What happens if a contract is not renewed?

If a contract is not renewed, it ends on its expiry date and both parties' obligations stop, with a few important exceptions. Clauses designed to survive termination (confidentiality, IP ownership, liability, non-solicitation) usually continue per their own terms. And if both sides keep performing after expiry (you keep supplying, they keep paying), many jurisdictions treat that as an implied continuation on the old terms, which sounds convenient but leaves pricing, liability and exit rules dangerously vague.

For businesses, unplanned non-renewal usually hurts in practical ways: lapsed supplier pricing reverting to list rates, expired customer agreements blocking invoicing, or an insurance gap between policy periods.

Whether you want a contract to renew or to die, both outcomes deserve a decision made ahead of the date, which means the date has to be visible before it arrives.