A supplier support contract uses hours, but the team thinks it uses days. What should we do?
Contract unit misunderstandingConfirm the actual commercial unit and reconcile usage before planning more work. Hours, person-days, and calendar days represent different commitments and should never be treated interchangeably.
What to do now
- Read the agreed service unit
- Reconcile consumed and remaining units
- Confirm charging and approval rules
- Update forecasts and communicate the corrected balance
When to escalate
Escalate when
The misunderstanding creates a material overspend or service gap.
Who decides
The authorized procurement or commercial owner
Example
A 150-hour agreement with 40 hours consumed has 110 hours remaining, not 110 person-days.
Mistake to avoid
Planning with assumed units because everyone used the same shorthand.
Prevent a repeat
Compare supplier evidence with agreed obligations; refer contract interpretation and remedies to qualified owners.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Vendors
- Documents
- Tasks
- Approvals
Keep supplier commitments and evidence linked to the project, assign follow-up work, and route commercial decisions to authorized owners. See the platform
Related cases
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