The Contractual Arrangements module tracks every agreement your financial entity has with its ICT third-party service providers. This article explains the regulatory requirements of DORA Article 30, documents every field in the contract form, covers the Article 30 Clause Checker, and describes the full contract lifecycle from draft through termination.

1. Regulatory Context — Article 30 Contractual Provisions

1.1 Why Contracts Must Include Specific Provisions

DORA Article 30 establishes minimum contractual requirements for every ICT service agreement. The contract must ensure the entity retains oversight, can recover from disruptions, and can exit without undue harm. Article 30 prescribes specific clauses that must be present, particularly for critical or important functions. Non-compliant arrangements may trigger supervisory action under Article 28(5).

1.2 Article 30(2) — All Required Clauses Explained

Article 30(2) lists the following minimum provisions that must appear in every contractual arrangement for ICT services. Venvera tracks compliance with each of these through the Article 30 Clause Checker (see section 5 below).

  1. Art. 30(2)(a) — SLAs: Clear service descriptions with quantitative and qualitative performance targets (uptime, response times, throughput).
  2. Art. 30(2)(b) — ICT Security: Provisions on data availability, authenticity, integrity, and confidentiality, including security certifications and encryption standards.
  3. Art. 30(2)(c) — Incident Notification: Notice periods and reporting obligations for ICT incidents and significant changes.
  4. Art. 30(2)(d) — Audit Rights: Right to access, inspect, and audit the provider, including on-site inspections and control reviews.
  5. Art. 30(2)(e) — Termination and Transition: Clear termination rights with adequate transition periods, data migration, and knowledge transfer obligations.
  6. Art. 30(2)(f) — Data Location: Description of data storage and processing locations, with notification obligations for planned changes. Intersects with GDPR.
  7. Art. 30(2)(g) — Sub-outsourcing: Subcontracting conditions, notification requirements, approval rights, and monitoring of subcontractors.
  8. Art. 30(3) / Art. 28(8) — Exit Strategy: Orderly termination without disrupting business or limiting compliance. Critical for arrangements supporting important functions.

1.3 ITS Templates for Contracts

Contractual data feeds into B_02.01 (general information), B_02.02 (specific ICT service details), and B_02.03 (intra-group arrangements). Venvera routes data to the correct template automatically.

2. Contracts List Page

Navigate to Register of Information → Contractual Arrangements to view all contracts.

2.1 Search

The search bar filters contracts by reference number or provider name. Filtering is applied automatically as you type.

2.2 Status Filter

Use the status dropdown to filter contracts by lifecycle stage:

  • All statuses — shows all contracts (default).
  • Active — contracts currently in force.
  • Draft — contracts not yet finalised or signed.
  • Expiring — contracts approaching their end date.
  • Expired — contracts that have passed their end date without renewal.
  • Terminated — contracts that have been explicitly terminated.

2.3 Table Columns

ColumnDescription
ReferenceContract reference identifier. Click to open detail/edit page.
ProviderLinked provider display name. Click to open provider detail.
TypeArrangement type (e.g., Outsourcing agreement).
PeriodStart and end dates in your tenant date format.
Annual CostCost with currency prefix (e.g., EUR 50,000) or dash.
StatusBadge: green Active, grey Draft, amber Expiring, red Expired/Terminated.
FunctionsCount of linked business functions.
ActionsEdit (pencil) and Delete (trash) buttons.

2.4 Empty State

When no contracts exist, a prompt card with an “Add contract” button is shown.

3. Add Contract Form — Field-by-Field Documentation

The new contract form is divided into four sections: Contract Details, ICT Service Details, DORA ITS Regulatory Fields, and Article 30 Clauses.

3.1 Contract Details Section

FieldTypeRequiredDescription
ICT ProviderDropdownRequiredSelect the provider this contract is with. Lists all registered providers by display name. If no providers exist, an alert links to the new provider form.
Contract ReferenceText inputRequiredInternal reference identifier (e.g., “AWS-2025-001”). Should be unique and meaningful. Becomes the primary label for the contract.
Contract TypeDropdownRequiredArrangement type from the ESA dictionary: Outsourcing agreement, Licensing agreement (software), Service level agreement, Subscription agreement, Framework agreement, Master services agreement, Maintenance/support agreement, Professional services agreement, Other. ESA codes (CA_01xx) are applied on export.
Start DateDate pickerRequiredThe date the contract takes effect.
End DateDate pickerOptionalThe expiry date. Leave blank for evergreen contracts. Used to calculate status.
Annual CostNumber inputOptionalAnnual cost without currency symbols (e.g., 50000.00).
CurrencyDropdownOptionalCurrency: EUR (default), USD, GBP, CHF, BGN.

3.2 ICT Service Details Section

This section captures the specific ICT service information required by ITS 2024/2956 for template B_02.02.

FieldTypeRequiredDescription
ICT Service TypeDropdownOptionalICT service category from the ESA dictionary (e.g., Cloud computing — IaaS/PaaS/SaaS, Software — Core banking, ICT network services). Select “Auto-detect from provider” to infer from the provider type on export.
Parent ArrangementDropdownOptionalIf this is a sub-arrangement under a master agreement, select the parent contract. Select “None (standalone)” for top-level arrangements.
Service DescriptionText inputOptionalBrief description of the ICT service (e.g., “Cloud hosting for production banking application”).
Data Storage LocationsMulti-selectOptionalCountries where data is stored at rest. Hold Ctrl/Cmd to multi-select. Includes EU/EEA and common third countries. Maps to Art. 30(2)(f) and has GDPR implications.
Data Processing LocationsMulti-selectOptionalCountries where data is actively processed. Same country list. May differ from storage locations.

3.3 DORA ITS Regulatory Fields Section

These fields capture additional data points required by the EBA DORA ITS templates.

FieldTypeRequiredDescription
Notice Period — Entity (days)Number inputOptionalCalendar days of notice the entity must give to terminate. Typical values: 30–180 days.
Notice Period — Provider (days)Number inputOptionalCalendar days of notice the provider must give to terminate or significantly change services.
Governing Law CountryDropdownOptionalCountry whose law governs the contract. NCAs may flag non-EU governing law as a risk factor.
Country of ProvisionDropdownOptionalCountry from which the ICT service is primarily delivered.
Data SensitivityDropdownOptionalLow, Medium, or High. High applies to personal data, financial transactions, or regulatory information.
Reliance LevelDropdownOptionalLow (easily replaceable), Medium (material, alternatives exist), or High (critical dependency). Feeds into concentration risk analysis.
Termination ReasonTextareaOptionalReason for termination. Applicable only when the arrangement is being terminated.

4. Notes Section

FieldTypeRequiredDescription
NotesTextarea (3 rows)OptionalFree-text area for any additional internal notes about this contract. Not included in the xBRL-CSV export.

5. Article 30 Clause Checker

The Article 30 Clause Checker is a dedicated component that appears on both the new contract form and the edit form. It tracks whether each required contractual provision under Article 30(2) is present in the actual contract document.

5.1 How It Works

For each of the eight required clauses, you can set three states:

  • Green check (present) — click the check icon to confirm that this provision is present in the contract. The icon turns green with a coloured background.
  • Red X (missing) — click the X icon to indicate that this provision is missing from the contract. The icon turns red with a coloured background.
  • Not assessed (default) — neither icon is selected, shown with a grey warning triangle in read-only views. The clause has not yet been reviewed.

A compliance badge in the top-right corner shows the percentage of required clauses confirmed as present: green “Compliant” badge at 100%, amber percentage badge at 50–99%, and red percentage badge below 50%.

5.2 All Eight Clauses Explained

ClauseArticleWhat to Look For
SLAs30(2)(a)Defined uptime %, response times, throughput commitments, escalation procedures.
ICT Security30(2)(b)Encryption standards, access controls, security certifications, data protection.
Incident Notification30(2)(c)Who to notify, timeframes, required information in incident reports.
Audit Rights30(2)(d)Right to on-site inspections, access to premises, review of controls.
Termination / Transition30(2)(e)Notice periods, data return obligations, continued service during wind-down.
Data Location30(2)(f)Specific countries and regions for storage/processing, change notification.
Sub-outsourcing30(2)(g)Notification of subcontracting, approval rights, right to object.
Exit Strategy30(3)/28(8)Orderly termination plan without business disruption or compliance gaps.
⚠️
Contracts supporting critical functions must include all clauses. While DORA applies all eight provisions to every ICT contract, the requirements are particularly strict for arrangements supporting critical or important functions. NCAs will scrutinise these contracts more closely during supervisory reviews. Aim for 100% clause compliance across all contracts, and prioritise those linked to critical functions.

5.3 Compliance Count

Below the clause list, a summary line shows: “N of 8 required clauses confirmed.” If compliance is below 100%, an additional note appears: “Contracts supporting critical functions must include all clauses.”

6. Edit Page Additions

The contract edit page includes all the same fields as the new contract form, plus two additional features:

6.1 Status Dropdown

The edit page adds a Status dropdown with five options: Draft, Active, Expiring, Expired, Terminated. This field is not present on the new contract form — new contracts receive an automatic initial status.

6.2 Document Upload and Management

The edit page includes a Contract Documents section for attaching files to the contract record.

Uploading Documents

Step 1 — Click Upload

Click the Upload button in the documents section header. This opens a file picker dialog.

Step 2 — Select a File

Choose a file from your computer. Accepted file types are: PDF (.pdf), Word documents (.docx), Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx), CSV files (.csv), plain text (.txt), and images (.png, .jpg, .jpeg).

Step 3 — Wait for Upload

The button text changes to “Uploading...” while the file is being processed. Once complete, the document appears in the documents list below.

Managing Documents

Each document shows its filename, file size (KB/MB), upload date, and provides Download and Delete buttons. When no documents are attached, an empty-state message is shown.

7. Contract Status Workflow

Contracts follow a defined lifecycle in the register. Understanding the status progression helps you maintain accurate records.

Draft

Being negotiated or prepared. Not yet signed. Grey badge. Use for pre-populating the register during negotiations.

Active

Signed and in force. Green badge. Primary focus for Article 30 clause compliance and risk assessment.

Expiring

End date approaching. Amber badge. Set when renewal discussions should begin.

Expired

Past end date without renewal. Red badge. Should be either renewed or terminated.

Terminated

Explicitly ended. Red badge. Use the Termination Reason field to document why. Remains for audit trail.

8. ESA Contract Type Codes

When your register is exported, Venvera maps each contract type to its ESA alphanumeric code:

Business LabelESA Code
Outsourcing agreementCA_0101
Licensing agreement (software)CA_0102
Service level agreementCA_0103
Subscription agreementCA_0104
Framework agreementCA_0105
Master services agreementCA_0106
Maintenance/support agreementCA_0107
Professional services agreementCA_0108
Other contractual arrangementCA_0199

9. Tips and Best Practices

💡
Link every contract to at least one business function. The RoI completeness score considers contracts without linked functions as incomplete. More importantly, the NCA needs to understand which business capabilities depend on each arrangement. Navigate to the Business Functions module and link functions to contracts after creation.
ℹ️
Complete the Article 30 Clause Checker before export. While the clause checker does not block export, contracts with unassessed or missing clauses will generate validation warnings. For contracts supporting critical or important functions, NCAs expect 100% clause compliance. Review the actual contract document against each clause requirement, not just the contract summary.
⚠️
Data location fields have GDPR implications. When selecting Data Storage Locations and Data Processing Locations, be aware that third-country locations (outside the EU/EEA) trigger GDPR cross-border transfer requirements. Ensure your organisation has appropriate transfer mechanisms in place (e.g., Standard Contractual Clauses, adequacy decisions) for any non-EU/EEA data locations listed. NCAs may cross-reference this information with your GDPR documentation.
💡
Use parent arrangements for hierarchical contracts. Many organisations have a master services agreement with a provider, under which multiple specific service orders or statements of work exist. Use the Parent Arrangement field to establish this hierarchy. The ITS requires reporting at both levels — Venvera handles the template mapping automatically when parent-child relationships are set.
ℹ️
Upload supporting documents. While the ITS xBRL-CSV export does not include document attachments, maintaining contract files within Venvera ensures they are readily available during NCA inspections or internal audit reviews. Upload the signed contract, any amendments, SLA schedules, and due diligence reports as supporting evidence.
⚠️
Track contract expiry proactively. Set contracts to “Expiring” status when renewal discussions begin, not when the contract has already expired. This gives your team visibility into upcoming renewals and ensures Article 30 clauses are renegotiated where necessary. An expired contract without a renewal plan represents an operational risk and a potential compliance gap.