Editing a Construction Contract

Editing a Construction contract lets you update the contract details, such as the title, duration, dates, description, and the bill of quantities (work items). After you activate a contract for the first time, its financial data is locked and can’t be edited.

When Can You Edit a Contract?

Contract Status	Editing
Draft / Issued	Available for all fields.
Active	Available, except for the financial data locked after activation.
Closed / Canceled	Not available; reactivate the contract first.

Steps to Edit a Contract

1. Open the contract from Contracts.
2. Click Edit; the page opens.
3. Edit the data in Contract Information and the bill of quantities.
4. Click Save to save while keeping the contract status as it is, or Save as Draft to convert it to a draft (for Issued contracts only).

Contract Fields

Field	Required	Notes
Agreement Title	Yes	Up to 255 characters, for example: Residential Complex.
Contract Number	—	Numbered automatically.
Project	No	A project can be linked to only one contract, and it is required to activate the contract.
Client	Yes	Must match the client on the project and the estimate.
Quotation	No	Selecting an estimate locks the currency.
Duration (days / months), Start Date, End Date	Yes (the dates)	The end date must be after the start date and equal to the start date plus the duration.
Contract Value and currency	Yes
Retention	No	A percentage from 0 to 100.
Advance Payment Amount	No	Percentage or Amount.
Advance Payment Invoice	No	Link the client’s advance payment invoices to the contract, after you enter the advance payment value.
Recovery Plan	No	Percentage or Installments.
Tax	No	A tax for the contract, or set a tax for each work item.
Description, Attachments	No
Bill of Quantities	—	Main and sub Bids and work items, with quantity, selling price, and tax.

Fields Locked After Activation

After you activate the contract for the first time, these fields are locked and do not change, even if you return the contract to another status: Estimate, the currency, Retention, Advance Payment Amount and its type, Recovery Plan, and taxes.

What Happens When You Save

• The Bill of Quantities items are updated, and the Bids and items you removed are deleted.
• The links to advance payment invoices are updated, and this is recorded in the Activity Log.
• If you change the estimate, the old estimate returns to the Approved status, and the new one is linked to the contract.
• If the contract is active and linked to an estimate, the linked cost sheet is updated.

Error Messages and Solutions

Message You See	Cause	Solution
Failed — Contract #(number) cannot be updated because it is closed / canceled	The contract is closed or canceled.	Reactivate the contract, then edit it.
Agreement title is required / Client is required / Currency code is required	A required field is empty.	Fill in the field.
The end date must be after the start date	The end date is before the start date.	Correct the dates.
The value must be less than or equal to 100	The down payment or refund percentage is greater than 100.	Enter a percentage of 100 or less.
Enter the down payment amount first	You selected down payment invoices without entering a down payment amount.	Enter the down payment amount.
The project is linked to an existing contract. You cannot add more than one contract to a project!	The project already has another contract.	Select a different project.
The status cannot be changed from (status) to Draft.	You clicked Save as Draft on an active contract.	Click Save.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can’t I edit the down payment amount or the currency?

Because the contract has already been activated, and these fields are locked after the first activation.

Can I edit a closed contract?

No. Reactivate it using Reactivate, then edit it.

Can I link two contracts to the same project?

No. Each project can have only one contract.