Construction contract engrossment

Contract engrossment is the process of preparing the final agreed form of a contract and its schedules and appendices so that it can be executed (signed). Historically, this may have involved hand-writing the contract on thick paper and having it bound. Today it is more likely to be printed and then bound.

Engrossment can be required for a wide range of legal agreements, such as; construction contracts, appointment agreements, conveyancing agreements, and so on.

Engrossed contracts are then either executed under seal (signed by the parties, witnessed and most importantly made clear that they are executed as a deed) or under hand (a 'simple contract' that is just signed by the parties). See Contracts under seal v under hand for more information.

Generally, two engrossed contracts will be prepared for execution, one for the client and one for the supplier. Alternatively, the client might retain one executed contract, with certified copies being issued to the supplier, this can avoid potential errors in preparing two contracts for execution.

NB The term engrossment can also be used in relation to the enactment of statutes, describing the process of printing the final form of an agreed Act ready for its enrolment (registration on the Parliament Roll).

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Contract award.
• Contracts under seal v under hand.
• Construction contract.
• Construing a contract.
• Contract conditions.
• Contract documents.
• Contract execution.
• Essentials of a contract.
• Form of tender.
• Glossary of property law terms.
• Privity of contract.