How to Renegotiate a Contract in Arc

Renegotiation allows you to modify an existing agreement while preserving the customer's existing contract history. Once the renegotiated agreement is completed and signed, it replaces the previous version of the agreement.

Policy

Effective July 22, 2026, eligible agreements can be renegotiated directly within ARC.

Requirements

The remaining TCV of the agreement must remain the same or increase.
Both the current agreement and the renegotiated agreement must have at least 12 months remaining.
An agreement may only be renegotiated once.
Renegotiation must be completed using the Renegotiate feature in ARC.
The renegotiated agreement does not take effect until it has been signed by the client.
Social Media products may only be added if the client has an active print product.
Any outstanding invoices will be included in the renegotiated value.
Contract Control policy applies.
Renegotiated agreement must be signed electronically by the client. Paper contracts will not be permitted.

Common Reasons to Renegotiate

Renegotiation may be used when a client wants to:

Add products or services.
Reallocate their remaining investment across products.
Change ad sizes or placements.
Adjust insertion pricing.
Add or remove eligible digital or Social Media products.
Agreement was originally entered incorrectly

Initiating a Renegotiation

A renegotiation can either be requested by the client through the Customer Portal or initiated by the Publisher in ARC. Client requests are subjected to Publisher approval and must meet the requirements.

Client Request

Log in to the Customer Portal.
Select the Agreements tab.
Open the agreement you would like to renegotiate.
Click Request Renegotiation.
Enter the details for the requested changes (for example, lower monthly payment, different ad size, or updated products).
Click Send Request.

The Publisher will receive a notification that a renegotiation has been requested.

Publisher Process (tutorial below)

Navigate to Accounts and open the client's account.
Select the Agreements tab.
Open the active agreement.
Click Renegotiate.

From here you can:

Add or remove insertions.
Increase or decrease insertion pricing.
Add or remove Digital or Social Media packages.
Reallocate the remaining contract value across eligible products.

Important: The remaining contract value is displayed at the bottom of the screen. The renegotiated agreement must be equal to or greater than this amount. ARC will prevent you from releasing an agreement that does not meet this requirement. A renegotiated contract cannot include an opt-out.

Review all changes.
Click Save Draft.
Click Release for Signature.

The client will receive an email containing the updated agreement. The agreement is not finalized until the client signs it.

Note: When an agreement is renegotiated, it is subject to the current Terms & Conditions in effect at the time the renegotiated agreement is signed.

Renegotiation FAQs

Eligibility & Rules

Can I increase the value of an agreement during renegotiation?

Yes. The remaining agreement value may stay the same or increase.

Can a contract be renegotiated more than once?

No. Each agreement may only be renegotiated one time.

Can I add an opt-out during renegotiation?

No. Renegotiated agreements do not allow an opt-out option.

Does a renegotiated agreement count toward new TCV?

No. Renegotiated agreements never count toward TCV. Only brand-new agreements count toward TCV.

Timing

What is the deadline for renegotiating a contract?

An agreement can be renegotiated any time before the first ad deadline. The client must sign the renegotiated agreement before the first ad deadline for the changes to take effect.

When does the renegotiated agreement become active?

After the client signs the renegotiated agreement.

When will the renegotiated agreement take effect?

Renegotiated agreements have an immediate start date and apply beginning with the next ad deadline. The new agreement replaces the previous agreement.

How far in the future can the renegotiated insertion start?

No more than one month out.

Agreement History

Does the original agreement remain in ARC?

Yes. ARC preserves the original agreement as part of the agreement history, while the signed renegotiated agreement becomes the active version.

Publisher Workflow

Can a publisher abandon a renegotiation draft and start over?

Yes. At any point before the client signs, a draft can be abandoned and restarted as many times as needed.

What options does a publisher have when a client submits a renegotiation request?

The publisher can:

Decline the request (the client is notified and may pursue a standard cancellation)
Mark it as **In Progress** (the client is notified that work has begun)
Build and send the renegotiated agreement for signature

If a client rejects a renegotiated agreement after it is sent for signature, does the publisher have to start over?

No. The same renegotiation remains open and is marked as **Client Rejected**. The publisher can revise and resend it as many times as needed.

Payments

Does the client need to reauthorize payment when signing a renegotiated agreement?

Yes. During signing, the client must select or re-enter their payment method and reauthorize payment, even if they are using the same card already on file.

Page Rates & Premium Placements

Will ARC allow a renegotiation that drops a publisher's page rate below the required minimum?

No. ARC enforces both the page rate requirement and the renegotiated value requirement. It will block any renegotiation that would reduce the page rate below the Platinum minimum.

Can I renegotiate a contract into a premium placement (such as the Back Cover) that is already reserved by another agreement?

No. If the premium placement is already assigned to another active agreement, ARC will show it as unavailable, just as it would for a new agreement. If the premium placement belongs to the agreement being renegotiated, it may be retained or reassigned within that renegotiation.