Before you begin

• Only Users with the Technical Contract Manager role can view and edit Contract Templates.

Procedure

To Create a New Contract Template, do the following:

1. On the LPG menu, select Contracts > Contract Templates.

The List Contract Templates screen appears with all existing templates listed.

2. Click the New Template

The Create New Contract Template screen appears.

3. Fill in the fields on the Contract Template as required.

4. Click the Submit

The Update Contract Template screen appears with the Details tab selected. From this screen, each tab can be accessed to input/edit the Contract Template detailed information.

5. Details Tab

a. From the Details Tab, the user can change the information that was entered in the Create New Contract Template screen.

b. The Contract Template Component section displays a list of the Contract Template Components and their current status. A green tick  identifies those components that have been marked complete whilst a red cross  indicates that the details of the component have not been confirmed.

c. Clicking on the Save Details button will save any changes that have been made on the Details tab.

6. Management Tab

From the Management Tab, LPG features can be configured to provide contract level control of system behaviour.

a. The Rate Management option allows the Contract Manager to determine whether the contractually agreed rates applied to items are current rates or those that were in effect at the Order Start Date.

b. The Visibility to No Rate Item option allows the Contract Manager to ensure that only items that have been contractually agreed to and uploaded into LPG can be added to orders.

c. The Provider Diary option allows customers to manage work allocations by scheduling orders directly to specific Provider resource groups. This option is not enabled for LPG.

d. The Non User Engagement option enables work to be issued to Providers who do not have access to LPG. The work is then managed by the customer on behalf of the Provider.

e. The Quoting Tolerance option allows LPG to automatically generate request for Quotes from Providers if the value of the Engagement exceeds a user defined limit. This option is not used in LPG.

f. The Variations option allows for LPG to automatically approve Budget Variations requested by the Provider. Users can configure exception conditions where manual approval is required.  The Contract Manager can also determine whether the Provider is able to submit a budget variation request after the Engagement orders has been marked as ‘Done’.  This will enable the Provider to revise their Budget prior to submitting their final claim whilst enabling them to inform the customer that the work has been completed at the earliest opportunity.

g. The Claim Verification option allows for LPG to automatically verify all claims submitted by the Provider. Users can configure exception conditions where manual approval is required.  By default, any orders containing items that have been flagged as ‘auditable items’ will require manual verification however this exception can be disabled.

h. The Design to Construct Workflow option is not relevant to LPG.

i. Within the Invoice Settings option, the following configuration settings are available:

• Allow the Contract Manager to identify the Provider as being eligible to create Recipient Created Tax Invoices. This means that LPG would submit an invoice to the customer on behalf of the Provider after applying a system-generated invoice number. If Invoice attachments need to be uploaded as part of the invoice submission, the Traditional method of invoicing should be chosen.
• Determine whether Payment Claims, claims for partial payment prior to work completion, can be made.
• Enable LPG to automatically approve all invoices submitted by the Provider. Users can configure exception conditions where manual approval is required.
• Allow invoices to be grouped together to enable the submission of a bulk across multiple orders. The submission of the grouped invoice can be automated.

j. The Audit Tolerance allows for the identification and preparation of a random set of orders, invoices, quotes and contracts for auditing.

k. The WIP Events option allows the Contract Manager to determine that customer-defined ‘stages of progress’ need to be reported on by the Provider.

l. The Service Request Configuration option enables the provider to submit a Service Request which is a Provider-identified need for a new order to be raised by the Customer.

m. The Milestones option enables the automatic instantiation of milestones on orders and Matters, if milestones have been defined.

n. Clicking on the Save Contract Management Details button save any settings that have been made without flagging the Management tab as complete.

o. Once all changes to the Management Tab have been made, click on the Save & Complete button to confirm that no further changes are required. This updates the flag to Complete in the Contract Template Components section on the Details Tab.

7. SLA Tab

The SLA Tab allows for the activation and configuration of warnings in LPG relating to milestone target breaches that could result in KPI failures.

a. A list of SLA Milestones is displayed that shows if the milestone is active and whether the SLA activity is for the Provider or the Customer.

b. For each milestone, one or more Trigger Dates is defined. These dates are the anchor points from which the action target and warning dates are calculated.

c. The Action Required number and measure define how long before/after the trigger that action is required.

d. The Warning Period number and measure define how long before/after the action is required that a warning is sent.

e. The Provider/Customer Notification checkboxes identify whether notification emails are sent to the Provider and/or Customer if a SLA Milestone breach occurs.

f. Different parameters can be defined for Orders of different priorities. The default order priority is displayed at the top of the screen. This can be changed by the user creating the Order, if required.  A default override can be specified for the contract whereby all orders for the contract will have the override priority applied by default.

g. Once all changes to the SLA Tab have been made, click on the Save & Complete button to confirm that no further changes are required. This updates the flag to Complete in the Contract Template Components section on the Details Tab.  Clicking on the Save SLA Targets button allows changes that have been made to the screen to be saved without marking SLA Targets as complete.

8. Compliance Tab

Clicking on the Compliance Tab allows for the activation and configuration of warnings in LPG relating to milestone target breaches that could result in KPI failures.

a. The list of Required Compliances is displayed, including Insurance Policies, Certifications and Contract Documents.

b. Each Compliance Requirement is identified with a symbol. When the Compliance is included in a Provider Contract, the colour of the symbol indicates the status of compliance.

c. To include an insurance policy or Compliance Certification document in the contract Template, tick the Required

d. If necessary, enter in the Liability field the minimum dollar value of cover that the Provider requires for this Insurance/Certification.

e. Once all changes to the Compliance Tab have been made, click on the Save & Complete button to confirm that no further changes are required. This updates the flag to Complete in the Contract Template Components section on the Details Tab.  Clicking on the Save Compliance button allows you to save any changes that have been made to the screen without marking Compliances as complete.  Clicking the Clear button will deselect all Compliances (i.e. remove the ticks in the Required boxes) and clear all values in the Liability

 9. Info Pack Tab

Clicking on the Info Pack Tab allows for previously uploaded information packs to be associated with contracts created using the template.  Note:  Info Packs must first have been uploaded by the Technical Contract Manager from the Components > Contract Doc menu.

a. The list of Required Info Packs is displayed. These are Contract Documents that had previously been uploaded.  Info Packs are documents uploaded by the customer to provide information to the Provider.

b. Clicking on the icon in the View column downloads the document for viewing.

c. To include an Info Pack in the Contract Template, tick the Required

d. Once all changes to the Info Pack Tab have been made, click on the Save & Complete button to confirm that no further changes are required. This updates the flag to Complete in the Contract Template Components section on the Details Tab.  Clicking on the Save Info Pack button allows you to save any changes that have been made to the screen without marking Info Packs as complete.

10. Evidentiary Tab

Clicking on the Evidentiary Tab allows for previously uploaded Evidentiary Documents to be associated with contracts created using the template.  Note:  Evidentiary Documents must first have been uploaded by the Technical Contract Manager from the Components > Contract Doc menu.

a. The list of Required Evidentiary Documents is displayed. These are Contract Documents that had previously been uploaded. Evidentiary Documents are documents uploaded by the customer that need to be downloaded and completed by the Provider prior to be uploaded back to the contract.

b. Clicking on the icon in the View column downloads the document.

c. To include an Evidentiary Document in the Contract Template, tick the Required

d. Once all changes to the Evidentiary Tab have been made, click on the Save & Complete button to confirm that no further changes are required. This updates the flag to Complete in the Contract Template Components section on the Details Tab.  Clicking on the Save Evidentiary Docs button allows you to save any changes that have been made to the screen without marking Evidentiary Docs as complete.

11. KPI Tab

As Ratings are beings used in LPG, no changes can be made on the KPI Template.  The KPI Template that is being applied has been defined on the Rating Template and cannot be changed.  The KPI tab displays the KPI settings and no changes can be made. 

a. The Save KPI Template and Complete buttons are disabled as no action is required on this tab.

12. Ratings Tab

On the Ratings Tab, The Technical Contract Manager identifies the Ratings Template to be applied.  Selection of the Ratings Template determines the KPI Template that will be set on the Contract Template. The Ratings settings are displayed but are not editable.

a. An option to Allow Provider to see Ratings detail determines whether the Provider’s view of the contract includes the Ratings tab.

b. The Ratings Template dropdown enables the user to select from a list of defined Ratings Templates that were created from the Components > Rating Templates menu.

c. Once the Ratings Template selection has been confirmed, click on the Save & Complete button to confirm that no further changes are required. This updates the flag to Complete in the Contract Template Components section on the Details Tab.  Clicking on the Save Rating Details button allows you to save any changes that have been made to the screen without marking Rating Details as complete.

 13. Clauses Tab

On the Clauses Tab, the clauses that will be included on orders created against contract based on this template will be selected.

a. The list of Clauses is displayed. These are Clauses that had previously been defined on the Components > Contract Clauses menu.  The users can identify which one or more of these should be associated with orders.

b. Once the Clauses have been selected, click on the Save & Complete button to confirm that no further changes are required. This updates the flag to Complete in the Contract Template Components section on the Details Tab.  Clicking on the Save Clauses button allows you to save any changes that have been made to the screen without marking Clauses as complete.

14. Invoiced Entity Tab

Clicking on the Invoiced Entity Tab allows for previously uploaded Evidentiary Documents to be associated with contracts created using the template.  Note:  Evidentiary Documents must first have been uploaded by the Technical Contract Manager from the Components > Contract Doc menu.

a. The list of Invoiced Entities is displayed and the Technical Contract Manager determines which Entities the contracts are associated to.

b. Once the Invoiced Entities have been selected, click on the Save & Complete button to confirm that no further changes are required. This updates the flag to Complete in the Contract Template Components section on the Details Tab.

15. Attributes Tab

Attributes can be used to limit the contracts that are presented on the Provider Selection screen.  Only those contracts with the specific attribute values defines are presented for orders containing those attributes.

16. Finalising the Template

After all tabs on the Update Contract Template screen have been completed, return to the Details tab.

Click the Refresh button in the Contract Template Component section (A) to update the checklist.  Any components that are complete (Save & Complete button was clicked on the corresponding tab) have a green tick next to them.

Click the Complete Contract Template button (B) to finalise the creation of the new Contract Template.  The Complete Contract Template button is hidden and a confirmation message appears.

17. Return to the List Contract Details

The new Template is added to the list (A) and a green tick indicates that it is active (B). An active Template can be used to create Contracts.

You can click the Edit link (C)to return to the Update Contract Template screen and modify any component of the Template.

Once the Template has been used to create a Contract, the In Use status changes to “Yes” (D) and the Edit link is replaced with a View link. At this point the Template is no longer editable.

Tips & Troubleshooting

N1 - Although a Template cannot be edited once it is activated, a copy can be made. However, it is advisable to take the time to thoughtfully construct a Template rather than making several copies because the Template was not quite right. Having many similar Templates can cause confusion.

Templates can only be used to create Contracts. They cannot be applied to existing Contracts to make bulk changes to the Contracts. Thus, if the Template on which Contracts were based lacked some detail, that detail will have to be applied to each Contract individually.