Setting Up Approval for Contracts Executed Offline

This guide explains how to configure a specialized approval that triggers specifically when an executed contract version (signed outside of SpotDraft) is uploaded to an existing contract record. This approval for contracts executed offline is crucial for maintaining compliance and ensuring legal validation before a contract is officially marked as executed in your system.

What is Approval for Contracts Executed Offline?

The Approval for Contracts Executed Offline feature ensures that contracts signed outside the platform are subject to mandatory legal or compliance validation. Historically, when a user uploaded a signed contract version and marked it as executed by all parties, the system automatically bypassed any remaining pending approvals and marked the contract as executed.

This new functionality introduces a mandatory approval step that triggers only when a user attempts to upload a fully executed (offline-signed) version of a contract. This closes the compliance gap, ensuring critical review occurs before the contract is officially recorded as executed.

How to Configure Approval for Contracts Executed Offline in a Workflow

This approval is configured within the Workflow Manager, ensuring it is a mandatory step for all contracts created through that specific workflow.

1. Navigate to Approvals and Reviews
   • Go to Manage > Workflow Manager and select the workflow you wish to edit.
   • In the left-hand menu, under Additional Options, click on Approvals and Reviews.
2. Add a New Approval Step
   • Click Add Approval. This will open the configuration modal.
3. Define Basic Details
   • Approval name: Give it a clear name (e.g., "Offline Contract Validation," "Final Signed Copy Check").
   • Approval description: Clearly instruct the approver on what to verify (e.g., "Require approval to verify the uploaded contract is properly executed before finalizing.").
4. Set the Approval Trigger
   • Under the "When is this approval required?" section, select the new option:
     • Contract marked as executed
   • When you select this option, you will see an informational banner indicating that this approval resets automatically whenever a new uploaded version is marked as fully executed.
   • Tip: This approval acts as a final step. We recommend placing this approval at the end of any sequential approval/review flow to avoid inadvertently skipping subsequent tasks.
5. Assign the Approver
   • Under "Who should approve?", select the user or team responsible for compliance or final legal validation (e.g., the Legal Operations team).
6. Set Restrictions (Optional)
   • Configure the Restrict Actions section to control who can skip this approval, download the contract, or send it to counterparties while this critical validation step is pending.
7. Save and Publish
   • Click Save to finalize the approval step.
   • Click Publish New Changes on the workflow details page to activate the new rule.

Important Note: A workflow can only have one instance of the Approval for Contracts Executed Offline (i.e., the "Contract marked as executed" trigger). If you attempt to add a second approval of this type, the option will be disabled.

Interactions within Contracts for Users Uploading the Executed Contract

When a contract has been signed offline (outside SpotDraft) and a user attempts to upload it, the system verifies if the Approval for Contracts Executed Offline is required.

1. Start the Upload: The user clicks Upload New Version on the contract page and selects the executed file.
2. Trigger the Approval: In the upload modal, the user must answer: "Has the contract been executed by all parties?" by selecting Yes.
3. System Notification: The system displays a notification banner confirming that the specified approval (e.g., "Final Legal Approval") will be required to mark the contract as fully executed.
4. Upload Requirement: The user must upload the executed contract version in a PDF format.
5. Task Creation: Upon successful upload, the contract remains in the previous status, and an approval task is immediately created and assigned to the designated Approver.

Interactions within Contracts for Users Approving the Executed Contract

The approver's role is to verify the uploaded document against compliance standards before officially setting the contract status to 'Executed'.

1. Receive the Task: The designated Legal or Compliance user receives the approval task.
2. Review and Approve: The user reviews the uploaded contract version (ensuring all signatures and execution details are correct).

3. Final Confirmation: When the approver clicks Approve, they will see an explicit confirmation modal that states:

   Approving will mark the contract as Executed. Verify all signatures and other contract details before confirming.

4. Contract Status Update: Once the approver clicks Confirm, the contract status is instantly updated to Executed. The upload and approval events are recorded in the Activity Log for audit purposes. 
   • Note: On approving, any remaining approvals will be skipped. 
   • Note: If the latest version of the contract is DOCX, then the approver will not be able to approve this contract and mark it as executed. They'll have to upload a PDF copy of the executed contract and approve it.