Configure Rules

The Government Clause Automation (GCA) solution enables users create rules that determine which clauses must be included or excluded in a clause set. The automated process offers ease and flexibility while managing the clauses and provisions required for a contract. The AI-powered rule creation in GCA enables users generate rules using natural language instead of manual configuration. The AI-powered rule creation significantly reduces the effort and complexity of rule creation while maintaining accuracy and compliance.

View rules

After you access the Government Clause Automation (GCA) site, click Rules to view the Rules page.

When you select Rules, a list of the existing rules, their status, conditions, included clauses, excluded clauses, and last modified timestamp displays. From the list, you can search for a specific rule or filter the list to identify rules associated with a specific questionnaire, status, or both. You can also export the rules list to an Excel file by clicking Download icon.

You can also see if a rule is in Draft status, which indicates the rule is AI-generated and is incomplete due to unmapped or invalid conditions.

Create a new rule

In Government Clause Automation (GCA), you can configure clause inclusion and exclusion rules to trigger based on the following:

• Questions and answers from questionnaires.
• Data provided in the clause set details section of clause set creation.

Use the Create Rule wizard to define the clause rules. When generating a new clause set, set up rules to include specific clauses, exclude specific clauses, or both. The Create Rule wizard enables you to:

• Define the conditions for the rule.
• Select the clauses to include or exclude for the rule.

Define the conditions for the rule

Let's consider a scenario where you must include and exclude certain clauses for any new or existing simplified acquisition or negotiated contracts worth more than $250,000,000.

To define the conditions for a new rule:

1. From the Rules page, click CREATE.
2. Enter the rule Name. For example, High-value contract administration.
3. Select the Status.
   • If you need to apply the rule to new clause sets, select Active. Else, select Inactive.

4. Click ADD CONDITION. You can also add a condition group by clicking ADD CONDITION GROUP.

   

5. Fill in the rule condition details:

   The first condition checks if the clause set type is solicitation.

   1. Select the Clause Data you want to apply as a condition. The clause data can be a question from a questionnaire or clause set detail, such as clause set type, contract method, contract category, contract type, estimated dollar amount, PSC code, NAICS code, contract specialist, contract start date, or contract end date. For example, select Clause Set Type.

   2. Select an Operator and Value for the condition you selected. For example, select Equals and Solicitation respectively.

      

6. Fill in the condition group details:

   For the given scenario, The first condition group checks if the contract method is a simplified acquisition or negotiated contract.

   1. Click Add Condition Group to add a condition group to the rule.

      

   2. Select the Clause Data you want to apply as a condition. For example, select Contract Method.

   3. Select an Operator and Value for the condition you selected. For example, select Equals and Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) respectively.

      

   4. Click Add Condition to add another condition to the condition group.

      

   5. In the Match field within the condition group 1, select Any Condition (OR).
   6. Select the Clause Data you want to apply as a condition. For example, select Contract Method.

   7. Select an Operator and Value for the condition you selected. For example, select Equals and Negotiated contract (NEG CONT) respectively.

      

   8. Similarly, add another condition group to check if the contract category is new or an amendment.

      

   9. Similarly, add another condition group to check if the estimated dollar amount is greater than $250,000,000.

      

7. Click PREVIEW to preview the rule.

   

   The preview provides a visual representation of the conditions and condition groups in the rule.

   

8. Click EDIT to return to edit mode to make any changes.

   

9. Click NEXT to assign clauses to the rule.

Assign the include clauses for the rule

To assign the include clauses for the rule:

1. In the Available Clauses section under Include Clauses, select the clauses you want to attach to the rule using the checkbox. GCA includes these clauses during clause set creation.
   • Search the clause list for a specific clause or filter by clause or provision Type, clause Source, or both.

   

2. After selecting the desired clauses, click Chevron Right icon to move them to the Included Clauses section.
   • To remove one or more clauses from Included Clauses, select the clauses you want to remove using the checkbox and click Chevron Left icon.
   • Provision type clauses are included in solicitation type clause sets and automatically excluded in award type clause sets. The clause set type is configured when you create the clause set.

   

3. Click NEXT to assign excluded clauses to the rule.

Assign the exclude clauses for the rule

Excluded clauses do not appear as part of the clause set or suggested as applicable or optional clauses. You can only exclude these clauses if they are not Required clauses based on the FAR matrix. However, excluded clauses can be manually added back when creating a new clause set or through the Add Clause related action.

To assign the exclude clauses for the rule:

1. In the Available Clauses section under Exclude Clauses, select the clauses you want the rule to exclude using the checkbox.
   • Easily search the clause list for a specific clause or filter the clause list by clause or provision Type, clause Source, or both.
   • You cannot exclude clauses assigned for inclusion or include clauses assigned for exclusion.

   

2. After selecting the desired clauses, click Chevron Right icon to move them to the Excluded Clauses section.
   • To remove one or more clauses from Excluded Clauses, select the clauses you want to remove using the checkbox and click Chevron Left icon.

   

3. Click CREATE to create the rule.

Create a rule with AI

In Government Clause Automation (GCA), you can create rules faster by describing your requirements in natural language and letting AI generate the structured rule logic for you. You can also create rules using prescription text.

To create a rule with AI:

1. From the Rules page, click CREATE RULES WITH AI.

   

2. In the Create Rules with AI screen, choose your input method using the tabs at the top:

   • PROMPT: Enter your rule requirements in plain language. Use this tab when you want to describe rules in your own words.
   • PRESCRIPTION TEXT: Browse and select prescription text from the clause bank. Use this tab when you want to generate rules directly from regulatory prescription text.

   

Enter a rule prompt

To generate rules from a natural language prompt:

1. On the Create Rules with AI screen, select the PROMPT tab.
2. In Enter Rule Prompt, describe your rule requirements in plain language. You can reference clause set details, questionnaire answers, or both. For example:
   • "Include cybersecurity clauses when contract value exceeds $10 million and involves IT services."
   • "For solicitation, when the PSC code is 123 and contract type is fixed price."
   • "Include small business clauses when the questionnaire answer for 'Is this a small business set-aside?' is 'Yes'."
   • "Exclude DFARS clauses when the response to 'Contract funding source' is 'Non-DoD'."

3. Click GENERATE RULE to start AI rule generation.

   

4. Proceed to review the AI-generated rule.

Select prescription text

To generate rules from prescription text in the clause bank:

1. On the Create Rules with AI screen, select the PRESCRIPTION TEXT tab.
2. Browse the paginated list of prescription texts. Each item shows:
   • Prescription number.
   • Number of clauses involved.
   • Source (such as FAR, DFARS, or agency supplement).
3. (Optional) If you want to narrow the list, use the search field to search by prescription number, clause number, or clause name. You can also use the Source dropdown to filter by source.
4. Select a prescription text. The right panel displays a preview with:
   • The prescription number as the header.
   • A collapsible list of associated clause numbers and names.
   • The full prescription text body.

5. Click GENERATE RULE to start AI rule generation from the selected prescription text.

   

6. Proceed to review the AI-generated rule.

Review the AI-generated rule

After you click GENERATE RULE, a message indicating that AI is generating the rule appears. You can continue with other tasks and check again later.

To review the AI-generated rule:

1. Click REFRESH.

   • Note: You need to wait for a short time and click REFRESH multiple times to view the AI-generated rule.
2. Review the AI-generated rule:
   • The system displays the structured conditions, operators, and values along with included and excluded clauses.
   • Rules can be previewed with the conditions mapped to the relevant clause data or question.
   • The system highlights conditions using unavailable data with warnings. The system maps the conditions mentioned in the input with the configured clause data and highlights the data that is not available within the list. Along with the list, the system also highlights data with operators and values that are not applicable or valid. If the conditions are available in the questionnaire, you can add them to the rule by editing the rule from the rules grid after saving it as a draft.
   • If there are still unmapped conditions then you need to create them as questions or if a relevant question existed and the system was not able to map with it, you need to mark the rule as draft and update it from the rule builder.
   • Under the included and excluded clauses, the system also highlights any mentioned clause that is not found.
3. You can:
   • Refine input: Click Back to go back and adjust your prompt or the prescription text to regenerate the rule.
   • Save as Draft: Save incomplete rules to finish later with questionnaire data.

4. Select the rules from the list, then click CREATE RULES.

   

The system names the AI-generated rules according to the rule requirement. If you save a rule as a draft, the input and output remain available for you to track and make subsequent edits.

Troubleshoot AI rule generation

The following table describes what happens when AI rule generation encounters an error:

Scenario	What happens	What you can do
AI rule generation fails entirely	An error screen displays indicating the rule could not be generated.	Click Retry to try again, or click Back to return to the input screen and adjust your selection or prompt.
Clause data mapping succeeds but questionnaire mapping fails	The Review Screen shows conditions mapped from clause data. Unmapped conditions display with an error banner indicating questionnaire mapping could not be completed.	Review the clause data conditions and create the rule as a Draft. Complete questionnaire mapping manually from the rules grid.
Selected prescription text is empty or has no processable content	An error screen displays indicating the rule could not be generated.	Return to the input screen and select a different prescription text or use the Prompt tab.
No questionnaire matches found above confidence threshold	The condition displays "No matching Questionnaire data found" on the Review Screen.	Create the rule as a Draft and manually map the condition from the Rules Grid, or verify that the referenced question exists in a default questionnaire.
Integration failure	An integration failure screen displays indicating the system could not connect to required services.	Click Retry to attempt the connection again. If the issue persists, contact your system administrator.

Questionnaire conditions in AI rules

The AI Rule Builder recognizes questions from default questionnaires configured in your Clause Automation site. When your prompt or selected prescription text references questionnaire data, the system uses a hybrid approach—semantic search combined with an AI skill—to find and construct the best-fit condition for each unmapped field.

The AI can map questionnaire conditions when:

• The referenced question exists in a default questionnaire.
• The questionnaire is configured and published.
• The prompt or prescription text uses language that clearly references a questionnaire question or its response options.
• The response values match or closely align with the configured response options.

Understand AI-generated rules

Understanding AI-generated rules enables you to use them effectively to create rules quickly in Government Clause Automation (GCA) solution.

Status tracking

Rules generated using AI can be saved as draft if they require additional updates after review.

Data availability warnings

When AI generates conditions using data not available in your configured clause set details or default questionnaires:

• Conditions are highlighted with warning indicators.
• Rules are saved as draft by default and you can complete the rule later.

Questions from default questionnaires are recognized as valid condition data during AI generation. Warnings only appear for conditions that reference data not available in either clause set details or configured default questionnaires.

System constraints

• Nesting limit: Rules exceeding three levels of nesting are flagged and blocked from creation.
• Invalid clauses: If a referenced clause does not exist, the rule is flagged and forced into a draft state.
• Critical failures: Rules where all conditions are unmapped or invalid cannot be created. You must refine the input prompt.

Edit AI-generated rules

When editing an AI-generated rule:

1. From the Edit Rule screen, click View AI Generation Summary to view original prompts and the generated rule.

   

2. Make manual adjustments as needed.

   • All edits are tracked separately from the AI creation.
   • The audit trail clearly distinguishes AI-generated logic from human modifications.

The audit trail ensures you maintain full visibility into how rules were created and modified over time.

Draft rules

Rules saved in Draft status operate under the following constraints:

• Execution: The system does not apply draft rules during clause set creation.
• Completion: Resolve remaining unassigned criteria directly from the rules grid at a later time.
• Activation: Change the rule status to Active or Inactive for the logic to take effect.

The system automatically links questionnaire fields during AI generation, reducing how often rules save in Draft status:

• Draft status: Applies only when conditions contain unresolved logic or reference data missing from clause set details or default questionnaires.
• Active status: Applies automatically when all conditions contain fully linked fields.

AI Report for questionnaire conditions

When you edit an AI-generated rule from the Rules Grid, the AI Report now includes details about questionnaire condition mappings:

• Matched questionnaire: The default questionnaire the condition was mapped to.
• Matched question: The specific question used for the condition.
• Default indicator: Whether the matched questionnaire is the default questionnaire.

Verify the questionnaire assignment and update it if needed.

Update an existing rule

You can quickly and easily update rules with Government Clause Automation (GCA). The existing rules with a flat structure are not affected and can be updated later.

To edit an existing rule:

1. From the Rules page, click Vertical Ellipsis icon associated with the rule you want to update and click Edit Rule.

   

   • For AI-generated rules, you can view the AI generation summary by clicking View AI Generation Summary.

   

   The AI Generation Summary shows the input prompt, the generated rule with all conditions including any unmapped or invalid ones highlighted, and included and excluded clauses.

   

2. Follow the rest of the Edit Rule wizard to update the rule name, status, conditions, condition groups, and included or excluded clauses.

   Note: For AI-generated rule, ensure all the conditions are mapped with valid data before changing its status from Draft to Active or Inactive.

3. When you are finished adding or removing clauses for exclusion to the rule, click SAVE.

All future clause sets use the updated rules. Clause sets that have already been generated or finalized are not affected.

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