A supplier agreement ends on 31 March, but the contract says you must give notice by 31 January to avoid renewal. An email that lands two weeks before the expiry date is already too late. If your team keeps contracts in Microsoft 365, you can use Microsoft Lists to track the date when a decision is still possible and send a reminder before it arrives.
Build the list around the date that matters
Create a blank list on the SharePoint site your procurement or operations team already uses. Give the list a clear name, such as Supplier Contract Decisions. Use Title for the supplier and service, add a Person column called Decision Owner, and create two Date and Time columns displayed as dates: Notice Deadline and Contract End. A Choice column for Decision Status can start with Open, Renew, Renegotiate and Exit. Add a link to the agreement in its existing restricted library. A link gives reviewers a place to check the source without copying contract terms into email.
Have the contract owner confirm the notice deadline from the signed agreement before relying on the reminder. Record the date directly, including any relevant business day or delivery requirements from the contract. For contracts that do not have a notice clause, agree a separate internal review date and label it accordingly. Make a view for open decisions, sorted by the earliest deadline, so the team can spot work even when no email is due.
Set a date rule for the owner
With the list open, follow Microsoft’s documented route: Integrate → Rules. Create a rule and select the condition for an approaching date if your tenant shows it. Choose Notice Deadline, set the lead time, and select Decision Owner where offered as the recipient column. Start with a lead time that allows for a quotation, an approval and delivery of notice. In a simple case that might be 21 days; a contract that needs a replacement supplier may call for more time. Microsoft documents a limit of two approaching date rules per list or library. It also says rules can notify people or a person column, but not a group email address.
If the date rule is unavailable or its recipient options do not fit, try Automate → Set a reminder → Notice Deadline. Microsoft’s prebuilt Power Automate reminder requires a Date and Time column visible in the current view. Connect the services it requests, give the flow a name, set the number of days in advance, and select Create. This template is a way to start with one named reviewer. Inspect the email action and verify its actual recipient; do not assume it automatically uses the Decision Owner column. If you need different recipients for each row, ask your flow owner to configure and test that routing before using it in production.
Check access and licensing before inviting the team
Use work accounts in a tenant with SharePoint Online. Microsoft lists SharePoint Online in plans including Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard and Business Premium; have your administrator verify that the relevant service is enabled for the people involved. Microsoft documents Contribute permission to the list for managing its rules. Give editors the access they need and check that reminder recipients can open both the list item and the source agreement. For the Power Automate route, confirm the owner has the right entitlement and access through the configured connections. Qualifying Microsoft 365 licences can cover flows that only use standard connectors and supported features; SharePoint and Office 365 Outlook are standard connectors. Premium connectors or features change the licensing question.
Run a test while there is still time to fix it
Hypothetical example: a Johor wholesaler sets an internal reminder for its warehouse software agreement, whose notice deadline falls a month before expiry. Before entering the real date, procurement adds a test item within the configured reminder window and checks the next expected run. The reviewer confirms the mail arrived, checks who else received it and opens the source document using their own account. For a flow, the owner also checks run history. Procurement then records who will take over the reminders if the primary reviewer goes on leave.
Keep a weekly review of the open view and check any records with missing dates or owners. Where a reminder does not filter on Decision Status, confirm how to stop unwanted notices and how to retain decision history. The useful result is a decision recorded before the deadline, with someone accountable for carrying it out. If you want to discuss how this could fit your Microsoft 365 setup, contact AXO Technologies.
Sources and dates
Published 10 November 2026. Microsoft documentation accessed 10 November 2026.
- Microsoft Support: Create a rule to automate a list or library — conditions, recipients and permissions.
- Microsoft Support: Set a reminder flow — template setup and date column requirements.
- Microsoft Learn: Microsoft 365 and Office 365 plan options and Power Automate licensing FAQ.
- Microsoft Learn connector references: SharePoint and Office 365 Outlook.