A contract can be defined as a legally binding written or verbal agreement between two or more parties. It is created to protect and outline the rights of all involved parties in relation to the sale, transfer, delivery, or use of goods and services.
Thus, from assisted living facilities to restaurants, contracts are an essential part of operations for businesses, especially when dealing with parties from outside the company. Contracts clearly define expectations and obligations to ensure that all of the involved entities understand the terms of the agreement.
So here are four important elements of a business contract explained.
Offer and Acceptance
The offer-acceptance process is what begins the formation of a contract. In this element, an offer is made by one party and accepted by another. It is important that both parties agree to all terms before accepting a contract.
To illustrate, if an employer offers a job to an employee, the employee must accept all terms of the offer before the contractual relationship begins.
Consideration
The second element is consideration, which can be defined as something of value exchanged between two parties in order for a contract to be valid. This could be in monetary form or physical goods, services, or any other type of exchange that is considered valuable to both parties.
For example, consideration could include an employer agreeing to pay an employee a certain amount of money each month in exchange for the employee’s work.
Capacity
The third element necessary for a contract is capacity. This specifies the legal capacity of each party to enter into a contractual agreement, meaning that both parties must be legally capable and competent of understanding the terms and conditions of the contract.
For example, an intoxicated person generally does not have the legal capacity to enter into a contract. Furthermore, any individual under the age of 18 is generally considered not to have legal capacity in most countries and would therefore require parental or guardian consent before entering into a business contract.
Legality
The last essential element of a valid contract is the legality of its terms. This means that the terms must adhere to all applicable laws and regulations in order for them to be enforceable by law.
For example, a contract based on bribery or fraud would not be legally valid. Or, if a contract does not follow the applicable law in terms of taxation, it may be considered void as well.
When entering into a business contract, it is important to make sure all four elements are present: offer and acceptance, consideration, capacity, and legality. Without these elements, the contract will not be legally binding and any involved parties may not be able to enforce their rights or obligations. For this reason, it is important for all involved parties to understand the terms and conditions of any business contract before signing it.
