How to get a proposal signed: e-signature basics

To get a proposal signed, make saying yes a single step. End the proposal with an acceptance page that sums up what the client chose, the totals and the validity date. Name who signs. Then let them sign online, on any screen, and send both sides a copy of exactly what was signed. For everyday agency and freelance work, a basic electronic signature with a clear record is a sensible default.

What "signed" needs to show

A signature on a proposal is evidence of agreement. When a question comes up months later, you want the record to answer four things without anyone having to remember a call:

• Who agreed: a name, a role and the company.
• What they agreed to: the exact version, with the options they ticked and the totals that resulted.
• When they agreed: a date and a time.
• How you know it was them: for example, the email address they confirmed before signing.

A reply saying "we accept" is also a written yes, and it is better than nothing. Its weakness is the "what": an email rarely says which version and which options were accepted. That is why the acceptance page matters more than the signing tool.

Build the acceptance page

The acceptance page is the last page of the proposal, after the price and the terms. The order before it is covered in how to write a business proposal clients sign. The page itself holds six things:

1. A summary of what is accepted: each chosen line, with the one-off and recurring totals kept apart.
2. The payment schedule: the deposit and when each amount is due.
3. The terms, or a link to them, with the points clients ask about written out: notice period, ownership, extra work.
4. The validity date. After it, the offer lapses and you reissue it.
5. The signer's details: name, role, company and the date.
6. One action: "Sign to accept". Not three buttons, not "let us know your thoughts".

The list of what an agency proposal should contain explains the sections that feed this page, from the scope to the next step.

Know who signs before you send

A signature from someone who cannot commit the budget is a delay, not a yes. Ask on the discovery call who approves the spend and who signs; the discovery call questions include how to ask without sounding like you are going over your contact's head. If two people must sign, say so on the acceptance page, and send it to both.

Send the proposal quickly once the call is done. In my experience the fastest proposal often wins, and a good one sent quickly beats a perfect one sent late.

Electronic signatures: the three kinds

In the EU, electronic signatures are defined in the eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, which was amended in 2024 by Regulation (EU) 2024/1183 to add the European Digital Identity Wallet. It defines an electronic signature and two stronger levels. The basic level is often called a simple electronic signature, although the regulation itself does not use that word.

Article 25 of eIDAS says that an electronic signature may not be denied legal effect, or refused as evidence in court, only because it is electronic or because it is not qualified. Article 25 also guarantees that a qualified signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten one, and that a qualified signature from one member state is recognised in all the others. For other electronic signatures, the effect depends on national law and on the evidence around them. The regulation does not change national rules on how a contract is formed or on any form a contract must take; those stay with each country's own law.

In England and Wales, the Law Commission's 2019 report on electronic execution of documents concluded that an electronic signature can be used to execute a document, provided the person signing intends to authenticate it and any formalities, such as witnessing, are met.

What this means for you in practice: for an ordinary services proposal, a basic electronic signature with a clear record around it is a sensible default. If a client's procurement team or the type of contract asks for more, use what they ask for. Whether a particular signature holds for your agreement is a question for a lawyer, not for a proposal tool.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. For your situation, ask a lawyer or accountant.

Worked example: an acceptance summary

Below is the acceptance page of a sample proposal for a fictional client. The names and amounts are made up: replace them with your own.

Example

Accepting: Website for Lindqvist Bakeries, version 3, valid until 21 November 2026.

One-off work chosen.

Line	Amount (excl. VAT)
Website, fixed price: design and build, eight templates	€9,800
Option ticked: English as a second language	€1,450
Total one-off	€11,250

Recurring, chosen plan. Care plan Standard: €120 a month excluding VAT, from launch, cancellable with one month's notice.

Payment schedule. 30% of the one-off total (€11,250) on signing: €3,375. The remaining €7,875 on launch. Invoices are due within 14 days. VAT is added at the rate that applies.

Terms. Terms of business version 2026-1 apply, linked here. Extra work: €95 an hour excluding VAT, quoted and approved in writing first.

Signed by. Karin Lindqvist, Managing Director, Lindqvist Bakeries AB. Email confirmed: karin@… Signed 23 October 2026 at 10:42.

Countersigned by. Tom Brandt, Brandt Studio.

The client can read the whole deal on one page. The option they ticked is listed, the monthly plan is kept apart from the one-off total, and the deposit is calculated on a stated base.

Templates you can copy

Template

Acceptance wording, above the signature By signing, [client company] accepts this proposal, version [number], with the options shown above, for a one-off total of [amount] and [recurring amount] a month, both excluding VAT, under the terms of business [version or link]. This proposal is valid until [date].

The email that sends it for signature Subject: [Project]: proposal to review and sign Hi [name], here is our proposal for [project], as discussed on [day]. The summary on the last page shows the options you chose and the totals; you can change the options before you sign. It's valid until [date]. If [second signer] needs to sign too, let me know and I'll add them. [Link]

After signing Hi [name], thank you for signing. You'll find the signed copy attached. Next: we'll send the deposit invoice today, and I'd like to book the kick-off for [two dates]. Which works for you?

Snags that stall a signature

• The wrong person has it. Your contact likes it but cannot sign. Ask who can, and offer to send it to them directly.
• The client wants their own contract. That is fine for larger clients. Agree that their contract refers to your proposal for the scope and price, and send the proposal for acceptance anyway.
• "Can we change one thing first?" Make the change, issue a new version and send that for signature. Never sign one version and work from another.
• The validity date passed. Reissue it with a new date, and check whether the prices still hold. The follow-up schedule for a sent proposal covers what to send in the days before that date.
• They want more after signing. The signed document stays as it is. Treat the request as a change request with its own price and approval, as in how to handle scope creep.

Checklist before you send for signature

• The acceptance page lists the chosen lines, with one-off and recurring totals kept apart.
• The payment schedule adds up to the totals.
• The terms, or a link to them, are on or next to the acceptance page.
• There is a validity date.
• You know who signs, and whether a second signer is needed.
• Both sides will receive a copy of exactly what was signed.

How Propozit helps

In Propozit your client signs in the deck: a 6-digit code sent to their email opens a private proposal, and signing always asks for one. They pick their options and plan, and sign on the agreement slide, drawn or typed, on any screen. The sign panel shows a summary of what they chose before they confirm. See how signing in the deck works for the steps.

It is a simple electronic signature, not a qualified one. Both sides get a signed PDF with the chosen lines, the totals, the payment plan, both signatures, the time, the email it was signed from and a fingerprint of the signed record. After the valid-until date the proposal can still be read but no longer signed. Send and sign walks through it. Opens, and read time per slide when the client agrees to read tracking, show you when to follow up.

Propozit is in early access and free to start.