Why construction teams need signing that works on site
Construction runs on agreements made in the field. A subcontractor cannot start until their trade contract is signed. A client cannot be billed for extra work until the change order is approved. A crew cannot go on site until everyone has acknowledged the safety briefing. Much of that happens away from a desk, often away from a printer, and paper forms get damp, lost or left in a van.
SignPe works wherever the job is. The SignPe app for iOS and Android lets a site manager scan a paper form, send it for signature, or hand the device over for someone to sign in person. The web app at app.signpe.com covers the office side. One account works across every device, and documents sync between them.
Subcontractor agreements: execute trade contracts before work starts
Starting work without a signed subcontract is a risk for everyone. With SignPe the agreement can be out to the subcontractor the same day it is drafted and back before they mobilise.
- Both sides, in order. Use Set signer order so the subcontractor signs first and your director countersigns. The next signer is emailed automatically when it is their turn.
- Initials on every page. Place Initials fields on pages with scope, rates or retention terms, and Checkmark fields beside conditions to accept.
- Company details on the page. Company, Designation and Full Name fields record who signed and in what capacity.
- Your company stamp. Upload your company stamp once and apply it from your saved library on every agreement that needs it.
Subcontractors without a SignPe account sign as guests after accepting an electronic-records consent screen — useful for small trades who will never need an account of their own. See sign without an account.
Change orders: approve scope changes in minutes, not days
A change order that waits a week for a signature either holds the job up or gets done on a handshake that is hard to prove later. SignPe gets the approval in writing while the conversation is still fresh.
- Add the details on the page. Use Text fields for the description of the change, cost and revised dates, in font sizes from 12 to 36, and a Date field for the approval date.
- Mark up the drawing. Shape fields — Circle, Square, Rounded, Star, Pentagon or Hexagon — let you highlight the area of a drawing the change affects. See add text and shapes.
- Approve on the spot. If the client is on site, use In person Signing so they sign on your tablet before you leave.
- Copy the quantity surveyor. Add the QS or project manager as an observer so they see the change as soon as it is approved.
You can watch the status move from Sent to Opened to Signed, and if the client goes quiet, the Remind button emails them with one click.
Safety sign-offs: capture site acknowledgements on a phone or tablet
Site inductions, toolbox talks, method statements and permits to work all need a signature to show they were explained and understood. Collecting those on clipboards means paper that has to be filed, and signatures that are hard to read.
- In person Signing on a tablet. Open the acknowledgement, hand the tablet to the worker, and capture their signature directly on the screen. In the mobile app the option is In-Person Signing.
- A pen that feels like ink. The drawing pad is speed-sensitive — slower strokes come out thicker, stroke ends taper and a tap leaves a dot — so a signature drawn with a gloved finger still looks like a signature. Choose black, blue or red, and Clear to start again.
- Scan the paper ones. If an acknowledgement was signed on paper, the app’s Scan option turns it into a PDF with automatic edge detection.
- Dated proof. Each signature is recorded with its date and time, and the audit trail PDF shows when every signer signed.
Drafts for recurring briefings
Prepare a briefing document and save it as a draft — drafts do not use a document credit — then open it from the Drafts folder when the crew arrives.
Supplier contracts: lock in materials and delivery terms quickly
Materials prices and lead times move fast. The quicker a supply agreement or purchase terms are signed, the sooner the price and delivery date are fixed.
- Import from the cloud. Pull the supplier’s contract directly from Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive or Box, or open it from your phone’s files.
- Any common format. Upload PDF, Word (DOC, DOCX) or images (JPG, JPEG, PNG) up to 20 MB — see multiple file formats.
- Reminders do the chasing. Automated reminders nudge signers so agreements do not stall.
- Delegate when you are on site. A user can delegate their signing to a colleague in the same organisation, who can sign on their behalf; the delegate is notified.
A typical construction signing workflow
Capture the document
Upload the contract in the office, import it from the cloud, or scan a paper form on site with the SignPe app.
Place the fields
Add Signature, Initials, Date, Text and Shape fields, and assign each one to the right signer.
Choose how it is signed
Use Set signer order to send it remotely, or In person Signing to collect signatures on your device right now.
Track progress
Follow the status in the Activity timeline on the web or the Document History page on mobile, and use Remind if someone stalls.
Keep the record
When everyone has signed, all parties receive the signed copy. Download the audit trail PDF for the project file.
Compliance considerations for construction documents
Electronic signatures are recognised for most commercial contracts under laws such as the US ESIGN Act and UETA, the EU’s eIDAS regulation and India’s Information Technology Act 2000. Some documents — certain deeds, or forms a regulator or client specifies — may have their own requirements, so check with your legal adviser. Our legality guide covers India in detail.
- An audit trail per document. The audit trail PDF shows the document ID, sent and completed dates, and each signer’s emailed, viewed and signed times.
- Only participants can open a document. Contracts and rates are not visible to anyone outside the document.
- Encryption in transit and at rest. See eSignature security for how documents are protected.
- Aadhaar eSign in India. For Indian projects, Aadhaar eSign adds OTP verification through eMudhra and a PKI-signed PDF.
A safety acknowledgement records that a worker signed; it is not a substitute for the training, supervision or records your safety regulations require.
How to collect safety sign-offs on a tablet
Open the document on your tablet
Upload or scan the briefing or induction form in the SignPe app.
Choose In-Person Signing
Select In-Person Signing as the signing mode.
Place the fields
Add a Signature, Full Name and Date field for the worker.
Hand the tablet over
The worker signs on the screen with their finger or a stylus.
Finish and file
Once everyone has signed, the completed PDF and its audit trail are saved to your account.
