Important: Deletion is permanent and irreversible. If a contract has associated transactions, they’ll be removed from reporting. If you’re not sure whether a contract is still valuable for historical or auditing purposes, consider keeping it rather than deleting.
Overview
This guide explains who can delete contracts, what happens to linked data, and how to complete the deletion process. Deletion is permanent and meant primarily for data cleanup (like duplicates or onboarding errors), so use it carefully to maintain clean, accurate contract records.
Who Can Delete Contracts
The ability to delete a contract depends on your role and ownership:
- Owner – Can delete any contract in the organization.
- Department Admin – Can delete contracts in their own department or any contract they own.
- Department Member / Platform Member – Can delete a contract solely if they are the Contract Owner.
- Portal User – Cannot delete contracts.
When (and Why) to Use Deletion
Deleting a contract is best for:
- Data cleanup: Removing duplicates, errors, or contracts added during onboarding that no one is actively using.
- Mistakes: If a contract was created in error or the wrong supplier was chosen.
If you have a contract that’s simply expired or inactive but still relevant for historical, auditing, or reporting purposes, consider keeping it in the system. That way, you won’t lose its transactional data or any notes that might be useful down the line.
Best Practices for Managing Contract Deletion
Use contract deletion when you're cleaning up records that shouldn't be part of your active system — like duplicates, errors, or contracts added during onboarding that you no longer need.
Here are a few tips to make it easier:
- Check what’s connected before confirming: Tropic will show you if the contract has any linked documents or requests. You’ll be able to review them — and you may want to download any important documents before deleting, just in case you need them later.
- Keep records that matter: If the contract shows up in reports or has historical value, it might be better to mark it as inactive or expired instead.
- Avoid surprises: Since you can’t undo deletion, ensure no one else on your team needs the contract for referencing spend data, renewal dates, or past negotiations.
- Be mindful of reporting: Spend or transactions tied to deleted contracts will no longer appear in reports, potentially changing how your organization tracks budgets and pacing.
⚠️ Heads up: If a contract has transactions tied to it, deleting the contract will also remove those transactions. This means the spend will no longer appear in your reporting dashboards or influence any pacing or forecasting metrics.
Be sure the contract isn’t contributing to anything your team is actively tracking before you delete it.
Steps to Delete a Contract
- Navigate to the Contracts page and select the contract you want to delete.
- On the contract record, click the ellipsis [...] on the top right.
- Select Delete Contract.
- In the Confirm modal, review the listed items, then click Yes, delete contract to confirm.
🚨 This action is permanent. Once deleted, the contract cannot be recovered.
FAQ
Q: Who can delete a contract?
A: Org Owners, Contract Owners, Platform Users and Department Admins
Q: What happens to the requests and documents linked to the contract?
A: They remain in Tropic but are no longer linked to the deleted contract.
Q: Can I recover a deleted contract?
A: No. Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone.
Q: Will I be warned before deleting?
A: Yes. A warning modal appears with links to any associated documents or requests so you can review them first.
Q: Can I delete contracts in bulk?
A: Not at this time. Contracts must be deleted one at a time.
Q: Are deletions tracked anywhere?
A: Yes. All contract deletions are logged in Tropic’s audit logs.
Additional Resources
To learn more about Contracts please refer to:
For more training guides or documentation, please visit our Help Center. Our resources provide detailed guidance to help you navigate Tropic effectively.