Contracts
Most organizations manage contracts across email threads, shared drives, and filing cabinets. When a counterparty sends back a marked-up agreement two weeks after the last round, you have to dig through inboxes and folders just to remember what was discussed, what changed, and where things stand. That context-rebuilding happens every round, and it adds up.
Pactly’s contract repository solves this. Every agreement lives in one searchable place, with a complete timeline of everything that has happened since the initial request. Click into any contract and you can see the full negotiation history, the current status, who’s responsible for the next step, and every document version exchanged along the way.
A contract is the core object in Pactly. Other capabilities (templates, forms, playbooks, workflows, e-signatures) each address different stages of the contract lifecycle, but they all connect back to the contract record.
What’s Covered in This Section
Section titled “What’s Covered in This Section”- Create a Contract - The three ways contracts enter Pactly: generated from a template, uploaded for review, or imported for signature
- Navigate and Search - Find contracts using filters, full-text search, and custom views
- Track Progress - The contract timeline, statuses, negotiation rounds, and document comparison
- Manage Properties - Add and edit contract properties for filtering, reporting, and workflow automation
- Status Reference - Every contract status, what it means, and how contracts transition between them
Types of Contracts in Pactly
Section titled “Types of Contracts in Pactly”Pactly classifies contracts based on how they enter the system. When you click Create, you choose one of three paths:
1. Draft from Template is for your paper. Your organization initiates the agreement using its own standard language. You select a template, fill in variables (party names, dates, deal terms), and Pactly generates the document. Enters the repository in Draft status.
2. Review a Third-party Contract is for their paper. A counterparty sent you a contract that needs to be reviewed against your organization’s standards. You upload the document and run a playbook review. The AI flags issues and provides clause-by-clause guidance. Enters in In Review status.
3. Request E-Signature is for documents that are ready to sign. The contract has already been reviewed and approved, either outside Pactly or through a previous workflow. You upload the finalized document and send it for signatures. Enters in Pending Signature status.
How Features Map to the Contract Lifecycle
Section titled “How Features Map to the Contract Lifecycle”Every contract moves through a lifecycle from request to execution. Different Pactly features help at different stages:
- Forms collect information at the intake stage. A business team member fills out a request form, and Pactly can automatically generate a contract from the responses.
- Templates standardize document generation. They define the base language, variables, and conditions, so contracts are created consistently.
- Playbooks guide the review of incoming contracts. They define your organization’s positions on key terms and flag deviations.
- Workflows handle routing and notifications. They determine who needs to approve a contract, when escalations happen, and what conditions trigger specific actions.
- E-Signatures handle the signing stage, either through Pactly’s built-in e-signature or integrations with DocuSign and Adobe Sign.
Key Concepts
Section titled “Key Concepts”
Every contract has a timeline that records every event: status changes, approvals, signature requests, notes, messages, document uploads, and more. The timeline is the single source of truth for what happened and when.
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When a contract goes through negotiation, each exchange is a round. Rounds capture who sent the document, what changed, and when. Pactly compares rounds to show exactly what's different between versions.
Contract properties are metadata fields attached to every contract. Some are standard (contract value, dates, parties). Others are custom fields your organization defines. Properties power filtering, reporting, and workflow automation.
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Every contract is assigned a category (e.g., NDA, Service Agreement, Employment Contract). Categories organize the repository and can trigger different workflows or approval rules.