Skip to main content
The Contracts module at /dashboard/commerce/contracts/ is a DocuSign-equivalent built into Hiveku. Manage reusable templates (MSA, SOW, NDA, mutual NDA, employment offer letters), inject variable fields at send time, route documents through multi-signer workflows, capture legally binding e-signatures, and store the executed PDFs alongside the rest of your client record. Templates and contracts live in crm_contracts; in-flight signature workflows live in crm_signature_envelopes.

​
What you can do

  • Templates — Reusable contract bodies with variable placeholders. Build once, send hundreds of times.
  • Variable fields — {{client_name}}, {{scope}}, {{fees}}, {{start_date}} injected at send time.
  • Multi-signer workflows — One signer, many signers, sequential or parallel routing.
  • Audit trail — Timestamps, IP addresses, email events, and signature completion captured per signer.
  • Executed PDF storage — Final, signed PDF stored against the client record for download anytime.

​
Templates

Templates are the reusable backbone. Common ones to set up first:
The umbrella legal terms governing your relationship with a client. Signed once; future SOWs reference it. Variables typically include client name, address, governing-law jurisdiction, and effective date.

​
Building a template

1

Upload or paste the contract body

Templates support rich text and PDF upload. For PDFs, the editor lets you drop signature, initial, and date fields onto the page.
2

Define variables

Wrap dynamic fields in {{double_braces}}. Common variables: {{client_name}}, {{client_address}}, {{effective_date}}, {{fees}}, {{scope}}, {{term_length}}.
3

Place signature blocks

For each signer, mark where their signature, initials, and date go. The editor uses drag-and-drop on PDFs or named tags on text-based templates.
4

Set the signer roles

Define roles (e.g., “Client”, “Hiveku Rep”) so when you send, you assign actual people to each role rather than re-mapping fields each time.
5

Save and test

Save the template, then send a test envelope to your own email to verify the rendered output looks right before using it on a real client.

​
Sending a contract

1

Pick the template

From /dashboard/commerce/contracts/, click New Contract, select a template.
2

Fill variables

Populate the {{variables}} for this specific send — pulling from CRM contact data when available so client name and address auto-fill.
3

Assign signers

Map each role to a real person (name + email). Add additional signers if needed beyond the template’s defaults.
4

Choose routing

Sequential sends to signer 1, waits for completion, then sends to signer 2. Parallel sends to all signers at once. Sequential is the default for client-facing contracts (their signature first, then yours).
5

Review and send

Preview the rendered PDF. If it looks right, click Send. Each signer gets an email with a link to their signing page.

​
The signature workflow

draft → sent → signers receive email → click to sign →
  fully executed → PDF stored
Each signer sees:
  1. The full contract content
  2. A consent prompt for electronic signature (legal requirement under ESIGN / UETA in the US, eIDAS in EU)
  3. Their assigned signature, initial, and date fields
  4. A Finish & Submit button when all required fields are complete
Once the last signer submits, the envelope transitions to executed, the final PDF is generated with all signatures embedded, and an email goes to all parties with the signed copy attached.

​
Audit trail

Every signature envelope captures:
  • Send timestamp — When you clicked Send
  • Per-signer email events — Sent, delivered, opened, signing-link clicked
  • IP address — Captured at the moment of signature submission
  • User-agent — Browser and device used to sign
  • Signature timestamp — When the signer clicked Finish & Submit
  • Final-execution timestamp — When the last signature completed the envelope
The audit trail is downloadable as a separate PDF and is admissible as evidence of intent under most jurisdictions’ e-signature law.
E-signature law in the US (ESIGN Act, UETA) and EU (eIDAS Regulation) recognizes electronic signatures as legally binding when (1) the signer consented to electronic signing, (2) the signer’s intent to sign is clear, and (3) the audit trail captures association of the signature with the signer. Hiveku’s signing flow handles all three.

​
Storage and retrieval

Executed contracts are stored:
  • On the contract record itself — viewable from /dashboard/commerce/contracts/
  • On the client record — visible in the contact’s or company’s profile
  • Optionally on the deal record if the contract was tied to a deal
Download the executed PDF or the audit-trail PDF anytime. Both are immutable once executed — to amend the agreement, you create a new contract (an amendment) rather than editing the original.

​
Voiding a sent contract

If you sent a contract by mistake (wrong signer, wrong scope), use Void from the contract’s actions menu. The signing links go inactive, signers see “this contract has been voided,” and the envelope is locked to the voided status. Voided contracts stay in your records for audit purposes but don’t count toward active agreements.

​
Reminders and expiry

  • Reminders — Auto-emailed to signers who haven’t completed signing after a configurable interval (default: 3 days, then weekly).
  • Expiry — Contracts can have an expiry date (default: 30 days after send). Past expiry, the signing links return “expired”; you’ll need to clone and resend.

​
Pairing with estimates and invoices

A typical service-business flow:
  1. Estimate — Send a quote with scope and pricing for client review and approval.
  2. Contract — Once the estimate is verbally accepted, send the SOW for legal sign-off.
  3. Invoice — Once the contract is executed, convert the estimate to an invoice and bill the deposit.
You can also link a contract to an estimate or deal so the records cross-reference each other in audit and reporting views.

​
API patterns

Common API operations against /api/crm/contracts and /api/crm/signature-envelopes:
  • POST /api/crm/contracts — create a contract from a template with variables filled
  • POST /api/crm/signature-envelopes — initiate a signature workflow for a contract
  • GET /api/crm/signature-envelopes/:id — current envelope status and signer states
  • POST /api/crm/signature-envelopes/:id/void — void an in-flight envelope
  • GET /api/crm/contracts/:id/audit-trail — download the audit-trail PDF

​
Troubleshooting

Check the envelope’s activity log — you’ll see whether the email sent and any bounce reason. Common causes: typo in signer email, corporate spam filters blocking unknown senders, or your sending domain isn’t verified — see Email Domains. Resend the link from the envelope’s actions menu.
The envelope shows their progress — you can see which fields they completed. Send a reminder from the envelope’s actions menu, or call them. The signing link stays valid until expiry.
The variable wasn’t filled at send time, or there’s a typo in the template’s placeholder vs. the variable name. Always preview the rendered PDF before clicking Send — the preview catches this immediately.
Don’t edit the original — it’s immutable for audit reasons. Create a new contract (an amendment), reference the original by name and date in the body, and route it through the same signers. Both records stay in the file.
Audit data is captured at signing time. If you’re missing IP or user-agent for a particular signer, they may have signed through an email client preview pane that didn’t fully load the signing page. Re-send and ask them to sign in a browser.

​
What’s next?

Send a Contract for E-Signature

End-to-end walkthrough from template to executed PDF.

Estimates

Pair estimates with contracts for full pre-sales coverage.

Client Portal

Where clients see their executed contracts.

Invoices

The next step after the contract is signed.