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Government Contracts

Novation Agreement

Drafting novation agreements manually requires hours of research across multiple legal databases, careful review of original contract terms, and precise drafting of consent and release provisions. Attorneys must verify standard language, ensure regulatory compliance for government contracts, and coordinate complex party identification—all while billing clients for extensive research time.

Automation ROI

Time savings at a glance

Manual workflow8.5 hoursAverage time your team spends by hand
With CaseMark12 minutesDelivery time with CaseMark automation
EfficiencySave 22.5x time with CaseMark

The Problem

Drafting comprehensive novation agreements requires extensive legal expertise to ensure complete party substitution, absolute release of the original obligor, and compliance with complex regulatory requirements. Traditional manual drafting takes 8+ hours of attorney time, risks incomplete releases that leave residual liability, and often overlooks critical ancillary transfer requirements for security interests and collateral arrangements.

The CaseMark Solution

CaseMark automates the entire novation agreement drafting process by analyzing your original contract, extracting key terms, and generating a complete tripartite agreement with proper substitution language, comprehensive release provisions, and all necessary ancillary documentation. Our AI ensures regulatory compliance, distinguishes true novation from mere assignment, and produces execution-ready documents in minutes.

Key benefits

How CaseMark automations transform your workflow

Generate complete novation agreements in 12 minutes vs. 4+ hours manually

Automatically extract and incorporate original contract terms with AI-powered document analysis

Access current legal standards and templates from LexisNexis, Practical Law, and bar associations

Ensure regulatory compliance with government contract-specific novation requirements

Reduce research costs while maintaining accuracy with cited legal sources

What you'll receive

Parties
Recitals
Novation Clause
Consent and Release
Representations and Warranties
Governing Law and Miscellaneous
Signatures

Document requirements

Required

  • Original Contract
  • Party Information

Optional

  • Corporate Resolutions
  • Asset Purchase Agreement
  • Financial Statements
  • Security Documents
  • Certificates of Good Standing

Perfect for

Corporate attorneys handling M&A transactions
Government contracts specialists managing contractor substitutions
In-house counsel overseeing corporate restructurings
Commercial lawyers facilitating business transfers
Regulatory compliance officers in government contracting
Transactional attorneys managing asset purchases

Also useful for

This workflow is applicable across multiple practice areas and use cases

Novation agreements are essential in M&A transactions to transfer contracts from seller to buyer, ensuring continuity of business relationships and contractual obligations post-acquisition.

M&A attorneys regularly draft novation agreements to substitute parties in existing contracts during asset purchases and corporate restructurings, making this a core transactional document in deal execution.

Asset Purchase92% relevant

Asset purchase transactions require novation agreements to transfer specific contracts and obligations from the selling entity to the purchasing entity as part of the asset transfer process.

The workflow explicitly targets asset purchase scenarios and includes Asset Purchase Agreement as an optional document, indicating direct application in transferring contractual rights during asset sales.

Corporate General85% relevant

Corporate restructurings, spin-offs, and entity reorganizations require novation agreements to transfer contracts between related entities while maintaining business continuity and contractual relationships.

In-house counsel managing corporate restructurings are explicitly listed as target personas, and corporate resolutions are included as optional documents, demonstrating clear corporate law applications.

Corporate governance matters involving entity changes, subsidiary transfers, or corporate reorganizations require novation agreements to properly document the transfer of contractual obligations between corporate entities.

The workflow supports corporate restructuring scenarios and requires corporate resolutions, which are fundamental corporate governance documents used to authorize contract transfers and party substitutions.

Loan And Financing72% relevant

Loan novations transfer debt obligations to new borrowers or lenders, particularly in refinancing scenarios, corporate acquisitions, or when security interests need to be transferred to successor entities.

The workflow includes security documents and financial statements as optional inputs, indicating application in financing contexts where loan agreements and security interests are novated to new parties.

Frequently asked questions

Q

What is the difference between a novation and an assignment?

A

A novation completely substitutes a new party for the original party and releases the original party from all future obligations and liabilities, requiring consent from all three parties. An assignment merely transfers rights or delegates duties while leaving the original party potentially liable as a guarantor or secondary obligor. CaseMark drafts true novation agreements with explicit release language that eliminates residual liability, distinguishing the transaction from a simple assignment.

Q

How does CaseMark ensure the original party is fully released from liability?

A

CaseMark includes comprehensive release provisions where the continuing obligee expressly and unconditionally discharges the original obligor from all obligations arising after the effective date. The agreement uses clear, present-tense substitution language and includes acknowledgments from all parties confirming their understanding that the original party has no continuing liability. The document also carefully preserves rights related to pre-existing breaches while releasing all future obligations.

Q

What documents do I need to upload to generate a novation agreement?

A

At minimum, you need the complete original contract and basic information about all three parties (original obligor, incoming obligor, and continuing obligee). Optional documents that enhance the output include corporate resolutions, asset purchase agreements explaining the business rationale, financial statements demonstrating the incoming party's capacity, and any security documents like guarantees or letters of credit. CaseMark analyzes all uploaded materials to extract relevant terms and ensure comprehensive coverage.

Q

Does the novation agreement comply with government contract regulations?

A

Yes, CaseMark's novation agreements are designed to comply with regulatory requirements for government contracts, including FAR provisions governing contractor substitutions. The document includes all necessary representations regarding authority, capacity, and regulatory compliance, addresses required consents and approvals, and ensures proper treatment of security instruments and performance bonds. The agreement can be customized for specific regulatory frameworks based on your jurisdiction and contract type.

Q

How does CaseMark handle security interests and collateral that need to be transferred?

A

CaseMark automatically identifies security interests, guarantees, letters of credit, and collateral arrangements mentioned in the original contract and includes provisions requiring their transfer or replacement. The agreement specifies whether existing security instruments will be assigned to support the incoming party's performance or whether new security must be provided, and includes covenants requiring execution of all necessary assignments, endorsements, and transfer documents to perfect the incoming party's rights.

Q

Can I customize the indemnification provisions in the novation agreement?

A

Yes, while CaseMark generates a comprehensive indemnification framework based on standard temporal and causal allocation principles, you can customize the provisions to match your specific risk allocation preferences. The default structure has the incoming obligor indemnify for post-effective date performance and the original obligor indemnify for pre-existing breaches, but you can modify caps, thresholds, survival periods, and procedural requirements to suit your transaction.