add yard distances management to rule engine

- Introduced new yard distances resource with CRUD operations.
- Created migration for yard distances table with necessary constraints.
- Implemented service and repository for yard distances handling.
- Added controller for API endpoints to manage yard distances.
- Updated rule engine configuration to include yard distances.
- Enhanced rule engine resource page to support yard distance selection.
- Updated contracts and train builder pages to handle new yard distance logic.
- Added error handling utility for better error message extraction.

apps/edr-freight-api/src/modules/contracts/contract-notifier.service.ts

@@ -143,6 +143,19 @@ export class ContractNotifierService {
     this.inApp(c, 'Contract rejected', msg);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * A later approver sent the contract back to an earlier stage of the chain.
+   * Staff-only: the customer is not involved in an internal send-back — their
+   * contract simply stays "under approval".
+   */
+  sentBackToStep(c: Contract, targetRole: string, reason: string): void {
+    this.inAppStaff(
+      c,
+      'Contract returned in approval chain',
+      `Contract ${c.reference} was sent back to the ${targetRole} step. Reason: ${reason}`,
+    );
+  }
+
   /** Staff requested changes before approval. */
   changesRequested(c: Contract, note: string): void {
     const msg =

apps/edr-freight-api/src/modules/contracts/contract-transition.service.ts

@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ import {
   ContractDocumentSnapshotInput,
 } from './entities/contract.entity';
 import { ContractSignerRole } from './entities/contract-signature.entity';
+import { ContractApprovalStep } from './entities/contract-approval-step.entity';
 import { SignContractDto } from './dto/sign-contract.dto';
 
 /** The editable contract-document draft returned for the accept/edit dialog. */
@@ -550,17 +551,24 @@ export class ContractTransitionService {
 
   /**
    * Reject one approval step (line staff / director / CEO). The rejecting
-   * approver must supply a reason. A rejection is terminal: the whole contract
-   * moves to REJECTED and the customer must create a new one — there is no
-   * resubmit of the same contract. The reason is recorded both on the step and
-   * as a REJECTION review note so it is visible to the customer and the rest of
-   * the approval chain.
+   * approver must supply a reason, and picks where the rejection lands:
+   *
+   * - **To the customer** (`returnToStepId` omitted — the only option for the
+   *   first approver): terminal. The whole contract moves to REJECTED with a
+   *   REJECTION review note visible to the customer, who must resubmit.
+   * - **To an earlier approver** (`returnToStepId` = an already-APPROVED
+   *   earlier step): internal send-back. That step and everything after it
+   *   reset to PENDING and the chain re-runs from there; the contract stays
+   *   PENDING_APPROVAL and the customer never sees it. E.g. the director can
+   *   return a contract to line staff, who fix it and approve again, after
+   *   which every later stage re-approves in order.
    */
   async rejectStep(
     contractId: string,
     stepId: string,
     actorId: string,
     reason: string,
+    returnToStepId?: string,
   ): Promise<Contract> {
     const contract = await this.contractsService.findById(contractId);
     assertContractStatus(contract, ['PENDING_APPROVAL', 'APPROVED_PENDING_SIGNATURE']);
@@ -568,6 +576,20 @@ export class ContractTransitionService {
     const step = await this.contractsRepository.findApprovalStepById(contractId, stepId);
     if (!step) throw new BadRequestException('Approval step not found');
 
+    // Only the approver whose turn it is may reject — same ordering rule as
+    // approveStep. Without this, an already-actioned or future step could be
+    // "rejected" and wipe chain state it never owned.
+    const next = await this.contractsRepository.findNextPendingApprovalStep(contractId);
+    if (!next || next.id !== step.id) {
+      throw new BadRequestException(
+        'Only the current pending approval step can be rejected',
+      );
+    }
+
+    if (returnToStepId) {
+      return this.sendBackToStep(contract, step, actorId, reason, returnToStepId);
+    }
+
     await this.contractsRepository.completeApprovalStep(step.id, actorId, 'REJECTED', reason);
 
     await this.contractsRepository.createReviewNote(
@@ -590,6 +612,67 @@ export class ContractTransitionService {
     return updated;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Internal send-back branch of rejectStep: return the contract to an earlier,
+   * already-approved stage of the chain instead of rejecting it outright.
+   * Deliberately NOT the terminal path: no clearance-fee expiry (the contract
+   * is still alive) and no customer-facing REJECTION note — the trail is a
+   * staff note plus a backoffice inbox ping.
+   */
+  private async sendBackToStep(
+    contract: Contract,
+    rejectingStep: ContractApprovalStep,
+    actorId: string,
+    reason: string,
+    returnToStepId: string,
+  ): Promise<Contract> {
+    const target = await this.contractsRepository.findApprovalStepById(
+      contract.id,
+      returnToStepId,
+    );
+    if (!target) throw new BadRequestException('Return-to approval step not found');
+    if (target.stepOrder >= rejectingStep.stepOrder) {
+      throw new BadRequestException(
+        'A rejection can only be returned to an EARLIER step in the chain — to reject to the customer, omit returnToStepId',
+      );
+    }
+    if (target.status !== 'APPROVED') {
+      throw new BadRequestException(
+        `Return-to step ${target.requiredRole} has not approved yet (status ${target.status})`,
+      );
+    }
+
+    // Staff-visible trail. Written before the reset so the reason survives the
+    // wipe of per-step notes.
+    await this.contractsRepository.createReviewNote(
+      contract.id,
+      `Returned to ${target.requiredRole} (step ${target.stepOrder}) by ${rejectingStep.requiredRole}: ${reason}`,
+      'STAFF_NOTE',
+      actorId,
+      'STAFF',
+    );
+
+    // Chain re-runs from the target stage: it and every later step (including
+    // the rejecting one) go back to PENDING. Legacy approved-by columns are
+    // left stale on purpose — approval steps are the source of truth and the
+    // columns get re-stamped on re-approval.
+    await this.contractsRepository.resetApprovalStepsFrom(
+      contract.id,
+      target.stepOrder,
+    );
+
+    // A send-back can only happen mid-chain, so the contract must remain (or
+    // return to) PENDING_APPROVAL — relevant when rejecting from
+    // APPROVED_PENDING_SIGNATURE.
+    await this.contractsRepository.update(contract.id, {
+      status: 'PENDING_APPROVAL',
+    } as never);
+
+    const updated = await this.contractsService.findById(contract.id);
+    this.notifier.sentBackToStep(updated, target.requiredRole, reason);
+    return updated;
+  }
+
   /** Approve one approval step in sequence; → APPROVED when all complete. */
   async approveStep(
     contractId: string,

apps/edr-freight-api/src/modules/contracts/contracts.controller.ts

@@ -441,7 +441,10 @@ export class ContractsController {
     FREIGHT_PERMS.contracts.approveDirector,
     FREIGHT_PERMS.contracts.approveCeo,
   ])
-  @ApiOperation({ summary: 'Reject one approval step (terminal → REJECTED)' })
+  @ApiOperation({
+    summary:
+      'Reject one approval step — to the customer (terminal → REJECTED) or, via returnToStepId, back to an earlier approver (chain re-runs from there)',
+  })
   rejectStep(
     @Param('id', ParseUUIDPipe) id: string,
     @Param('stepId', ParseUUIDPipe) stepId: string,
@@ -453,6 +456,7 @@ export class ContractsController {
       stepId,
       resolveAuthUserId(user),
       dto.reason,
+      dto.returnToStepId,
     );
   }
 

apps/edr-freight-api/src/modules/contracts/contracts.repository.ts

@@ -368,6 +368,25 @@ export class ContractsRepository extends BaseRepository<Contract> {
     });
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Send-back reset: every step at or after `fromStepOrder` returns to PENDING
+   * with its actor/verdict cleared, so the chain re-runs from that stage. The
+   * send-back reason lives in the review-note trail, not on the wiped steps.
+   */
+  async resetApprovalStepsFrom(
+    contractId: string,
+    fromStepOrder: number,
+  ): Promise<void> {
+    await this.dataSource
+      .getRepository(ContractApprovalStep)
+      .createQueryBuilder()
+      .update()
+      .set({ status: 'PENDING', actedByStaffId: null, actedAt: null, note: null })
+      .where('contract_id = :contractId', { contractId })
+      .andWhere('step_order >= :fromStepOrder', { fromStepOrder })
+      .execute();
+  }
+
   /** Check if all approval steps are approved. */
   async allApprovalStepsComplete(contractId: string): Promise<boolean> {
     const pending = await this.dataSource.getRepository(ContractApprovalStep).count({

apps/edr-freight-api/src/modules/contracts/dto/approve-step.dto.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { ApiProperty, ApiPropertyOptional } from '@nestjs/swagger';
-import { IsOptional, IsString, MinLength } from 'class-validator';
+import { IsOptional, IsString, IsUUID, MinLength } from 'class-validator';
 
 export class ApproveStepDto {
   @ApiProperty({ description: 'LINE_STAFF | DIRECTOR | CEO' })
@@ -26,6 +26,22 @@ export class RejectStepDto {
   @IsString()
   @MinLength(1)
   reason!: string;
+
+  /**
+   * Where the rejection lands. Omitted → the customer: the contract goes to
+   * REJECTED and the customer must resubmit (unchanged legacy behaviour, and
+   * the only option for the first approver in the chain). Set to an EARLIER
+   * approved step's id → send-back: that step and everything after it reset to
+   * PENDING and the chain re-runs from there; the contract never leaves
+   * PENDING_APPROVAL and the customer is not involved.
+   */
+  @ApiPropertyOptional({
+    description:
+      'Id of an earlier approval step to send the contract back to. Omit to reject to the customer.',
+  })
+  @IsOptional()
+  @IsUUID()
+  returnToStepId?: string;
 }
 
 export class CancelContractDto {