Customer Contracts

Form ID: (CT301000)

By using this form, you can create and maintain contracts for customer service. When you're creating a new contract, you can select the contract template you want to base it on. For more details, see Contract Setup and Activation: General Information.

Form Toolbar

The form toolbar includes standard buttons and form-specific buttons and commands. For the list of standard buttons, see Form Toolbar and More Menu. The form-specific commands can be shown as buttons on the form toolbar, as commands on the More menu, or in both places. These commands are listed in the following table in alphabetical order.


Command	Description
Activate Contract	Initiates the provision of contract services. You can modify the contract activation date in the Activate Contract dialog box, which opens. By default, the activation date is the date specified in the Activation Date box on the Summary tab (Contract Settings section). When the operation has completed successfully, the contract is assigned the Active status and an invoice is generated for contract items that have a prepaid recurring price specified. (The recurring price is billed in proportion to the services to be used.) This button and command are available if the contract has the Pending Activation status. The status is assigned to a new contract when you click Set Up Contract.
Activate Upgrade	Initiates the provision of contract services according to the new settings that you have specified when the contract status was Pending Upgrade. For details, see Contract Management: Contract Upgrade. This button and command are available if the contract has the Pending Upgrade status.
Change ID	Brings up the Specify New ID dialog box, where you can type the new contract identifier.
Contract Usage	Navigates to the Contract Usage (CT303000) form so that you can view the usage of the contract. This command is available if the contract has the Active status.
Renew Contract	Initiates contract renewal according to the type of the contract. For details, see Contract Management: Contract Renewal. This button and command are available if the contract has the Active or Expired status.
Run Contract Billing	Initiates the billing process for the contract according to the billing schedule. After the operation has completed, you can view and further process the generated invoice on the AR History tab of the current form. This button and command are available if the contract has the Active or Pending Upgrade status. The Active status is assigned to a contract when you click Activate Contract or Set Up and Activate Contract. The Pending Upgrade status is assigned to a contract when you click Upgrade Contract. Note: If Canada is selected in the Localization box on the Companies (CS101500) form for the company, the Canadian cash discount calculation will be applied to the documents originating from this company and its branches. If you change the originating branch of the document in the Branch box on the Financial tab on the Invoices and Memos (AR301000) form, the cash discount will be automatically recalculated by the system.
Set Up and Activate Contract	Initiates contract setup and service provision on the same date. You can modify the contract setup and activation date in the Activate Contract dialog box, which opens. By default, this date is the date specified in the Activation Date box on the Summary tab (Contract Settings section). This command is available if the contract has the Draft status. This status is assigned by default when you create a new contract.
Set Up Contract	Initiates contract setup. You can modify the contract setup date in the Set Up Contract dialog box, which opens. By default, the contract setup date is the date specified in the Setup Date box on the Summary tab of this form (Contract Settings section). When the operation has completed successfully, the contract is assigned the Pending Activation status and an invoice is generated for the contract items that have a setup price specified. This button and command are available if the contract has the Draft status. The status is assigned by default when you create a new contract.
Terminate Contract	Cancels the contract (the contract status is changed to Canceled); no services will be provided. This command is available if the contract has the Active or Expired status.
Undo Last Action	Cancels the most recent action performed on this contract. This menu command is unavailable when the contract has the Draft status and when the last action involved released documents. After an action is undone, the Undo Last Action command becomes available again after another action is performed on a contract. The list of actions performed is available on the Contract History tab of this form.
Upgrade Contract	Initiates the contract upgrade. The contract is given the Pending Upgrade status and contract details can be edited. If you run contract billing for these contracts, it is performed according to the settings of the previous contract. This command is available if the contract has the Active status.

Table 1. Activate Contract Dialog BoxThis dialog box opens when you click the Activate Contract or Set Up and Activate Contract action. By using this dialog box, which includes the following elements, you can modify the date of the contract setup or activation.
Element	Description
Setup Date	The date of contract setup. By default, this box contains the date specified in the Setup Date box on the Summary tab of the contract. The box is displayed if you have selected the Set Up Contract action.
Activation Date	The date of contract activation. By default, this box contains the date specified in the Activation Date box on the Summary tab of the contract. The box is displayed if you have selected the Activate Contract or Set Up and Activate Contract action.
This dialog box has the following buttons.
OK	Initiates the selected operation.
Cancel	Closes the dialog box without performing the selected operation.

Table 2. Set Up Contract Dialog BoxThis dialog box opens when you click the Set Up Contract action. By using this dialog box, which includes the following elements, you can modify the date of the contract setup.
Element	Description
Setup Date	The date of contract setup. By default, this box contains the date specified in the Setup Date box on the Summary tab of the contract. The box is displayed if you have selected the Set Up Contract action.
This dialog box has the following buttons.
OK	Initiates the selected operation.
Cancel	Closes the dialog box without performing the selected operation.

Table 3. Specify New ID Dialog BoxThis dialog box opens when you select the Change ID action. By using the dialog box, you can modify the identifier of the contract.
Element	Description
Contract ID	The new contract identifier.
This dialog box has the following button.
OK	Changes the contract identifier to the new one.

Summary Area

You use the elements in this area to create a new contract based on a specific template or to select an existing contract for editing.


Element	Description
Contract ID	The unique identifier of a contract, which is specified in accordance with the configuration of the CONTRACT segmented key. The CONTRACT segmented key inherits its structure from the PROJECT segmented key. You can select a contract of a customer whose settings permit the use of the branch, company, or a company group that contains the branch to which the user's role is assigned—that is, the Restrict Visibility To box on the Financial tab of the Customers (AR303000) form contains this branch, company, company group, or the box is empty.
Contract Template	The contract template that this contract is based on.
Status	The status of the contract. The status can be one of the following: Draft: The contract has not been activated and cannot yet be used. Pending Activation: The contract is set up and needs to be activated so that you can start providing services and initiate recurring billing (if required). Active: The contract is activated and should be used as the basis for billing. Expired: The contract has expired and can be renewed within the grace period. Canceled: The contract has been canceled and is no longer used. Pending Upgrade: The contract is being prepared for upgrade and can be edited and billed. Contract billing is performed according to the settings of the previous contract.
Customer	The customer associated with the contract. The list of customers available for selection may be limited based on the role or roles assigned to the user account to which you are signed in if the Customer and Vendor Visibility Restriction feature is enabled on the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form. In this case, the Restrict Visibility To box appears on the Financial tab of the Customers (AR303000) form. With the feature enabled, a customer is available for selection if one of the following is true: The Restrict Visibility To box is empty for the customer—that is, the customer’s visibility is not restricted. A branch, company, or company group is specified in the Restrict Visibility To box for the customer, and your user account has the role specified in the Access Role box of the Configuration Settings section of one of the following: the Branch Details tab of the Branches (CS102000) form for the branch, or the Company Details tab of the Companies (CS101500) form for the company or a company within the company group.
Location	The customer location associated with the contract.
Description	The description of the contract, which includes any related comments. By default, the system inserts the description specified for the selected template.
Balance	A read-only box that displays the sum of the balances of open invoices associated with the contract.

Summary Tab

You use this tab to configure the general settings of a new contract or to view the settings of an existing contract.

Table 4. Contract Settings Section
Element	Description
Setup Date	The contract setup date. For contracts with the Draft status, in this box, you select the setup date, which will be displayed by default and can be changed in the Activate Contract dialog box (which opens when you click the Set Up Contract action). This box is read-only after the contract has been set up.
Activation Date	The contract activation date. For contracts with the Draft or Pending Activation status, you use this box to select the date, which will be displayed by default and can be changed in the Activate Contract dialog box (which opens when you click the Activate Contract action). This box is read-only after the contract has been activated.
Expiration Date	A read-only box that displays the date when the contract will expire. The date is calculated automatically according to the contract billing schedule.
Termination Date	A read-only box that displays the date when the contract was canceled, if applicable.
Mass Renewal	A check box that indicates (if selected) that this contract is available for mass processing and can be displayed and processed on the Renew Contracts (CT502000) form.
Renewal Point	The number of days before the contract expiration date when the system starts to display the contract on the Renew Contracts (CT502000) form if the Mass Renewal check box is selected for the contract.
Grace Period (in Days)	The period of time (in days) after the expiration date when the renewable contract can be renewed. After the end of the grace period, when you click the Renew Contract button or command, you can only create a copy of this contract with the Draft status (that is, you cannot renew the same contract).
Currency	The currency to be used for contract billing. This box appears on the form if the Multicurrency Accounting feature is enabled on the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form. You can select a currency from the list of foreign currencies defined in the system. These currencies have the Active and Use for Accounting check boxes selected on the Currencies (CM202000) form. If the Multiple Base Currencies feature is enabled on the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form, you can change the currency for the selected contract if no contract item has been added in the table on the Details tab of the current form. You cannot change the currency for the selected contract if this currency differs from the currency of the contract items specified for the contract in the Item Code column of the table on the Details tab.

Table 5. Billing Schedule Section
Element	Description
Billing Schedule Starts On	A read-only box that displays the start date of the first billing period. The date, which is calculated automatically according to the contract billing schedule, is displayed after contract activation.
Billing Period	The type of billing schedule. The type can be one of the following: Week, Month, Quarter, Half a Year, Year, Statement-Based, or On Demand. The invoice date is calculated based on the selected option and the date when the billing schedule is started. The On Demand option means that billing is not scheduled and you can bill the contract on any date. The option cannot be used with contract items that have recurring pricing configured, except for items that are tied up with a deposit item or have a default quantity of zero. For details on deposit contract items, see Contract Configuration: Deposit Contracts.
Last Billing Date	A read-only box that shows the date when the billing was performed most recently.
Next Billing Date	The date of the next billing invoice, according to the billing schedule.

Table 6. Billing Information Section
Element	Description
Bill To	The setting that defines the customer account to be billed for a contract. The following options are available: Parent Account: The account to be billed is the parent account of the customer account specified in the Customer box of the Summary area of this form. Customer Account: The account to be billed is the account specified in the Customer box of the Summary area. Specific Account: The account to be billed is the account specified in the Account box of the current section.
Account	The specific account that is to be billed for contract services. This box is available only if the Specific Account option is selected in the Bill To box. The list of customers available for selection may be limited based on the role or roles assigned to the user account to which you are signed in if the Customer and Vendor Visibility Restriction feature is enabled on the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form. In this case, the Restrict Visibility To box appears on the Financial tab of the Customers (AR303000) form. With the feature enabled, a customer is available for selection if one of the following is true: The Restrict Visibility To box is empty for the customer—that is, the customer’s visibility is not restricted. A branch, company, or company group is specified in the Restrict Visibility To box for the customer, and your user account has the role specified in the Access Role box of the Configuration Settings section of one of the following: the Branch Details tab of the Branches (CS102000) form for the branch, or the Company Details tab of the Companies (CS101500) form for the company or a company within the company group. If the Multiple Base Currencies feature is enabled on the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form, you can select a bill-to customer with the base currency different from the base currency of the contract customer if there is no contract usage recorded for this contract under the branch to which the contract customer is restricted.
Location	The customer location associated with the account the contract is billed to.
Shipping Branch	A read-only box that specifies the shipping branch of the contract. This value is copied from the customer's default branch specified in the Default Branch box on the Shipping tab of the Customers (AR303000) form.
Invoice Description	The formula to be used to generate the description for each invoice based on this contract. These invoices are generated when a user viewing the contract clicks the appropriate commands on the Actions menu on the form toolbar of the current form. The description specified in this box is inserted into the Description box of the Summary area of the Invoices and Memos (AR301000) form. By default, this box contains the formula specified on the Contract Templates (CT202000) form for the contract template this contract is based on, which is specified in the Contract Template box in the Summary area of the current form. This box is available (and you can override the invoice description formula that was specified for the contract template) only if the Enable Overriding Formulas in Contracts option is selected on the Contract Templates (CT202000) form for the contract template this contract is based on. If you can override the formula specified for the template, to change the formula, click the magnifier icon to open the Formula Editor window. In the window that opens, you can use any of the following entities and values to define the specific formula for the selected contract: The following parameters: ActionInvoice Contract Activation Contract Setup Contract Upgrade Contract Billing Contract Renewal Contract Termination Activate/Renew Setup Setup Upgrade Upgrade Activation All standard operations All standard functions (see Functions for details on the available functions) The following objects: Contract ContractTemplate Customer Location ContractBillingSchedule AccessInfo The system generates the description in the language associated with the customer locale, which is specified in the Locale box on the General Info tab of the Customers (AR303000) form. (This box is displayed on the form if there are multiple active locales in the system.) If the settings of the specific customer do not provide a locale, the system generates the description in the language associated with the locale of the user who runs contract billing on the Customer Contracts (CT301000) form to generate the invoice. The locale of a particular user is specified in the Format box on the Custom Locale Format tab of the User Profile (SM203010) form.
Line Description	The formula to be used to generate the description for each line of each invoice based on this contract. These invoices are generated when a user viewing the contract selects the appropriate commands from the Actions menu on the form toolbar of the current form. This description is inserted into each row of the Details tab of the Invoices and Memos (AR301000) form (in the Transaction Descr. column). By default, this box contains the formula specified in the Line Description box of the Contract Templates (CT202000) form (in the Billing Settings section of the Summary tab) for the contract template this contract is based on, which is specified in the Contract Template box in the Summary area of the current form. This box is available (and you can override the line description formula that was specified for the contract template) only if the Enable Overriding Formulas in Contracts option is selected on the Contract Templates (CT202000) form for the contract template this contract is based on. If you can override the formula specified for the template, to change the formula, click the magnifier icon to open the Formula Editor window. In the window that opens, you can use any of the following entities and values to define the specific formula for the selected contract: The following parameters: Prefix Prepaid Included Overused Included Usage Prepaid Usage ActionItem Contract Activation Contract Setup Contract Upgrade Contract Billing Contract Renewal Contract Termination Activate/Renew Setup Setup Upgrade Upgrade Activation Any standard operation Any standard function (see Functions for details on the available functions) Any of the following objects: Contract Customer ContractItem ContractDetail InventoryItem ContractBillingSchedule PMTran Note: The PMTran object can be used only for contracts with the Detailed billing format; this format is specified on the Contract Templates (CT202000) form (Billing Settings section of the Summary area) of the template the contract is based on. If this object is used in a contract whose template has the Summary billing format selected, the formula will be ignored by the system. UsageData AccessInfo The system generates the description in the language associated with the customer locale, which is specified in the Locale box on the General Info tab of the Customers (AR303000) form. (This box is displayed on this form if there are multiple active locales in the system.) If the settings of the specific customer do not provide a locale, the system generates the description in the language associated with the locale of the user who runs contract billing on the Customer Contracts (CT301000) form to generate the invoice. The locale of a particular user is specified in the Format box on the Custom Locale Format tab of the User Profile (SM203010) form.

Table 7. Contract Management Section
Element	Description
Owner	The owner of the contract.
Sales Person	The salesperson associated with the contract.
Case Count Item	A non-stock item used for counting cases associated with the contract. The default value is provided by the contract template used as a base for the contract. You can select another non-stock item in the box if the following conditions are met: The Enable Template Item Override check box is selected for the contract template used as a base for the contract. The contract is in the Draft, Pending Activation, or Pending Upgrade status. This box is available only if the Case Management feature is enabled on the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form. For details, see Contract Billing: To Bill a Support Contract by Case Usage.

Details Tab

This tab lists the contract items provided under the contract. During the creation of the contract, the list of contract items is copied automatically from the template you have selected. You can modify the list of items if the Enable Template Item Override check box is selected for the template on the Contract Templates (CT202000) form. With the check box selected, the list can be modified both when you are initially creating the contract and during contract upgrade.

If the Multiple Base Currencies feature is enabled on the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form, when you make changes to a contract, which could affect pricing, the system recalculates the current and pending prices shown on the current tab form in the contract currency, which is specified on the Summary tab (Contract Settings section). The system selects and calculates the current and pending prices as follows:

If the customer's base currency is the same as the contract currency, the system uses the default price of each inventory item on the current tab, in the customer's base currency, for the current and pending prices. The default price of an item is specified in the Default Price box on the Price/Cost tab of the Non-Stock Items (IN202000) or Stock Items (IN202500) form.
If the customer's base currency differs from the contract currency, the system recalculates the prices to the contract currency by using the base currency of the selected customer.
If the selected customer has no base currency specified—that is, if the customer has been extended from a branch—the system recalculates the current and pending prices to the contract currency by using the base currency of the current branch.

Table 8. Details Elements
Element	Description
Effective From	The date when the contract was set up or upgraded. When Upgrade Contract is clicked and the contract has the Pending Upgrade status, the system inserts the current expiration date of the contract into the box and makes the box available for editing. If you select a date during contract upgrade, it will be displayed in the Activate Contract dialog box, which opens when you click Activate Upgrade. You can also change the date in the dialog box.
Promo Code	The code of the discount to be applied.
Pending Setup	A read-only box that displays information about setup fees. One of the following options can be shown: If the contract status is Draft, the total of setup fees (item setup price multiplied by included quantity) If the contract status is Pending Upgrade, the total difference of setup fees before upgrade and during upgrade setup (the item setup price multiplied by the difference in quantity)
Pending Recurring	A read-only box that displays information about recurring fees. One of the following options can be shown: If the contract status is Draft, the total of recurring fees (item recurring price multiplied by included quantity) If the contract status is Pending Upgrade, the total difference of recurring fees before upgrade and during upgrade setup (item recurring price multiplied by the difference in quantity)
Pending Renewal	A read-only box that displays the total of renewal prices (item renewal price multiplied by included quantity). This box is displayed for contracts that have the Draft or Pending Upgrade status.
Total Pending	A read-only box that displays the total pending amount. This box is displayed for contracts that have the Draft or Pending Upgrade status.
Current Setup	A read-only box that displays the total of setup fees (item setup price multiplied by included quantity). This box is populated with this sum on contract activation or upgrade.
Current Recurring	A read-only box that displays the total of recurring fees (item recurring price multiplied by included quantity). This box is populated with this sum on contract activation or upgrade.
Current Renewal	A read-only box that displays the total of renewal prices (item renewal price multiplied by included quantity). This box is populated with the sum on contract activation or upgrade.

The table toolbar includes only standard buttons. For the list of standard buttons, see Table Toolbar.


Column	Description
Item Code	The identifier of the contract item. If the Multiple Base Currencies feature is enabled on the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form, you can add a contract item that has the same currency as the contract currency specified in the Currency box on the Summary tab. The currency of a contract item is selected in the Currency ID box (Price Options tab) of the Contract Items (CT201000) form.
Description	A description of the item, with any relevant comments.
Included	The contract item quantity included by default. It can be overridden within the allowed limits. The system inserts into this column the quantity specified for the selected item in the Quantity column on the Details tab of the Contract Templates (CT202000) form. If this line represents a recurring contract item and this is a retainer contract or contract that is billed on demand, we recommend that you enter `0` in this column for the line.
Difference	The quantity difference if the contract status is Pending Upgrade.
Setup Price	The contract item price for setup.
Setup Discount, %	The discount percent applied to the setup price.
Recurring Price	The contract item recurring price.
Extra Usage Price	The contract item price for extra usage.
Recurring Discount, %	The discount percent applied to the recurring price.
Renewal Price	The contract item price for renewal.
Renewal Discount, %	The discount percent applied to the renewal price.

Recurring Summary Tab

This tab lists the contract items that have a recurring price configured.

If the Multiple Base Currencies feature is enabled on the Enable/Disable Features (CS100000) form, when you make changes to a contract, which could affect pricing, the system recalculates the current and pending prices shown on the current tab in the contract currency, which is specified on the Summary tab (Contract Settings section). The system selects and calculates the current and pending prices as follows:

If the customer's base currency is the same as the contract currency, the system uses the default price of each inventory item on the Details tab, in the customer's base currency, for the current and pending prices. The default price of an item is specified in the Default Price box on the Price/Cost tab of the Non-Stock Items (IN202000) or Stock Items (IN202500) form.
If the customer's base currency differs from the contract currency, the system recalculates the prices to the contract currency by using the base currency of the selected customer.
If the selected customer has no base currency specified—that is, if the customer has been extended from a branch—the system recalculates the current and pending prices to the contract currency by using the base currency of the current branch.

Table 9. Summary Area Elements
Element	Description
Recurring Total	A read-only box that displays the total sum to be billed for the current billing period.
Extra Usage Total	A read-only box that displays the total sum to be billed for extra usage for the current billing period.
Total Due	A read-only box that displays the total amount to be billed for the current billing period.

The table toolbar includes only standard buttons. For the list of standard buttons, see Table Toolbar.


Column	Description
Item Code	The identifier of the contract item.
Description	A description of the item, with any relevant comments.
Inventory ID	The identifier of the non-stock item the customer is billed for recurrently.
UOM	The unit of measure used for billing. The UOM is the contract currency for deposit contract items.
Billing Type	The item billing policy defined in the contract item. The billing type is Deposit for deposit contract items.
Included	The item quantity the customer is billed for at the recurring price.
Recurring Price	The recurring price of the item.
Recurring Discount, %	The discount percent applied to the recurring price.
Extra Usage Price	The price of extra usage of the item.
Unbilled	The item quantity for which the customer is to be invoiced for the current billing period.
Used Total	The item quantity used from contract activation until the current business date.

Employee Overrides Tab

The tab displays a list of the associations between the earning type, the labor item, and the employee. An association is used to determine the labor item to be used as the source of the price and sales accounts for recording contract usage if this labor item is not explicitly defined in the case class for the earning type specified in the released activity. For details, see Contract Usage: Contract Usage.

The table toolbar includes only standard buttons. For the list of standard buttons, see Table Toolbar.


Column	Description
Earning Type	The identifier of the earning type.
Description	The description of the earning type.
Labor Item	The identifier of the non-stock item (of the Labor type) used as a source of the price and sales account to record the contract usage.
Employee	The identifier of the employee. If the employee is not selected, the value is All Employees.
Employee Name	The name of the employee.

Contract History Tab

The tab displays a list of actions performed on the contract.

Table 10. Table Toolbar
The table toolbar includes standard buttons and buttons that are specific to this table. For the list of standard buttons, see Table Toolbar. The table-specific buttons are listed below.
Button	Description
View Contract	Opens a new window with the Customer Contracts (CT301000) form so you can view the related contract details.

Table 11. Table Columns
Column	Description
Action	The action performed for the contract.
Date	The date when the action was performed.
User	The user who performed the action.
Related Contract	The identifier of any related contract. The related contract is either derived from the current contract or served as a derivation for the current contract. The box is populated by the system during the renewal process. For details, see Contract Management: To Renew a Contract.

AR History Tab

The tab displays the list of documents related to the contract.

The table toolbar includes only standard buttons. For the list of standard buttons, see Table Toolbar.

Table 12. Table Columns
Column	Description
Type	The type of AR document.
Reference Nbr.	The reference number of the document. By clicking the number, you can navigate to the Invoices and Memos (AR301000) form, where you can view the details of the document.
Post Period	The financial period to which the invoice transactions are posted.
Date	The date of the invoice.
Due Date	The due date of the invoice.
Status	The status of the invoice.
Amount	The amount of the invoice.
Balance	The balance of the invoice if it was paid partially.
Payment Method	The customer default payment method.

Attributes Tab

The list of attributes defined in the selected template. You can use available attributes for classification of contracts.

The table toolbar includes only standard buttons. For the list of standard buttons, see Table Toolbar.


Column	Description
Attribute ID	The attribute name serving as the label for the control. An alphanumeric string of up to 10 characters may be used.
Required	A check box that indicates (if selected) that the user must provide a value for the attribute.
Value	The value for the attribute.