Let's figure out how the approval is formalized. Each organization, of course, has its own options and combinations. We will try to show the possible ones.

External approval

For external approval, GOST R 6.30-2003 recommends using the approval stamp on the draft document. Let me remind you that the approval stamp is a requisite that expresses the agreement of another organization that is not the author of the document with its contents (GOST R 7.0.8-2013, definition 56).

Document fragment

Collapse Show

3.23. The document approval stamp consists of the word AGREED, the position of the person with whom the document was approved (including the name of the organization), personal signature, transcript of the signature (initials, surname) and the date of approval, for example:

AGREED

Rector of the Financial Academy
under the Government of the Russian Federation
Personal signature of A.G. Gryaznova
date

If approval is carried out by letter, protocol, etc., the approval stamp is drawn up as follows:

AGREED

Letter to the Russian Academy
medical sciences
dated 06/05/2003 No. 430-162

AGREED

Minutes of the Board meeting
Russian state
insurance company "Rosgosstrakh"
dated 06/05/2003 No. 10

Example 1

Collapse Show

Example 2

Collapse Show

Internal consistency

1. Document endorsement (approval visa)

This form of approval is most often used by small organizations where the list of approving persons is quite limited, or for documents that are approved by a couple of people.

However, this method is not at all convenient for large companies, the list of which reaches a dozen (possibly more) officials.

GOST R 6.30-2003 recommends drawing up visa approval similar to the approval stamp, but without indicating the word “AGREED” and the name of the organization as part of the position of the approver (with internal approval, it is already clear that this official works in the organization that authored the document). The following difference: internal approval of the project is possible if there are comments to it, which must be attached.

Document fragment

Collapse Show

GOST R 6.30-2003 “Unified documentation systems. Unified system of organizational and administrative documentation. Requirements for document preparation"

3.24. The approval of the document is issued with a document approval visa (hereinafter referred to as the visa), which includes the signature and position of the person approving the document, a transcript of the signature (initials, surname) and the date of signing. For example:

Personal signature of A.S. Orlov
date

If there are any comments to the document, a visa is issued as follows:

Comments are attached
Head of Legal Department
Personal signature of A.S. Orlov
date

Comments are stated on a separate sheet, signed and attached to the document.

For a document, the original of which remains with the organization, visas are affixed at the bottom of the reverse side of the last sheet of the original document.

For a document whose original is sent from an organization, visas are affixed to the bottom of the front side of the copy of the document being sent.

It is possible to issue visa documents on a separate approval sheet.

It is allowed, at the discretion of the organization, to endorse the document and its attachments page by page.

Example 3

Collapse Show

2. Approval sheet

In practice, quite often you can find a collection of approval visas for a draft document not on the document itself, but on its approval sheet.

The document approval (vising) sheet is part of an official document with approval marks (visas) (GOST R 7.0.8-2013).

Its form may vary greatly in different organizations. Taking into account this definition, we note that it is allowed to use exactly marks about approval, not the visa of the approver. Therefore, printouts from the EDMS and MS Outlook (more on this later, see Figure 4 and Example 6) are nothing more than approval sheets.

I would like to note that endorsing the draft document itself or collecting “live” signatures on a paper approval sheet is the most reliable option, because the person approving is unlikely to later refuse his personal signature.

Example 4

Collapse Show

Example 5

Collapse Show

3. Coordination by email (for example, in MS Outlook)

Collecting “live” signatures on a draft document or on an approval sheet takes a lot of time. And the very essence of the approval process is not simple. Therefore, office management services are trying to simplify life for both themselves and those approving. One option for this simplification is the use of electronic approval. And even if you do not have an EDMS with special office-work functionality, then regular email is most likely installed on the computers of all approving persons. And, by the way, using MS Outlook it is quite possible to organize electronic approval of files sent through it.

Let me briefly explain how you can use this:

However, I want to note that this option also has disadvantages. The person agreeing can always say that someone else voted from his computer in his absence. Companies try to resolve such misunderstandings:

• or by using an electronic digital signature by each participant in the process (a very expensive mechanism),
• or in internal regulations (for example, “on security”, “on the use of an automated workstation”, etc.) they try to oblige employees to use only their computer for work, and when leaving, block it with a password.

4. Approval in the EDMS

An even more progressive way to coordinate documents is to use various electronic document management systems. The principle of operation is simple:

1. The initiator enters a certain application into the EDMS (BUSINESS, Boss-referent, Directum, etc.) and attaches a draft document.
2. The approvers, having reviewed the draft, leave their comments and vote.
3. The initiator can print the voting result and attach it to the draft document for signing. As a rule, this “result” (approval sheet) is confirmed by the signature of the responsible employee of the office management service.

In our organization, it is customary to use two forms of approval at the discretion of the initiator:

• collection of “live” visas on a paper approval sheet or
• approval in the EDMS - in this case, an approval sheet is also generated, but filled out automatically (shown in Example 6).

However, the combination of these methods when approving one document is prohibited, because Some approvers will not see the comments of others. The approval sheet printed from the EDMS must be certified by the signature of the head of the EDMS.

Example 6

Collapse Show

“...Good afternoon, have a fun moment. Hello, priceless Katerina Matveevna.

Don't blame me for the past delay. Apparently, this is my fate. However, none of this is expected anymore. Therefore, I hasten to inform you that I am alive and well, and I wish the same for you...”

From a letter from Red Army soldier Comrade Sukhov

(film “White Sun of the Desert”)

Who among us does not remember the touching letter to his wife, “priceless Katerina Matveevna,” which the Red Army soldier Fyodor Ivanovich Sukhov mentally wrote throughout the film? This letter, of course, was personal and not business. But due to the life situation in which the characters were, it had thoroughness, structure and individual features characteristic of business correspondence.

An employee of the office management service, like the Red Army soldier Sukhov, often has to solve diverse problems and write letters, sometimes on the most unexpected topics. It would seem, what could be simpler? But it turns out that the manager’s instruction to “write a letter” can cause a storm of confusion in the secretary’s soul and mind: “A letter?!.. How to write it?! What to write?! How to format and how to send to the recipient?! Horrible!!!"

In fact, there is nothing terrible or difficult about this assignment. And if you have ever (and you definitely have) written essays in school, writing a letter will not require superhuman efforts from you. You will need attentiveness, perseverance, knowledge of the business processes of your organization, the ability to understand issues and circumstances that are sometimes unfamiliar to you, the ability to obtain the information you need from other departments, services and employees, and literacy in presentation.

Let's start with the general requirements for writing business letters.

To learn more

Structure of the text of a business letter

In the most general case, the text of a business letter consists of:

• address (introductory etiquette formula);
• introductory part;
• main part;
• final part;
• final etiquette formula.

Let's take a closer look at them.

Appeal, or introductory etiquette formula (politeness formula):“Hello, priceless Ekaterina Matveevna!”

The address (introductory etiquette formula, politeness formula, etc.) is intended to express respect for the addressee, draw the addressee’s attention to the subject of the letter and may contain the position, surname, name and patronymic of the person to whom this letter is addressed: Dear Vladimir Petrovich!

When addressing the most significant and important persons, the greeting “Dearest” is applicable.

For example:

• Dear Mr. Minister!
• Dear Mr. Governor!
• Dear Mr. Vakhrushin!

If the letter addresses the organization’s staff or a certain group of employees, then the etiquette formula looks like this: Dear Sirs!

Familiarity in communication is unacceptable. The phrase “Dear...” or “Dear...” and the like are inappropriate in a business letter.

note

There should be an exclamation point at the end of the address. A comma, while grammatically acceptable, would be inappropriate in this case.

The message is aligned to the center of the document.

By the way

The appeal is not a mandatory element of the letter. In official letters of standard content, in cover letters that do not contain requests, and other letters of a trivial nature that do not require personal consideration by the manager, the appeal can be omitted. For example: Please send a reconciliation report with Amethyst LLC as of December 30, 2014 to the address: st. Tverskaya, house 1, office 23, Ensk, 123645.

Introductory part. May contain:

• the reason and purpose of writing this letter. For example: Your organization participated in the competitive procedure No. 118-SAZHKKH for the purchase of municipal equipment for the needs of the municipal services of the Ensk territorial district;
• a link to a document related to the subject of the letter. For example: In response to your letter ref. No. 125/1 dated July 13, 2015 we inform...;
• a brief summary of a situation, fact, or event. For example: Within the framework of supply agreement No. 251 dated November 17, 2014 concluded with Amethyst LLC, road construction equipment was supplied in the amount of 2,250,000 rubles;
• etiquette phrases expressing gratitude, regret, congratulations, condolences, etc., depending on the situation. For example: I thank the specialists of the technical department of Amethyst LLC for the quick and qualified troubleshooting of technical communications that provided power supply to the administrative building of Elegia LLC.

Also, the introductory part can describe the general situation (like Comrade Sukhov, who, thanks to his innate talent as a storyteller, also could not do without an introduction): Know, dear Katerina Matvevna, that class battles today are, by and large, over and the hour of world liberation is coming. And it was my turn to return home to build a new life with you in my dear native land..

Main part. Contains a statement of the problem, situation, with relevant facts, arguments and evidence. It should be connected in meaning to the introductory part and logically lead to the conclusions set out in the final part. This is the most difficult and intense part of a business letter. It is necessary to treat its preparation very carefully and responsibly, preparing the appropriate evidence and documentation base.

This is where knowledge of business processes and the ability to obtain the necessary information will come in handy.

Depending on the topic of the letter, the main part can be short or complex (consisting of paragraphs and subparagraphs). When formulating phrases, opt for simplicity of presentation.

You should always remember that simple common sentences are perceived much easier than complex and complex sentences with an abundance of punctuation marks. For example, the essence of the question can be stated as follows:

In April 2015, Izumrud LLC manufactured a set of metal-cutting equipment, which was sent to Amethyst LLC by the transport company Delovye Linii and received by Amethyst LLC 14 days later than the deadline, which is confirmed by invoice No. 1125/245 from 04/23/2015, the original of which was provided to us by the transport company “Business Lines”, in connection with which “Izumrud” LLC is obliged to pay “Amethyst” LLC a penalty in the amount of...

Or you can do this:

On April 2, 2015, Izumrud LLC sent metal-cutting equipment to Amethyst LLC. The equipment was received on April 23, 2015. This fact is confirmed by waybill No. 1125/245 dated April 23, 2015, provided by the transport company Delovye Linii LLC.

The estimated delivery time for equipment according to contract No. 12 dated March 29, 2015 is 7 calendar days from the date of shipment. In this case, it consists of 21 calendar days. Thus, for violation of the delivery deadlines for equipment in accordance with clause 3.12 of the above agreement, Izumrud LLC is obliged to pay a penalty in the amount of...

In general, the following requirements are imposed on the presentation:

• compliance with current legislation;
• neutral, business-like tone of presentation;
• it is allowed to use abbreviations (LLC, Ministry of Emergency Situations, Ministry of Internal Affairs, State District Power Plant, State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, etc.) and commonly used abbreviations (sq. m, kg, gr-n, str., etc., PO Box, etc.);
• use of the passive voice (for example, you should write “ will be manufactured by us…", but not " we will produce...”, focusing on the action being performed, and not on the object producing it);
• the use of template phrases (so-called language formulas) characteristic of the industry or type of activity to which your enterprise belongs. As an example of their masterly and organic application, one can cite the same letter from Comrade Sukhov: “ However, we had a slight hitch. I think about three days, no more. Namely, to me, as a conscious fighter, instructed escort a group of comrades from the fraternal East... I also want to tell you: dislocation ours is running smoothly, in an atmosphere of fraternal community and harmony." As we can see, he actively used stable expressions of revolutionary and wartime.

In general, a business letter may contain the following template phrases:

• We are sending you the following documents for approval...;
• As part of the implementation of the agreements reached...;
• In response to your letter ref. No.... from... inform...;
• In accordance with the concluded agreement No....;
• We inform you that in the period from... to...;
• We express our deep gratitude... etc.

Such lexical constructions can sometimes carry additional legal meaning, for example, a letter of guarantee will not be considered one if the text does not contain the phrase “We guarantee payment.”

A distinctive feature of a business letter is also the clarity and brevity of the text (division into paragraphs, the use of simple common sentences);

• argumentation;
• objectivity (the text of the letter must contain objective information about events and facts;
• unambiguity of terminology and formulations.

Final part is final and may contain:

Conclusions following from the above: Thus, from the above facts it follows that this case of failure of the mechanism is not covered by warranty, since the operating rules were violated;

Request: Based on the above, we ask you to consider the possibility of correcting shortcomings identified during the operation of the product;

Requirement: We demand that the existing debt be repaid by October 1, 2015;

Warning: In case of failure to comply with the requirements of the contract, we reserve the right to apply to the Arbitration Court to protect our interests;

Offer: We offer to satisfy our demands for a refund in the amount of 15,000 (fifteen thousand) rubles;

Refusal: Based on the stated facts, we are forced to refuse to satisfy your requirements.;

Reminder: We remind you that in accordance with clause 17 of the tender documentation you need to provide security under the contract etc.

Final etiquette formula, or politeness formula. A business letter is usually concluded with a final etiquette formula - a stable expression showing respect, hope for further cooperation or regret about the termination of cooperation or the loss of certain opportunities, for example:

• We look forward to further cooperation;
• We regret the difficulties encountered.

A business letter can end with a phrase containing an expression of respect, the title of the position of the responsible person signing the letter, his handwritten personal signature and a transcript of the signature:

Sincerely,

Head of Turkestan Customs Vereshchagin P.A. Vereshchagin

note

The final politeness formula “With respect” is applied only if the letter began with the address “Dear (full name or position)!”, but is not mandatory. Depending on the situation, repeated expressions of respect may be inappropriate and appear to be subservient, derogatory, or ironic. For the same reasons, it is not recommended to use superlative adjectives or words that enhance the emotional connotation of a sentence in business correspondence. For example:

Unfortunately, we did not receive your catalog;

Dear…;

It is with our deepest regret that we inform you that we are unable to accommodate your request..

Decor

Business letters must be issued strictly on the organization’s letterhead, containing the necessary details. A sample form is given in Appendix B to GOST R 6.30-2003 “Unified documentation systems. Unified system of organizational and administrative documentation. Documentation requirements."

In practice, the sufficient details for preparing business letters are:

• organization emblem or trademark (logo), if available (1);
• OKPO (2);
• main state registration number (OGRN) of a legal entity (3);
• taxpayer identification number/reason code for registration (TIN/KPP) (4);
• name of organization (5);
• reference information about the organization (includes postal address, telephone number and other information at the discretion of the organization) (6);
• document date (7);
• document registration number (8);
• reference to the registration number and date of the document (9);
• destination(10);
• title to the text (11);
• document text (12);
• mark about the presence of the application (13);
• signature (14);
• mark about the performer (15).

The placement of details is given in Example 1.

Classification

Business letters can be divided depending on their purpose and content.

Accompanying. Cover letters are intended for sending documents that do not have an address part. The text of the cover letter must contain a link to the attachments - documents that are sent with this letter. Such letters may contain requests, explanations, etc.

Cover letters to a higher-level organization should begin with the phrase “We present to you...”, to a lower-level organization - with “We are sending to you...”, to a third-party organization - with “We are sending to you...” (Example 2).

note

The covering letter is not a guarantee that the envelope you receive will contain exactly those documents and in the quantity specified in the covering letter. In other words, the letter is not an inventory and cannot be submitted to the judicial authorities as confirmation of the sending of certain documents.

A covering letter is not required when sending documents.

Warranty. As a rule, it contains two parts: a request to fulfill something, assurances of fulfillment of obligations on its part, and legally constitutes an acknowledgment of a debt (Example 3).

Congratulatory. Such letters are drawn up in a relatively free form and are dedicated to some celebration - a memorable date, an official public holiday, an event significant for a given organization or person. Congratulatory letters can be issued both on the organization’s letterhead and on artistic forms, colored paper, and also contain decorative and graphic elements.

Thank you. A letter of gratitude is sent to a citizen, official or organization expressing gratitude for actions taken (Example 4).

Such letters may use the following phrases:

• We express our sincere gratitude to you...;
• Thank you for your assistance...;
• Let me express my gratitude to you...

Notice - a business letter informing or notifying the addressee about any events. May contain explanations regarding the procedure for participation in the event, applications (participant questionnaire, event program, regulations, promotional materials), etc.

If the notification letter is intended for distribution to a wide range of people, then the “Addressee” detail on the letter is not drawn up or is drawn up in a general way. Such a letter must be signed by the head of the organization or the manager responsible for carrying out this event (see notification letter in Example 1).

Request (request) - this is a business letter sent to obtain any information or documents (Example 5). Letters of inquiry require a mandatory response in the form of a response letter. The text of the request letter must contain a justification for the need to provide the information or documents in question.

Message. This is a type of business letter that informs the addressee about any facts or events that affect the interests of both parties - the author and the addressee (Example 6). The message letter can be brief and begin immediately with the phrase “We inform you that...”, or it can be more detailed and contain a justification: “Due to the fact that...”.

In the above example, the changed details are already contained in the body of the letter, but, honestly, answer honestly: when you receive a letter, how often do you look at these lines of numbers and compare them with the previous ones? This is why a letter message is needed - to draw the addressee’s attention to this fact.

In practice, a notification letter and a message letter differ slightly. Therefore, panic about the topic: “What a nightmare, I sent the contractor notice, but it was necessary message!!!» no need. There is nothing terrible in the fact that in the text of the letter you wrote “we notify” instead of “we inform.”

Offer. Sent to a potential partner or counterparty and containing an offer of cooperation (Example 7). This type includes commercial proposals (offers). A letter of offer may contain both general and detailed information about the organization and the product being presented:

• a brief history and general information about your organization (year of foundation, production and warehouse base, achievements, participation in significant events, awards, diplomas, titles, etc.);
• organization details;
• a price list indicating on what date it is valid (if you want to present all the products of your company as a whole and demonstrate to a potential partner the level of prices for them);
• the exact name of the product being presented (if the proposal is made for a specific type of product or service);
• product image;
• the main and most important characteristics of the product being presented;
• the price of the goods or services presented and its validity period, indicating the monetary unit and mentioning in what format the price is indicated (with or without VAT);
• terms and cost of delivery;
• conditions for receiving a discount, etc.

A letter of offer can be sent either to one specific addressee or sent en masse to a wide range of counterparties.

The result of consideration by the addressee of a letter of offer may be business negotiations or the conclusion of an agreement, therefore, the future profit of your organization may depend on the literacy of its preparation and the accuracy of the data presented in it.

Confirmation. A type of business letter that I have encountered quite rarely in practice, in which the addressee confirms receipt of any information or documents (Example 8). Typically issued in response to a cover letter or communication letter. The confirmation letter uses the following phrases:

• We confirm receipt of the following documents:…;
• We confirm receipt of the message about the change of details... .

Letter of demand. This type of business letter is written to encourage the addressee to fulfill their obligations. It is distinguished by a rather categorical tone of presentation, which is achieved by using constructions like:

• We urgently demand to pay off the debt;
• We demand that the goods be shipped immediately to... etc.

The letter of demand must necessarily contain a statement of the terms of previously accepted agreements, links to documents (contracts, agreements, etc.), the essence of the current situation, the requirement to fulfill obligations, as well as the consequences for the addressee if the obligations are not fulfilled, for example: If you fail to fulfill your obligations, the case will be referred to the Arbitration Court.

A special case of a letter of demand is letter of complaint. It differs from a simple letter of demand by describing the essence of the product malfunction, poor quality of services, etc. The final part sets out the requirement: replace the product under warranty, carry out warranty repairs, return the money, etc. The claim may contain photographs of the defective product, documents confirming additional expenses incurred by the initiating party (for example, for treatment, forced use of the services of third-party organizations, etc.) (Example 9).

Letter of response. This letter is drawn up in response to a request, demand or complaint (Example 10).

Other types of letters, as a rule, do not require a response.

When composing a response, you do not need to write in the text: “In response to your letter No.... from...”, since the data of the received original letter is entered in the details “Link to the date and number of the received document.”

The style of your response should match the style of the letter you are responding to. However, this does not mean that you need to repeat the stylistic and grammatical errors contained in it.

Well, I shared with you my experience in accordance with the basic principles of composing business letters on a wide variety of topics.

In fact, the topic of writing letters is inexhaustible! In each specific case, you should approach the creation of a business letter responsibly and creatively, and then you will be lucky on this thorny path!

Let me take my leave here, or, as the unforgettable comrade Sukhov wrote: “I remain a witness to this, a fighter for the happiness of the working people of the whole earth, the Trans-Caspian International Revolutionary Proletarian Regiment named after Comrade August Bebel, Red Army soldier Fyodor Ivanovich Sukhov.”

A covering letter for an agreement is a mandatory document, without which the agreement itself will not be accepted for consideration and signing. When drawing up a cover letter for an agreement sent to the counterparty for signature, it is necessary to take into account some of the nuances described in the article.

From the article you will learn:

Type of official correspondence - cover letter to the contract

In the process of carrying out all types of its activities - economic, organizational, production or, for example, economic, the organization receives and sends a lot of official correspondence. Its recipients and correspondents include higher-level organizations, state and municipal authorities, suppliers, customers, business partners and even individuals.

The most important part of external document flow are letters, since they are either sent in the form of separate documents or accompany packages of documents - financial, accounting and others, which do not contain such details as the recipient's address. Including, cover letters are sent with contracts concluded by the enterprise or planned for conclusion.

The main characteristic feature of cover letters, including cover letters for contracts, is the presence of a list of documents attached to it and text explaining the purpose for which these documents were sent to the addressee. Another distinctive feature of such letters is their secondary nature - such letters themselves are not independent documents. Moreover, in the case when such a letter is sent to the addressee without attaching the documents specified in it, the person responsible for the initial processing of correspondence in the organization is obliged to send it back. In this case, an act must also be drawn up confirming that the documents specified in the covering letter are missing.

How to write a cover letter for a contract, sample

The covering letter to the contract, due to its secondary nature, does not carry any information load, but, drawn up according to the established rules, it is:

confirmation of the fact of sending the documents listed as attachments;

confirmation of the deadline;

instructions on the purpose for which the documents listed in it were sent, the procedure for their processing and which documents and in what form should be returned to the sender's address.

What details does the cover letter to the contract contain?

Covering letters, like all organizational and administrative documentation, are drawn up in accordance with the requirements of GOST R 6.30-2003, which will be valid at least until July 1, 2018. Then they plan to replace it with GOST R 7.0.97-2016. The table below shows the composition of the required details in accordance with the currently valid GOST. Filling them out will give cover letter to the contract legal significance.

There is also a type of agreement that is signed not by the head of another enterprise, but by a representative body of the enterprise’s employees. This is a collective agreement, which, in accordance with the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, must be agreed upon with the trade union committee of employees. The cover letter for the collective agreement is provided below.

Covering letters to contracts are usually signed by the head of the company or an official who has such a right, formalized in accordance with the order.

How to directcover letter to the contract for signaturewith a protocol of disagreements

Often, some clauses of the contract sent to the counterparty for signature may cause his disagreement. The other party may also want to make some changes and additions to the text of the agreement sent for signature. This is natural and is not a particular obstacle to reaching agreement between the parties. In this case, the second party has the right to draw up a protocol of disagreements and mention it in the covering letter to the agreement sent for signature.

A sample cover letter for an agreement for signature, sent to the sender with a protocol of disagreements, is presented below.