Linking Agreements to Proposals

Linking an agreement to a proposal creates a unified client acceptance experience. Instead of signing separately, clients review the proposal’s pricing and the agreement’s legal terms, then sign once for both.

What Is Proposal-Agreement Linking?

Linking connects an agreement to a proposal so they work together as a single document from the client’s perspective.

How it works:

You create an agreement (separate from the proposal)
You link the agreement to the proposal
When you send the proposal, the agreement is included
Client reviews both and signs once
Proposal becomes Accepted and Agreement becomes Signed simultaneously

Why Link Agreements to Proposals

Streamlined client experience:
One review, one signature covers both work scope and legal terms.

Higher completion rates:
Easier process means more clients follow through.

Professional presentation:
Shows you have comprehensive, organized documentation.

Legal protection:
Ensures clients agree to your terms before work begins.

Saves time:
No need to send agreements and proposals separately and track two signatures.

Automatic synchronization:
Agreement status updates automatically when proposal status changes.

When to Link vs. Standalone

Link to proposal when:

Selling services with a proposal that needs legal terms
Client is reviewing both scope/pricing and contract terms
You want one signature to cover everything
Standard for most project-based or service engagements

Send standalone agreement when:

Only legal terms are needed (no pricing/scope proposal)
NDAs before discussing a project
General service terms separate from specific projects
Updating or renewing just the agreement

Both workflows are valid.

Creating an Agreement to Link

Before linking, create the agreement:

Navigate to Agreements → New Agreement
Select the same Client as the proposal
Optionally select the same Project
Build the agreement content (terms, clauses, signature section)
Keep status as Draft

Important: Agreement must remain in Draft status to be linkable.

Linking the Agreement to a Proposal

From the Proposal

Open the proposal (must be Draft status)
Find Agreement settings or Linked Agreement section
Select the agreement from the dropdown
Save

The agreement is now linked.

Agreement dropdown shows:
Only Draft agreements for the same client (and project, if applicable) that aren’t already linked elsewhere.

Linking Rules

Can link:

Draft agreements only
Agreements matching the proposal’s client
One agreement per proposal

Cannot link:

Pending, Signed, or Cancelled agreements
Agreements linked to other proposals
Agreements for different clients

What Happens After Linking

Proposal shows:
“Agreement: [Agreement Name]” or similar indicator

Agreement shows:
“Linked to Proposal: [Proposal Name]”

Status synchronization:
Agreement status automatically follows proposal status changes.

Status Synchronization

When proposal status changes, linked agreement status updates:

Proposal Status	→	Agreement Status
Draft	→	Draft (unchanged)
Pending	→	Pending
Accepted	→	Signed
Declined	→	Draft (unchanged)
Cancelled	→	Cancelled
Ended	→	No change (remains Signed)

Key point: When client accepts the proposal, the agreement is signed automatically in the same action.

Sending a Proposal with Linked Agreement

When you send a proposal that has a linked agreement:

Click Send or Finalize and Email
Proposal status → Pending
Agreement status → Pending (automatically)
Client receives proposal email with agreement included

The client reviews both in one interface.

Client Experience with Linked Agreements

What clients see:

Proposal content (sections, packages, pricing)
Agreement content (legal terms) displayed below or as a separate section
Agreement heading: “Terms and Conditions” or “Agreement”
One signature section that covers both
“By signing, you accept the proposal and agree to the terms”

Client action:

Review proposal pricing
Review agreement terms
Select package (if multiple options)
Sign once
Both proposal and agreement are accepted/signed

Unlinking an Agreement

To remove the link:

Open the proposal (must be Draft status)
Find the linked agreement section
Click Unlink, Remove, or clear the agreement field
Save

What happens:

Agreement returns to standalone status (remains Draft)
Proposal has no linked agreement
Both can now be managed independently

Cannot unlink:
Once the proposal is Pending or Accepted, unlinking is typically not allowed (would disrupt the client signature process).

Editing Linked Agreements

While both are Draft:
Edit agreement content freely. Changes are visible when you send the proposal.

After sending (Pending):
Cannot directly edit. Must recall the proposal to Draft (which makes agreement Draft again), edit, then resend.

After acceptance (Signed):
Cannot edit. Linked agreement is legally binding.

Changing Which Agreement Is Linked

Before sending:
Unlink current agreement, then link a different Draft agreement.

After sending:
Recall to Draft, change the link, resend.

After acceptance:
Cannot change. Client already signed the linked agreement.

Duplicating Proposals with Linked Agreements

When you duplicate a proposal:

Agreement link is usually not duplicated (system-dependent)
You’ll need to link a new agreement manually
Or the duplicate might reference the original agreement (check behavior)

Best practice:
After duplicating, check if agreement link carried over and adjust as needed.

Agreement-Only Access

Can agreement be accessed separately?
Yes. The agreement has its own public link and can be viewed independently, even when linked to a proposal.

Use case:
Send agreement link separately if client wants to review legal terms before seeing pricing.

Best Practices

✅ Link before sending: Always link agreements while both are in Draft status.

✅ Match client and project: Ensure agreement and proposal reference the same client and project.

✅ Review both before sending: Preview the full proposal with agreement to see client experience.

✅ Keep agreement content general: Avoid proposal-specific details in the agreement (pricing, specific deliverables). Agreement should be reusable legal terms.

✅ Test the flow: Create a test proposal and agreement, link them, and walk through the client experience.

✅ Communicate the linkage: Let clients know: “This proposal includes our service agreement—please review both before signing.”

✅ Don’t link unnecessarily: If the agreement is very generic (like an NDA), it might be better standalone.

Common Questions

Can I link one agreement to multiple proposals?
No. One-to-one relationship. One agreement per proposal, one proposal per agreement.

What if I need the same agreement for multiple proposals?
Duplicate the agreement for each proposal. Each proposal needs its own agreement instance.

Can I link an agreement after sending the proposal?
Not typically. Link while both are Draft, then send.

What if the client signs just the proposal but not the agreement?
They can’t. Linked documents share one signature. Signing one signs both.

Can I create the agreement directly from the proposal?
Some systems offer “Create Agreement” from within the proposal form. Otherwise, create separately and link.

Do I need to link an agreement to every proposal?
No. It’s optional. Link when you want legal terms bundled with the proposal.

What if I already sent the proposal and forgot to link the agreement?
Recall to Draft, link the agreement, and resend.

Does linking cost extra or require special features?
Typically no. Linking is a core feature of agreement and proposal management.