What to include in a business contract
It can be difficult to know what to include in a business contract, but it’s important to understand the right components so that the ones you send are valid.
This article will detail contract basics and explain what absolutely should be included in a business contract for it to be useful and legally enforceable.
l The difference between written and verbal contracts:
It’s pretty clear by their names, but written contracts are recorded in writing and verbal contracts are spoken agreements that are not written down. A verbal contract, also known as an oral contract, can be equally legally-binding as a formally-written contract if the correct procedures are followed.
So, if verbal agreements can be just as legally valid as a written one, then why does anybody bother going through the effort of having contracts in writing?
Why can’t a conversation and a handshake suffice for business deals?
Well, verbal contracts are often hard to prove legally.
l What to include in a business contract
All the parties
Every individual or entities that are a part of the contractual agreement need to be named on the contract. For instance, if a homeowner wants to hire an independent contractor to construct a conservatory, then both the homeowner and the business information of the builder need to be included.
Some form of consideration
In a contract, consideration is the explanation of something of value being gained by each party. In the building contractor example, the consideration for the homeowner would be the completed conservatory and the consideration for the builder would be the fee they receive when completing the project.
- A legal purpose
There must be a legal reason for a business contract to be legally enforceable. For instance, you couldn’t have a contract hiring someone to rob a bank for you, as this act is illegal. Likewise, the payment cannot be illegal either, so you couldn’t pay for a service in stolen goods.
- Competence
All parties involved in a business contract must be deemed competent, or mentally stable when the contract commenced. Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs can void a party from being deemed competent. Anyone who is a minor at the time of making the agreement is also classed as incompetent, as they may not understand the obligations of each party.
- Terms and conditions
This is where the obligations and rights of everyone involved in the agreement are specified. These are likely to be different for every business agreement, but usually involve things like exact payments, scope of work, and timeframes for payments. There may also be details about how to resolve any issues when it comes to a breach of contract.
l Signatures
For written contracts, it is strongly advisable that everyone signs the agreement. This isn’t a legal necessity, but it does help to prove that each party agreed to the specified terms of the contract and makes it more enforceable.
Electronic signatures and physical signatures are both legally acceptable. The more traditional format is physical, although this method can be quite impractical when multiple people are signing. Using specialized apps like PandaDoc and DocuSign, everyone has the ability to add their signature with a single click.
This eliminates the need to print, sign, scan, or email contracts for signing, and is far more efficient. Such apps also have additional functionality to expedite and improve the contract process. PandaDoc, for example, gives users the option to build legally-valid contracts from templates in just minutes. Users can also easily send contracts to multiple recipients and even track the document status from within the app.
l Always understand your business contracts
It’s always worth taking the time to understand any contracts you come across in your business life, no matter the size of your business, big or small. By understanding the basics, you can ensure that everything you send and sign is legally valid. Just remember that if you’re in any doubt about a contract, you should enlist the help of a contract lawyer for legal advice about your state’s laws to be safe.
商业合同中应包含的内容
可能很难知道在商业合同中包含哪些内容，但重要的是要了解正确的组件，这样您发送的组件才是有效的。
本文将详细介绍合同基础知识，并解释商业合同中绝对应包含的内容，以使其有用且具有法律效力。
l 书面合同和口头合同的区别:
他们的名字很清楚，但是书面合同是以书面形式记录的，而口头合同是没有写下来的口头协议。如果遵循正确的程序，口头合同，也称为口头合同，可以与正式书面合同同样具有法律约束力。
因此，如果口头协议可以与书面协议一样具有法律效力，那么为什么会有人费心费力地签订书面合同呢？
为什么谈话和握手就不能满足商业交易呢?
口头合同通常很难在法律上证明。
为什么要使用书面商业合同？
任何书面商业合同的最大原因是为了证明存在协议，以防万一出现问题。例如，您和另一方之间可能会发生争执。如果协议是口头协议，那么任何人将如何证明他们的论点？
在另一种情况下，一方可能只是忘记了确切的条款是什么。也有可能一方可能真的误解了某些原始条款，或者其中一方可能会在合同中途倒闭。
在任何这些情况下，书面合同都会让每个相关人员有安全感和信心来履行他们的义务。如果确实发生了任何争议，一份写得很好的合同应该能让他们快速、专业地得到解决，并帮助您维持牢固的业务关系。
l 商业合同中应包含的内容
各方
作为合同协议一部分的每个个人或实体都需要在合同上注明。例如，如果房主想聘请独立承包商建造温室，则需要包括房主和建筑商的业务信息。
某种形式的考虑
在合同中，对价是对每一方获得的有价值的东西的解释。在建筑承包商的示例中，房主的对价将是已完工的温室，而建筑商的对价将是他们在完成项目时收到的费用。
- 法律目的
商业合同必须有法律上的理由才能具有法律效力。例如，您不能签订雇佣某人为您抢劫银行的合同，因为这种行为是非法的。同样，付款也不能是非法的，因此您不能为赃物服务付款。
- 权限
在合同开始时，涉及商业合同的所有各方都必须被视为有能力或精神稳定。受酒精或药物影响可能会使一方无法被视为有能力。在订立协议时未成年的任何人也被归类为不称职，因为他们可能不了解各方的义务。
- 条款和条件
此处规定了参与协议的每个人的义务和权利。对于每个业务协议，这些可能会有所不同，但通常涉及确切的付款、工作范围和付款时间表等内容。还可能有关于如何解决违约问题的详细信息。
l 签名
对于书面合同，强烈建议每个人都签署协议。这不是法律上的必要性，但它确实有助于证明每一方都同意合同的特定条款并使其更具可执行性。
电子签名和物理签名都是合法的。更传统的格式是物理格式，尽管当多人签名时这种方法可能非常不切实际。使用 PandaDoc 和 DocuSign 等专业应用程序，每个人都可以通过单击添加签名。
这消除了打印、签署、扫描或通过电子邮件发送合同以进行签署的需要，并且效率更高。此类应用程序还具有加快和改进合同流程的附加功能。例如，PandaDoc 让用户可以选择在几分钟内从模板构建合法有效的合同。用户还可以轻松地将合同发送给多个收件人，甚至可以在应用程序内跟踪文档状态。
l 始终了解您的商业合同
花时间了解您在商业生活中遇到的任何合同总是值得的，无论您的企业规模大小，无论大小。通过了解基础知识，您可以确保您发送和签署的所有内容都具有法律效力。请记住，如果您对合同有任何疑问，您应该寻求合同律师的帮助，以获取有关您所在州的法律建议。
Citation: What to include in a business contract
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