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The Contracts module is a built-in DocuSign equivalent — send legally binding contracts for electronic signature without leaving Hiveku. This guide walks through sending your first contract from template selection to executed PDF storage.
Prerequisites: at least one contract template in your account. If you don’t have one, your account admin can upload templates from /dashboard/commerce/contracts/ (Templates tab) — see Contracts & E-Signatures for how to build a template.

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What you’ll do

1

Pick a template

MSA, SOW, NDA, or a custom one your team has built.
2

Fill in the variables

Client name, scope, fees, dates — whatever the template needs.
3

Add signers

Who needs to sign, and in what order.
4

Send for signature

Each signer gets an email with a signing link.
5

Track until fully executed

Watch progress; final PDF stores against the client record.

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Step 1: Pick the template

1

Go to Contracts

Navigate to /dashboard/commerce/contracts/.
2

Click New Contract

A template picker appears.
3

Pick the template that fits

For most service businesses, the common templates are:
  • MSA — One-time, signed at the start of the relationship
  • SOW — Per-engagement, scopes a specific project
  • NDA — Often signed before sharing detailed proposals
  • Custom — Whatever your team has built

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Step 2: Fill in variables

The template defines variables (placeholders like {{client_name}}, {{scope}}, {{fees}}). Filling them in is most of the work.
1

Pick the client

Search by name or company. Variables that map to CRM fields (client name, address, primary contact) auto-fill.
2

Fill in engagement-specific variables

Scope, fees, timeline, deliverables — anything specific to this contract. The form shows each variable with its placeholder name and any default value.
3

Preview the rendered PDF

Click Preview. Read it as the signer will. Catch:
  • Variables that are still showing as {{placeholder}} (you missed one)
  • Numbers that don’t match the estimate or proposal
  • Date formats that look wrong
  • Pronouns or names that need adjusting
If you see {{client_name}} literally in the preview, the variable wasn’t filled or the placeholder name is misspelled in the template. Always preview before sending — fixing this after a signer sees it is awkward.

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Step 3: Add signers

1

Map each role to a real person

The template defines roles (e.g., “Client”, “Hiveku Rep”). For each role, enter:
  • Name
  • Email
  • Optional: title or company
2

Add additional signers if needed

For larger deals, you might need legal, finance, or executive sign-off beyond the template defaults. Add them as additional signers.
3

Choose routing order

  • Sequential (default for client-facing contracts) — Signer 1 signs, then Signer 2 gets the email, etc. Forces a specific order.
  • Parallel — All signers get the email at once. Faster when order doesn’t matter.
For sales contracts, sequential is standard: client signs first, you countersign. This way you don’t pre-commit to terms before they accept.

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Step 4: Send for signature

1

Set expiry and reminder cadence

Default expiry: 30 days. Reminder cadence: 3 days, then weekly.
2

Add a personal message (optional)

A short note that goes in the signer email above the signing link. Improves response rates.
3

Click Send

Hiveku creates a signature envelope (crm_signature_envelopes), generates the PDF with placeholders filled, and emails the first signer (or all signers if parallel).
4

Confirm the send

The contract status flips to sent. The activity log captures the send timestamp and signer emails.

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Step 5: Track until executed

The contract page at /dashboard/commerce/contracts/ shows live status:
  • draft — Not yet sent
  • sent — Awaiting signatures
  • partially_signed — Some signers done, others pending
  • executed — All signatures complete
  • voided — Canceled before completion
  • expired — Hit the expiry date without all signatures
Each signer’s status is visible:
  • Pending — Email sent, not yet opened
  • Viewed — They opened the signing link
  • Signed — They completed signing

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What signers see

When a signer clicks the link in the email:
  1. They land on a signing page with the full contract content
  2. They see a consent prompt for electronic signature (legal requirement under ESIGN / UETA in the US)
  3. They click through their assigned signature, initial, and date fields
  4. They click Finish & Submit
For sequential routing, the next signer’s email goes out automatically after the previous one completes. For parallel, all signers see the contract simultaneously and can sign in any order.

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Sending reminders

If a signer is sitting on the contract:
1

Open the envelope

From /dashboard/commerce/contracts/, click the contract.
2

Click Send Reminder

From the actions menu. Sends a fresh email to whoever hasn’t signed yet.
3

Customize the reminder message (optional)

Add a short note (“Just bumping this — let me know if you have any questions”) before sending.
Auto-reminders also fire on the cadence you set (default: 3 days, then weekly).

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When all signatures complete

Once the last signer submits:
  • Status flips to executed
  • Final PDF is generated with all signatures embedded
  • Audit-trail PDF is generated separately (timestamps, IPs, user-agents per signer)
  • All parties get a confirmation email with the executed PDF attached
  • The contract is stored against the client record (and the deal, if linked)
You can download the executed PDF and the audit-trail PDF anytime from the contract record.

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Voiding a sent contract

If you sent it by mistake or the deal collapsed:
1

Open the envelope

From /dashboard/commerce/contracts/, click the contract.
2

Click Void

From the actions menu.
3

Add a reason (optional but useful for audit)

Free-text reason saved to the activity log.
4

Confirm

Status flips to voided. Signing links go inactive. Signers see “this contract has been voided.”
Voided contracts stay in your records for audit purposes but don’t count as active agreements.

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Amending an executed contract

You can’t edit an executed contract — it’s immutable for audit reasons. Instead:
1

Create a new contract (an amendment)

Pick the appropriate amendment template, or use a blank one.
2

Reference the original

Include the original contract’s name and execution date in the amendment body. Many templates have a built-in “this amends the [Original Contract] dated [Date]” clause.
3

Route through the same signers

Send for signature.
4

Both records stay in the file

The original and the amendment together represent the current agreement.

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Verify it worked

After all signatures complete:
  • Contract status is executed
  • Executed PDF is downloadable from the contract record
  • Audit-trail PDF is downloadable separately
  • All signers received a copy via email
  • The contract appears on the client’s CRM record

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Troubleshooting

Check the envelope’s activity log. If the email shows “delivered,” it’s in their inbox or spam. If it shows “bounced,” the email is wrong or doesn’t exist. If it shows “send failed,” your sending domain isn’t verified — see Email Domains. Use Send Reminder to resend.
The envelope shows their progress. Send a reminder from the actions menu, or call them. The signing link stays valid until expiry.
The variable wasn’t filled at send time, or the template placeholder is misspelled. Void the envelope, fix the variable in a new send. Always preview the rendered PDF before clicking Send.
You can’t reassign a signer mid-flight without voiding. Void the envelope, edit the signers, send a fresh one. The original audit trail is preserved.
Audit data captures at signing time. If you’re missing IP/user-agent for a signer, they may have signed from an email-client preview pane that didn’t fully load. Re-send and ask them to sign in a browser if the audit trail is critical for the contract.
Check the activity log for the post-execution email. If it bounced, manually download the executed PDF and email it to them. Update their email on the contact record so future contracts route correctly.

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What’s next?

Contracts Reference

Full reference for templates, audit, and storage.

Create and Send an Estimate

Pair contracts with pricing approval.

Send Your First Invoice

Bill the deposit after the contract is signed.

Client Portal

Where clients see their executed contracts.