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CERTAINTY AND CHOICE OF TERMS

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RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF CONTRACTS

OBLIGATIONS ALTERNATIVES
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CERTAINTY

 

§34. CERTAINTY AND CHOICE OF TERMS; EFFECT OF PERFORMANCE OR

RELIANCE

(1) The terms of a contract may be reasonably certain even though it empowers one or both parties to make a selection of terms in the course of performance.

(2) Part performance under an agreement may remove uncertainty and establish that a contract enforceable as a bargain has been formed.

(3) Action in reliance on an agreement may make a contractual remedy appropriate even though uncertainty is not removed.

Comment:

a. Choice in the course of performance. A bargain may be concluded which leaves a choice of terms to be made by one party or the other. If the agreement is otherwise sufficiently definite to be a contract, it is not made invalid by the fact that it leaves particulars of performance to be specified by one of the parties. Uniform Commercial Code §2-311(1). The more important the choice is, the more it is likely that the parties do not intend to be bound until the choice is made. But even on such matters as subject matter and price, one party is often given a wide choice. If the parties intend to make a contract and there is a reasonably certain basis for granting an appropriate remedy, such alternative terms do not invalidate the contract. See §33.

b. Unlimited choice; good faith and fair dealing. If one party to an agreement is given an unlimited choice, that party may not be a promisor..., and the contract may fail for want of consideration. See §79....And in any event discretionary power granted by a commercial contract must be exercised in good faith and in accordance with fair dealing. Uniform Commercial Code §§1-203, 2-103(1)(b). A price to be fixed by a seller or buyer of goods, for example, means a price for him to fix in good faith. Uniform Commercial Code §2-305(2).

c. Subsequent conduct removing uncertainty. Indefiniteness may prevent enforcement of a contract in two different ways: it may mean that a manifestation of intention is not intended to be understood as an offer; or, even though the parties intended to enter into a contract, there may be no sufficient basis for giving an appropriate remedy. Subsequent conduct of one or both parties may remove either obstacle or both....[P]art performance may give meaning to indefinite terms of an agreement, or may have the effect of eliminating indefinite alternatives by waiver or modification. Uniform Commercial Code §2-208. In such cases a bargain may be concluded, but it may be impossible to identify offer or acceptance or to determine the moment of formation. See §22(2).