Once a Contract is live, you change it with a change request. The people who need to agree review exactly what changed and accept it before it applies, so your team and your talent always work from the same terms.

Who can do this: The Contract's creator, admins, and teammates whose role lets them edit the Contract. If fields are greyed out or you can't open the change form, see Why Can't I See or Edit a Contract?.

Availability: Every account that uses Contracts.

Your workspace may use a different name for Contracts (for example, Engagements) or for your talent (for example, Freelancers or Partners). The steps are the same.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Before you start

  • The Contract must have the status Live. Change requests are only for live Contracts. A draft can be edited directly.
  • A Contract can have only one open change request at a time.
  • Who accepts changes, and in what order, is set on the Contract template, in its Change Request section. Ask an admin if you aren't sure who is on that list.

Submit a change request

  1. Go to Contracts → All Contracts.
  2. Open the actions menu for the Contract and select Change Contract. You can also open the Contract, go to the Change History tab and click Change Contract.
  3. Edit the fields you need to change. Fields that can't change on a live Contract are greyed out.
  4. Click Update Contract.

The Contract's status in your list changes to Change req., and the Contract shows "There is a change request to this Contract." Everyone who has to accept it gets an email when it's their turn.

You can use a change request to extend or shorten the end date, update the description or custom fields (such as a PO number), change rates and fees, adjust the budget, and add Tasks.

Who accepts the change, and in what order

What happens depends on who can see the field you changed, and on the list in the template's Change Request section.

  • Fields your talent can see (for example the end date, description, rates and fees, and custom fields marked as visible to talent) go to everyone on that list, in the order it shows. By default, the list has only your talent.
  • Fields only your team can see (for example the Contract name, its Team, and custom fields hidden from talent) never go to your talent. If the list has only your talent, these changes apply right away. If the list includes people from your team, they review these changes first.
  • If one change request touches both kinds of fields and the list has only your talent, the internal changes apply right away and the rest waits for your talent.

Your talent can't accept until everyone ahead of them on the list has accepted. A change request doesn't run the Contract workflow again. It goes only to the people on that list.

Track a change request

Open the Contract and go to the Change History tab. There you can see:

  • Who has accepted and who still needs to act.
  • Under Compare changes, the fields that changed, each marked Added, Changed or Removed, with the old and new values.
  • Under Change history, every past change request, numbered after the Original version.

The Activity log tab also records each change with the date and the person who made it.

Cancel a change request

Cancelling can't be undone. To withdraw an open change request before everyone accepts it:

  1. Go to Contracts → All Contracts.
  2. Open the actions menu for the Contract and select Cancel Change Request.
  3. In the confirmation window, click Cancel Change Request.

You'll see "Change Request cancelled", and the Contract keeps its current terms.

When the change takes effect

The change applies only after everyone on the list has accepted. Until then, the Contract keeps its current terms.

  • A new rate on a Fixed Rate Contract applies from the next invoicing cycle. Invoices already created keep their amounts.
  • Accepted changes are recorded on the Contract and in Change History. They don't update the agreement your talent already signed, and they don't create a new agreement. If you need a signed amendment, contact Worksuite Support.

What your talent see

Your talent get an email. When they open the Contract, they see that there's a change request and a Review changes button. They see only changes to fields that are visible to them, and they click Accept or Reject. For the steps on their side, see How to Review and Accept a Change to Your Contract.

Good to know

  • Accept before the end date. If the Contract reaches its end date while a change request is still open, the Contract ends and the change request is cancelled. Submit extensions early so everyone has time to accept.
  • One request at a time. While a change request is open, you can't submit another one or terminate the Contract.
  • If someone rejects it, the Contract stays as it was. Submit a change request with the corrected details.
  • Some things can't change on a live Contract: the template, the talent, the entity, the start date, the currency, the invoicing method, and the type of fee (for example, hourly to fixed fee). To change these, create a Contract on the right template and end the old one. See How to Create a Contract.

Troubleshooting

My talent can't accept the change yet

Someone ahead of them on the list hasn't accepted yet. Until they do, your talent sees "This change request is being processed internally. We will inform when it's ready for you to review." Open Change History to see who is next and ask them to accept. If that person is away or has left, contact Worksuite Support.

My talent is waiting to invoice until a change is accepted

Until the change request is accepted, the Contract keeps its current terms, so a new rate or PO number doesn't apply yet. Ask everyone on the list to accept, then your talent can invoice on the updated terms.

I can't add a Task to the Contract

Tasks are added through a change request, and an open change request blocks a second one. Once the open request is accepted or cancelled, submit a change request that adds the Task.

The change request disappeared and the Contract ended

The Contract reached its end date before everyone accepted, so the change request was cancelled. An ended Contract can't be extended. To continue the work, create a new Contract from it. See What to Do When a Contract Ends, Expires or Is Cancelled.

Support/Resources

Still have questions about Contract change requests? Click Support in the bottom-left corner of Worksuite to contact our Support team, or email support@worksuite.com. Including a link to the page you're on and a screenshot helps us answer faster.