---
title: Approve a work order
summary: Check a pending work order, then approve or reject it. An approved work order gets the status Accepted.
order: 2
menu: Contracts > Work Orders
route: /workorders/view
who: People who are approvers of the work order and have the Approve permission on Work Orders. Anyone with the View Work Orders permission can read a work order.
---

A work order that is saved with **Save** has the status **Pending**. An approver must approve it before it is accepted. This page shows how to check a work order and decide. A revision of an approved work order also goes through this step.

## Before you start

- You need the Approve permission on Work Orders, and you must be an approver of the work order. If the project has an approval workflow, the workflow decides who the approvers are. See [Approval workflows](../general/approval-workflows.md).
- The work order must not be a draft. A draft is not sent for approval.

## How to approve a work order

1. Open **Contracts > Work Orders**.
2. Click the three dots at the end of the row (mark 1 in the picture).
3. Choose **Approve/Reject**. The item is in the menu only for a work order that waits for your decision.

![The row menu of a work order. Mark 1 is the three dots button.](../media/work-order-row-menu.png)

4. Read the screen. See [How to read the approval screen](#how-to-read-the-approval-screen).
5. Click **Approve** in the card **BOQ Details**. The button changes to **Approved**.
6. Click **Approve** in the card **Basic Details**. The window **Confirm Approval** opens.
7. Type a remark if you want. The field **Remarks (optional)** is not required.
8. Click **Confirm**.

You must approve both cards. The window opens when you approve the second card. The order of the cards does not matter.

The list opens again. The work order now has the status **Accepted**. If the project has an approval workflow with more approvers, the status stays **Pending** until the last approver says yes.

## How to read the approval screen

The top card shows the project, the contractor, the SPV if there is one, and the status. It also shows the areas and packages if the work order was made from the schedule. Click **Export** to save the work order as a file.

The card **BOQ Details** shows the lines. Each line has the BOQ item, the specifications icon, the **Quantity**, the **Rate** and the **Amount**. The row **Total** is at the bottom.

- For a new work order, a small arrow shows how the quantity and the rate differ from the project BOQ, in percent. A red arrow up means the value is higher than in the BOQ.
- For a revision, the table has two blocks: **Original** (or the earlier revision) and the new **Revision** with its number. Each block shows the quantity, rate and amount, whether the material is included, the specifications, and whether the line is closed. Cells that changed are shaded. See [Revise a work order and compare revisions](revise-work-order.md).

The card **Basic Details** shows the **Creation Date**, **Order Date**, **Validity Date**, **Reference Number** and **Quotation Reference**. It also shows the **Mobilization Amount**, **Retention Percent**, the amounts, **Execution Start**, **Execution End** and the **Specifications & Conditions**.

## How to accept a rate that is higher than the BOQ rate

If a rate in the work order is higher than the rate in the project BOQ, the system checks the company setting for this case.

- If the company allows it and you can edit the project BOQ, a check box shows above the first **Approve** button. It says that you accept a budget increase. Tick it. Until you do, the **Approve** button stays grey.
- If the company does not allow it, the **Approve** button stays grey. Move the mouse over it to read "Work Order cant be approved as it has exceeded the Budget". Ask the person who made the work order to lower the rate.

## How to reject a work order

1. Click **Reject** on either card.
2. The window **Confirm Rejection** opens. Type a reason in **Remarks (compulsory)**.
3. Click **Confirm**. The button stays grey until you type a remark.

The work order gets the status **Rejected**. The person who made it can edit it and send it again. See [Revise a work order and compare revisions](revise-work-order.md).

## How to see who approved

Click the three dots of the work order and choose **Approval History**. A panel opens with the approval steps and who did them. For an **Accepted** work order, **Approval Info** saves the approval report as a file.

## Rules to know

- **Approve** is offered when the work order is **Pending**, **Rejected** or **Accepted**, and you are an approver who has not decided yet.
- A remark is optional when you approve and compulsory when you reject.
- After the decision, the screen returns to the list of the project.
- If the person who made the work order used **Save and Approve**, you do not need this step. That button is offered only when the project has no approval workflow.
- You cannot approve a work order that is already accepted.

## If something goes wrong

| What you see | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| No **Approve/Reject** item in the menu | The work order is a draft, you are not an approver, or it is not your turn. |
| **Approve** is grey | A rate is higher than the BOQ rate. Tick the check box, or ask for a lower rate. |
| **Confirm** is grey in the rejection window | Type a remark. |
| Work order is already accepted. | Someone approved it before you. Nothing more to do. |
| Could not change status. | You are not allowed to decide at this step. Check the approval workflow. |

## Related pages

- [Work orders](index.md)
- [Create a work order](create-work-order.md)
- [Revise a work order and compare revisions](revise-work-order.md)
- [Approval workflows](../general/approval-workflows.md)