Approval workflows

Approval workflows let you say that certain contracts need someone's sign-off, for example every contract above a set value. You write the rules once, and Renewly asks for approval whenever a contract matches.

How it works

1. An owner or admin creates approval rules in Settings, Approvals.
2. When Renewly finishes reading a new contract, it checks the contract against every active rule.
3. For each rule that matches, Renewly adds an approval request to the contract.
4. The right people approve or reject each request on the contract page.
5. The contract page shows whether the contract is waiting, approved or rejected.

Rule types

• Value exceeds threshold: when the contract and rule use the same currency, approval is required if the contract's recorded value is at or above the amount you set. The value is compared as recorded (for example, the monthly price of a monthly contract). Currencies are not converted. If the contract has a value but its currency is different or unknown, approval is always required so a person can check the amount. A contract with no recorded value does not match this rule. A rule with no saved currency uses USD.
• Auto-renewal detected: the contract renews on its own. Makes sure someone looks at every contract that will renew automatically.
• All contracts: every contract needs approval, whatever its terms.

Creating rules

1. Open Settings and choose Approvals.
2. Click Add Rule.
3. Enter a Rule Name and, if you like, a description.
4. Choose the Trigger (one of the rule types above).
5. Choose the Required Approver: Admin or Any member.
6. For a value rule, enter the Threshold Amount and choose its currency.
7. Click Create Rule.

A workspace can have up to 10 rules. You can pause a rule with Disable rule and turn it back on with Enable rule, without deleting it. Deleting a rule also removes its requests that are still waiting.

Approving or rejecting

When a contract has requests waiting, its Approvals section shows Approval required and lists them. If you are allowed to decide, you see Approve and Reject buttons.

• Approve: marks the request as approved. You can add a note.
• Reject: marks the request as rejected. Use the note to explain why.

When every request is approved, the section shows All approvals granted. If any request is rejected, it shows Approval rejected.

If a value rule uses a different currency from the contract, the request shows a note explaining that a person needs to check the amount. The note uses the contract and rule currencies saved now.

Permissions

• Creating and changing rules: workspace owners and admins only.
• Seeing approvals: anyone who can see the contract.
• Approving or rejecting: owners and admins can always decide. If the rule says Any member, members who can see the contract can decide too.

FAQ

Can I request approvals manually?

Yes. On the contract page, click Request Approvals. Renewly checks the contract against all active rules and adds any requests that are missing. This is useful for contracts added before you created a rule.

What happens if I change a rule after approvals are created?

Requests that already exist stay as they are. New contracts are checked against the rules as they are now.

Can I require multiple approvals for the same contract?

Yes. If a contract matches several rules, it gets one request per rule. All of them must be approved for the contract to show as fully approved.