Definition and examples
Contracts are an essential aspect of everyday business operations (and even everyday life in general). They govern myriad transactions and agreements – serving as the cornerstones of personal and business relationships. There are many different ways to categorise and compartmentalise contracts by type – including as unilateral and bilateral contracts.
One of the most common types of contracts that appears in business settings is a unilateral contract. What é Um contrato unilateral - e por que isso importa? em troca do desempenho de um ato específico da outra parte, conhecida como o oferente. Em outras palavras, o Oferador oferece um valor remunerativo em troca do Afeto concluir uma tarefa ou ACT específico. Os acordos envolvem uma parte que faz uma promessa em troca do desempenho da outra parte. Nesse sentido, contratos unilaterais são um tipo de acordo unilateral. A oferta deve especificar o ato exato ou o desempenho exigido do investimento para aceitar a oferta e criar um contrato vinculativo. Esse desempenho é a aceitação da oferta e forma o contrato. Até que o desempenho seja concluído, não há contrato vinculativo. Em um contrato unilateral, o desempenho do Afreree da Lei solicitada é a consideração. Se qualquer uma das partes não pretende estar legalmente ligada, não haverá contrato válido.
In this blog post, we will dive into the concept of unilateral agreements and provide an example of them at work.
What is a unilateral contract?
A unilateral contract is a legally enforceable agreement in which one party, known as the offeror, makes a promise in exchange for the performance of a specific act by the other party, known as the offeree. In other words, the offeror offers a remunerative value in exchange for the offeree completing a specific task or act.
The contract is only formed and legally binding once the offeree performs the requested act as per the offeror’s terms.
Unilateral contracts versus bilateral contracts
Unlike bilateral agreements, where both parties exchange promises, unilateral agreements involve one party making a promise in exchange for the other party’s performance. In this sense, unilateral contracts are a one-sided type of agreement.
Elements of a unilateral contract
To have a valid unilateral agreement, certain elements of a contract must be present.
- Offer: The offeror must make a clear and definite conditional promise to the offeree. The offer should specify the exact act or performance required from the offeree to accept the offer and create a binding contract.
- Acceptance by performance: The offeree must accept the offer by performing the requested act or performance. This performance is the offeree’s acceptance of the offer and forms the contract. Until the performance is completed, there is no binding contract.
- Consideration: Consideration refers to the benefit or value that the offeree provides in exchange for the offeror’s promise. In a unilateral contract, the offeree’s performance of the requested act is the consideration.
- Intent to create legal relations: Both parties must have the intention to create a legally binding contract. If either party does not intend to be legally bound, there will be no valid contract.
Exemplo 1
Vamos dar um exemplo para responder melhor à pergunta: O que é um contrato unilateral em ação? Tom decide procurar o cachorro, o encontra, o leva a Connie e recebe seu prêmio de acordo com os termos do contrato unilateral.
Suppose Connie offers a £500 reward to anyone who finds and returns her lost dog. Tom decides to look for the dog, finds him, brings him to Connie, and receives his award as per the terms of the unilateral contract.
Até que Tom conclua a tarefa, não há contrato vinculativo e Connie não é obrigada a pagá -lo. No entanto, uma vez que Tom traz para ela o cão, o contrato é formado, e Connie está sob obrigação contratual de pagar a ele o valor específico que ela promete pagar de acordo com os termos da oferta - para que ela seja violada do contrato. Por exemplo, digamos que o Departamento de Polícia Metropolitana oferece £ 1.500 a qualquer civil que forneça informações sobre o paradeiro de um seqüestrador que o leva a ser apreendido. Caso contrário, a polícia não tem obrigação unilateral - por um acordo unilateral - para fornecer a recompensa. Deve cumprir sua promessa, mesmo que o investimento ainda não tenha concluído o ato. No entanto, se o investimento não tiver começado a executar, o ofertante poderá revogar a oferta a qualquer momento. Entrando em um acordo unilateral, é crucial revisar cuidadosamente os termos e entender seus direitos e obrigações legais. A consultoria com um profissional jurídico qualificado também pode fornecer a orientação e proteção necessárias.
Example 2
Another example is an open request for an open contract. For example, say the Metropolitan police department offers £1,500 to any civilian who provides information regarding the whereabouts of a kidnapper that leads to him being apprehended.
If the evidence that a civilian provides leads to the kidnapper’s arrest, the police are obligated to pay them the £1,500. If it doesn’t, then the police are under no unilateral obligation – per a unilateral agreement – to provide the reward.
Revoking unilateral contracts
One crucial aspect of unilateral contracts is that the offeror cannot revoke the offer once the offeree has started performing the requested act.
Once the offeree has started the performance, the offeror cannot back out of the contract and must fulfil their promise, even if the offeree has not completed the act yet. However, if the offeree has not started performing, the offeror can revoke the offer at any time.
Managing unilateral contracts
Unilateral contracts are a unique type of legal agreement – and understanding their key elements, such as offer, acceptance by performance, consideration, and intent to create legal relations, is essential to grasp the concept fully.
If you are entering into a unilateral agreement, it is crucial to carefully review the terms and understand your rights and legal obligations. Consulting with a qualified legal professional can also provide you with the necessary guidance and protection.
If you or your organisation manage a number of requests and unilateral agreements, you should have the right legal operations tools at your disposal. Software de gerenciamento de contratos pode fornecer essas ferramentas úteis, como:
- Um repositório de contrato centralizado de solicitações unilaterais abertas e fáceis de busca de documentos relevantes, de manhã. Aproximando-se de gerenciamento e tarefas de desempenho unilateral de desempenho
- key date and task alerts regarding contract offer and performance timelines
- automated contract workflows for approaching unilateral agreement performance management and tasks
- comprehensive budget, financials, and payment tracking
- thorough contract lifecycle management.
Contract Insight is an award-winning contract lifecycle management software solution that has received acclaim from third-party analysts, customers and many others. Users can successfully oversee comprehensive Contrato Lifecycle Gerenciamento e exceder os KPIs de gerenciamento de contratos. Melhor pé para frente »
To find out more, contact John O’Brien, CEO at Four Business Solutions – global business consultants and software integrators specialising in business process improvement.