Before you sign — know exactly what you're agreeing to.
South African contracts are written by the other party's lawyer. Every clause is there for a reason — and most of them are there to protect the drafter, not you.
SmartDocAI reads every clause in 60 seconds. It flags the risks, explains what they mean in plain English, and tells you exactly what to negotiate before you sign.
"We built this for the business owner about to sign a 5-year lease — who has no idea what clause 14.3 actually means."
Who this is for
SmartDocAI is built for three types of people.
The SME Owner
You're about to sign a commercial lease, a supplier agreement, or a shareholders deal. You don't have time to read 40 pages of legalese — and you can't afford to pay a lawyer R5,000 to do it for you.
- ✓ Flags the clauses that can bankrupt you
- ✓ Explains every risk in plain English
- ✓ Tells you what to negotiate before signing
- ✓ Checks your employment contracts against the BCEA
The Freelancer / Contractor
Your client sends you a 12-page service agreement or consulting contract. The IP clause, the payment terms, and the restraint of trade all need careful reading — but you're not a lawyer.
- ✓ Checks IP assignment clauses don't give away your existing work
- ✓ Flags restraint of trade and non-compete provisions
- ✓ Reviews payment terms and late payment consequences
- ✓ Identifies if your "contractor" agreement is actually employment
The Accountant / Advisor
Your clients trust you with their financial decisions. When a client calls to ask "should I sign this lease?" you now have a third option beyond "I don't know" and "go see a lawyer."
- ✓ White-label PDF reports branded with your firm logo
- ✓ Wholesale pricing at R65/document
- ✓ Dedicated partner portal for multi-client management
- ✓ Add contract analysis as a billable advisory service
→ See the Accountant Partner Programme in Section 11
The moment that matters
The contract is on your desk. Here is what you need to know.
The contract in front of you says "standard terms." It was drafted by the other party's attorney. Every clause is there deliberately. The ones that matter most are often buried on page 18, written in the most technical language in the document.
Global AI tools don't help here. ChatGPT and Google Gemini were trained on global legal data. They do not know that a suretyship waiver in South Africa eliminates the beneficium excussionis — your right to have the creditor first exhaust the business's assets before coming for yours. They do not know the BCEA earnings threshold that determines whether an overtime exclusion is lawful. They do not know FASA's franchise disclosure requirements, or Section 34 of the Insolvency Act, or the CPA's definition of a supplier. SmartDocAI does.
How it works — six steps:
- 1Upload your contract (PDF or Word)
- 2SmartDocAI classifies the document type
- 3Every clause is analysed against SA statute and common law
- 4Red flags are identified and severity-rated
- 5You receive 14 structured outputs on your dashboard
- 6Ask follow-up questions about your specific document
Real risks found in SA business contracts
- ⚠An unlimited rent escalation clause — no cap, no CPI reference
- ⚠A personal suretyship with full waiver of the beneficium excussionis
- ⚠An employment overtime exclusion that violates the BCEA
- ⚠An IP assignment that captured four years of pre-existing work
- ⚠A shareholder deadlock clause with no exit mechanism
- ⚠Mandatory purchasing obligations that added R8,000/month in hidden costs
All of the above are real clauses found in South African business contracts. None were flagged before signing. All caused financial damage.
38 South African contract types
Across five document families — all analysed against SA law.
- ✓Employment Contract
- ✓Restraint of Trade Agreement
- ✓Independent Contractor Agreement
- ✓BCEA Compliance Review
- ✓HR Policy Document
- ✓Commercial Lease Agreement
- ✓Sublease Agreement
- ✓Property Management Agreement
- ✓Building Maintenance Contract
- ✓Supply Agreement
- ✓Service Level Agreement
- ✓Distribution Agreement
- ✓Franchise Agreement
- ✓Agency Agreement
- ✓General Terms & Conditions
- ✓Partnership Agreement
- ✓Joint Venture Agreement
- ✓Shareholders Agreement
- ✓Sale of Business Agreement
- ✓Loan Agreement
- ✓Investment Agreement
- ✓Shareholders Loan Agreement
- ✓Debenture Agreement
- ✓Convertible Note
- ✓Subscription Agreement
- ✓Asset Purchase Agreement
- ✓Share Sale Agreement
- ✓Due Diligence Checklist
- ✓Term Sheet
- ✓Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
- ✓IP Assignment Agreement
- ✓Software Licence Agreement
- ✓SaaS Terms & Conditions
- ✓Data Processing Agreement
- ✓E-commerce Terms & Conditions
- ✓Website Terms of Use
- ✓Privacy Policy
- ✓Consulting Agreement
New contract types are added regularly. If your document type is not listed, upload it anyway.
14 structured outputs — every analysis
You don't get a vague AI summary. You get 14 specific, structured outputs built for business decision-making.
Document Classification
CoreIdentifies the contract type, applicable SA statute family, and flags if the document does not match the expected type. Sets the context for all subsequent outputs.
Executive Summary
CorePlain-language summary of what the contract is, who it is between, the key obligations on each side, and the commercial purpose. Written for a business owner, not a lawyer.
Risk Score & Rating
CoreAn overall risk score (0–100) with a colour-coded rating: Low, Medium, High, or Critical. Based on weighted clause analysis across all flagged issues.
Red Flag Register
CoreA numbered list of every problematic clause with severity (Critical, High, Medium, Low), the clause reference, the verbatim text, and a plain-English explanation of the risk.
Key Data Extraction
CoreStructured extraction of all key commercial data points: parties, dates, duration, financial terms, notice periods, termination triggers, and jurisdiction.
Obligation Timeline
CoreA chronological list of every deadline, notice period, and obligation trigger in the contract — from signature date through to expiry or renewal.
Missing Clauses Checker
SA-specificChecks for clauses that should be present under SA law but are absent — including POPIA data protection clauses, BCEA-compliant termination provisions, and CPA required disclosures.
Clause-Level Risk Panel
CoreIndividual risk scoring for every substantive clause in the document. Allows you to scan the entire contract at a glance and identify the highest-risk provisions.
Party Favourability Analysis
AI-poweredDetermines which party each clause favours — the drafter, the counterparty, or neutral. Gives you an overall contract balance score so you know how one-sided this document is.
BCEA Compliance Check
SA-specific24-point compliance check against the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. Applicable to employment contracts. Flags deductions, overtime, leave, and termination provisions that breach the Act.
Signature Readiness Score
NewA clear Go / Caution / Do Not Sign recommendation based on the combined risk analysis, with a summary of the specific issues that must be resolved before you should sign.
Negotiation Suggestions
AI-poweredFor every flagged clause, a plain-language suggestion for how to approach the negotiation — what to ask for, what is typically acceptable, and what the other side is likely to push back on.
Amendment Suggester
AdaptedGenerates a replacement clause for every flagged issue — written in proper legal language, matched to SA drafting conventions, with an explanation of what the amendment achieves.
SA Business Context Panel
SA-specificIdentifies and explains every South African statutory reference in the contract — BCEA, CPA, POPIA, NCA, Companies Act, Insolvency Act — so you understand the legal framework behind each clause.
Built for South African law
Not a global tool with SA as an afterthought.
South African contract law sits at the intersection of Roman-Dutch common law, English common law influence, and a dense body of protective legislation that governs almost every commercial relationship.
When a suretyship clause waives the beneficium excussionis, that has a specific meaning under SA common law that does not exist in English or American law. When an employment contract attempts to exclude overtime, the legality depends on whether the employee earns above or below the BCEA earnings threshold. When a franchise agreement imposes mandatory purchasing, it must comply with FASA disclosure rules under the Consumer Protection Act. When a sole proprietor disposes of business assets, Section 34 of the Insolvency Act may require advertisement of the sale.
SmartDocAI is trained on all of this. Global AI tools are not.
| Feature | Global AI Tools | SmartDocAI |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficium excussionis detection | ✗ | ✓ |
| BCEA earnings threshold check | ✗ | ✓ |
| CPA franchise disclosure rules | ✗ | ✓ |
| Section 34 Insolvency Act flagging | ✗ | ✓ |
| POPIA compliance checks | ✗ | ✓ |
| NCA credit agreement analysis | ✗ | ✓ |
| SA Companies Act clause review | ✗ | ✓ |
| SA-specific clause language | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jurisdiction-aware risk scoring | ✗ | ✓ |
| White-label SA legal reports | ✗ | ✓ |
We are not the cheapest tool in the world. We are the only tool built for South African business contracts.
Real red flags — exactly how they appear in our output
This is what SmartDocAI flags. These are real clauses from South African contracts.
There is no cap on how much the landlord can increase your rent each year. You could sign a 5-year lease and face 40% rent increases in year 3. There is no protection under SA common law once you have agreed to discretionary escalation.
You have personally guaranteed the company's debt and given up every legal protection available to a surety under SA common law. If the business cannot pay, the creditor can come directly to you — your home, your savings, your car — without first exhausting the business's assets.
This clause attempts to contract out of the BCEA's mandatory overtime provisions. It is unlawful for employees earning below the BCEA earnings threshold. You cannot waive BCEA rights by agreement — this clause is void, and the employee can still claim.
Despite the "independent contractor" label, this clause creates a de facto employment relationship under Section 200A of the Labour Relations Act. SARS may reclassify the relationship, triggering PAYE liability, UIF, and SDL contributions — including penalties and interest for the period of non-compliance.
You have no ability to source cheaper alternatives. The franchisor can increase supplier prices at will, and you must absorb the cost. Under the SA Consumer Protection Act franchise disclosure rules, these mandatory purchasing obligations must be disclosed before signing — if they were not, you may have grounds to void the agreement.
A unanimous consent requirement means any single shareholder can block any company decision — including the approval of financial statements, the appointment of directors, and the distribution of dividends. In a 50/50 deadlock, the company is ungovernable. There is no exit mechanism in this clause.
Ask the Document
Ask plain-language questions about your specific contract — and get answers from the actual text.
After your analysis is complete, Ask the Document lets you have a direct conversation with your contract. You can ask anything — and the system answers from the actual clauses in your document, citing the clause number.
Example questions you can ask:
- →Can the landlord cancel this lease before the end of term?
- →Am I personally liable if the company cannot pay?
- →What happens to my IP if this agreement terminates?
- →How much notice must I give to exit this agreement?
- →Is there a cap on the damages the other party can claim?
- →What triggers an automatic renewal?
- →Can the other party assign this agreement without my consent?
- →What are my payment obligations in month 1?
SmartDocAI
Yes. Clause 18.2 allows the landlord to terminate with 20 business days' written notice if you are in breach of any payment obligation, without needing a court order. There is no cure period — notice of termination is effective immediately on delivery.
SmartDocAI
Suggest this amendment: "The Landlord shall not exercise any right of termination under Clause 18.2 unless the Tenant has been given written notice of the breach and has failed to remedy such breach within 10 (ten) business days of such notice."
Ask the Document is available as an add-on for R29 per analysis, or included in the R799/month plan.
Amendment Suggester
Don't just know the risk — know exactly what to ask for instead.
Knowing a clause is risky is only half the problem. The other half is knowing what to say to the other side. The Amendment Suggester generates a legally-drafted replacement clause for every flagged risk — ready to send to the other party's attorney.
Each amendment output includes:
- ✓The original risky clause — verbatim
- ✓Why it is problematic — in plain English
- ✓The suggested replacement clause — in proper legal language
- ✓What the amendment achieves — explained simply
- ✓Urgency level — Critical, High, or Medium
Risky clause (Clause 7.1):
Why it is risky:
There is no cap on escalation. The landlord can increase rent by any amount in any year. You have no contractual protection.
Suggested replacement:
What this achieves:
Caps escalation at CPI or 8%, whichever is lower. Gives you certainty for budgeting and removes the landlord's unilateral discretion.
Amendment Suggester is available as an add-on for R29 per analysis, or included in the R799/month plan.
What happens when you don't check
Six real cases. Six contracts that were signed without a proper review.
The restraint of trade that cost R180,000
A sales director signed an employment contract with a two-year, nationwide restraint of trade clause. When he resigned to join a competitor, his former employer obtained a High Court interdict. Legal costs: R180,000. The restraint was enforceable because it was reasonable in scope — something a 60-second analysis would have flagged before he signed.
The director who lost his home
A business owner personally signed a suretyship for a R1.2 million equipment finance agreement, waiving the benefit of excussion. When the business failed, the financier bypassed the liquidation and obtained judgment against him personally. He sold his house to settle. The waiver clause was three lines in a 40-page agreement.
The unlawful deduction clause
A small manufacturer's standard employment contract contained a clause allowing the company to deduct the cost of damaged goods from employee salaries. The clause violated the BCEA. When a CCMA case arose, the employer paid R95,000 in back-pay and penalties. The clause had been in their contract template for six years.
The POPIA-violating SaaS T&Cs
A fintech startup's terms of service contained data processing clauses that violated POPIA's requirements for lawful processing and consent. After a complaint to the Information Regulator, the company spent R220,000 on legal fees and a complete T&Cs rewrite — and lost a major corporate client in the process.
The franchise with invisible mandatory purchases
A franchisee discovered after signing that "approved suppliers" was a list entirely controlled by the franchisor — including the franchisor's own subsidiaries. Mandatory purchasing added R8,000/month in costs that were not disclosed in the pre-sale disclosure document. The claim under the CPA franchise rules is still in arbitration.
The IP assignment that gave away a library
A software developer signed a consulting agreement with an IP assignment clause that transferred all intellectual property created "during the term of this agreement" to the client — with no carveout for pre-existing work. The clause captured the developer's entire proprietary framework library, developed over four years. It took R75,000 in legal fees to negotiate it back.
Accountant Partner Programme
Your clients trust you with every financial decision in their business. When they call to ask "should I sign this lease?" — you've had two options: admit you don't know, or refer them to a lawyer who will charge R5,000 and take three weeks. There is now a third option.
SmartDocAI's Partner Programme gives accountants and financial advisors access to wholesale contract analysis at R65 per document. You set your own client price. The margin is yours. The report is branded with your firm's name.
Unit economics — R65/document:
| What you do | Your cost | You charge | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment contract review | R65 | R350 | R285 |
| Commercial lease review | R65 | R500 | R435 |
| Shareholders agreement review | R65 | R750 | R685 |
| Full suite (5 documents) | R325 | R2,500 | R2,175 |
What you get:
- ✓White-label PDF reports — your firm name and logo, not SmartDocAI
- ✓All 14 analysis outputs on every document
- ✓Dedicated partner portal for multi-client management
- ✓Usage dashboard — see all analyses across all clients
- ✓Priority email support from our team
- ✓No upfront joining fee
- ✓Minimum 20 documents/month (R1,300/month)
You invoice your client at your rate. We invoice you at R65 per analysis. The white-label report means your client sees a professional service delivered by your firm — not a third-party AI tool.
Apply for Partner Access →Pricing
Pay per analysis, subscribe monthly, or partner with us as an accountant.
Single Document
R199
1 credit · R199/doc
- ✓ 1 full business contract analysis
- ✓ All 14 analysis outputs
- ✓ Ask the Document (5 questions)
- ✓ PDF summary
- ✓ Credits never expire
Starter
R599
4 credits · R150/doc
- ✓ 4 full contract analyses
- ✓ All 14 outputs per document
- ✓ Ask the Document (10 questions)
- ✓ PDF summary
- ✓ Credits never expire
Business Pack
R999
8 credits + 1 bonus · R125/doc
- ✓ 8 analyses + 1 bonus re-analysis
- ✓ All 14 outputs per document
- ✓ Ask the Document (unlimited)
- ✓ BCEA compliance check
- ✓ PDF + DOCX export
- ✓ Priority processing
- ✓ Credits never expire
Enterprise
R1,499
14 credits · R107/doc
- ✓ 14 full contract analyses
- ✓ All 14 outputs per document
- ✓ Ask the Document (unlimited)
- ✓ BCEA compliance check
- ✓ PDF + DOCX + JSON export
- ✓ Priority processing
- ✓ Credits never expire
| Your situation | Best option |
|---|---|
| One contract to check before signing | Single Document — R199 |
| Starting a business, 4 contracts to review | Starter — R599 |
| Full contract suite for a new venture or partnership | Business Pack — R999 |
| Multiple contracts across a team or year | Enterprise — R1,499 |
| Regular monthly contract reviews | Monthly Plan — R799/month |
| Accountant reviewing contracts for multiple clients | Partner Programme — R65/doc |
Security & confidentiality
Your contracts are confidential. We take that seriously.
Encrypted storage
All documents stored with AES-256 encryption at rest in Supabase (SOC 2 Type II certified infrastructure).
No model training
Your documents are never used to train our AI models. Your content remains yours.
Isolated processing
Each document is processed in an isolated environment. No cross-contamination between users.
Deletion on request
Request deletion of your documents at any time from your account settings. We action within 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know before you start.
The contract is on your desk.
You have 48 hours.
R199. 60 seconds. Know exactly what you are signing.
SmartDocAI is a legal document analysis tool. Nothing in our output constitutes legal advice. For high-value transactions we recommend using SmartDocAI as a first-pass review layer and then consulting a qualified South African attorney.