A signature request emails a private signing link to the people who need to sign a change order. The prime contractor and the owner open the link, review the change order, and sign in their browser without an Oversite account. The engineer signs inside Oversite before the change order is routed and is never emailed.
Requesting signatures by email is available to CEI users. It is for a contractor or owner who is not working inside Oversite. If your contractor and owner are stakeholders on the project and sign in the app, see Routing and Approving a Change Order instead. To see what a recipient does after they get the email, see What signers see when they get a signature request.
How to request change order signatures by email
CEI users can request signatures by email once the change order reaches Under Review, which is after the engineer has signed. The option is also available at Sent to Contractor, Contractor Signed, Sent to Owner, Owner Signed, and Declined. Open the change order and go to its Review screen.
Click Actions in the header.
Click Request signatures by email.
Enter a Name and email address for the Prime Contractor and the Owner.
Edit the Message if you want to.
Click Create request.
No emails go out yet. Each signer row is marked Email invite until you send it, and the Engineer row is marked Signs in app. Until you route the change order to a signer, their row reads Will be invited when this change order is sent to them.
Note: The engineer signs the change order inside Oversite before it goes anywhere else. Only the prime contractor and the owner are emailed.
How to invite each signer
Change orders are routed one leg at a time, so you invite each signer with the change order's own routing actions. Open the change order's Review screen.
Click Send to Contractor to email the prime contractor their signing link.
When the contractor has signed, review the change order, then click Send to Owner to email the owner their link.
The tracking card shows a reminder of which routing action to use next. For the full routing and approval flow, see Routing and Approving a Change Order.
How to track who has signed
Open the change order's Review screen.
Click Actions. A row labeled Signature request shows the current status.
Click View details to open the full tracking view.
The tracking view lists every signer with their name, role, email address, current status, and the date they opened or signed. It refreshes on its own while a request is in progress. The Actions button carries a badge showing how many signatures are still outstanding.
A request moves through these statuses:
Status | Meaning |
In progress | The request is live, with a count of how many signers have signed so far. |
Completed | The change order reached Owner Signed. A signed copy is filed in the project File Cabinet. |
Declined | A signer declined and gave a reason. |
Voided | You cancelled the request and revoked every outstanding link. |
Each signer shows one of these statuses:
Status | Meaning |
Awaiting | Waiting to be invited. No link has been sent yet. |
Sent | The invitation email has gone out and the link is live. |
Viewed | The signer has opened the document at least once. |
Signed | The signature has been captured, with the date and time recorded. |
Declined | The signer refused and gave a reason. |
Note: On a change order, the request is marked Completed once the change order reaches Owner Signed, even if a signer was never invited. That is why a completed change order request can show fewer signatures than signers.
How to remind a signer
Open the tracking view for the change order.
Click Remind on a signer's row, or click Remind all sent to remind everyone who has been sent the document and has not signed.
The bulk action is Remind all sent rather than remind all pending, because signers who have not been invited yet have nothing to be reminded about. Route the change order to a signer first, then remind them. Each reminder emails a fresh link and resets the signing window to 30 days.
Note: You can remind the same person once every 24 hours. Oversite also sends automatic reminders after three days, then a second one at most, spaced at least 72 hours apart.
How to void a signature request
Voiding cancels the request and revokes every unused signing link. Open the tracking view.
Click Void request.
Read the confirmation and click Void request again.
The request moves to Voided, and signers who have not signed can no longer open their link. Signatures already captured stay on the document. Voiding cannot be undone, and signers are not told, so let anyone expecting to sign know yourself.
What to do when a signer declines
When a signer declines, they must give a reason. Signing pauses, you get an email with the reason, and the request moves to Declined. The other signers are not notified.
Resend request applies to pay requests only. To restart a declined change order, address the reason, then use the change order's own routing actions to send it out again. See Routing and Approving a Change Order.
Where the signed change order goes
Once every signature is in, Oversite files a signed copy of the change order in the project File Cabinet, credited to Oversite's e-signature service. Everyone who signed, plus you, receives an email with the signed document attached, or a download link if the file is too large to attach.
Troubleshooting
I cannot find Request signatures by email in the Actions menu
The option appears only once the change order reaches Under Review, which is after the engineer has signed. The signature controls are also limited to CEI users.
A signer shows Awaiting and I cannot remind them
Signers showing Awaiting hold no link yet. Route the change order to them with Send to Contractor or Send to Owner first, then remind them.
A signer says their link does not work
Links expire 30 days after they are sent. Send a reminder to issue a fresh one. If the request was voided, every unused link was revoked and the signer cannot open it.
A completed change order shows fewer signatures than signers
On a change order, the request is marked Completed once the change order reaches Owner Signed, even if a signer was never invited. This is expected.
I need to restart a declined change order
Resend request applies to pay requests only. Use the change order's routing actions to send it back out after addressing the reason for the decline.
Frequently asked questions
Can the engineer sign a change order by email?
No. On a change order, the engineer signs inside Oversite before it is routed. Only the prime contractor and the owner are emailed.
Do signers need an Oversite account?
No. The link in their email is all they need. They never create an account or a password.
Why did creating the request not send any emails?
Change orders are routed one leg at a time. Creating the request sets up the signers, then Send to Contractor and Send to Owner send each invitation when it is that signer's turn.
How long is a signing link good for?
30 days from when it was sent. Every reminder resets the clock.
Where do I find the signed copy?
In the project File Cabinet. It is filed automatically once the change order reaches Owner Signed, and it is attached to the completion email.