Workflow Template

Contract Review and Approval Workflow

Captures a new contract from the owner, routes it through legal review (with owner revision loop), finance approval for high-value contracts, final approver sign-off, and execution/storage of the signed contract — tracking status throughout.

If contract requests currently land in someone's inbox and get chased over email until legal, finance, and a final approver all weigh in, this workflow gives that process a clear home. It captures the contract details up front, routes the document through legal review with a built-in revision loop back to the contract owner, sends high-value contracts to finance approval, and takes the contract to final sign-off before execution and storage. Everyone involved knows what stage a contract is at, and the owner gets an email update at each key milestone without anyone having to follow up manually.

Business Outcomes

Reduces time spent tracking down contract status by keeping a single record with a visible timeline
Helps cut back-and-forth on revisions by routing rejected contracts straight back to the owner with legal's comments attached
Makes it easier to apply extra scrutiny to high-value contracts by automatically routing anything over $100,000 to finance approval
Keeps contract owners informed automatically at submission, rejection, and execution stages
Supports faster handover to execution by having signed contract storage built into the same process

Workflow Steps

Steps

1
Create Contract Recordcreate record
Registers the submitted contract details as a new contract record.
2
Set Status to Submittedupdate record
Sets the contract status to Submitted.
3
Send Acknowledgement Emailsend email
Emails the contract owner an acknowledgement with their reference number.
4
Set Status to Legal Reviewupdate record
Sets the contract status to Legal Review before assigning the legal task.
5
Legal Review Taskcreate task
Legal reviews the contract, records redlines/comments and the review result, due in 5 days.
6
Save Legal Review Resultupdate record
Persists the legal redlines, comments, and review result to the contract record.
7
Route on Legal Review Result
Routes to owner revision if changes are required, or to finance/approval flow if ready for approval.
legal_result: "Changes required"→Set Status to Owner Revision
legal_result: "Ready for approval"→Route on Contract Value
Default→End
8
Set Status to Owner Revisionupdate record
Sets the contract status to Owner Revision.
9
Owner Revision Taskcreate task
Contract owner addresses the redlines and uploads the revised contract, due in 5 days.
10
Save Revised Contractupdate record
Persists the revised contract upload to the record before it returns to legal review.
11
Return to Legal Reviewrestart from step
Restarts the workflow from the legal review status step so legal can re-review the revised contract.
12
Route on Contract Value
Routes to finance approval if the contract value exceeds $100,000, otherwise straight to final approval.
contract_value: "100000"→Finance Approval
Default→Final Approval
13
Finance Approvalrequest approvalrequires approval
Requests finance approval for the high-value contract.
14
Route on Finance Approval
Routes to final approval if finance approves, or to rejection handling if finance rejects.
approval_status: "approved"→Final Approval
approval_status: "rejected"→Set Status to Rejected (Finance)
Default→End
15
Set Status to Rejected (Finance)update record
Sets the contract status to Rejected after finance rejection.
16
Email Owner - Rejected by Financesend email
Emails the contract owner that the contract was not approved by finance.
17
Final Approvalrequest approvalrequires approval
Requests final approval from the contract approver.
18
Route on Final Approval
Routes to signature preparation if approved, or to rejection handling if rejected.
approval_status: "approved"→Set Status to Ready for Signature
approval_status: "rejected"→Set Status to Rejected (Final)
Default→End
19
Set Status to Rejected (Final)update record
Sets the contract status to Rejected after final approver rejection.
20
Email Owner - Rejected by Final Approversend email
Emails the contract owner that the contract was not approved by the final approver.
21
Set Status to Ready for Signatureupdate record
Sets the contract status to Ready for Signature.
22
Store Signed Contract Taskcreate task
Contracts administrator stores the signed contract, recording the signed date and uploading the signed copy, with no due date.
23
Save Signed Contract Detailsupdate record
Persists the signed date and signed contract copy to the record.
24
Set Status to Executedupdate record
Sets the contract status to Executed.
25
Email Owner - Contract Executedsend email
Emails the contract owner that the contract is signed and stored.

Fields

Show all 16 fields

FormContract Submission Form

Contract Owner Name*· Text
Contract Owner Email*· Email
Contract Type*· Choice
Parties to the Contract*· Long text
Contract Value ($)*· Number
Start Date*· Date
Term (Months)*· Number
Key Obligations*· Long text
Renewal Date*· Date
Contract Document*· File upload

TaskLegal Review Task

Redlines and Comments*· Long text
Legal Review Result*· Choice

TaskOwner Revision Task

Revised Contract*· File upload

TaskStore Signed Contract Task

Signed Date*· Date
Signed Contract Copy*· File upload

Other fields

Contract Status· Choice

Contract Owner Name*
Contract Owner Email*
Contract Type*
Parties to the Contract*
Contract Value ($)*
Start Date*

Forms

Contract Submission Form

10 fields

Data Views

Contracts Overview

contract_type, parties, contract_value, renewal_date +1 more

Dashboard Widgets

Contracts by Status

Recommended integrations

Setup the following integrations to extend workflow capability.

Send email in the workflow
AWS SES

contract approvalcontract reviewlegal approvalcontract workflowagreement approval

Similar Workflows

Document Review and Approval Workflow NDA Request and Approval Workflow Contract Renewal Workflow

Similar Categories

Governance & Compliance Finance & Procurement

FAQs

Do I need technical help to set this workflow up?

No. The template is ready to use as soon as your workspace publishes it, so you can start capturing contract requests straight away. There's no installation or development project involved.

Can my team change the $100,000 finance approval threshold?

Yes. You can describe the change you want in plain English, or open the workflow editor and adjust the routing condition directly. Earlier versions of the workflow are kept, so you can review what changed.

Who actually handles each step in this workflow?

Legal review, finance approval, final approval, and the signed contract storage task are all assigned to members of your workspace as tasks. The contract owner takes part through emailed forms and the initial request form, without ever needing an account.

What happens if legal asks for changes to the contract?

If the Legal Review Result is set to 'Changes required,' the status moves to Owner Revision and the contract owner gets a task to address the redlines and upload a revised version. Once the owner submits the revision, the workflow automatically sends it back to legal for another review.

What happens when finance or the final approver rejects a contract?

A rejection at either stage sets the contract status to Rejected and triggers an email to the contract owner explaining that finance or the final approver did not approve it. The rejection reason and outcome are recorded on the contract's timeline.

Is this workflow suitable for contracts that don't need finance approval?

Yes. Any contract valued at $100,000 or under skips finance approval entirely and goes straight to final approval, so smaller contracts move through the process faster without an unnecessary step.

Where does the signed contract get stored?

A contracts administrator has a task to upload the signed copy and record the signed date once final approval is granted. That upload and date are saved directly to the contract record, and the status updates to Executed once it's done.

Can we track how many contracts are stuck in legal review or awaiting approval?

Yes. Table views and dashboards show records grouped by status, so you can see at a glance how many contracts are in Legal Review, Owner Revision, Finance Approval, or Ready for Signature. Each contract also has its own reference number and timeline showing what's happened so far.

Do contract owners need to log into anything to submit or revise a contract?

No. Contract owners submit their initial request through a public request form and complete any follow-up tasks, like uploading a revised contract, through forms emailed to them. No account is required at any point.

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