Sometimes agreements are created or negotiated outside of Common Paper. When this happens, you have a few options for uploading files and collecting digital signatures. This allows you to get your signed agreements back into Common Paper, complete in-progress agreements, and store everything in one place.
Uploading an agreement
Start off by going to your main list of Agreements and clicking on the Upload button. From here, you can tell Common Paper whether your agreement needs to be signed or is already signed, and whether your agreement is new (did not originate in Common Paper) or existing (an agreement that's already in progress in your account).
Signature requests will count towards you plan's billing limit. However, you can upload an unlimited number of agreements that are already signed.
Collecting signatures
When you choose to collect signatures, you will be prompted to upload a file. Word (.docx) files and PDF files are currently supported, and the file must be less than 10MB.
Placing signature fields
You will then see a drag-and-drop interface for placing your signature fields in the signature block of your file. A typical Common Paper signature block contains the following fields:
Organization or company name: these may be in the header row of the signature block
Signature
Signer (print) name
Signer title
Signature date
Notice address: you can use a free text field to collect this information
Some of this information may be in your document already, so you can skip placing those fields. For both parties (the agreement sender and recipient), drag and drop each field to the corresponding place in your file’s signature block.
Sending signature requests
Once you have placed your fields, you can send your signature request to your recipient. Most regular agreement features are supported, such as automated reminders and signature request expirations dates. For agreement types that support collecting fees, you can even include a post-signature billing workflow.
Canceling signature requests
Signature requests can be canceled from the agreement details page, in Other actions. If your agreement originated in Common Paper, it will be returned to its previous status and settings, and it can then be voided if you choose. If your agreement is new and did not originate within Common Paper, your upload will be deleted.
Agreements that are already signed
If you used your own digital signature tool and have a signed PDF file, you can also upload your signed agreement to Common Paper. Only PDF files are currently supported, and the file must be less than 10MB.
New agreements
Even if your agreement originated outside of Common Paper, you may want to upload it so that all your agreements of a particular type are stored and tracked in the same place. For new agreements, you will be asked to pick an agreement type. This affects filtering and exports. You can also use a Custom Agreement Type (see below).
Completing existing agreements
The agreement being uploaded may have started as a Common Paper agreement, been downloaded as Word document, and is now ready to come back into the system. When this happens, you can associate the upload with an existing in-flight agreement in the system.
Or, go to the history page of the agreement you’d like to complete and use the Upload link in Other actions:
Supplying agreement details
When you upload an agreement, you’ll need to supply some information. You may be asked to do this immediately after uploading, or for agreements that need to be signed, after the last signature is collected.
You may be asked for:
Internal Owner | Specifies who 'owns' this agreement in Common Paper, which affects filtering and exports |
Counterparty signer name | The name of the person who signed your agreement. |
Counterparty organization (optional) | The organization or company this agreement was signed with. |
Date signed | The date the agreement was fully signed. |
Effective Date | The date that the agreement officially takes effect. With this information, Common Paper can denote when the uploaded agreement is in effect, and alert you when it's not. |
End Date | The date the agreement ends. Some agreements don't end, like perpetual NDAs, or auto-renewing agreements. In that case, select No end date.
Common Paper uses this information to warn you when this agreement is going to expire so that you can initiate the renewal process. |
Editing and deleting uploaded agreements
Unlike normal Common Paper agreements, you can edit the metadata you supplied in the upload process. On the agreement details page, under Other Actions click on the Edit agreement details link and you'll be able to adjust the fields.
Custom agreement types
The application doesn't limit you to only the agreement types that are built in to Common Paper. You can also create your own custom agreement types, which can then be used to sort and filter agreements, and are present when exporting data as well.
There are two ways to create a custom agreement type:
From the Settings page, click on Add custom agreement type under the Custom agreement types section.
When uploading a new agreement, click on the Agreement type dropdown, and select the bottom option.
Admins can edit and delete Custom Agreement Types from the Settings page.