Signing off a deal¶
Digital sign-off is the electronic signature workflow that takes a deal (agreement/PSA) from negotiation to confirmed: the supplier signs first, then a member-side signatory countersigns, and the deal becomes confirmed. It applies on sites whose sign-off method is electronic.
A sign-off record moves through: open → (supplier signed, deal status groupSign) → closed (member signed, deal confirmed). Two exits: rejected (deal returns to negotiator status) and manual (the supplier opts to sign a printed copy).
How a sign-off starts¶
There is no "start sign-off" button. A sign-off record is created by
emailing the deal to the supplier (or
to the negotiator) when the message includes
the sign-off link placeholder. Re-sending to the supplier reuses the open
sign-off but wipes any previous supplier signature, so changed deals
must be re-signed. The supplier's email links directly to the signing
page (/signoff/sign?id=…); existing sign-offs are also reachable from
the deal's header menu ("View signoff"), and each has its own PDF
download.
What the signatory does¶
The signing page shows the agreement PDF (frozen at the revision the sign-off was created against) alongside the sign-off form:
- Confirm and initial the cover page.
- Confirm each section of the agreement and each attached document.
- Tick the authority-to-sign declaration and enter your name and position within company.
- Choose Confirm & sign agreement — or Reject agreement with a reason, or (suppliers only) the Sign manually tab to sign a printed copy instead.
The sign button stays disabled until every confirmation, initial, name, and position is complete. Member signatories get their details pre-filled, and cannot sign until the supplier has signed.
What each outcome does¶
| Outcome | Records | Deal status | Emails |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplier signs | Signer name, position, contact, date, and IP address stored on the sign-off | groupSign (+ signed-by-supplier fields on the deal) |
Negotiator: "your signature is now required" |
| Member countersigns | Group signature stored; sign-off closed | confirmed (+ signed-by-group) |
Supplier signer (CC negotiator): confirmation |
| Reject | Rejection reason + signer identity stored; a comment is added to the sign-off's comment stream | negotiator |
Negotiator: rejection notice with reason |
| Sign manually (supplier) | Sign-off marked manual |
unchanged | Negotiator notified; supplier is redirected to download the PDF |
Sign-off emails BCC the site's configured sign-off BCC address, and every transition is audit-logged and re-indexed.
If it fails¶
- Member cannot sign yet — the supplier has not signed; the form is gated to supplier-first.
- The PDF shows an older version of the deal — by design: the sign-off binds to the deal revision at creation time. Re-send to the supplier to create a signature round on the current content.
- The signing page requires login; there is no anonymous/token access.