1. How does a contract owner initiate the negotiation process in Zoho Contracts?
In Zoho Contracts, the contract owner initiates the negotiation process by sending the contract document to negotiators using password-protected links. They also need to select the specific access permissions needed for each negotiator.
2. Do negotiators need a Zoho account and Zoho Contracts license to participate in the negotiation process?
No, negotiators do not need a Zoho account and Zoho Contracts license to view the contract document and suggest changes or add comments during negotiation.
3. Can the contract owner add negotiators when the contract is In Negotiation Pending stage?
Yes, the contract owner can add negotiators when the contract is in negotiation pending stage. For more information, see the tip section of the Add Negotiators and Send for Negotiation.
4. Is it possible to remove a negotiator from a contract?
Yes, the contract owner can remove a negotiator from a contract. However, it is not possible to remove the counterparty's primary contact from the list of negotiators when the contract is in the
In Negotiation - Review Pending state. For more information, see
Remove a Negotiator.
5. Is it possible to recall a contract during negotiation?
Yes, the contract owner can recall a contract during negotiation in Zoho Contracts. For more information, see
Recall Negotiation.
6. Can the password protection be removed from the negotiation link?
No, removing the password protection on the negotiation link is not possible and is not recommended for security reasons.
7. Is it possible to change the contract document password while the counterparty is reviewing the contract?
Yes, the contract owner can change the contract document's password by clicking the
under the Negotiations tab in the Contract details page. However, the negotiator must enter the new password to review the contract document.
8. What are the different permissions applicable for a negotiator on the contract document?
A contract owner can add negotiators with Write, Comment Only, and View Only permissions. Among these, Write and Submit Review permission is only applicable for the counterparty's primary contact.
9. What module and data of a contract is accessible to the negotiators?
A negotiator only has access to the contract document. They cannot view the contract details panel on the left that displays the other contract details, such as contract summary, collaborators, approval, signers, activity, revisions, and obligations.
10. Can a contract owner skip the negotiation process and sign the contract directly?
Yes, the contract owner can skip the negotiation process and directly send the contract for signature. For more information, see
Skip Negotiation.
11. Can negotiators able to collaborate on the contract document during the negotiation process?
Negotiators can view the contract document, add comments, and suggest edits to it based on their access permission. For more information, see
Review by Counterparty.
12. Will the comments added during approval or collaboration be visible to everyone in the counterparty organization?
The counterparty will only receive a clean copy of the contract document for negotiation. The comments added during approval or collaboration will not be visible to anyone in the counterparty organization.
13. Is it possible for negotiators to set the visibility of their comments during negotiation?
Yes, negotiators can control the comment visibility in Zoho Contracts. When you choose My Organization Members, the comment will be visible to the other members in your organization with Edit or Comment permission. If you select Everyone, then everyone within your organization and counterparty's organization with the Edit or Comment Only permission can see comments. If you choose Contract Owner Only in the comment visibility dropdown menu, the comment will be visible only to the contract owner.
14. When can the contract owner view the changes and comments made by negotiators?
The contract owner can view the changes and comments made by the negotiators only after the counterparty's primary contact completes their review.
15. Does the contract owner has to obtain approval again if they made any changes based on the counterparty's suggested changes and comments?
Yes, the contract owner must obtain approval from the approvers if the contract is associated with an approval workflow.
16. Can a contract owner resend a contract for negotiation without editing the document and clarifying any suggested changes through comments?
Yes, the contract owner can reply to negotiators' comments or add new comments and resend the contract for negotiation without editing the document.
17. How to track changes and revisions during negotiation?
The contract owner can track the negotiation activity, review summary, and contract document version from previous negotiation cycles when a contract undergoes multiple rounds of negotiation. For more information, see
View Previous Cycles.
18. Can the counterparty keep track of revisions made during the negotiation cycle?
The counterparty's primary contact can compare the current contract document with previously sent versions from past review cycles when a contract undergoes multiple rounds of negotiation. For more information, see
Compare Changes.
19. What will happen if the suggested changes and comments by the counterparty are ignored by the contract owner and the contract is marked as negotiated?
When the contract owner marks the contract as negotiated by ignoring the changes made by negotiators, the changes will be discarded and the comments will be resolved.