Managing Contracts in Mastt

Objective

By the end of this guide, you'll be able to:

• Create new contracts with appropriate contract standards
• Structure contracts with sections and line items
• Assign contracts to specific budgets
• Import contract data from Excel spreadsheets

Prerequisites

• Access to a Mastt project
• Basic understanding of the Cost Module structure
• Contract information ready for entry

Video Walkthrough

 

Step-by-Step Contract Management

Creating a New Contract

1. Accessing the Contracts Module

• Contracts are created and managed within the Cost Module
• Click the Plus Add Contract button to begin

2. Basic Contract Information

• Enter the contract name
• Select the contract standard from the dropdown:
  • Common standards for Australia, New Zealand, and the United States
  • General options: Purchase Order, General Consultant, General Contractor
• Select which budget the contract will be assigned to
• Enter a PO number if applicable
• Set the approval date

3. Contract Roles

• After selecting a contract standard, the contract roles section becomes available
• Assign the following roles:
  • Principal: The client/owner
  • Contractor: The entity performing the work
  • Project Manager: The person managing the contract
  • Superintendent: The person overseeing the work (under Project Manager or Principal)

4. Contract Configuration

• Under Setup and Configuration:
  • Toggle Custom to modify the payment clause if needed
  • For Australian contracts, select the appropriate jurisdiction for security payment laws
  • Set the GST/VAT/sales tax percentage

Structuring the Contract

1. Adding Line Items

• Enter contract line items directly into the form
• Each line item needs:
  • Description
  • Amount
  • Status (Approved, Pending, or Draft)

2. Importing from Excel

• For efficiency, copy and paste columns directly from Excel
• Click the copy/paste button to see a demonstration
• Select cells in Excel, copy, then paste into the first field in Mastt

3. Creating Contract Sections

• Use sections to organize line items and match vendor breakdowns
• Add a section by clicking Add Section
• Provide a section name (e.g., "Early Works")
• Sections help organize complex contracts with multiple components

4. Budget Assignment

• Each contract defaults to the budget selected at creation
• Individual line items can be assigned to different budgets
• Select the appropriate budget from the dropdown for each line item
• This allows one contract to be tracked against multiple budgets

5. Finalizing the Contract

• Add any relevant notes
• Upload attachments (e.g., the signed contract)
• Click Add to create the contract

Managing Existing Contracts

1. Editing Contracts

• Go to the Contracts module
• Click the three dots next to a contract
• Select Edit Contract to make changes

2. Adding Variations or Payments

• Click the three dots next to a contract
• Select Add Variation to create a contract variation
• Select Add Payment to record a payment

3. Deleting Contracts

• Click the three dots next to a contract
• Select Delete

Contract Organization Tips

1. Using Sections for Project Phases

• Create sections to represent project phases (e.g., Early Works, Main Works)
• Assign line items to appropriate sections
• This makes it easier to track costs by project phase

2. Linking Multiple Budgets

• When a contractor works across multiple project areas, assign their line items to different budgets
• This maintains a single contract while accurately tracking costs against the correct budgets

Common Pitfalls and Solutions

• Issue: Can't make payments
  • Solution: Ensure the contract status is set to "Approved"
• Issue: Missing contract roles
  • Solution: Always fill in all required contract roles for complete documentation
• Issue: Cannot delete a contract
  • Solution: Remove all associated payments and variations first
• Issue: Contract data not importing
  • Solution: Check that you're copying the correct columns from Excel

Next Steps

Now that you understand how to manage contracts, explore the Variation Management guide to learn how to handle contract variations in Mastt.