What does the risk score mean?
- It is the first line on the Contract tab, and again on the first screen of the review. Beside it, the same words say how much there is to check before you sign, from little to a great deal.
- Code works out the number from the findings. Nobody estimates it. So the same contract always gets the same figure.
- Most of it is the risk register: 10 points for each high risk, 4 for each medium and 1 for each low, up to 70.
- Each of these adds a small, capped amount on top: pay when paid, Security of Payment concerns, notice time bars, missing protections, conflicts between your documents, and amendments against you. The total stops at 100.
- The three lines under the number are the biggest of those. So you can see what makes up the score, and do not have to trust it.
Worth knowing
A high number does not mean the contract is unfair. A low number does not mean it is safe. It measures how much is worth reading. The written verdict beside it is the view on the deal itself. If the two seem to disagree, act on the verdict.