What are Contractual Obligations? Definitions and Types

When individuals or entities enter a contract, they agree to perform certain actions and refrain from specific activities. These actions make up contractual obligations.

Contractual obligations a.k.a legal duties, can be oral, written, or partly oral and partly written.

The party who bears the responsibility to perform or provide something as agreed is called the obligor, while the party who receives the action is called the obligee. Obligors are duty-bound or obliged to fulfill their obligations and failure may incur legal consequences.

This article will explore the importance of contractual obligations, the types, and consequences of breaching contract obligations, and how to manage them effectively.

What are Contractual Obligations?

Contractual obligations are duties that each party is legally required to fulfill as part of a contract. These duties can include providing goods or services, making payments, maintaining confidentiality, or adhering to non-compete clauses. 

Contractual obligations are important because:

• Ensuring the terms and conditions are clear and agreed upon by involved parties 
• Holding parties accountable for their actions or failures to act as agreed
• Offering a legal basis for enforcing promises and agreements
• Outlining procedures for resolving conflicts
• Establishing expectations and outcomes in advance to aid predictability
• Providing a written record of agreements, useful for reference in case of disagreements or audits

Example of Contractual Obligation

Imagine John hires Mary to repaint his house. Mary agrees to complete the painting within two weeks for $2,000.

Here, Mary's (obligor) obligation is to complete the painting job as specified within the agreed time frame. John's obligation (obligee) is to pay the agreed amount upon satisfactory completion of the work.

Common elements that establish obligations in a contract

Subject:  Identifies the parties (obligor and obligee) involved in the contract. They are bound by the obligation and have duties and rights under the contract. The obligor and obligee are also known as passive subject or debtor and active subject or creditor respectively. 

Object: Also called subject matter, it is the specific duty that one or both parties must perform. The objects of the obligations can be: 

• To Do: Actions one party must perform, such as providing services, completing tasks, or delivering goods.
• To Give: Obligations to transfer ownership or possession of something tangible or intangible, like money, property, or rights.
• Not to Do: Restrictions on one party, prohibiting specific actions or behaviors that could interfere with the other party’s rights or interests.

Cause: The "cause" (or "causa") is the underlying reason for entering the contract. For example, if Alice buys a car from Bob, the cause for Alice is to acquire ownership of the car, while the cause for Bob is to receive payment. 

The concept of cause ensures that contracts are entered into for legitimate and mutually agreed-upon reasons. Without a valid cause, a contract may be void or unenforceable.

Types of Contractual Obligations

The common types of contractual obligations include:

Confidentiality obligation

A confidentiality obligation, also known as a non-disclosure obligation, requires one party to keep sensitive or proprietary information undisclosed to third parties without proper authorization. Common in employment, partnership and licensing agreements, it applies to contracts involving the exchange of sensitive information.

Termination terms obligation

Termination terms outline the conditions under which the contract can be legally ended by one or both parties involved. These terms clarify the exit process and the post termination obligations. 

Common conditions for termination include:

• Mutual Agreement: Contracts may allow termination if both parties agree to end the agreement voluntarily.
• Breach of Contract: If one party fails to fulfill their obligations, the other party may have the right to terminate the contract.
• Specific Events: Contracts may specify certain events that trigger termination, such as bankruptcy, force majeure events, or changes in law.

Insurance obligation 

An insurance obligation requires one party (typically the contractor, service provider, or lessee) to obtain and maintain specific types or levels of insurance coverage during the performance of the contract. This mitigates risks associated with the contract’s activities or services. 

For example, a logistics company contracts with a manufacturer to provide transportation and warehousing services. The contract includes an insurance obligation requiring the logistics company to maintain cargo insurance with a $500,000 coverage limit. This protects against loss or damage to the manufacturer's goods during transit or while in storage.

Non-compete obligation 

A non-compete obligation, also known as a non-competition clause or covenant not to compete, is a contractual agreement in which one party agrees not to engage in activities that could compete with the other party's business interests. This obligation typically applies during and sometimes after the termination of the contractual relationship. 

The primary purpose of a non-compete obligation is to protect the legitimate business interests of the party imposing the restriction. It prevents the other party from using the knowledge, skills, or relationships gained during the contract period to unfairly compete against them.

What is Breach of Contract?

A breach of contract occurs when one party fails to fulfill their obligations under the terms of a contract without a valid legal excuse. It can involve failing to perform on time, not performing at all, or performing in a manner that does not meet the contract requirements. 

For example, a construction company contracts with a realty company to renovate a property by June 30th for $50,000. The construction company’s failure to complete the renovations by the agreed-upon date results in a contract breach. 

What happens if parties fail to fulfill their contract obligation 

Contracts often include clauses requiring mediation or arbitration before resorting to litigation. These methods can resolve disputes more amicably and cost-effectively. 

However, if they cannot settle the case, the non-breaching party may terminate the contract if the breach is material, releasing them from their obligations. Alternatively, they may file a lawsuit seeking damages, specific performance (compelling the breaching party to fulfill their commitments), or other remedies outlined in the contract.

The court will determine if there is a legal reason for the breach, such as duress, frustration of purpose, or mutual errors. With mutual mistake or misrepresentation, the court may reform the contract to better reflect the parties' original intent.

The court may award damages to compensate for losses incurred due to the breach. These can be compensatory (to cover direct losses), consequential (for additional losses caused by the breach), or punitive (to punish egregious behavior).

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How to Manage Contractual Obligation Effectively

Some tips for managing contractual obligations include:

Create a clear and detailed contract

A well-drafted contract uses clear language to outline the rights, responsibilities, and obligations of each party involved. It offers legal protection by specifying remedies and consequences for breaches, and serves as a reference point for resolving conflicts, ensuring accountability and fairness throughout the agreement.

Suppose Alice hires Bob to renovate her kitchen. A clear and detailed contract would specify the scope of work, materials to be used, project timeline, payment terms, and any warranties or guarantees. This clarity helps prevent misunderstandings about project expectations and responsibilities.

Seek legal counsel

Legal counsels are especially crucial for complex or high-stakes agreements. Lawyers can help you fully understand the terms, conditions, and obligations in a contract, ensuring you know your rights and responsibilities. 

Lawyers can assist in negotiations with the other party to achieve favorable terms and conditions. And in case of a breach, they can guide you on the best course of action to enforce the contract or seek remedies. 

Regularly review contract

When contracts are abandoned, there’s a high chance of deviating from their terms, hence the importance of regular review. This ensures ongoing compliance and relevance throughout the contract's lifecycle. 

Additionally, contracts often have expiration dates or renewal clauses. Regular reviews help prepare for renewal negotiations or assess whether termination conditions are being met.

Use contract automation tools

Let's admit, contract management isn’t a high value task for any business, yet it can cost you up to 9% of your revenue when poorly managed. Does this mean you should trade off more relevant business tasks to manage it? Not when there are  contract automation tools like Docupilot. These tools help you automate and manage contract processes throughout their lifecycle with minimal human efforts. They offer several features to ensure adhere to obligations:

Templates: Standardized templates, allow you generate customized contracts faster while ensuring adherence to company standards and legal requirements. This minimizes possible errors and inconsistencies if created from scratch every time. With Docupilot, instead of creating a fresh template, you can import your existing contract template or choose from the library pre-made contract and customize. 

Workflow Automation: Automations in document creation workflows streamline every step from the initial drafting to the final approval. Automated workflows trigger actions based on predefined rules, reducing manual intervention and accelerating the contract lifecycle. For example, once a contract draft is ready, the system can automatically send notifications to the next in line for review and approval. This ensures a seamless flow of contracts through your organization, saving time and reducing the risk of human error.

Collaboration: This feature lets you  invite stakeholders involved in the contract process, allowing access, review, edit, and approval of contracts. This promotes transparency, reduces delays, and ensures that all parties are aligned with the contract terms.

Access Control: Collaboration doesn’t always equate to full access. Use access control to ensure only authorized personnel can access, edit, and approve contracts, enhancing security and accountability.

Manage Your Contracts With Docupilot

Contractual obligations are essential duties agreed upon in contracts, specifying actions to be performed, goods or services to be provided, or restrictions on behaviors. When mismanaged, they can result in time wastage on legal matters and substantial revenue loss.

This is why it’s important to seek legal counsel and use automation tools that let you worry less about managing them. With Docupilot, you can access all the tools needed to manage your contracts from start to finish, including template creation, collaboration feature, version control and more. 

To start managing your contracts efficiently using Docupilot, sign up for free.