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Gbolahan's avatar
Gbolahan B Community Member

Direct contract

I tried to login into my account today to send someone who wanted to give me a job outside upwork a direct contract proposal, but to my disappointment I notice Direct contract is not functioning on my account again? What could be the cause?

Could it be that the upgrade/maintenance that upwork team want to carry out is the reason it's not functional, or the feature has been axed from my account.


Please I need a quick response.


Thanks
Regards
ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Goran's avatar
Goran V Retired Team Member

Hi Constantin,

 

I would like to clarify that the process you're referring to is working as designed. 

With Direct Contracts, you can create and send contract proposals to your clients that don't have Upwork accounts. Your client will be asked to create an Upwork account. Just like your other contracts on Upwork, your client deposits project funds in escrow before the contract starts. When you've completed the work, you'll request payment from your client.

 

To learn more about how Direct contracts work and how to manage them, check out this Help Article. Thank you.

~ Goran
Upwork

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255 REPLIES 255
Francis's avatar
Francis S Community Member

Hi AndreaG, I was trying to create upwork direct contract for my client but it keep showing some error "We are sorry! We are experiencing a technical problem and cannot process your request right now. Please try again in a minute."

 

Andrea's avatar
Andrea G Community Manager

Hi Francis,

 

Could you please try using a different browser or the incognito mode of your current browser? You may also try clearing your browser’s cache and cookies. Also note that we only officially support the latest two versions of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari.

 

~Andrea
Francis's avatar
Francis S Community Member

Yes, I use another google chrome browser and it's still the same

Joanne's avatar
Joanne P Moderator

Hi Francis,

 

We saw your post in the community and converted it into a support ticket to give it the attention it deserves. Rest assured that one of our agents will be reaching out to you.

~ Joanne
Upwork
Pujan's avatar
Pujan K Community Member

Hi I am facing this issue while settinp up direct contract.

Capture1.PNG
When I use the email address that has an upwork account it gives me the following error:

Capture1-copy.PNG

Pradeep's avatar
Pradeep H Moderator

Hi Pujan,

 

Thank you for reaching out to us. I shared your report with our team and one of our agents will reach out to you using a support ticket to assist you further. You can access your support tickets here.

 

- Pradeep 

Jasper's avatar
Jasper M Community Member

I engaged a client was already working with to Upwork. Before I was able to send him a direct contract he made an account and send out a proposal. Is it still possible to set up a direct contract? The proposal has not been accepted yet. I am mainly concerned with the terms of service for Upwork regarding working offline with this client again on future projects. I can ask him to pull back the contract and sign up through a new account but wanted to check here before I break any ToS regulations

 

Joanne's avatar
Joanne P Moderator

Hi Jasper,

 

I want to confirm: Does your client already have an Upwork account? I wanted to verify, as you've mentioned that he has made an account. Direct Contracts lets you invite clients who don't have an Upwork account to work with you on Upwork and pay lower freelancer service fees on contracts with those clients. You can find more information here
 

~ Joanne
Upwork
Jasper's avatar
Jasper M Community Member

Hi Joanne,

He did not have an Upwork account, but made one specifically for this job. He did so before I offered him a Direct Contract but moved forward after I asked him whether it would be okay to continue our relationship through Upwork. So he's completely new to Upwork. Should I ask him/send him a new direct contract on a new email address?

Best,

Jasper's avatar
Jasper M Community Member

To be clear, I am not so much worried about the lowered fee through the direct contract. I might however, as it is a returning and existing client, be doing work again with him outside of Upwork and want to make sure I adhere to the ToS correctly.

Jasper's avatar
Jasper M Community Member

After logging in today I saw that my direct contract with a client is no longer visible. When I click on the notification I get an error with the following id: 879e3d1efafa60c3-MAD

 

Some context, this is a client I brought onto the platform. Unfortunatley he already made a proposal on the website before I could send him the direect contract. I flagged this on the forum toget support on how to handle this situation. A Upwork staff member told me to go ahead and offer the direct contract.

 

As I am requesting a favor from a direct offline client to go through the upwork platform instead of the bussiness we would do normally would greatly appreciate if we can resolve with minimal effort for the client.

Luiggi's avatar
Luiggi R Moderator

Hi Jasper,

 

Thank you for reaching out. We’ve escalated your community post to a support ticket. One of our agents will be in touch with you soon to assist.

~ Luiggi
Joanne's avatar
Joanne P Moderator

Hi Jasper,

I checked with our team and confirmed that it is allowed to continue with your client through Direct Contract if your client signed up on Upwork to work with you through this feature. The client can use the same email to continue working with you using Direct Contracts. 

~ Joanne
Upwork
Jasper's avatar
Jasper M Community Member

Hi All,
I am new to upwork, and aiming to build out my profile and ease some of the payment/contracting with my current clients. As part of that I have asked one of my current clients to move to Upwork for the work I do. Unfortunately he already made a profile and posted a proposal before I was able to send out a direct contract proposal. What would you recommend here? Should I ask him to cancel the proposal and I invite him on a new email address? Want to make sure I adhere to the Upwork ToS.

 

Thanks,
Jasper

Unfortunately my previous post was somehow deleted, clicking on it now takes me to a different users post on a similar topic (that does not answer my question). Is this common for moderators to do?

Pradeep's avatar
Pradeep H Moderator

Hi Jasper,

 

Direct Contracts offers you the opportunity to invite clients who do not currently have an Upwork account to collaborate with you on the platform. By using Direct Contracts, you and your clients can take advantage of reduced freelancer service fees. It's important to note that Direct Contracts cannot be initiated with clients if they have already registered on Upwork. Your client can post a job and send an invite to you. 

 

Also, I would like to confirm that it is a standard practice for moderators to consolidate new posts with relevant topics. You can still respond to your posts on the same thread if you have any additional questions.

 

- Pradeep

Jasper's avatar
Jasper M Community Member

Hi Pradeep,

 

Thank you for the quick response! I now see the rest of the thread indeed, thank you for clarifying. Have added my response to my initial post.

Best,

 

Jasper

Shahzaib's avatar
Shahzaib A Community Member

Hey Upwork communty!

 

I am facing an issue when I try to send a direct contract to my clirnt, then Upwork say.. 

"We are sorry! We are experiencing a technical problem and cannot process your request right now. Please try again in a minute."

I am trying from last three days, but the same message every time.

I'm looking for your assistance in this matter.

Thanks!

Pradeep's avatar
Pradeep H Moderator

Hi Shahzaib,

 

I am sorry to hear about the challenges while sending a Direct Contract. Clearing cookies and cache can often resolve issues with browser performance or technical glitches. It removes stored data that may be causing problems. Using a different browser can also help identify if the issue is browser-specific. If these steps do not resolve the problem, feel free to reach out to us for further assistance. 

 

- Pradeep

Guiana Marie Y.'s avatar
Guiana Marie Y. P Community Member

Hi! 

 

I saw that direct contracts will be ending in April 22, 2024. Does this include the upwork contracts too?

Luiggi's avatar
Luiggi R Moderator

Hi Guiana,

 

No, this change only applies to how Direct Contracts work. Your current contracts with existing Upwork clients will not be impacted. You can learn more about it here

~ Luiggi
Obaid's avatar
Obaid B Community Member

Hi, One of client and me decided to go through upwork platform and I he created an account on Upwork last night. Now I am trying to send him a direct contract but every time I am getting this message.

This email address is already associated with an Upwork account. 

Is there any way so that I can send him direct contract and avail the benefit of bringing own client?

Luiggi's avatar
Luiggi R Moderator

Hi Obaid,

 

If the client created an Upwork account, you won't be able to start a new Direct Contract with them. They can hire you on Upwork as any other client would. Note that there will be changes in how Direct Contracts work soon; you can learn more about how they work here

~ Luiggi
Omer's avatar
Omer A Community Member

Hi, I am to start a contract with a non-Upwork client and i want to use Upwork direct contract but the thing is that i am not clear that if that project is of $200 and when i complete this project and after getting this amount will this be showed in my upwork project history, total amount earned, job success rate and will there be any option for my client to provide reviews to me?

Nahid Hasan's avatar
Nahid Hasan N Community Member

It will not showing on your project history. But you can see them direct contract room.

 

It will not showing on your profile total earning.

 

It will not impact on your JSS.

 

Client can’t give any feedback.

Arjay's avatar
Arjay M Retired Team Member

Hi Omer,

 

Thank you for reaching out to us here in the Community to raise this helpful query. Yes! A Direct Contracts contract will have the same impact on your metrics as other contracts. You and your client can leave each other feedback, which can impact your JSS score and Rising Talent or Top-Rated status, and the number of contracts and dollar earnings will be counted in your totals.

 

You may visit this help article to learn more about Direct Contracts with clients.

 

~ Arjay
Upwork
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