# E-signature for construction

docuinked helps a builder or trade contractor get subcontracts, change orders and proposals signed from the job site, with a named person checking the price on each draft before a client or sub sees it.

## What a construction business signs

A job produces paper from the first quote to the last payment.

- Proposals and client contracts, close to a [sales agreement](/templates/sales-agreement) or a [service agreement](/templates/service-agreement).
- Subcontract agreements with trades, often with a [statement of work](/templates/statement-of-work) per job.
- Change orders, which are small but frequent and carry money.
- [Purchase orders](/templates/purchase-order) to suppliers.
- Pay application and [invoice approvals](/templates/invoice-approval).
- Safety and site rule acknowledgements for crews.
- [Independent contractor agreements](/templates/independent-contractor-agreement) for one-off help.

Lien waivers and some contract forms are set by state law, and some need a notary. Those vary a lot by state. docuinked doesn't offer [notarization](/glossary/notarization), and we don't know your state's rules. Check them before you move those forms online.

## A workflow story

A remodelling company runs four crews. Change orders were the problem: agreed on site by voice, then argued about at the end.

1. The site lead writes up a change in the estimating tool: move a wall, $2,400, three extra days.
2. A Make scenario turns it into a one-page change order PDF with anchor text "Owner signature:" and "Contractor signature:".
3. It calls `create_document` with fields placed by anchor, the homeowner as signer 1 and the project manager as signer 2.
4. The project manager gets an approval request and checks the price and days against the estimate. Approves.
5. The homeowner signs on a phone the same afternoon. The project manager countersigns.
6. `document.completed` adds the sealed PDF to the job file and updates the contract total.

Months later, if anyone asks about that wall, the [audit trail](/glossary/audit-trail) shows when the homeowner opened it and when they signed.

## An automation example

Placing fields by anchor means the PDF from your estimating tool needs no special setup:

```
curl https://docuinked.com/v1/documents \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $DOCUINKED_API_KEY" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: change-order-1182-07" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title": "Change order 7, job 1182",
       "pdf_url": "https://example.com/co-1182-07.pdf",
       "signers": [{"name": "Pat Kim", "email": "pat@example.com"},
                   {"name": "Project Manager", "email": "pm@example.com"}],
       "fields": [{"signer": 1, "kind": "signature", "anchor": "Owner signature:"},
                  {"signer": 2, "kind": "signature", "anchor": "Contractor signature:"}],
       "ordered": true}'
```

An agent can draft change orders too. Connected by [MCP](/glossary/mcp), it can read a site note and prepare the draft. The project manager still approves the exact draft, and only the homeowner signs. See [approvals](/docs/approvals).

## For construction software

If you build project or estimating software for builders, signing can live inside your product. Each builder is a sub-account under your one key. Homeowners and subs see your name, logo and colour, and docuinked branding can be removed. You can [embed signing](/glossary/embedded-signing) in your client portal on allowed sites, with browser events to update the page. Emails still send from docuinked's address until custom sending domains, which are coming. See [platforms](/platforms).

## What docuinked doesn't do here

- **Notarization.** Not offered.
- **State lien waiver forms.** We don't know which forms your state requires or whether they can be signed electronically. Ask a construction lawyer.
- **Payments and retainage.** Not handled.
- **Drawings and large plan sets.** PDFs are limited to 25 MB in the beta. Link large sets instead of attaching them.
- **Bulk send to a whole crew.** Coming. Today each person gets their own document.

## Common questions

### Can a homeowner sign a change order while we are on site?

Yes. Send it and they sign on their own phone. If they don't check email often, create a signing link and text it to them yourself. Treat that link like a password.

### Should change orders need approval if the estimator already checked them?

We would keep it. Approval is a second person seeing the final draft as the server holds it, after any automation has filled it. It catches the case where the right price went into the wrong job.

### Can a sub sign a subcontract on behalf of their company?

Yes, if they have authority to. docuinked records who signed and how. Whether that person can bind their company is between you and them.

### How do I find every change order on one job?

Put the job number in `metadata` when you create each one. Then filter with `list_documents` or your own records.