Who Can Approve What? Authority in an International Window Project

1. Start from contracts and legal entities, then name human delegates

Map every contracting and operational entity: client/owner, developer, architect, façade or other consultant, main contractor, specialist subcontractor, supplier, manufacturer, glass processor, hardware provider, inspector, logistics party and any lender, certifier or authority where relevant. Record which signed document creates each relationship and do not assume a role in a meeting chart has contractual power.

For each entity, obtain the authorised notice or appointment identifying role, person, title, contact channel, start date, scope, conditions and signatory who issued the delegation. Distinguish corporate signing authority, contract administrator authority, design review authority, technical recommendation, inspection witness and routine coordination. A person can hold several roles; record them separately.

Keep named delegates current. Verify identity without publishing sensitive personal data, record acknowledged contact details and link them to the contract's notice route. Chat profiles, business cards and copied email recipients are weak substitutes for a controlled appointment.

2. Split authority by approval object and decision consequence

Create separate rows for sample appearance, colour/finish, profile/system configuration, shop drawings, opening dimensions and handing, glass build-up and safety/performance evidence, hardware set and keying, seals/screens/accessories, mock-up, test plan/result, first-off unit, inspection/NCR/rework, packing/loading, production release, shipment release, site installation/interface, handover, variation, price, programme and payment. Never let approval of one object spill into another.

Define the decision purpose and evidence package. A colour sample can control visual reference without approving coating process, durability, complete system or production; a drawing review can address coordination without accepting design responsibility; glass approval can require technical, safety and commercial roles; hardware appearance approval does not prove capacity or accessibility. State excluded consequences.

Where several approvals are required, show sequence and concurrency. Technical acceptance, client aesthetic approval, contract/commercial authorisation and production release may all be necessary and issued by different parties. 'Approved by client' is not enough.

3. Define every status verb in the project procedure

List every permitted disposition exactly as the contract and procedure define it: received, noted, reviewed, commented, no objection, approved, approved as noted, revise and resubmit, rejected, accepted, witnessed, released or other project-specific terms. For each, record who may issue it, allowed next action, required comment incorporation, resubmission, conditions, unresolved dependencies and whether it affects cost/time or responsibility.

Do not import meanings from another project. 'Review' may mean only process completion; 'no objection' may retain supplier/design responsibility; 'approved as noted' may or may not permit work; platform status labels may be workflow conveniences without contractual effect. Qualified legal advisers should confirm legal effect and technical owners should confirm operational consequence.

Make mixed dispositions impossible to overlook. If drawing geometry is accepted but glass, hardware or finish remains held, issue object/field-level status or an explicit partial release. A green dashboard tile must not conceal red dependencies.

4. Record limits, time, substitute and conflict controls

For each delegation record monetary threshold if authorised, technical discipline, project/lot/mark range, excluded decisions, single/joint signature, geographic or site scope, start and expiry, temporary absence, conditions and whether subdelegation is allowed. This guide supplies no limit or default period.

Name an authorised substitute and activation evidence rather than accepting whoever replies during leave. Record delegation chain, effective window and automatic expiry. If two authorised people issue conflicting directions, stop the affected action and use the contract escalation route; do not choose the more senior title by intuition.

Track conflicts of interest and segregation where required: preparer versus checker, designer versus independent reviewer, inspector versus disposition authority, technical recommendation versus commercial approval, invoice preparer versus payment approver. Project/legal owners decide required separation.

5. Make signature and platform records prove the complete decision context

A valid record should connect decision object, exact file/sample/item identity and revision, disposition, comments and conditions, authorised issuer role and identity, date/time/time zone, effective scope, references and required next action. Preserve the submitted package and returned decision together. A detached signature page or screenshot of a workflow icon is incomplete context.

Define accepted signature methods and platform-of-record through project/legal advice: wet signature, qualified/advanced electronic signature where applicable, platform authentication, corporate seal or other method. Record account ownership, permissions, audit history, export, retention and integrity controls. An email 'OK' may be useful evidence but is not automatically a contract approval.

Reconcile platform status with formal transmittal and physical sample custody. If a sample is signed, record unique sample ID, surfaces/conditions, retained location and images; if a drawing is approved, hash or exact file identity can prevent later substitution where adopted. Never expose signatures or personal data unnecessarily.

6. Control withdrawal, revocation and escalation to every point of use

Trigger review when a delegate leaves, entity role changes, appointment expires, conflict emerges, authority is suspended, contract is amended or platform access is compromised. Record who may revoke authority, effective time, affected pending and prior decisions, legal advice and replacement. Revocation should not be assumed retroactive or harmless; authorised legal review decides effect.

Notify controlled recipients and remove access at active decision points while preserving audit records. Update matrices, contact lists, workflows, distribution, signature permissions and escalation chains. Check local downloads, factory boards, site copies and informal groups; a revised matrix in the CDE does not withdraw yesterday's instruction from production.

For disputed or unauthorised decisions, hold affected work where contractually and safely authorised, preserve evidence, identify impacted marks/orders/cost/time, and escalate without declaring invalidity. Close with formal disposition and confirmation at every point of use.

7. Audit authority by tracing decisions in both directions

Select high-consequence samples: colour sample, glass build-up, hardware set, drawing revision, first-off release, NCR disposition, production/shipment release and commercial change. From each decision, trace issuer to current delegation, object scope, limits, status definition, evidence package, conditions and downstream incorporation. Then start from each active delegate and list every object they can affect; unexpected or orphaned powers require review.

Test expired, substitute and revoked users in the platform without creating a real approval. Verify access removal, audit export, joint-signature controls, pending workflow reassignment and points-of-use notification. Compare formal records with email/chat and factory/site instructions to expose shadow authority paths.

Report missing evidence as an authority gap, not proof that a decision is invalid. Hold or escalate only under the actual procedure. Reperform the audit after contract amendment, entity change, major delegation revision or platform migration.

FAQ

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Related buyer guides

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• How to Run a Window Interface RFI Register Without Losing Decisions in Email
• A Window Factory Quality-Control Checklist Buyers Can Actually Use