A contractual right to terminate an agreement for any reason. It may also be referred to as termination without cause. A right to terminate for convenience usually requires the terminating party to provide a certain period of notice before the termination is effective and usually in writing.
Unilateral Right to Terminate Without Cause: Termination for convenience clauses generally allow one party, often the government entity, to terminate the contract without needing to establish fault or breach by the other party.
A Termination for Convenience Clause is a contractual provision that grants the right to parties to end a contract without any particular cause or liability. It outlines procedures for termination, as well as consequences of terminating the contract, such as penalties, payment of fees, taxes, and liabilities.
Parties may agree to include a termination for convenience clause in a contract under the freedom of contract principle. However, in some countries and legal jurisdictions they may be statute law or case law which affects the operation or interpretation of such a clause.
As a rule of law, unless it is excluded by the terms of the contract, a party has a right to terminate a contract where there has been: a breach of an essential term (otherwise known as a condition); a sufficiently serious breach of an intermediate term; or.
A “termination for convenience” clause states that a property owner may terminate a contractor at its convenience for no reason at all. There does not need to be any breach of contract in place. However, the clauses typically require advance notice (such as 30 days).
Termination for convenience clauses first were included in federal government procurement contracts. However, such clauses now are becoming common in private contracts. For example, the American Institute of Architect A-201 General Conditions contain such a clause.
A termination for convenience clause, or "T for C" clause, enables a party to a contract to bring the contract to an end without the need to establish that the other party is in default, for example because the client party's needs have changed, or in order to arrange for another party to complete the contract.
The Federal Government Has the Authority to Terminate Contracts for Its Convenience. Unlike commercial contracting, the government has the unilateral right to terminate all or part of a federal contract for its own convenience without any finding of default of the contractor.