Proposal Signatures
A proposal in PMSuite can require the recipient to sign it digitally before it counts as accepted. This is controlled by the Require customer signature for approval toggle on the proposal itself. When the toggle is enabled, the proposal is not considered accepted until the client digitally signs it. When it is left off, the proposal has no formal signature step.
Who can use it
- Company Admin / sales users with access to the Sales module — create the proposal and enable the signature requirement.
- The proposal recipient (client or lead contact) — signs the proposal.
Prerequisites
- A proposal to work with. See Creating a Proposal.
- A recipient with a valid email address on their record, so the proposal email can reach them. Proposals are addressed to a Lead Contact.
How to Access
Go to Sales → Proposal in the sidebar (/account/proposals) and open or create the proposal you want to require a signature on.
Enabling the signature requirement
- Open the proposal, or start a new one from Sales → Proposal.
- Fill in the proposal as normal — Lead Contact, Deal, Valid Till, Currency, Calculate Tax, Description — and the line items (Product, Description, Quantity, Unit Price, Tax, Amount). Discount, Tax and Sub Total are calculated for you.
- Turn on Require customer signature for approval.
- Save the proposal and send it to the recipient.
Because the signature applies to the proposal as it stands, finalize the wording, line items and any terms you put in the Description before sending — the recipient signs the document in its current state.
What the toggle changes
| Toggle | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Require customer signature for approval — on | The proposal is not considered accepted until the recipient digitally signs it. |
| Require customer signature for approval — off | The proposal has no formal signature step. |
Effect on other features
- Proposal record and PDF: The proposal remains the reference document for the agreement. See Proposal PDF / Download.
- Numbering: Proposals use their own prefix sequence (
Proposal#001by default), configurable independently of invoices, credit notes, estimates, estimate requests and orders in Settings → Finance Settings → Prefix Settings. - Automation: Proposals are exposed to integrations through the
/incoming/proposalaction endpoint and the/incoming/triggers/proposalstrigger endpoint, so proposal activity can drive external workflows. See Webhooks.
Limitations
- The signature requirement is a per-proposal setting. It is set on the proposal, so it has to be enabled each time. Workaround: build your standard proposal from a proposal template and make enabling the toggle a fixed step in your send checklist.
- Contracts have their own e-signature flow, separate from proposals. Workaround: if you need the contract signing experience, use a contract instead of, or after, the proposal. See Contract E-Signatures.
- The signature step depends on the recipient receiving the proposal. Workaround: confirm the email address on the lead contact record, and share the proposal with the recipient through your own channel if the emailed copy does not arrive.
Troubleshooting
The proposal was treated as accepted without a signature. Check the proposal — Require customer signature for approval was most likely left off. Without it there is no formal signature step. Enable the toggle and re-issue the proposal.
The recipient never received the proposal. Verify the email address on the lead contact record — a missing delivery is normally a data problem on the contact record. Correct the address, then re-send the proposal, or share it with the recipient through your own channel.
The Valid Till date has passed and the client still hasn't signed. Update Valid Till on the proposal, or create a fresh proposal, and send it again rather than asking the client to sign an out-of-date document.
Tax on the proposal isn't what you expected. The Calculate Tax toggle sets whether tax is calculated before or after the discount, per document. Check that setting on the proposal before re-issuing it.