Signing example
Contractor agreement e-signature
A contractor agreement e-signature puts both businesses on one certified file: the contractor accepts first behind a one-time code, and the builder countersigns once the terms are accepted. This page shows the seven page Bellbird Build Co carpentry package from the documents examples signed that way, and then a second run of the same envelope in which the contractor declines, so the decline path here is recorded, not imagined.
The document itself is written out in full on its own page: read the wording there. This page is only about signing it.
Who signs what
- Jarrah Marsh, for J. Marsh Carpentry Pty Ltd, signs first
- Initials beside the Schedule 1 stage payment table on page 7 · Signature block on page 7 over the printed Name, Licence and Date lines · Licence number typed by Jarrah, required · Verified by emailed one-time code
- Nikolai Sarantos, for Bellbird Build Co Pty Ltd, countersigns
- Signature block on page 7: Name, Title, Date, with Title over the printed Position · Email link
The signing journey
Step 1
Two recipients, order on
The contractor sits first and the builder's director second, with Sign in order switched on, so the builder only ever countersigns terms the contractor has already accepted. Both blocks sit on page 7 of the seven page PDF, under Schedule 1.
Step 2
The contractor's fields
Jarrah gets an initials spot pinned beside the stage payment table, a signature block over the printed For J. Marsh Carpentry Pty Ltd lines, and a required text field on the Licence line, since the agreement names licence 402118C on page 2 and the signing paragraph confirms it is current.
Step 3
Code, consent, one drawing
Jarrah requests the six digit code from the verification card, enters it inside its ten minute window, accepts the consent statement, types the licence number, and one drawn signature fills both the initials and the block. His name arrives prefilled and his date stamps itself.
Step 4
The builder countersigns
Only now is Nikolai invited. He opens a copy that already carries the contractor's initials and signature, types his position, signs, and the listener certifies the file. The completion email carries the certified PDF to both signers and the sender.
Step 5
The second run ends in a decline
On a reissued copy of the same envelope, Jarrah pressed Decline and typed that the stage amounts in Schedule 1 were not what was agreed on site. The envelope moved to declined, nothing was stamped, the builder was never invited, and the sender received a Declined email carrying that reason word for word.
What the signed PDF and certificate show
The signed copy shows the contractor's initials beside the stage payment table on page 7, and below it both blocks: the contractor's drawn signature, prefilled name, typed licence number and stamped date, then the builder's signature, name, typed position and date. The certificate carries two signer entries, the contractor reading Email link + emailed one-time code and the builder Email link, each with a consent timestamp, beside both document hashes and the full event log.
How to adapt this envelope
If the builder prefers to sign first, swap the order numbers and the contractor then opens a copy that already carries the countersignature. For a subcontract with a schedule of rates that changes per job, keep the initials field on whatever page carries the money and move it with the drag handles before sending. Nothing about the flow changes with a longer document.
What makes this signing flow work
The contractor accepts before the builder commits
With the order switch on, the builder's invitation does not exist until the contractor has signed, so every countersigned copy was countersigned over an accepted agreement. The certificate records identity verification, consent and a signature hash for each of the two signers.
The payment schedule carries its own mark
The initials field is pinned beside the Schedule 1 table, five stages totalling $70,000 before GST, so the numbers that disputes are made of have the contractor's own mark against them. In the declined run, that same table is exactly what the contractor objected to, which is the system working.
A decline is a recorded state, not a dead end
The declined envelope cannot be stamped afterwards and the reason travels to the sender by email. A declined envelope can still be voided with a note, so the sender closed it as superseded and issued the corrected agreement as a fresh envelope.
Questions people ask
Does the builder have to sign electronically too?
Here, yes: the builder's director is the second recipient, and his block sits beside the contractor's on page 7. The app does not require the sender to be a recipient, so a builder who signs on paper could leave himself out, but then the certified file carries only one signature and the paper page has to be kept alongside it.
How long does the emailed code last?
Ten minutes from when it is requested, it can be redeemed once, and at most five codes can be issued to a signer in any ten minute window. Requesting a new code kills the old one, so a slow email is solved by pressing the button again.
Can the contractor change the wording before signing?
No. The document is fixed once sent. The honest path is the one this page shows: decline with a reason, let the sender correct the PDF, and sign the reissued envelope. Nothing signed ever sits on top of edited wording.
What does the sender see when a contractor declines?
The envelope's status flips to declined, the contractor's badge changes to Declined, and a Declined email arrives at the sender carrying the typed reason. In this run the reason read that the stage amounts in Schedule 1 were not what was agreed on site, and because order was on, the builder was never invited to sign.
Can a declined envelope be tidied away?
Yes. Void it with a short note, which is what happened here after the corrected agreement went out. Voiding a declined envelope keeps its trail intact and marks it withdrawn; only completed and already voided envelopes refuse the action, so the dead version never sits in the awaiting list.
Does the contractor need an account or an app?
No. The emailed link, the code and a browser are everything, for both the contractor and the builder. On a phone narrower than 560 pixels the document goes read only, the licence number and position fields collect into a panel above it, and the signature is drawn with a finger.
Build your own in about a minute
The button below opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match your own, generate, then edit anything you like.
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Want the steps in the builder? Read Send a PDF for e-signature, then Send a document for signature. For everything this generator can do, see the signing flow maker.
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .