CIPS L4M3 - Commercial Contracting

Where the sale of goods is between two businesses in different Contracting States, then it is international and the CISG rules of law automatically apply unless they have been excluded. A contract clause stating that the contract is subject to the legal systems and courts of a particular country overrides or excludes the CISG rules, since the local rules of that country would apply instead.

So the answer should be Canada's legal system.

Model form contracts are pre-standardised agreements used across industries to bring consistency, clarity, and fairness to commercial relationships. They are particularly beneficial in complex sectorslike construction and engineering where industry-accepted templates like NEC, JCT, or FIDIC are widely used.

An insurance policy transfers a risk from one party to another in exchange for payment, it does not transfer the liabilities from the insured to insurer.

Insurance policies are taken out as a form of protection against a specific risk or unfortunate occurrence. If one party indemnifies another to protect that other party in the event of a risk occurring then the indemnity itself is merely a statement of intent. There also need to be some mechanism of substance to back up that indemnity. This BACK UP is the insurance policy which can be relied upon to meet the indemnity being given. In fact, most indemnity provisions are backed up by insurance coverage.

Professional indemnity or liability insurance offers such coverage to professional advice or service providing individuals and companies ensuring protection against any legal costs and damages awarded as a result of claims relating to negligence. Whereas more general forms of liabilityinsurance focus on direct forms of harm such as sustaining injuries, professional indemnity insurance provides a far more detailed and comprehensive form of coverage. The cover protects a firm or individual's liability relating to any financial loss caused by errors or omissions in the service provided as well as any alleged failure to perform on behalf of a client.

Goods in transit insurance does what it says on the tin, protecting any goods your business delivers or transports from place to place. The responsibility to pay the insurance premium is negotiable, it may belong to the supplier or the buyer.

Hire purchase is an arrangement for buying expensive consumer goods, where the buyer makes an initial down payment and pays the balance plus interest in installments. Ownership is not transferred until the end of the agreement, hire purchase plans offer more protection to the vendor than other sales or leasing methods for unsecured items. That's because the items can be repossessed more easily should the buyer be unable to keep up with the repayments.

The answer is that Company B has the right to take repossession of the lorry.

In certain circumstances, where two parties have monetary debts against each other, the right to set-off may arise. A right of set-off allows a (“Party 1”) to take into account the amount owed to it by the second party (“Party 2”) against any amount owed by Party 1 to Party 2, each party must be a debtor and a creditor.

Common law provides the key features that must be present for set-off to arise are;

1. mutuality of debts (each party must be the sole beneficial owner of the debt it is owed and the sole person liable for the debt it owes)

2. the claims each party has must be for non-payment of money

The common law provisions of set-off can be greatly enhanced by the inclusion of a contractual right to set-off (this is discussed further below) so that set-off is applicable in a greater range of situations. If you envisage set-off being a useful right it is not advisable to rely on the implied ability to use it (via common law or equitable set-off). Common law and equitable set-off are subject to various conditions and limitation however, a contractual right of set-off can be drafted to ensure parties are able to agree exactly how and when set-off should be applied.

In the above scenario, the supplier owes the manufacturer the payment for damages, while the manufacturer owes the supplier the payment for goods. This is mutuality of debts, which leads to right of set off.

Referencing recognised international standards like ISO 27001 in specifications ensures that all potential suppliers understand and meet a uniform set of expectations regarding data security. This not only promotes consistency but also reduces the burden on the buyer to evaluate varied, incompatible approaches.

Scoping specifications are fundamental in the development of a contract as they define the requirements, standards, and expectations for the goods or services to be provided. This clarity ensures that both parties have a mutual understanding of the deliverables, which is essential for a legally binding agreement. While contract management and supplier management are critical post-contract award activities, and budget approval is an internal process, scoping specifications directly contribute to the contract's formation.

Creating a detailed specification and publicly advertising the requirement are key preparatory steps in issuing an ITT (Invitation to Tender). These ensure that suppliers understand the requirement and have the opportunity to respond, promoting transparency and competition.

In a 'battle of the forms', both buyer and supplier exchange documents with conflicting terms. The general rule is that the terms of the last document exchanged before performance (e.g., delivery or payment) that is not objected to will govern the contract. An order acknowledgement from the supplier with its own terms, followed by acceptance (e.g., payment), usually constitutes the final word.

The changes are made to the prime contract. They are also signed and approved by both parties. These changes are known as amendment (variation) to the contract. A contract amendment allows the parties to make a mutually agreed-upon change to an existing contract. An amendment can add to an existing contract, delete from it, or change parts of it. The original contract remains in place, only with some terms altered by way of the amendment.