Contracts & Renewals

A contract is not the finish line. It is the start of your renewal.

Great delivery is table stakes. Growth comes from how you manage the time between kickoff and renewal. This post shows how to spot expansion opportunities without being salesy, how to write proposals that feel like problem solving, and how to run a calm, predictable renewal process that protects both outcomes and relationships.

Mindset: Engagements Are Living Systems

Agreements are not final. Scope, priorities, and budgets evolve. Treat the contract as a plan you will update.

Value has to be made visible. If the client cannot see it, it did not happen.

Expansion is service. You are offering solutions to the next problem, not pushing hours.

Signals That Point To Expansion

Track these in your account notes. If two or more show up, open a discovery chat.

• New goals or leadership changes
• Bottlenecks outside current scope
• Repeated manual work the client accepts as normal
• Adjacent systems with rising cost or risk
• Your work unblocks a new initiative that now needs owners

Simple prompt for the discovery chat

“We met [goal]. The work exposed [adjacent problem]. Would a 30 minute session to explore options be useful this week?”

The Opportunity Log

Keep a one page list per account. Update weekly.

• Problem statement in one sentence
• Expected outcome and who benefits
• Rough size and preconditions
• Stakeholders and timing window
• Next step and owner

If it is not in the log, it will be forgotten. The log makes upsell conversations normal and low pressure.

Quarterly Business Review Rhythm

Try running QBRs for any engagement longer than 12 weeks. Keep it tight and useful.

Value recap

Before vs after metrics, stories from end users, what changed for the better

What we learned

3 bullets that influenced decisions

Risks and mitigations

Top 3 risks, owners, and agreed actions

Next quarter options

2 or 3 packages with outcomes, dates, and rough cost

Decision windows

Milestones that require a yes or no to protect dates and budgets

Send the deck two days before the meeting. Ask the client to add their slides or notes directly.

Proposal That Reads Like Problem Solving

Use this structure. Keep it short and specific.

• Title that mirrors the client’s goal
• Challenge in their words
• Outcome in one measurable sentence
• Approach in 3 to 5 steps
• Options: Smallest viable, Balanced, Full
• Timeline and rough cost for each option
• Assumptions and risks
• Your recommendation and decision needed for next steps

You can list specific decisions, or keep it broader to create clear commitment you can refer back to.

One sentence value line

“This package costs about 40 engineer days and pays back if we lift payments processed by 10 percent by end of Q2.”

Change Notes That Avoid Drama

When scope shifts mid stream, send a short note the same day.

• Context (one paragraph)
• Options with impact on date, cost, and result
• Your recommendation and why
• Decision needed and by when

This prevents surprise billing and keeps everyone aligned.

Renewal Backward Plan

Start early. Work backward from the renewal date.

T minus 90 days: Confirm stakeholders, run value recap, share early renewal plan

T minus 60 days: Present options package, align on budget signals, identify procurement steps

T minus 30 days: Lock scope for renewal, begin paperwork

T minus 0: Renewal signed, kickoff for next phase scheduled

Why 90 days and not 30? Budget cycles, procurement, and legal take time. Early action prevents last minute scramble and protects team continuity.

Internal Coordination

Make expansion a team sport, not a handoff.

Account owner maintains the opportunity log and renewal plan

Delivery lead prepares value recap and options

Finance confirms runway and projected burn

Exec sponsor checks alignment on the client side once per quarter

Short weekly sync. Ten minutes. Review the log, next steps, and deadlines.

KPIs To Watch

• Renewal rate
• Net revenue retention
• Expansion as percent of total revenue
• Average time from opportunity to proposal
• Proposal win rate
• On time renewal completion
• Number of value recaps sent per quarter

Track at account, BU, and company levels.

Words That Help

Instead of “do you want to extend,” say “here are three options for the next quarter with outcomes, dates, and rough cost. I recommend option B because it protects the launch and unlocks the analytics work you asked about.”

Instead of “we can add this later,” say “if we decide by the 20th we keep the date. After that we slip by two weeks.”

Instead of “we need a change order,” say “this scope was not in the original plan. Here are the options to include it and what each means for timing and budget.”

Clarity beats pressure. Options beat open-ended asks.

Anti-Patterns To Kill

Waiting for the client to ask. Propose next steps as soon as value is visible.

Treating QBRs as status shows. Bring decisions, not just slides.

Academic proposals with no prices or dates. Give ranges and a recommendation.

Surprise renewal sprints at T minus 10 days. Start at 90 days and work backward.

Expansion talk without outcomes. Tie every suggestion to a measurable goal.

Practical Toolkit

Copy these into your notes or wiki.

Opportunity log fields

Problem, outcome, size, timing, stakeholders, next step, owner

QBR outline

Value recap, what we learned, risks, next quarter options, decision windows

Proposal template

Title, challenge, outcome, approach, options, timeline and rough cost, assumptions and risks, recommendation, decision needed for next steps

Change note template

Context, two or three options, recommendation, decision needed by date

Renewal checklist

• Stakeholders mapped
• Value recap shared
• Options aligned
• Budget signals confirmed
• Procurement steps listed
• Dates agreed and on calendar

Final Thoughts

Beyond delivery is where long term partnerships are built. When you make value visible, track opportunities, and run renewals like a calm project, growth feels natural for both sides. This is not about pushing hours. It is about staying useful.

Be the partner who brings options at the right time, not the vendor who brings surprises.

✅ Key Takeaway

Growth happens between kickoff and renewal. Keep an opportunity log per account, run QBRs every quarter for longer engagements, write proposals that lead with outcomes, and start renewals at 90 days with clear options. When expansion feels like problem solving rather than sales, clients stay longer and trust deeper.

This article is part of my series “From Engineering to Management.”

Full Series:

• Part 1: A Different Kind of Promotion
• Part 2: Delegation, Leverage, and the Myth of Control
• Part 3: Managing Up, Across, and Out
• Part 4: Budget Tracking and Forecasting
• Part 5: Beyond Delivery: Contracts, Upsells, and Renewals (this post)
• Part 6: Packaging and Positioning (Coming November 17)
• Part 7: Market Awareness as a Leadership Skill (Coming November 21)
• Part 8: Managing Expectations (Coming November 24)
• Part 9: People Leadership in a Business Context (Coming November 28)
• Part 10: From Manager to Business Leader (Coming December 1)

How do you manage renewals and spot expansion opportunities? What systems have helped you turn delivery into growth? I’d love to hear about your approaches to client development.