What evidence does a contract actually require?
The evidence a contract requires is not a separate schedule — it is whatever each clause names, or fails to name, to prove what it promises.
People often look for a contract's evidence requirements in an "evidence" or "records" clause. But the requirements that decide a dispute are scattered through the operative promises themselves. Every promise implies an evidentiary question: if you had to show this was met, what would you point to?
Strong clauses answer that question inside the clause. "Moisture at or below 13.5%, tested per ISO 24333 on a composite sample drawn across the lot at an accredited laboratory within three working days of delivery" names its own proof: an independent lab, a defined method, a numeric threshold, a sampling rule tied to the lot, and a time. Weak clauses leave it to be argued later. "Delivered in good condition" names nothing a third party could receive or measure.
The six checks Warrant Check runs on every promise
- Independent Verification — could the evidence be produced to, and checked by, an independent third party (an accredited certificate, a result from an independent method, a measurement), rather than one party's own assertion?
- Suitable Method — does the method reliably establish what is claimed, at the strength or magnitude claimed, rather than a weaker proxy standing in for proof?
- Defined Benchmark — is there a specific threshold, technical specification, or named standard the result is measured against, rather than a vague term like "good quality"?
- Conclusive Link — does meeting that benchmark actually establish the promise itself, rather than something merely adjacent to it?
- Comprehensive Coverage — does the evidence cover the full scope of the claim (the whole lot, area or population), whether directly or through a properly representative sample?
- Relevant Timeline — does the evidence cover the period the commitment runs for: the full term of a continuing obligation, or the relevant moment for a one-off one?
Reading for contract verification means going clause by clause and asking whether the proof is on the page: is it independent, is there a standard, does the standard establish the claim, and does it cover the whole thing for the right period? That is what Warrant Check does automatically — it turns each promise into its evidentiary question and shows you where the answer is missing.
Check a clause free with Warrant Check →