When you’re a lawyer tasked with overseeing industrial manufacturing, knowledge of the law can be the basis for increased safety and efficiency by minimizing the risks associated with client contracts and quality assurance. From a legal perspective, most contracts are fairly straightforward, but those that include special clauses require an in-depth understanding that most professionals don’t have the time to investigate.

Imagine an engineer who has to be expected to analyze legal agreements on top of his or her job as a problem-solver and innovator. Luckily, this isn’t necessary, but the company should be expected to maintain a working knowledge of legal implications and applications in order to protect the interests of the company as well as the legal rights of the clients.

One area of interest is the single case agreement, which is commonly used in healthcare and medicine, but not necessarily in the industrial sector. Using such an agreement provides a safeguard for the contract between the supplier and the customer and keeps them both from pursuing a lawsuit later. A single case agreement is used when a patient requires a drug or device, but it’s not available through a typical method, so the supplier compensates by providing it at a reduced price. The agreement safeguards against a future lawsuit.

For example, Shree Engineering is an engineering company that has been involved in the design of various manufacturing plants in Qatar, and ISO certification was required in order to assure clients of the work being done in their plants. This certification is a legal contract that guarantees meeting standards set by an international organization, the International Organization for Standardization. An engineering company improved the quality of its processes by standardizing certain practices, such as the use of templates for documentation. Achieving ISO certification is not easy, however, and it’s essential for building trust with clients who expect the ultimate in quality from engineers.

In the industrial manufacturing world, this mindset is similar. Clients expect that the company will deliver exceptional and high-quality work, and they want legal proof that the company can uphold its end of the bargain. If that legal proof comes in the form of an agreement that protects the client from future litigation for price gouging or price reductions, they’ll be more likely to invest time and money into your engineering company. A great way to build trust over time is to take a proactive approach to your client’s needs.

For example, if you use a single case agreement when working on a large plant project, the company can guarantee the client that the price will be reduced for any future maintenance work. The client feels at ease knowing there will likely be no hidden fees or costs, and it thus becomes easier for them to sign an agreement.

A single case agreement is generally broken down into benefits, outline, definitions, conditions, responsibilities, directions, duration and signatures. All parties involved sign the agreement, which is kept for reference in the event of misunderstandings at a later date. This type of agreement can become particularly useful when negotiating your contract with the client for large-scale manufacturing projects, in which certain costs may need to be reduced to meet expectations.

For example, if the company is designing a manufacturing plant for a client with specific requirements, this information can all be outlined in the single case agreement in order to guarantee the client that price reductions will occur throughout the engineering and design process. This helps to build trust between the company and the client while providing additional assurances to the client that their money is well spent. Clients are less likely to walk away from a deal if they can see the advantages of having a contract with a single case agreement.

For more information on contracts and agreements, you can visit Wikipedia’s page on contracts.