Before it goes out
Contract approvals
Your people sign off on the drafted contract package before it goes out for signature. In order or all at once, an extra approver on bigger contracts, and a reminder when someone sits on it.
Solutions · Approvals
Contract approval workflow software for construction: approve contracts before they go out, documents when they come in.
Two kinds of approval, each on its own path. Your people sign off on every contract package before it goes out for signature, and your team approves what vendors send in. Every approval is on the record.
SOC 2 Type IIU.S. hostedAI optional
PipelineAll projects · Westshore Builders
Draft1
Keystone Painting1d
Painting · #2026-014 · Harbor HQDana R. is draftingView draftIn Review21
Bayline Flooring0d
Flooring · #2026-014 · Harbor HQWaiting for Miguel S. to reviewViewNorthgate Glazing7d
Glazing · #2026-014 · Harbor HQWaiting for Priya K. to reviewReview & ApproveReady to Send12
Oakridge Millwork1d
Millwork · #2026-014 · Harbor HQDana R. to issueViewNorthgate Glazing0d
Glazing · #2026-014 · Harbor HQDana R. to issueViewOut for Signature2
Cascade Mechanical6d
Mechanical · #2026-014 · Harbor HQWaiting for vendor to signViewHarborline Roofing1d
Roofing · #2026-014 · Harbor HQWaiting for vendor to signView- Wed 8:00 AMPriya K. was reminded: Subcontract 26-024 is waiting on her review.
- Wed 9:15 AMPriya K. approved, the last of three. Northgate Glazing’s subcontract is ready to send for signature.
In one paragraph
Contract approval workflow software for construction sends each contract package to your approvers before it goes out for signature and keeps a record of who approved it and when. In Contracts Connected that’s one of two separate flows: contract approvals, where your people sign off on the drafted package in order or all at once, and document approvals, where your team approves or rejects what vendors send in.
Two kinds of approval
Contracts get approved before they go out. Documents get approved when they come in.
When it comes in
Document approvals
Your team approves or rejects what vendors send in, from certificates and W-9s to pay apps and invoices. A rejection goes back with your reason, and pay apps and invoices can go through their own approvers.
01Contract approvals
Set the approvers once.
Pick the approvers once, in order or all at once. Bigger contracts can pull in an extra approver.
Contract approvals2 chains
NameTypeConfiguration
SubcontractsSequential3 steps
Change ordersParallel2 steps
Set once in Settings
02Contract approvals
It can’t go out until the right people sign off.
The contract package waits in review until every required approver signs off. Whoever it’s sitting with gets reminded, and it escalates if it stays stuck.
GlazingIn reviewNorthgate Glazing · $142,900
Contract package · 3
26-024 · Subcontract agreementSignature
W-9Fill & sign
Certificate of insuranceDocument request
03Document approvals
What vendors send in, approved or rejected by your team.
Certificates, W-9s, certified payroll, pay apps and invoices land in your team’s list. To reject one, you write the reason: the rejected copy stays on the record, and the vendor gets your reason to fix it and send it again.
With the AIOn Done with you, the AI reads the document first and drafts the rejection message for you to send. On Done for you, your AI agent sends it on its own. It knows your company.
Your action items3
TaskVendorProjectAction neededDue
Upcoming (next 7 days) · 3
Certificate of insuranceCascade Mechanical · Harbor HQCascade MechanicalHarbor HQRejectApproveOct 7
Certified payroll, week ending Oct 3Millbrook Concrete · Eastside Water TreatmentMillbrook ConcreteEastside Water TreatmentRejectApproveOct 8
Invoice, October, correctedOnyx Electrical · Harbor HQOnyx ElectricalHarbor HQRejectApproveOct 9
Reject one and the vendor gets your reason to fix it
ThenBoth flows
Every approval on the record.
Who approved or rejected what, and when, for every contract and every document. Pull it for any project or vendor.
Activity · Harbor HQ Tenant ImprovementExport
DateActionByDetail
Oct 7 · 9:15 AMApprovedPriya K.Northgate Glazing · Subcontract 26‑024, the last of three
Oct 6 · 2:05 PMRejectedMiguel S.Onyx Electrical · invoice, October: 5% retainage not held
Oct 2 · 4:40 PMApprovedMiguel S.Northgate Glazing · Subcontract 26‑024
Oct 1 · 10:12 AMApprovedDana R.Northgate Glazing · Subcontract 26‑024
Every approval and rejection, with who and when · pull it for any project or vendor
See both kinds of approval on a sample project.
Compared
Most teams approve by email and hope everyone signed off.
How it goes today
EMAIL
RE: Can you sign off on Northgate?The third ask
PDF
Subcontract_Northgate_FINAL.pdfSent before the last approver saw it
XLSX
Approvals_Log.xlsxNobody updates it
TEAMS
Who approved pay app #6?Somewhere in a Teams thread
- With Contracts Connected
- Today: We sent it before everyone signed offWith Contracts Connected: Nothing goes out until it’s approved
- Today: The approval sat in someone’s inbox for a weekWith Contracts Connected: Approvers get reminded, then it escalates
- Today: Every contract goes to the same three peopleWith Contracts Connected: Bigger contracts pull in an extra approver
- Today: Nobody can say who approved the pay appWith Contracts Connected: Every approval logged with who and when
See every approval waiting on your team, on one screen.
Proof
Built by a builder. Run by builders.
The record
Our co-founder ran a large federal general contracting firm for 15 years, about 100,000 documents a year.
Lars HermanCo-founder, Contracts Connected
Customers
"What used to be a time-consuming and disorganized process is now streamlined and efficient. With automated workflows, easy document tracking, and seamless collaboration, we've saved countless hours and minimized errors."
Director of Construction OperationsCape Fox Construction Group
AI-first. AI optional.
The AI does as much as you let it. Or nothing at all.
It's one setting for the whole account, and you can change it any time.
Do it yourself · No AI
Your team runs it.
Contract approvals, document approvals, reminders and the record all work without the AI. No AI model touches your documents.
Done with you · The AI reads
The AI reads before you approve.
It reads the documents you switch it on for, tells you whether to approve or reject and why, and drafts the rejection message for you to send. It also explains each change a vendor makes in a redline.
Done for you · The AI agent
Your AI agent sets it in motion.
It drafts the contract on your template and sends it for signature once your approvals are in. It chases what vendors still owe and tells them what to fix, on its own. Human in the loop or Auto mode.
Free templates
The hard way, if you must.
Made by builders and free. With a template you still route, chase and log every approval by hand. Here, it’s done for you.
Contract package
Change-order log template
19-column commercial-construction change-order log with COR/CCD/CO classification, live forecast-vs-executed differential, schedule-impact days, and pay-app reference.
PDFExcelWord
DownloadContract package
Subcontractor pay-app checklist
16 checks a GC runs on an incoming subcontractor pay application before approving it, SOV match, lien waivers, retention, weekly certified payroll, insurance.
PDFExcelWord
DownloadDocument control
Document numbering / naming convention guide
18-section firm-wide convention template covering RFIs, submittals, change orders, drawings, contracts, pay apps, lien waivers, transmittals, and email subject lines.
PDFExcelWord
DownloadDocument control
Project document index template
The 14-category master register that tracks every document on a construction project from kickoff through closeout.
PDFExcelWord
DownloadQuestions people ask about contract approval workflows
The ones that come up on demos, and how we answer them.
What is contract approval workflow software for construction?
Software that sends each contract package to your approvers before it goes out for signature and records who approved it and when. Contracts Connected runs approvals as two flows: contract approvals before a package goes out, and document approvals for what vendors send in.
What’s the difference between contract approvals and document approvals?
Contract approvals happen before a contract goes out: your people sign off on the drafted package. Document approvals happen when vendors send things in: your team approves or rejects certificates, W-9s, pay apps and invoices. Contracts Connected keeps them as two separate flows.
What are the steps in a contract approval process?
Draft it, send it to your approvers, collect every required sign-off, then send it for signature. In Contracts Connected the package waits in review until the last approver signs off, and only then can it go out.
What are the different types of approval workflows?
Sequential, where approvers sign off one after another; parallel, where they review at the same time; and conditional, where something like the contract’s value pulls in another approver. Contracts Connected handles all three for contract approvals.
How do I set approvals by contract value?
Set an amount, and above it another approver joins. A $600,000 subcontract can pick up your CFO while a $40,000 one goes to the usual approvers.
How do I route a subcontract for approval before sending it?
Send it for internal approval from the contract. It can’t be sent for signature until every required approver has signed off.
What happens if an approver sits on it?
They get reminded, and it escalates if it stays stuck. Nothing goes out for signature until the required approvals are in.
What happens when I reject a document a vendor sent in?
You write the reason, and the rejected copy stays on the record. The vendor gets your reason, and the document goes back on their list until a corrected one is in. On Done with you, the AI drafts that message for you to send. On Done for you, your AI agent sends it on its own.
How do I automatically record who approved each contract change?
Every approval is logged with who approved it and when, for contracts, change orders and documents alike. Pull the record for any project or vendor.
Can the contract go out for e-signature as soon as approvals are in?
Yes. Once the last approver signs off, the package is ready to send, and the vendor signs it in Contracts Connected. There’s no separate signing app.
Is this the same as document control or submittal software?
No. Document control and submittal tools move drawings, RFIs and submittals through the design team. Contracts Connected sends your contracts to your approvers before they go out, and the documents vendors owe you to your team.
Do I still need this if I already use Procore?
Contracts Connected sits beside Procore. Procore runs the job; Contracts Connected runs contract and document approvals. We integrate with the systems you already run, Procore included, and work out with you, case by case, how each integration needs to work.
How much does approval workflow software cost?
Contract approval routing comes with Core, priced on a call. Foundation, from $416 a month, covers collecting vendor documents with reminders, review and filing. Every plan has unlimited users and vendors, and the AI is optional. See plans and pricing.
Every approval on its own path, and on the record.
We’ll walk a contract and a pay app through their approvals, on a sample project.