part of the maintenance contract. From the asset it will also be possible to see all contracts where that particular asset is linked to,

1.2.3 Add area

Before the user can add areas as a contract item, use types need to be available first. Use types are pre defined contract components which apply when linking areas to a contract. These pre defined contract components are used to be able to easily add different contract components per linked area with specific details automatically taken over (e.g. quantity, price, occupancy, etc.).

Some examples of use types:

• Rent

• Service costs

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These contract components are a combination of (general) object Use Types, or the object use types that are linked to specific object services that are added to the area (or a parent area).

Add area: The user can select all areas associated to the contract. For each of the areas, the relevant use types can be selected (for example, Rent, Service costs, etc.). Use types can be registered via 'Module settings' → 'Contratcs' tab → 'Use types' include:

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All different kinds of contract components can be registered as use type by an administrator. These contract components are used to make it more easy to added multiple contract items per area and have certain details automatically set based on the components (for instance the quantity, price and vat rate).

This is used most often in rent contracts, for instance in order to automatically add both the rent and the service costs for each area in a contract.

In an object use type it can be defined what the default price, vat rate, unit and price period is. For each area that is added to a contract (as a contract item), all the object use types will be presented and can be selected to be added as a contract item. For all the selected object use types, the default values for the price, quantity, price period, vat rate, etc. will be taken over in the contract item.

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1.2.4 Add building

Add building: The user can select all buildings associated to the contract. For each selected building, a contract item will be created.

1.3 Contract reminders/notifications

Via ‘Module settings’ → ‘Contracts’ tab it is possible to set the default contract notification settings. These default settings are automatically taken over to every new contract.

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The contracts notification schedules, notification receiver(s), the notifications already send or waiting to be send, can all be found on the ‘Notifications’ tab of the contract:

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If notificaties are enabled for the contract, a notification schedule is automatically created. This notifcation schedule contains the notification which will be send based on the term of notice period and X days before the notification needs to be send.

For example:

• Contract startdate: 01-01-2024

• Contract duration: 1 year

• Term of notice period: 1 month

• Notification: 60 days before

• The term of notice date for the current period: 30-11-2024 (1 month before the end of the period 31-12-2024)

• The notification will be send: 01-10-2024 (60 days before 30-11-2024)

If additional notifications need to be send, notification schedules can be added manually with an own cycle, for example, an additional notification 90 days before the term of notice date or a notification every 3 months from a specific date, etc.

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Via the ‘Notifications' include on the 'Notifications’ tab, all generated notifications can be viewed:

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Via the 'Send additional notifications to' include, more contacts can be added which then will also receive the notification for this contract:

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1.4 Index contract items

1.4.1 General

Indexing is used to update (usually increase in price) the contract items over time. The indexing of the prices is usually done once per year and the payable contract party is informed in advance. These indexes or price changes need to be registered in the contracts to have up-to-date prices available.

If the client is the payable party of the contract registered in Workplace Management, the receivable party will inform the client of the upcoming price changes. These new prices can be manually registered in the contract. A new contract item is added with a startdate from when the new prices apply and the old/current contract item will get an enddate from when the contract items does not apply anymore.

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If the client is the receivable party of the contract(s) registered in Workplace Management, an indexation of the prices is usually done in bulk (for example, from 01-01-2025 all contracts will be indexed with 1,5%). Indexing all or a selection of contracts can be done via a few different ways.

• Price changes

• Indice wirh percentages

• Indice with values

• Indice with fixed values

1.4.2 Price changes

Via the menu option ‘Contracts' → 'Price changes’ the easiest way of indexing in bulk can be done.

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Via a filter all relevant contract items can be searched which need to be indexed:

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The first fields under the header 'Contract items' are used to filter on the specific contract items which need to be indexed.

The next fields determine the actual indexation:

• Date of price change: This will be the start date of the new contract items with the indexed price

• Set last index date: Do you want to set the last index date to be able to see when the contract item has been changed the last time and prevent that a contract items is indexed multiple times?

Determine the type of price change:

• Percentage: Change the price with a percentage (e.g. the price is increased by 1,5%

• Fixed price: Change the price to a fixed value (the new price is 1000)

• Price change: Change the price and add a value (the new price is the old price + 100)

All contract items are shown which meet the filter criteria. Via the apply button, the indexation can be carried out.

1.4.3 Index via indices

Next to price changes, it is also possible to index via an index table or indice. With an indice a list of values or percentages can be specified with a date. The indexation process will do the rest and calculates the correct percentage to index with.

Via the menu option ‘Contracts' → 'Indices’ the indices can be managed.

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1.4.4 Indexletters

1.5 Periodic invoicing

(short description including invoice runs, but refer to the outgoing invoices article (to be write later) for more info

1.6 Other relevant options

Contract types

Use types

VAT tables

2. General contract module settings

To navigate to all the general Contract module settings, go to Module settings → Contracts tab. Hover over the available settings to get more information about a specific setting:

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3. Additional information on this module

More information on the Contract module can be found via the following related articles:

• For an (end) user manual, see: Contract module for (end)users

• For more detailed implementation information (including how to enable the module, which system groups are involved, data imports, and more information on the startboard and navigation menu options), see: Contracts module activation and information