Send multiple contracts using sub-agreements

How to add a sub-agreement to a project, customize it, and send it via email.

Sam Gioia avatar
Written by Sam Gioia
Updated over a week ago

Updated Aug 9, 2023

Each project can only have one contract, but there is no limit to the number of sub-agreements you can add. We recommend using a sub-agreement for any documents you'd like your client to sign in addition to the main contract.

For more information on the differences between contracts and sub-agreements and when to use them, please see our article on contract vs sub-agreements.


Send a sub-agreement

To send a sub-agreement to a client:

  1. Go to Projects and select the client’s project.

  2. Click the Forms tab.

  3. Use the Add new form dropdown to select your sub-agreement template. A preview popup will appear.

    screenshot of adding a sub agreement to a project
  4. In the popup, click Add to add the sub-agreement to the client’s project.

  5. In the same popup, click Send. The sub-agreement email template will appear as a draft with the sub-agreement link.

  6. Edit your email as needed.

  7. Click Send on your email to send the sub-agreement to the client.


Sub-agreement email template

The sub-agreement email template automatically uses the same email template as other forms.

To edit this email, go to Templates >> Canned Emails >> Edit Templates >> Send Form. Please keep in mind that this is the same email template used to send all other forms (lead capture, questionnaire, proposal, and sub-agreement).

screenshot with arrow pointing to edit templates section

If you’d like to make a new email template, you can create your own by clicking New Canned Response. Just make sure this new email template includes the form link smart field {{form | formLink}}.


Edit a sub-agreement before sending

You may need to personalize your sub-agreement before you send it to your client, which you can do in a client’s project.

🚨 Editing a sub-agreement added to a client’s project will not impact your sub-agreement template in Templates >> Forms.

To edit a sub-agreement that has not been added to the client’s project yet:

  1. Go to Projects and select the client’s project.

  2. Click the Forms tab.

  3. Use the Add new form dropdown to select your sub-agreement template. A preview popup will appear.

  4. In the popup, click Add to add the sub-agreement to the client’s project.

  5. In the same popup, click Edit to edit this sub-agreement.

    arrow pointing to edit button

To edit a sub-agreement that has been added to the client’s project:

  1. Go to Projects and select the client’s project.

  2. Click the Forms tab.

  3. Hover over the sub-agreement. Additional options will appear.

  4. Click Edit to edit this sub-agreement.

    screenshot with arrow pointing to edit link

Send a copy of a contract for multiple people to sign

In Dubsado, a contract can only be signed by one person and a project can only have one contract.

If you want additional clients on the same project to sign a contract, we recommend making a copy of the original contract and turning it into a sub-agreement for each client to sign. This is because projects can have an unlimited number of sub-agreements.

To turn your contract into a sub-agreement:

  1. Go to Templates >> Forms.

  2. Hover over the contract and click the duplicate icon. A copy of the contract will appear.

  3. Drag the contract copy into the Sub-Agreements column. This will turn the contract into a sub-agreement.

  4. Go back to Projects and add this new sub-agreement to the client’s project from the Forms tab.

  5. Follow the steps in the Send a sub-agreement section above to open an email draft with this sub-agreement.

  6. When the email draft appears, remove the client's email and replace it with a different email address to send the sub-agreement to someone other than the client.

    screenshot with arrow pointing to email
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