Helping New Zealand public sector agencies get contracts in place quickly and without the usual pain and cost

Public sector lawyers and procurers: build your contracts with our automated builders or choose clauses for an existing contract from our clause library. Ask questions and, if you need help with a contract, get in touch.

Reap the benefits

With our tried and tested contract builders and clause library, you'll achieve faster, more consistent, and more cost-effective contracting. 

Faster contracting

Build your draft contracts in minutes, not several hours or days, making for faster execution, faster delivery, and happier clients.

Consistent contracting

With road-tested master templates, and the power of automation, enjoy consistency rather than the cobbling together of ad hoc precedents. 

Cost-effective contracting

The time-savings for in-house counsel and procurers are enormous, and the cost-per-build is low and improves as the number of your contracts increases.

About us

Richard Best Law

Richard Best, Principal

Contract drafter

Design lead

The Contract Foundry has been created by Richard Best Law. We have extensive experience in creating easy to use and modern contract templates and have been deeply involved in evolving contracting processes within the Crown and other public sector entities over time. We have worked in both in-house and external advisory capacities on a wide range of single supply, panel supply, syndicated, All of Government, and common capability contracts for the Crown, Crown entities and other organisations, often with an ICT focus. We have also developed numerous contracts associated with the transfer of functions from one part of the Crown to another, and Richard is the author of, among other things, Public Sector ICT Procurement: Practical Implications for the Public and Private Sectors (2013, NZLS Conference booklet).

What you get

Contract builders

Members who pay a subscription fee get access to our range of contract builders. You can use them to build MSAs, GMCs, confidentiality agreements, MOUs, and more, in a fraction of the time and for a fraction of the cost it would otherwise usually take.

Clause library

All members get access to our ever-expanding library of contract clauses, for use in a wide range of contracting scenarios. If you're working on a current contract and looking for a clause to address a particular issue, check out the library.

Knowledge base

From our earlier days, we know what it's like when you have a public contracting question and need a quick answer. If you have such a question, check out our knowledge base. If your question hasn't been answered, feel free to ask us directly.

What clients say

"Thank you for completing our instructions [Richard]... your work is exemplary"

Senior Procurement Adviser, Government Ministry (in the context of a contract templates project)

Richard has an incisive mind and is able to translate extremely complex commercial supply strategies into manageable contractual frameworks that both allow value to be provided and mitigate commercial risk.”

Former Manager of AoG Supply Strategy, Department of Internal Affairs

"Richard’s deep IT knowledge and application make him remarkably versatile."

Former Assistant General-Counsel, Commerce Commission

100%

Money Back Guarantee

What are you waiting for? 

If you have a .govt.nz email address, you can sign up to the clause library and knowledge base for free! If you pay for a monthly or annual subscription for access to the contract builders (anyone can do that) and genuinely believe they don’t add value, you can call on our no risk 14-day money back guarantee.

FAQ

Who can access the Contract Foundry?

Anyone working within a public sector agency can access the clause library and knowledge base for free. This means anyone with a .govt.nz email address. Anyone can access the contract builders upon signing up to a paid subscription.

Do we need to share personal or commercially sensitive information to use the site?

We need a name and email address to provide you with a logon to the site. Other than that, you can use the site without disclosing personal or commercially sensitive information. For example, you don't need to disclose any further information to use the clause library and, if you wish, you can use the contract builders in a way that doesn't involve the sharing of any personal or commercially sensitive information.  

Will you become our lawyer if we use your clauses or a contract builder?

We will not be your lawyer merely through your act of using the site. No lawyer-client relationship is formed unless we are formally instructed and accept the appointment. Please see our terms of use for further information. 

Is the Contract Foundry secure?

We take security seriously and understand the importance of security to public sector agencies. We use a range of methods to secure our service (including a reliable hosting provider that prides itself on security, encryption, a software firewall, and a malware scanner). The service we use for our contract builders installs per-client instances on AWS and undergoes regular security testing, and your data is encrypted in transit and at rest. See our Security page for more details.      

If I sign up for free access to the clause library and knowledge base, and later pay for access to the contract builders, will I use the same login?

Yes, if you do this, you'll only need one login to access all these parts of the site. 

Can we ask for help with a contract?

Yes, absolutely. For example, you might wish to build a draft contract with one of our contract builders and then have it tweaked to your specific circumstances, or you might wish to seek help with negotiating or finalising it. We're happy to help. Our normal rates will apply.

Can we add clauses to the clause library?

Yes. We want to make the library resource as helpful as possible. If you'd like to suggest a clause to be added, please use our add clause feature (Find a clause > Add clause).  We reserve the right to accept or reject submitted clauses, and to tweak the wording if we think it's necessary or desirable to do so.

Can we suggest an amendment to an existing clause or contract?

Yes, please feel free to do that. The more feedback we receive, the better. To suggest an amendment, please email us through the site's contact form. 

Will you add further contract builders? Can we request one?

Yes, we are open to adding further contract builders to the site over time. If you have one in mind that you'd like us to add, please get in touch via our contact form.

If I pay for access to the contract builders and haven't yet signed up for free access to the clause library and knowledge base, will I also get access to the clause library and knowledge base?

Yes, you will indeed.

Register for access today

Latest blog posts

Security measures for the Contract Foundry

Beware of IP when using the Outcome Agreement templates

How document and advice automation makes us better lawyers

Draft standard contractual clauses for the procurement of AI by public organisations

Webinar on ‘Drafting for privacy in government contracts and MOUs’ (and get an easy CPD hour)

Verity hits the nail on the head – we need to do things differently

Under the GMC’s default IP provisions, will my agency always own all buyer data?

How to approach IP warranty and indemnity clauses when a supplier’s deliverables include open source software

The case for converting the GMC for Services into a light form of MSA