It covers my group tour contracting work for your Bozeman weekend, so you can sign supplier agreements with your eyes open and with the numbers, deadlines, and risks lined up to how groups actually move.
If you have an accepted proposal from me, that proposal and this contract go together. The proposal says what I am reviewing and coordinating. This contract says how I hold the date, how I invoice, how changes get handled, and how I keep the approval record as contracts are negotiated and signed.
What I handle
Group tour contracting is my review and coordination work for the supplier contracts and master schedule tied to your event dates, as described in your accepted proposal. I focus on the spots that usually create surprise costs: room block cutoff and attrition math, driver hours, no show language, payment schedules, and what happens when flights or weather shift timing.
Your scope includes the items listed below, plus reasonable email support needed to get each item to an approved, sign ready version. If you add a new supplier, a new venue, or a new event date after we start, I will quote that added work in writing before I begin.
* Hotel block terms pass * Motorcoach contract check * Group air rules review * DMC and local vendor scrub * Run-of-show timing sanity check * Approval and signature trail
Holding the date
I hold your date on my calendar when two things have happened: you have signed this contract, and I have received the 50% retainer. Until the retainer is paid, I can not promise I will still be available, because I may accept other projects for the same window.
The retainer is what reserves my time and the planning runway. If you later cancel, the retainer usually does not come back, because the work starts immediately and the date has been held for you. What I keep depends on how close we are to the event and how much work has already been completed, and I will set those cancellation windows in writing.
Payment is split into two equal parts. You pay 50% as a retainer when you sign this contract. That retainer both starts the work and holds the date.
The remaining 50% is due before the event, based on your final numbers, by a date I set and confirm to you in writing. I time that so there is space to finish the last round of contract clean up, confirm what has been signed, and leave you with a clear packet before you travel. Each invoice is due within 14 days of its invoice date.
Final numbers
Group contracts run on final numbers: rooming lists, passenger counts, pickup times, and any dietary or access needs. Those inputs drive hotel cutoffs and attrition, motorcoach vehicle sizing and driver hours, and in some cases airfare ticketing deadlines.
I will tell you what each supplier contract requires and what each deadline triggers. You will choose the final numbers deadline you can realistically meet, and I will work to that. Once final numbers are confirmed, the remaining 50% balance is billed on that basis, and it stays due even if fewer people attend later, because suppliers still enforce the committed numbers and timelines.
Changes
If the plan changes after signing, send me the change in writing before you ask a supplier to revise anything. That includes headcount shifts, added stops, venue swaps, new activity ideas, different pickup windows, or any change to who is paying for what. Small changes can trigger big contract effects, especially around attrition, minimums, and driver hours.
I will review what the change triggers, then put the cost, timing impact, and the approval step in writing for you to accept before I proceed. Close to the event, some changes may simply not be available because suppliers are past their cutoffs. I will tell you what is still possible and what the best fallback is.
Other suppliers
Hotels, motorcoach operators, DMCs, guides, and activity vendors are separate businesses with their own contracts. Unless I have agreed otherwise with you in writing, you book and pay them directly and you are the signer on their agreements. My job is to help you understand what you are agreeing to before you sign, and to make sure the contract language lines up with your schedule and group movement.
If you want me to speak with suppliers about contract language, I can do that. If you want me to sign something on your behalf, you must give me written permission for that specific document. I also need every draft, exhibit, and email that changes the deal, including version history, so I am reviewing the same terms you are being asked to sign.
Time over plan
My project covers the scope in your proposal. If the work expands because the group plan expands, for example a new hotel, added shuttle days, or a reworked schedule due to flight delays, that is additional work and it can add time quickly because multiple supplier contracts need to be re checked against the new timing.
If extra time is needed, I will tell you as soon as I can and I will quote it in writing before I do it. If something urgent comes up close to travel and you need me to keep working to prevent a contract mistake or an overtime bill with a supplier, I will get your written go ahead first where possible, then confirm the details in writing right after.
Moving the date
If you need to move the event date, tell me as soon as you know. The first question is whether the suppliers will allow a date move and what they charge or keep when the date changes. The second question is whether I am available for the new window.
If the date moves and I am available, I will tell you in writing how the retainer applies to the new date and what additional work is needed, because a date move often resets deadlines and changes inventory. If something outside anyone’s control stops the event from happening as planned, I will still charge for the work already completed, and I will help you understand what each supplier contract says about credits, cancellations, and rebooking.
What I am responsible for
I am responsible for doing the contract review and schedule sanity check with care, and for documenting my recommendations and your approvals in writing. I can flag risk and translate fine print into plain language, but I can not make a supplier honor terms they did not sign, and I can not control weather, road closures, flight delays, staffing shortages, or supplier performance on the day.
You are responsible for the business decisions: what you choose to commit to, the final numbers you approve, and signing and paying supplier agreements unless you have given me written permission to sign on your behalf. If you sign a supplier contract without sending me the final version, I can not stand behind the costs tied to that contract.
If you cancel the project, email me so there is a clear timestamp and a written record. I will stop work as soon as I can, then I will send you a short status note that lists what has been completed, what is in progress, and what is still pending with suppliers.
What I keep depends on how far out you cancel and how much work is already completed. I use stepped cancellation windows that increase as the event gets closer, because the work load and the chance to rebook the date change over time. I will set those windows and what is kept, in writing, for your approval. Any supplier cancellation costs are separate and are governed by the supplier contracts you sign.
Signature
