Sign a service contract online in less than 2 minutes
Contract of supply legally a rental of work electronically signed with qualified time stamping optional. The signature commits the scope, the supplies, the deadlines and the price as soon as the wishes are met (Article 1101 of the Civil Code) and blocks any subsequent dispute on what has been ordered. In accordance with Article 1366 of the Civil Code and the eIDAS Regulation advance signature recommended, co-signatories and subcontractors managed, including archiving 10 years.
- Legal framework
- Article 1101 of the Civil Code
- Signature level
- AES eIDAS recommended
- Legal archives
- 10 years included
What is an electronically signed service contract?
The contract for the provision of services is the contract by which a service provider (agency, consultancy, freelance, ESN, maintenance company) undertakes to perform a task for the benefit of a client, independently and without subordination. Legally, it is analyzed as a work rental : the service provider is bound to make an obligation, defined by a scope, deliverables, a duration and a price. As soon as the client and the service provider sign, the meeting of wills forms the contract this is Article 1101 of the Civil Code.
Why sign the contract of supply electronically?
Perimeter and deliverables locked
The time stamped signature freezes the exact version of the scope, deliverables and schedule accepted by the customer (Article 1101 of the Civil Code). It blocks scope creep and late disputes of the type it was not in the contract or the deliverable was not that one . The SHA-256 imprint makes any post-signing change immediately detectable.
Signature in 24 hours, mission launched faster
The customer-side decision maker signs from their phone in less than 2 minutes, without installing an app or creating an account. The SMS OTP formally identifies the signer, including the purchasing manager or legal representative. The assignment starts in hours rather than weeks of PDF round-trip emails.
Subcontractors and co-signatories
A service contract often involves several parties: the client, the service provider, the subcontractor, the legal management. Our flow manages the sequential or parallel signature each party receives an individual link secured by OTP SMS and sign at its own pace.
The eIDAS audit trail is open to objection
Each signed contract is supplied with a PDF of proof: identity of the signatories (email + OTP telephone), qualified time stamping, SHA-256 fingerprint, IP and gross geolocation, consultation log.
Signing a service contract in four steps
From filing the contract to filing for probate in less than five minutes.
1. Upload the contract
Upload your PDF (contract drawn up by your lawyer, firm template, or Certyneo template) and check the key clauses: scope and limited list of deliverables, duration and conditions of renewal, confidentiality, late fees, outsourcing, intellectual property.
2. Add the signatories
Please include the name, email and telephone of the client-side decision-maker and, where applicable, the subcontractor or legal manager as co-signatories.
3. Choose the eIDAS level
Advanced signature (AES) recommended for B2B service contracts: identity verified by SMS OTP, unique certificate per signatory, qualified time stamping, in accordance with Article 26 of the eIDAS Regulation.
4. Sign and file
The parties sign by telephone or computer, usually within 24 hours. The signed contract and its PDF of proof are automatically archived for 10 years (Article L123-22 of the Commercial Code), accessible at any time for tax control or commercial litigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is an electronically signed service contract valid?
- The contract is a voluntary agreement intended to create legal effects: as soon as the service provider and the customer sign, the service contract (lease of works) is formed and binds both parties. Article 1366 of the Civil Code recognizes electronic writing as having the same evidentiary power as paper, subject to identification of the signatory and integrity of the document. Certyneo fulfils these conditions via the double-channel OTP and the SHA-256 stamp integrated into the PDF, with evidence admissible before the commercial court.
- What essential information must be included in a contract of employment?
- A robust contract of supply which specifies: the scope and the limited number of supplies, the duration and terms of renewal, the price and payment terms (to be approximated to the billing rules of Article L441-1 of the Commercial Code), late payment penalties, the confidentiality clause, the subcontracting regime and the intellectual property of the supplies. These are the clauses that the electronic signature freezes: the SHA-256 signature ensures that nothing has been changed after acceptance.
- How do you handle the time and the tacit renewal at the signing?
- The duration and the renewal clause are stated in the body of the signed contract: their acceptance is dated with certainty by the qualified timestamp, which unambiguously sets the starting point of the assignment and the renewal deadlines.
- Is the confidentiality clause secured by electronic signature?
- Yes. The confidentiality clause (or the non-disclosure agreement incorporated into the contract) is covered by the SHA-256 imprint which protects the entire signed document: its exact content, as accepted, is frozen and timestamped. In the event of a breach, the PDF of evidence establishes precisely which version of the clause was accepted, by whom and on what date. This traceability strengthens the enforceability of the obligation of confidentiality before the commercial court.
- How do you handle the subcontracting and the co-signatories?
- Certyneo manages several signatories per contract, in sequence or in parallel: principal, principal, subcontractor, legal manager. Each party receives an individual link secured by OTP SMS and signs independently, without any need to create an account. For a subcontracting chain, you can have the subcontracting contract signed in sequence, each signature being traced in its own opponents eIDAS audit trail.
- How do you formalize a change or endorsement in the course of a mission?
- Any change in scope, price or time limits must be formalized by a signed endorsement the mere signing of the original contract does not cover subsequent developments. In practice, you issue an endorsement that refers to the original contract and have it signed by the same parties, with the same AES level. The SHA-256 signature of the original contract remains intact: any attempt to directly change the signed document makes the signature inconsistent and the forgery is detected instantly.
- How long must the signed service contracts be kept?
- 10 years from the end of the financial year, in accordance with Article L123-22 of the Commercial Code which requires the storage of accounting documents and supporting documents. Certyneo archives the signed contract and its eIDAS audit trail for the entire period, free of charge, with immediate access from your dashboard. You can thus respond without delay to a tax audit, a customer audit or a dispute about the performance of the service.
- Is the signed service contract open to challenge before the commercial court?
- The presumption of reliability of Article 1367 of the Civil Code makes the advanced signature (AES) optional without further proof, subject to the production of the eIDAS audit trail in court (PDF of proof automatically delivered by Certyneo).
See also
Sign your first online service contract
Permanent free plan (5 envelopes/month), no credit card, perimeter and deliverables locked on signing, audit trail and archiving 10 years included.