Overview

When a contractor submits a permit for one of your sites, it waits on the Permits page for your decision. Check the form and the documents it needs, then approve it, decline it or pass it to a reviewer.

Steps

1. Open the permit
   • Go to Permits and select the Awaiting your review queue.
   • Click Review → on the permit.
2. Check the form and its documents
   • Read the submitted form. The Requirements list on the Details tab shows every permit and document on the job.
   • Documents the permit template asks for are tagged Required or Optional. One marked Not Submitted hasn't been provided. Uploaded files are on the People & Docs tab.
3. Approve it
   • Click Approve, set the Updated Expiry Date and confirm. The permit is Active until that date.
   • On a permit that is part of a job, the dialog also shows the job. Starting the job is a separate step.
4. Or decline it
   • Click Decline, write notes on what needs fixing (notes are required) and confirm.
   • The contractor sees your notes and can send a corrected permit back for approval.
5. Or send it for review
   • Click Send for Review, choose Team member or Service provider under Review by, then pick the Reviewer.
   • Pick It comes back to you to make the final call yourself, or Auto-approve to activate it on the reviewer's approval (set the expiry date now).
6. Manage it while it's active
   • Find it in the Active on site queue and click Manage.
   • Use Extend Permit for a new expiry date, Suspend Permit to put it on hold, or Mark as Completed when the work is done.
7. Close it out
   • If the template has a contractor sign-off, the permit shows Awaiting Close-out until they complete it, then Finished.
   • Click Archive Permit and choose whether to close the Works too. If the template has an admin sign-off, fill in your section of the form first. The button then reads Complete Close-out.

Troubleshooting

• Permits is greyed out or missing from the menu → Greyed out means your company may not have Permits switched on, so contact Forsite support. Missing means your role can't view permits. Ask your Company Administrator.
• I can't see Approve, Decline or Send for Review → Each button depends on your role's permit permissions. Ask your Company Administrator to check them. Sending a permit to a service provider for review needs a higher permission level.
• A permit that is with a reviewer has no buttons → Only the reviewer, or someone whose role has Override Reviewer Controls, can act on it until it comes back to you.
• The buttons are replaced by "This job is closed." → Permits on a closed job can't be changed. Reopen the job first.

FAQs

Can I approve a permit while a Required document is missing?
Yes. The contractor is warned about a missing Required document when they submit, but they can submit anyway and nothing stops you approving. If you need the document first, decline the permit and ask for it in your notes.

What happens when a permit passes its expiry date?
The day after the expiry date, an Active permit changes to Expired, or to Awaiting Close-out if the template has a contractor sign-off. If required close-out details are still missing more than two days after expiry, Forsite notifies both companies and a permit waiting on close-out shows Close-out Overdue. To reactivate an expired permit, open it and click Make Valid.

What happens after the reviewer responds?
If you chose It comes back to you and the reviewer approves, the permit returns to Awaiting your review as Returned from Review for your decision. If the reviewer declines it, the permit shows Declined, and you can still approve it, decline it to the contractor or send it to another reviewer.

What does Void do?
It deletes that submission, and you can't get it back. The permit stops counting towards the job and the contractor has to submit it again.