Article Summary
Response Policies let admins configure how responses move through the review and approval cycle in the project editor. You can lock responses from editing earlier in the workflow, restrict who can reverse a submission, and limit who can revoke an approval. These controls are designed for organizations where compliance, legal, or quality teams need confidence that reviewed content can't be changed or rolled back without the right oversight.
Estimated Time
5 minutes
Prerequisites
Before you begin, make sure you have:
Administrator role in AutoRFP
An understanding of your team's review workflow (e.g., who reviews, who approves, and when content should be locked)
Familiarity with how responses move through statuses in the project editor: Drafted → Submitted for Review → Approved
🗒️ Note: Response Policies are organization-wide settings. Once configured, they apply to all projects and all users. Existing organizations default to today's behavior — nothing changes until an admin opts in.
Understanding the Three Settings
Setting | What It Controls | Options |
When are responses locked from editing? | At what point editors can no longer change the answer, compliance fields, or other content | When approved (default) — content stays editable until a reviewer approves it · When submitted — content locks as soon as it's submitted for review |
Who can unsubmit a response? | Who is allowed to move a response back from "Submitted for Review" to "Drafted" | Anyone with project access (default) — any project member can unsubmit · Editor or Project Owner only — only the assigned editor or the project owner can pull it back |
Who can unapprove a response? | Who is allowed to reverse an approval and move a response back to "Submitted for Review" | Anyone with project access (default) — any project member can unapprove · Original approver or Project Owner only — only the person who approved it (or the project owner) can reverse it |
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Access Response Policy Settings
Navigate to Organization Settings in the bottom-left corner of the navigation panel.
Click the Permissions tab on the top bar.
Scroll to the Response Policies section.
🗒️ Note: This section is only visible to users with an Admin role. If you don't see it, contact your organization administrator.
Step 2: Configure When Responses Lock
Find the dropdown labeled "When are responses locked from editing?"
Choose your preferred setting: When approved (default)
Editors can continue modifying answers and compliance fields even after submitting for review
Content only becomes read-only once a reviewer approves it
Use when: Your reviewers expect editors to make corrections during the review cycle without needing to formally unsubmit first
When submitted:
Content locks the moment it's submitted for review — the answer, compliance dropdowns, and fields all become read-only
Reviewers see exactly what was submitted with no risk of changes happening underneath them
Use when: Your compliance or legal team needs a hard freeze on content during review, or when you've had issues with editors modifying answers after submission
Your selection saves automatically.
Step 3: Configure Who Can Unsubmit
Find the dropdown labeled "Who can unsubmit?"
Choose your preferred setting: Anyone with project access (default)
Any user who has access to the project can move a submitted response back to drafted
Use when: Your team is collaborative and you trust all project members to manage the workflow
Editor or Project Owner only
Only the assigned editor for that response or the project owner can pull it back to drafted
Other users (including other editors on different responses) cannot unsubmit
Use when: You want to prevent team members from inadvertently or unnecessarily reverting someone else's submission
Your selection saves automatically.
Step 4: Configure Who Can Unapprove
Find the dropdown labeled "Who can unapprove?"
Choose your preferred setting: Anyone with project access (default)
Any user who has access to the project can reverse an approval
Use when: Your team operates with high trust and flexibility in the review process
Original approver or Project Owner only
Only the reviewer who granted the approval — or the project owner — can reverse it
No other user can demote an approved response back to "Submitted for Review"
Use when: Approved content represents a formal sign-off (e.g., compliance or legal clearance) and shouldn't be reopened by someone other than the approver
Your selection saves automatically.
💡 Tips & Best Practices
Start with the defaults and only tighten controls when you have a clear need — overly restrictive policies can slow down your team without adding value
If you enable "Lock when submitted," communicate this to your editors — they'll need to get their answers right before hitting submit, or coordinate with someone who can unsubmit
For organizations with sequential review workflows (multiple reviewers in order), the "Lock when submitted" setting is especially powerful — it ensures each reviewer sees the same content
Response Policies work alongside Export Approval — use both together for maximum governance (policies control the review workflow, Export Approval controls the final output)
✋🏼 Common Mistakes to Avoid
Enabling "Lock when submitted" without telling your team — editors will be surprised when they can no longer edit after submitting and may think it's a bug
Restricting unapprove to "Original approver only" when that person is frequently unavailable — if the approver is out of office, no one else can reopen the response (except the project owner)
Confusing response approval with export approval — Response Policies govern individual answer workflows inside the editor. Export Approval controls whether the entire project can be downloaded. They are separate features
Changing policies mid-project without communicating — responses already in "Submitted" or "Approved" status will immediately be subject to the new rules
Need Help?
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📚 Learning Centre: learn.autorfp.ai/en