E-signatures

Electronic signature software with a full signing history

Electronic signature software captures a signer’s intent and binds it to a specific document version. DocumentMS sends requests to internal users or to external parties through a secure public link, stores saved signatures, tracks each request from sent to signed, and integrates with DocuSign where it is already standard.

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Who this is for

Signature capture matters most where the signature has to be evidenced later, not merely obtained.

Teams sending contracts, engagement letters or consent forms to parties outside the organisation
HR functions collecting signed policy acknowledgements and employment documents
Quality and safety functions where an approval must be attributable to a named individual
Anyone currently printing a document to sign it and scanning it back in

Signatures bound to a specific version

A signature request is raised against one version of one document. When it completes, the signed output is filed as a new version with the request history attached, so the question "what exactly did they sign" has a single answer rather than an inference from timestamps.

This is the failure mode that print-sign-scan produces and that a document management system should eliminate: a signed PDF sitting in an inbox with no verifiable relationship to the draft that was circulated for approval.

Internal and external signers

Internal users sign in place: the request appears in their queue alongside their approvals, and they sign without leaving the system. External parties receive a secure public signing link that opens the document for signature without requiring them to create an account, which is the difference between a counterparty signing today and a counterparty asking you to email it instead.

Signing links are single-purpose and expire. They grant access to the one document in the one request, not to the folder it lives in, and every open and signature is recorded against the link.

Saved signatures

A user can store a signature once and reuse it, which removes the friction that otherwise makes people batch their signing until the end of the week. The stored signature is bound to the user account and applied only when that user authorises a specific request; it is not a stamp anyone else can pick up.

For roles where a wet-ink appearance is expected — certificates, formal correspondence — the saved signature reproduces the same mark each time, so the output looks consistent to whoever receives it.

Request tracking from sent to signed

Every request has a visible state: sent, opened, signed, declined or expired. A pending-signature count sits on the dashboard, because the practical problem with signatures is rarely the signing and almost always the chasing.

The history for each request records who it was sent to, when it was opened, from what address, what they did and when. That record is what makes a signature defensible if it is ever questioned.

Per-request status with a full event history
Pending-signature counts on the dashboard and in each user’s queue
Reminders for requests that have been opened but not completed
Declined requests recorded with their reason rather than silently cancelled

DocuSign where you already use it

Organisations that have standardised on DocuSign do not need to migrate to use DocumentMS. A stored document can be sent into DocuSign for signature, and the completed envelope, its certificate of completion and the signing history are filed back against the original record as a new version.

The choice is per workflow rather than global, so a high-value contract can go through DocuSign while an internal policy acknowledgement uses the built-in capture.

In the product

What this looks like in use

DocumentMS signature request panel showing sent, opened and signed states for each signer alongside the document version awaiting signature

How it works

How a signature request runs

The same four steps apply whether the signer is a colleague or a counterparty.

Step 1: Raise
Select the document version, add signers in the order they should sign, and mark where each signature belongs.
Step 2: Send
Internal signers get a queue item; external signers get a secure, expiring link to that document only. Both are recorded in the audit trail.
Step 3: Sign
Each signer applies a drawn, typed or saved signature. Every open, signature and decline is logged with a timestamp and source address.
Step 4: File
The signed output becomes a new version of the original record, with the full request history attached and the retention rule for its document type applied.

Specifications

Technical specifications

The numbers a technical evaluation asks for, stated rather than described. Where a limit is configurable, the default and the ceiling are both given.

Electronic signature specifications
Property	Value
Signer types	Internal users and external parties via public signing link
Signature methods	Drawn, typed, or a saved signature bound to the user account
Request states	Sent, opened, signed, declined, expired
Evidence captured	Signer identity, timestamp, source address, document version
Signing order	Sequential or parallel per request
Link scope	Single document, single request, time-limited
Output	Signed document filed as a new version with request history attached
Third-party provider	DocuSign, selectable per workflow
Signature standard	Advanced electronic signatures under eIDAS as standard. Qualified signatures are available on Enterprise through an accredited trust service provider where a specific transaction requires QES
Certificate of completion	A PDF/A certificate embedded with the signed document, recording each signer, the timestamp, IP address, authentication method and the document hash at signing

Security

Security notes

An electronic signature is only as good as the evidence that accompanies it, so the controls here are mostly about what gets recorded.

Read the trust centre

Signing links are scoped to one document and one request, and expire rather than remaining valid indefinitely
Every open, signature and decline is written to the immutable audit trail with a timestamp and source address
Saved signatures are bound to a user account and applied only on that user’s authenticated action
Two-factor authentication can be required for internal signers, enforced per role
A signed version cannot be edited; a correction produces a new version and a new request

Integrations

Integration notes

Signature capture connects to the approval workflow before it and the retention rule after it.

FAQ

Electronic signatures: common questions

Answers to what procurement, IT and compliance teams ask us about this module.

Are electronic signatures legally binding?

In most jurisdictions a simple electronic signature is admissible for ordinary commercial contracts, but the requirements differ and some document types are excluded. eIDAS in the EU recognises three tiers; the US ESIGN Act and UETA take a broader approach; several countries require a qualified certificate for specific instruments. Our guide to electronic signature legality covers thirteen regimes, and you should take local advice for anything unusual.

Do external signers need an account?

No. They receive a secure link that opens the one document in the one request, sign, and are done. The link expires, and every action taken through it is recorded against the request.

What evidence do we get if a signature is challenged?

The request history: who it was sent to, when it was opened, from what address, what they did, when, and against which document version. That record is exportable from the audit trail with the document itself.

Can we keep using DocuSign?

Yes, and many customers do for high-value agreements. DocumentMS sends the document into DocuSign and files the completed envelope back as a new version, so the record stays in one place even though the signing happened elsewhere.

Can a signed document be changed afterwards?

Not in place. A signed version is immutable; correcting it produces a new version, which needs its own signature request. The superseded signed version remains in history as evidence of what was signed originally.

Part of the DocumentMS platform

Electronic signatures is one of ten modules that share a single repository, permission model and audit trail.

See how the ten modules fit together

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