Sign contracts from SharePoint with Oodrive and DocuSign: PDF Sign in Shareflex

A contract is not finished until it is signed. In many organisations that still means: download the PDF from SharePoint, upload it to a signing portal, type in the signers again, chase them, download the signed version and file it back in the right place. For a Benelux customer we removed all those steps. In their SharePoint contract management on Shareflex, a contract manager sends a contract for signature with Oodrive Sign or DocuSign – without leaving SharePoint – and gets the signed contract back in the same place.

This article explains what PDF Sign does, how it works for the user and what it delivers. Updated November 2026 with signing packages (agreement plus attachments), CC recipients, automatic follow-up and the PDF Sign report.

The problem: signing happens outside the contract

Most contract registers stop at the moment of signing. The signing itself happens in a separate portal, by e-mail or on paper. The result: no overview of what is still waiting for a signature, signed versions that end up in mailboxes instead of in the contract file, and an audit trail spread over several systems. PDF Sign brings the whole signing process into the contract file in SharePoint.

One flow, two signing providers

PDF Sign works with Oodrive Sign and DocuSign. The user sees the same buttons regardless of the provider; the organisation chooses which provider to use, and both can run side by side. The connection details stay on the server side, in a protected settings list – never in the user’s browser.

Choose the signing provider per document: Oodrive or DocuSign.
Choose the signing provider per document: Oodrive or DocuSign.

How it works for the contract manager

1. Prepare the signing package

A contract rarely consists of one PDF. On the contract’s Documents tab, the user marks the main document as Agreement and the files that belong to it – annexes, conditions, schedules – as Attachment. They are signed together as one document, in a fixed order.

Step 1: mark the main document as Agreement and the files to include as Attachment, both with status Oodrive.
Step 1: mark the main document as Agreement and the files to include as Attachment, both with status Oodrive.

2. Choose signers and CC recipients

With Set Recipients the user enters the signers, who sign in the order entered, and optionally CC recipients who receive a copy without signing – for example legal or finance.

Set Recipients: choose the number of signers and CC recipients; signers sign in the order entered.
Set Recipients: choose the number of signers and CC recipients; signers sign in the order entered.

3. Check and send

Before anything is sent, Shareflex shows exactly which documents go out and in which order. One click and the signers receive their e-mail; the documents are marked as pending signature.

Before submitting, Shareflex shows the agreement and the attachments that will be signed as one document, in this order.
Before submitting, Shareflex shows the agreement and the attachments that will be signed as one document, in this order.

4. Follow-up without chasing

The status is visible in the contract’s document list – for example “Signed by …, 1 of 2” and later “2 of 2 – Completed”. Shareflex checks the status automatically every hour, so nobody has to log in to a portal to see where a contract is.

Sign status in the list: “PDF Signed by …, 2 of 2 – Completed”.
Sign status in the list: “PDF Signed by …, 2 of 2 – Completed”.

5. The signed contract files itself

As soon as everyone has signed, the signed PDF and the signature certificate are stored in the contract automatically. The signed version becomes the active document; the unsigned originals are set to inactive, but stay available with their full history.

After signing: the -SIGNED PDF is Active, the certificate is added and the original agreement and attachments become Inactive.
After signing: the -SIGNED PDF is Active, the certificate is added and the original agreement and attachments become Inactive.

Proof and control: the PDF Sign report

Every signed contract carries a PDF Sign report: which documents were signed and in which order, who signed and when, who received a copy, and when the e-mails were sent and opened. That is the audit trail an auditor, a court or your own legal department asks for – stored with the contract itself.

The PDF Sign report on the signed document: status, documents in signing order, signers, CC and e-mail follow-up.
The PDF Sign report on the signed document: status, documents in signing order, signers, CC and e-mail follow-up.

When something goes wrong, someone knows

Renaming a file or changing its type during signing causes no problems. If a document is deleted from the contract while it is out for signature, Shareflex cannot finish the automatic update. In that case the responsible contract managers receive an e-mail with clear instructions, and the issue is recorded in the PDF Sign report. Nothing fails silently.

If a status change fails, the contract managers receive an e-mail explaining what to do.
If a status change fails, the contract managers receive an e-mail explaining what to do.

Overview across all contracts

The central document overviews show the signing status of every contract, with filters on signers, CC recipients and status. Management and contract managers see in one place which agreements are still waiting for a signature – within the rights each user has.

Documents overview across all contracts with Oodrive filters and columns.
Documents overview across all contracts with Oodrive filters and columns.

What it delivers

  • Faster signing: from contract to signed contract without leaving SharePoint, and no more downloading, uploading or re-typing.
  • Complete packages: an agreement plus attachments, signed as one document, with CC recipients.
  • Less chasing: hourly status updates in the contract list and an overview of everything still open.
  • Proof in the right place: signed PDF, certificate and PDF Sign report are stored with the contract, automatically.
  • Freedom of provider: Oodrive Sign and DocuSign behind the same buttons.
  • Secure: connection details stay server-side; documents stay in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

Signing contracts from SharePoint?

Digital signing is part of the contract management we build on Shareflex Contract. Also read about our Shareflex DigitalSign API for DocuSign, the AI PDF scan and the Copy Contract feature in the same module. Get in touch for a demo.