{"id":158148,"date":"2026-10-26T09:48:46","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T09:48:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/docs.daftra.com\/tutorial\/edit-construction-contract\/"},"modified":"2026-11-11T13:36:30","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T13:36:30","slug":"edit-construction-contract","status":"publish","type":"tutorial","link":"https:\/\/docs.daftra.com\/en\/tutorial\/edit-construction-contract\/","title":{"rendered":"Editing a Construction Contract"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

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.<\/p>\n

\n
Required permissions<\/span>Edit and delete all Construction contracts<\/strong>, or Edit and delete own Construction contracts<\/strong> for your own contracts only. You set these in Roles<\/strong><\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n
How to access<\/span>Direct link: Contracts<\/strong><\/a>. Or from the main menu: Construction<\/strong> > Contracts<\/strong> > open the contract, then click Edit<\/strong>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Table of Contents<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. When Can You Edit a Contract?<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Steps to Edit a Contract<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Contract Fields<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Fields Locked After Activation<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  5. What Happens When You Save<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Error Messages and Solutions<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

    When Can You Edit a Contract?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Contract Status<\/th>\nEditing<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
    Draft<\/strong> \/ Issued<\/strong><\/td>\nAvailable for all fields.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Active<\/strong><\/td>\nAvailable, except for the financial data locked after activation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Closed<\/strong> \/ Canceled<\/strong><\/td>\nNot available; reactivate the contract first.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    Steps to Edit a Contract<\/h2>\n
      \n
    1. Open the contract from Contracts<\/strong><\/a>.<\/li>\n
    2. Click Edit<\/strong>; the page<\/span>\u00a0opens.<\/span><\/li>\n
    3. Edit the data in Contract Information<\/strong> and the bill of quantities.<\/li>\n
    4. Click Save<\/strong> to save while keeping the contract status as it is, or Save as Draft<\/strong> to convert it to a draft (for Issued contracts only).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Contract Fields<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Field<\/th>\nRequired<\/th>\nNotes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
      Agreement Title<\/strong><\/td>\nYes<\/td>\nUp to 255 characters, for example: Residential Complex.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Contract Number<\/strong><\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\nNumbered automatically.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Project<\/strong><\/td>\nNo<\/td>\nA project can be linked to only one contract, and it is required to activate the contract.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Client<\/strong><\/td>\nYes<\/td>\nMust match the client on the project and the estimate.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Quotation<\/strong><\/td>\nNo<\/td>\nSelecting an estimate locks the currency.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Duration<\/strong> (days \/ months), Start Date<\/strong>, End Date<\/strong><\/td>\nYes (the dates)<\/td>\nThe end date must be after the start date and equal to the start date plus the duration.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Contract Value<\/strong> and currency<\/td>\nYes<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Retention\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nNo<\/td>\nA percentage from 0 to 100.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Advance Payment Amount<\/strong><\/td>\nNo<\/td>\nPercentage<\/strong> or Amount<\/strong>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Advance Payment Invoice<\/strong><\/td>\nNo<\/td>\nLink the client’s advance payment invoices to the contract, after you enter the advance payment value.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Recovery Plan<\/strong><\/td>\nNo<\/td>\nPercentage<\/strong> or Installments<\/strong>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Tax<\/strong><\/td>\nNo<\/td>\nA tax for the contract, or set a tax for each work item<\/strong>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Description<\/strong>, Attachments<\/strong><\/td>\nNo<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Bill of Quantities<\/td>\n\u2014<\/td>\nMain and sub Bids and work items, with quantity, selling price, and tax.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      Fields Locked After Activation<\/h2>\n

      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<\/strong>, the currency, Retention<\/strong>, Advance Payment Amount<\/strong>\u00a0and its type, Recovery Plan<\/strong>, and taxes.<\/p>\n

      What Happens When You Save<\/h2>\n
        \n
      • The Bill of Quantities items are updated, and the Bids and items you removed are deleted.<\/li>\n
      • The links to advance payment invoices are updated, and this is recorded in the Activity Log<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
      • If you change the estimate, the old estimate returns to the Approved status, and the new one is linked to the contract.<\/li>\n
      • If the contract is active and linked to an estimate, the linked cost sheet is updated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Error Messages and Solutions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
        Message You See<\/th>\nCause<\/th>\nSolution<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
        Failed<\/strong> \u2014 Contract #(number) cannot be updated because it is closed \/ canceled<\/strong><\/td>\nThe contract is closed or canceled.<\/td>\nReactivate the contract, then edit it.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        Agreement title is required<\/strong> \/ Client is required<\/strong> \/ Currency code is required<\/strong><\/td>\nA required field is empty.<\/td>\nFill in the field.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        The end date must be after the start date<\/strong><\/td>\nThe end date is before the start date.<\/td>\nCorrect the dates.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        The value must be less than or equal to 100<\/strong><\/td>\nThe down payment or refund percentage is greater than 100.<\/td>\nEnter a percentage of 100 or less.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        Enter the down payment amount first<\/strong><\/td>\nYou selected down payment invoices without entering a down payment amount.<\/td>\nEnter the down payment amount.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        The project is linked to an existing contract. You cannot add more than one contract to a project!<\/strong><\/td>\nThe project already has another contract.<\/td>\nSelect a different project.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
        The status cannot be changed from (status) to Draft.<\/strong><\/td>\nYou clicked Save as Draft on an active contract.<\/td>\nClick Save<\/strong>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

        Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n

        Why can’t I edit the down payment amount or the currency?<\/h3>\n

        Because the contract has already been activated, and these fields are locked after the first activation.<\/p>\n

        Can I edit a closed contract?<\/h3>\n

        No. Reactivate it using Reactivate<\/strong>, then edit it.<\/p>\n

        Can I link two contracts to the same project?<\/h3>\n

        No. Each project can have only one contract.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[15599,16736],"tags":[21074,15726,30167,16656,30165,28841,30162,30163,30166,16657,30168,30164],"class_list":["post-158148","tutorial","type-tutorial","status-publish","hentry","category-construction","category-contracts-construction","tag-agreement-title","tag-bill-of-quantities","tag-closed-contract","tag-contract-value","tag-edit-construction-contract","tag-edit-contract","tag-fields-locked-after-activation","tag-project-linked-to-an-existing-contract","tag-recovery-plan","tag-retention-deduction","tag-unable-to-update-contract","tag-update-contract"],"yoast_head":"\nEditing a Construction Contract - Daftra Knowledge Base<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.daftra.com\/en\/tutorial\/edit-construction-contract\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Editing a Construction Contract - Daftra Knowledge Base\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Editing a Construction contract lets you update the contract details, such as the title, duration, dates, description, and the bill of quantities (work items). 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