How to get a consulting agreement signed online
For a consultant, the gap between "let's do it" and a signed agreement is unpaid time. The client's champion says yes, then the contract sits with their legal team, then finance, then someone on vacation. You can't skip their approvals, but you can stop being the bottleneck. Here's how to package the agreement and route it so it comes back signed.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read
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Package it so it's easy to approve
- Separate the terms from the project. Put the long-lived terms in a consulting or master services agreement, and each project's scope, fees and dates in a short statement of work. The next project then needs only a new SOW.
- Make the fee unmissable: day rate, fixed fee or retainer, the invoicing schedule and payment terms, and how expenses are handled.
- Spell out what's out of scope, so a request that wanders becomes a new SOW instead of free work.
- Name the client's decision maker and who signs for them, in the agreement itself.
- Add a start date that depends on the signature, such as ten business days after signing, so a late signature moves the schedule, not your deadline.
Send it in SignMaster
- 1
Upload the agreement and the SOW
Start a new envelope and add both files. They're signed in one sitting and come back as a single PDF, so nobody signs the agreement but forgets the SOW.
- 2
Route it the way the client approves
In Recipients & order, keep In order. Put the client's legal reviewer first, with an Approve button rather than a signature, then the executive who signs, then yourself with Add me. Their finance contact can be Receives a copy.
- 3
Let any one of them sign
If the client says "whoever's free in procurement", click Let any one of several people sign and add each name. The first to finish signs for the group, and nobody waits on a vacation.
- 4
Initials on every page
Place an Initials field for the client, open its menu and choose Copy to other pages…, then Every page. Big clients often ask for it, and it shows each page was seen.
- 5
Set a sign-by date and send
In Message & settings, set Sign by to the date your proposal pricing holds, write a two-line note on what you need back, and click Send for signature.
While it's out
The envelope page shows who has opened it and whose turn it is, and the activity history logs every step. Questions don't need to go to email: a signer can open Comments on the signing page and ask about a clause, and you answer in the same thread. If they want edits, Request changes sends you their note and closes that copy; make the change and send a fresh one.
Sent it to the wrong person in their legal team? Click Correct on the envelope to fix a name or email for anyone who hasn't signed yet. Signing pauses while you edit, and only the people whose details changed get a new link.
On the client's side
If you're the client signing a consultant's agreement, check three things before you sign: who owns the work product, how either side can end the engagement, and whether the fees can rise. Signing takes a minute from the email, with no account, and your copy arrives by email with a certificate of completion when everyone's done.
Questions? Answers.
Is a consulting agreement signed electronically binding?
Yes. The ESIGN Act and state UETA laws say a contract can't be denied legal effect just because it was signed electronically, for business agreements like this one.
Should the consultant or the client sign first?
Either works. Many consultants have the client sign first, so the consultant only countersigns the version the client actually accepted.
Can the client sign with their own company's e-signature tool instead?
They can, but then you lose track of it until it comes back. If they insist, send the PDF and ask them to return the signed copy with its completion record.
Do I need a new agreement for every project?
Not if you use a master agreement plus a statement of work. Save the SOW as a template and each new project is a one-page send.