Is it possible to edit project settings across multiple machines without having to import settings?

Hi

I recently edited Project Settings / Physics to enable physics substeps . I wanted to upload it to our SVN so that my colleague would be using the same settings. He found that the settings would only take effect after using the import function in the top right of the project settings window . Do you always have to use the import function to change the project settings or is there a way for it to update automatically .

Thanks