- By Buckinghamshire Business First
- 6 January, 2026
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If your business sells goods to other businesses or provides services to customers, having a written contract is an essential way of protecting your business.
The Small Business Commissioner has published A Guide to Creating a Contract (PDF), which includes the role that contracts play in avoiding overdue payments and unfair payment terms.
The guide covers:
- What a business contract is and why you need one
- How a contract can help protect your business
- What needs to be in a contract
- How to negotiate a fair contract
- Why you should get a contract in writing
- What happens if something goes wrong
- How to protect yourself when it comes to payments
- What to do if payment is overdue
- Lessons and top tips from real life
Download the Guide to Creating a Contract (PDF) >
You can also read a summary of the guide here.
The Small Business Commissioner is an independent public body established by Government under the Enterprise Act 2016 to tackle late payments and unfair payment practices. It supports small businesses to get paid quickly and on time, influences large businesses to improve payment times to suppliers, and works with all business to improve the culture of payment practices.
The guide was created in partnership with World Commerce and Contracting.
Did you know: You can add contracts for tender to the Buckinghamshire Business First website
If you're tendering for work, you can add your contracts to the Contracts portal on the Buckinghamshire Business First website.
