---
title: "Third Party Paper"
slug: "third-party-paper-2"
updated: 2026-10-29T17:01:15Z
published: 2026-10-29T17:01:15Z
canonical: "wiki.cobblestonesoftware.com/third-party-paper-2"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://wiki.cobblestonesoftware.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Third Party Paper

**COBBLESTONE SOFTWARE**

Contract Insight — User Guide

**Third Party Paper**

*Document Templates Management › Manage Document Package Template › Third Party Paper*

**Note:** Each procedure in this guide begins at the Contract Insight homepage, so any section can be followed on its own. Custom fields are configurable, so the exact field list on a contract category record may vary between environments.

# 1. Overview

**Third Party Paper** is one of the two **Type** options for a document template (the other is **Document Package**). Use it for agreements that originate on a vendor's, customer's, supplier's, or other outside party's paper rather than on your organization's own templates. A Third Party Paper template is set up with the same steps as a Document Package template — **Core setup** (mergeable fields, **Rules & conditions**, and so on), **Approvals & signing** (E-Approvals / E-Signatures), and **Files/Attachments** — and its type is shown under the template name and in the **Template overview** panel.

As with any template, nothing can be generated from a Third Party Paper template until a document is added on its **Files/Attachments** step. For example, the template "Diane Test" (Contracts, Third Party Paper) shows "No document yet" and has E-Approvals switched on, so it can't be generated until its document is added.

# 2. Key Elements

- **Type** is chosen when the template is created in the **Add template** form: **Document Package** or **Third Party Paper**.
- The **Document Templates** grid's **Type** column identifies Third Party Paper templates, and the grid **Search** box can filter on it.
- The template header (for example, "Contracts · Third Party Paper · template #33") and the **Template overview** panel's **TEMPLATE TYPE** show the type.
- **Rules & conditions** and **Approvals & signing** work the same way as for a Document Package template.
- A yellow banner — "No document has been added yet, so nothing can be generated from this template" — appears until a file is added on the **Files/Attachments** step.

# 3. Navigating to Document Templates

1. From the Contract Insight homepage, click the **Administration** icon (sliders) at the bottom of the left navigation bar.
2. Under **Templates & Presentation**, click **Document Templates**.

![Administration page with Document Templates highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/01-admin-document-templates.png)

# 4. Adding a Third Party Paper Template

1. Navigate to **Administration → Document Templates** (see Section 3).
2. Click **+ Add template**. The **Add template** form opens above the grid.
3. Enter a **NAME** for the template.
4. Select the **RECORD TYPE** (for example, Contracts).
5. Select the **TABLE** the template is based on (for example, Contract Details). This list is available after a record type is chosen.
6. Set **TYPE** to **Third Party Paper**.
7. Click **Create & open**. The new template opens in its editor. Click **Cancel** to close the form without creating a template.

![Add template form with Name, Record type, Table, Type set to Third Party Paper, Create and open and Cancel highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/tpp-02-add-template-third-party.png)

# 5. Finding and Opening a Third Party Paper Template

1. On the **Document Templates** page, type **Third Party Paper** (or the template name) in the grid's **Search** box and press Enter. Click **Clear** to remove the search.
2. Confirm the **Type** column reads **Third Party Paper**.
3. Click **Open** on the template's row.

![Document Templates grid searched for Third Party Paper with Search, Open and Type highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/tpp-03-find-third-party-template.png)

1. The template opens on the **Core setup** step. The header and the **Template overview** panel's **TEMPLATE TYPE** show **Third Party Paper**. Click **Edit** on the **Template overview** panel to change the template's settings.
2. Use the **Manage** buttons on each card — for example, **Rules & conditions** — to configure the template. See the *Rules & Conditions* and *Select Mergeable Fields* articles for details.

![Third Party Paper template overview with template type, Add the document link, Edit and Rules and conditions Manage highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/tpp-04-template-overview.png)

# 6. Adding the Document

1. Open the template (see Section 5).
2. Click **Add the document** in the yellow banner, or click step **4 Files/Attachments**.
3. Click **Add file** and add the Word file for the template.

![Files and Attachments step with Add file highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/tpp-05-files-attachments.png)

**Note:** Files merge in the order shown; drag a row by its handle to change the order. Each file keeps a version history, and the **published** version is the one a merge uses.

# 7. Setting Up Approvals & Signing

1. Open the template and click step **3 Approvals & signing**.
2. On the **E-Approvals** tab, check **Use E-Approvals** to route generated documents for approval, then click **Save approval settings**.
3. Under **Who approves, and in what order**, click **Add group** to add an approval group. Use **Edit**, **Participant**, and **Rules** on a group to name it, add approvers, and set when it applies.
4. Click the **E-Signatures** tab to configure signature routing the same way.

![Approvals and signing step with E-Approvals and E-Signatures tabs, Enabled, Save approval settings, Add group, Edit, Participant and Rules highlighted](https://cdn.document360.io/e3626857-1fb5-4e27-b278-2d3fc5508be4/Images/Documentation/tpp-06-approvals-signing.png)

**Note:** Approvers are invited group by group — within a group they act in parallel, and across groups sequentially. A group with no participants is skipped when the document is generated.

# 8. Quick Reference Summary

| Task | How to Complete It |
| --- | --- |
| Open Document Templates | Administration → Document Templates. |
| Add a Third Party Paper template | + Add template → Name, Record type, Table → Type: Third Party Paper → Create & open. |
| Find Third Party Paper templates | Document Templates grid → Search "Third Party Paper" → check the Type column. |
| Add the template's document | Open the template → Add the document (or step 4 Files/Attachments) → Add file. |
| Limit which records can use it | Core setup → Rules & conditions tab. |
| Route for approval or signature | Step 3 Approvals & signing → E-Approvals / E-Signatures tabs. |