Your contract decides how you get paid. Now Nova reads it.
Retention, change order markup, notice deadlines, liquidated damages. Every clause is a number in your financials. Nova pulls them out of the contract and ties them to the job, so you’re not finding out what you signed when the money’s already gone.
Upload it once. Ask it anything.
Attach the PDF, tell Nova which project it’s for, and it runs the analysis in the background. When it’s done, every key term, risk flag, and scope item is structured and searchable. Nobody has to read 80 pages to find the retention clause.
Get paid what the contract says
Retention, billing cycles, and pay-if-paid clauses decide when cash actually lands. Nova pulls the payment terms out of the contract and applies them to your real billings, so you know what's held, what's due, and when to ask for a retention reduction.
$48,000 held at 10%. Retention drops to 5% once the job is 50% complete (§5.3). This billing puts you at 54%, so request the reduction with this pay app.
Never lose a claim to a missed deadline
Most claims aren't lost on the merits. They're lost because notice went out on day nine of a seven-day window, or by email when the contract required certified mail. Nova tells you how many days you have and exactly how notice has to be given.
7 calendar days from the start of the delay, in writing to the owner’s representative by certified mail (§8.2). Late notice waives the claim, including the extra time and the money.
Price every change order at the full markup
Markup allowed on self-performed work, subcontracted work, and equipment is often different, and it's buried in the general conditions. Nova applies the contract's own percentages to the change, and flags must-proceed clauses and response deadlines so the work never gets ahead of the paperwork.
$3,000. The contract allows 5% on subcontracted work and 10% on self-performed work (§7.4). You must proceed on a written directive while price is in dispute, and you have 14 days to submit pricing.
Know what's in your scope, and what isn't
Scope gaps become unpaid work. Ask "is this my responsibility?" in plain language and Nova answers from the inclusions and exclusions, even when the contract words it differently than you do.
No. Exhibit B excludes spray-applied fireproofing, and it’s listed under the owner’s separate contracts. Patching fireproofing you damage is yours (§2.6).
Put a dollar figure on schedule risk
Liquidated damages turn a late finish into a number on your P&L. Enter the days late and Nova applies the contract's daily rate and any cap, so the exposure is in front of you while there's still time to recover the schedule or document the delay.
$30,000. $2,500 per calendar day (§9.1), well under the cap of 5% of the contract sum ($212,500). Excusable delays with timely notice come off that count.
The bottom line on every contract.
Ask for the bottom line and get the 8 to 12 clauses that matter most: key dates, key money terms, and the risks, in one view. Insurance and bonds, indemnification and liability caps, termination, disputes, and warranty are all covered. Then ask across every contract you’ve analyzed at once.
Pull 23 contracts off the shared drive, open each PDF, search for “liquidated,” and hope nobody wrote it as “delay damages.” Back to you on Thursday.
Three jobs. Riverside Medical at $8,500/day, Elm Street Lofts at $6,000/day, and the Harbor Point garage at $5,500/day. Riverside has no cap, and it’s the one running behind.
How do I get a contract into Nova?
Attach the PDF in a chat with Nova and tell it which project it’s for. Nova analyzes it in the background, and when it’s done every key term, risk flag, and scope item is structured and searchable.
What can I ask about a contract?
Payment terms, retention, and billing cycles; change order rules and markup; notice and claim deadlines; scope inclusions and exclusions; liquidated damages; insurance and bond requirements; indemnification, liability caps, and consequential damages waivers; and termination, dispute resolution, and warranty terms. Answers come from the contract itself.
Can I search across all of my contracts at once?
Yes. Ask a question across every analyzed contract, like which jobs have pay-if-paid clauses or LDs above $5,000 per day, and Nova groups the answers by project.
Does contract analysis replace legal review?
No. Nova makes the contract searchable and puts the terms that carry risk in front of your team. Your attorney still reviews and negotiates it.