This guide is primarily for Productive users sending proposals. It explains how to generate public links, manage disclaimers, allow clients to accept and sign proposals, and track acceptance with Audit PDFs.
However, some sections also show what clients will see when accepting or signing proposals.
Generating a Public Proposal Link
Once a proposal is created in the Proposals tab, you can generate a public link for acceptance and signing:
Click Enable e-signature in the proposal document.
A secure link is generated, which you can copy and share with your client.
📌 If you enable the Disclaimer toggle, you can add a note that clients must accept before signing a proposal.
You can open the link yourself to see the proposal live.
If necessary, click Disable e-signature to deactivate the link.
Generating a public proposal link automatically updates the status to Sent. Disabling the link does not revert it to Draft; you can update the status manually if needed.
📌 Only proposals with an active public link can be accepted or signed online. Draft proposals cannot be accessed via a link.
Including the Proposal Link in Emails
If you’re sending the proposal directly from Productive, you can automatically include the public link in the email by checking the Enable e-signature option in the email modal. This allows clients to review and sign the proposal directly from the email.
Adding a Disclaimer
You can make a disclaimer mandatory for the client to accept before signing. Toggle on Disclaimer and enter your disclaimer text. This ensures clients explicitly acknowledge terms before approving the proposal.
Accepting and Signing the Proposal (Client View)
Clients review and approve the proposal via the public link you shared (manually or from Productive). They can:
1) Review the proposal details and click Accept to approve.
2) Fill in the required information:
Full Name
Email Address
Check the disclaimer box if applicable
3) Clients can sign the proposal using one of three methods:
Type: Enter your name, rendered in a signature font.
Draw: Sign directly using a mouse or touch screen.
Upload: Add an image of your signature.
Signing adds a formal, legally traceable layer of approval.
4) Click Accept and sign to finalize acceptance. Acceptance is logged automatically, and notifications are sent to:
All email recipients included in the proposal (To, CC, BCC)
The email used to send the proposal
The email entered on the acceptance form
The email of the person who prepared the proposal
📌 Who can sign the proposal? Anyone with the link.
Audit PDF: Tracking Acceptance and Signatures
Once a proposal has been accepted and signed, recipients receive an Audit PDF attached to the Proposal Accepted confirmation email.
The Audit PDF itself contains the original proposal, followed by a detailed audit log on the next page. It includes:
Signer’s full name and email
Disclaimer accepted (true/false), if applicable
IP address and user agent
Accepted PDF fingerprint
Acceptance timestamp
Signature method and signature itself
This ensures a complete, verifiable record of proposal acceptance and signing, providing legal traceability and a full audit trail.
Proposal Status: Accepted and Rejected
Once a proposal is accepted, its status automatically updates to Accepted. A green Accepted banner appears at the top of the proposal, for example:
"This proposal is signed by Bella South (bella.south@horizon.com) on Nov 6, 2025 13:22"
📌 Signed proposals cannot be edited.
📌 Users with the standalone Delete signed proposals permission (available to admins) can delete signed proposals if necessary.
You can also mark a proposal as Rejected directly in Productive. This disables signatures, even if the proposal link has been shared. Proposal recipients cannot reject the proposal via the public link.
Downloading the Proposal
After a proposal has been signed, you can download either the original proposal or the signed version for your records. Both options are available from the upper-right menu in the proposal view.
📌 The original proposal includes all proposal content as it was sent, while the signed version additionally shows the client’s signature and the Audit PDF, providing a complete, verifiable record of acceptance and signing.
Tips for Senders and Recipients
Senders: Enable the public link to allow clients to review and sign online.
Recipients: Ensure all required fields (name, email, disclaimer) are filled before signing.
Everyone: Signed proposals are locked and cannot be edited or deleted.