The end date was right; the notice was late
Your team knew the client's contract was ending in March. The renewal was on the list. What nobody spotted was that the supplier's terms for that contract needed written termination notice within a window that closed several months earlier. The notice went in a few weeks late. The supplier replied that the contract would continue under its terms.
Now the account manager is reading the contract's small print, the client is asking questions, and you are arguing with the supplier's renewals team about whether an email in a particular week counted.
Why notice windows are easy to miss
Brokers usually track end dates carefully. Notice terms get less attention because they are buried in each contract's terms and conditions, and they vary.
- Different suppliers, and different products from the same supplier, have different notice requirements.
- Some terms set a window that opens and closes, not a single deadline.
- The required method varies: email, letter or supplier portal.
- Notice terms are rarely copied into the CRM.
- Acknowledgements from suppliers are not always received or filed.
An end-date reminder set for the usual renewal lead time can be too late for some contracts and too early for others.
When the window closes
A missed window can leave a client on terms they did not choose, and the consultancy has to explain it. Whatever the contractual position, the relationship takes a knock, and clients remember.
It also costs the consultancy time: reviewing contracts after the event, corresponding with suppliers, and sometimes losing the renewal to a competitor. Without a record of when notice was sent, and how, disputes with suppliers are harder to resolve.
A register of notice windows, with evidence
We build notice windows into your contract records.
- For each contract, the notice terms are recorded: when the window opens and closes relative to the end date, and the method required. These are extracted from the contract terms with a model such as Anthropic Claude or OpenAI and confirmed by a person, because the wording varies.
- A calendar of notice windows is built for every client and meter, alongside end dates.
- Account managers get reminders when a window is about to open and before it closes, with the method required.
- Termination notices can be generated from a template for your approval, addressed correctly for that supplier.
- When notice is sent, the date, method and a copy are recorded. Supplier acknowledgements are matched to the notice from the inbox, and missing acknowledgements are flagged for a chase.
- A dashboard shows windows opening, closing and missed across the book, by account manager.
| End date only | Notice window register | |
|---|---|---|
| What is tracked | When the contract ends | End date plus notice window and method |
| Reminders | One lead time for everyone | Set from each contract's terms |
| Notice sent | Somewhere in someone's sent items | Recorded with a copy |
| Supplier acknowledgement | Assumed | Matched or chased |
| Dispute with supplier | Hard to evidence | Dated record |
The register records what the contract says and what was done. Interpreting contract terms, and advising clients on them, remain matters for your consultancy and, where needed, legal advice.
Windows that do not sneak up on you
When a new contract is signed, its notice terms are captured with the rest of the contract. Months later, the account manager gets a reminder that the window for that client opens next week, with the supplier's required method. The notice is sent, recorded and acknowledged, and all three facts are on file.
If a supplier later says notice was not received, you have the date, the copy and the method.
Are notice windows catching you out?
- You track end dates but not notice terms.
- Reminders use the same lead time for every contract.
- Notices sent to suppliers are not logged centrally.
- Supplier acknowledgements are not chased.
- A client has rolled over because notice was late.