Streamlining the Process for Digital Contracts
Tags: pdf, cloud, contracts
Published: 2021-02-19 16:01:50

Many businesses have embraced digital transformation and are looking to move beyond physical documents completely. Among the different types of document formats, PDF has emerged as the preferred standard for managing digital documents. They are more secure than a traditional document format and support digital signatures.

In this post, we will explore how a web application can fully digitize the agreement process. Our example describes the workflow for creating and approving contracts for a consulting company. The company offers a multitude of financial services to individuals, groups, and corporations.

## The Requirements

When a client signs up for a service or is due for a renewal, the consulting company needs to send them a contract to review and accept.

There are four steps involved in this contract process:

1. Creating the draft agreement
2. Finalizing the agreement document
3. Negotiating and modifying the agreement document
4. Signing and storing the document

Since contracts are legally-binding documents, the company wants to limit the ability to modify the documents and track any modifications. Traditional productivity applications are not particularly good at this.

PDF format popularity makes the entire process easy and straightforward. A PDF file displays the content the same way in any environment, providing a fillable form while protecting the static content from modification.

## The Solution

### Create a Digital Contract with Adobe PDF Tools API.

When a customer signs up for one or more products, a sales representative can select the templates for the services required for the customer's contract. The [Adobe PDF Tools API](https://www.adobe.io/apis/documentcloud/dcsdk/pdf-tools.html) enables the web application to convert common document formats into PDF format automatically. Word documents (doc, docx), spreadsheets (xls, xlsx), images (bmp, jpg, png), and PowerPoint presentations (PPT, PPTX) are all supported as well as static or dynamic HTML files. A developer can easily access these powerful APIs using the readily available software development kits (SDKs) for Java, .NET, or NodeJS environments.

At the end of the contract preparation, the company wants to attach the applicable privacy policy, which a separate department maintains. Using the [CombineFilesOperation class](https://opensource.adobe.com/PDFTools.NET.SDK.Samples/apidocs/latest/api/Adobe.DocumentServices.PDFTools.pdfops.CombineFilesOperation.html), the application can combine multiple documents and can even choose which pages from each of the documents the contract needs.

Finally, the web application can send a link to the agreement for the customer to complete.

Optionally, the company may want to limit what their customer can do by protecting the document using the [ProtectPDFOperation](https://opensource.adobe.com/PDFTools.NET.SDK.Samples/apidocs/latest/api/Adobe.DocumentServices.PDFTools.pdfops.ProtectPDFOperation.html) class.

By setting an owner password, the application will apply [permissions](https://opensource.adobe.com/PDFTools.NET.SDK.Samples/apidocs/latest/api/Adobe.DocumentServices.PDFTools.options.protectpdf.Permission.html) on operations such as:
- Comments and annotation
- Document content editing
- Form filling
- Printing
- Copying

### Annotate and Modify the Contract using Adobe PDF Embed API.

Using [Adobe PDF Embed API](https://www.adobe.io/apis/documentcloud/dcsdk/pdf-embed.html), our consulting company can build an interface allowing their customer to review the document and make changes directly on their web browser, without the need to download files or applications. This also provides a collaborative environment for multiple users to edit the same file.

PDF Embed API supports live form editing by default, which means users can fill the form from the link they received. Upon receiving the contract, the customer may find parameters they wish to adjust. For example, the number of licenses, length of the service, payment schedule, etc. The customer can easily comment on the document:

![Lightbox mode](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/eyxpyox7s2650bah7a13.png)


The customer can also comment using the highlight tool:

![HighlightTool](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/9wsfufchuhi263pyva9x.png)
 

Also available as part of the annotation toolset is the ability to enter free text in the document and freehand draw:

![FreehandDraw](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/70rzgfpo2gz8gs7xcc1e.png)
 

Turning these options off is as simple as [setting a parameter](https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/dcsdk_io/viewSDK/howtos_comments.html#single-line-implementation) on initialization.

By default, the PDF Embed API allows a user to download a copy of the PDF when modified. It&#39;s also possible for a developer to customize options through the use of [Save Callback](https://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/dcsdk_io/viewSDK/howtos_ui.html#save-a-pdf).

In our example, we can store the content in our internal system and alert our company representative.

### Obtaining Signatures using Adobe Sign.

Having finalized the agreement document, we can move on to the final step: obtaining the signatures. For this, we can use the Adobe Sign API in a [simple workflow](https://www.adobe.io/apis/documentcloud/sign/docs.html#!adobedocs/adobe-sign/master/overview/a_simple_workflow.md):

1. Upload the finalized document
2. Send the document for signing
3. Check agreement status, send a reminder if necessary
4. Download agreement

Each time the document is signed, you can also capture a copy for your internal records, digitizing the entire process.

## Summary

With the emergence of web applications and the never-ending expansion of cloud capabilities, it has become simple to digitize document approval. The PDF file format is universally accessible and secure and can capture digital signatures. Such features are essential in maintaining the integrity of the document approval process.

Adobe Document Services simplifies implementation and can seamlessly integrate into your existing client application. To streamline and secure document approval in your applications, check out [Adobe Document Services](https://www.adobe.io/apis/documentcloud/dcsdk/) today.