Automatic contract generation from CRM data, with no retyping
A deal moves to the ready-to-sign stage in your CRM and a workflow starts. The counterparty details go into the template, the VAT number and the address are checked against VIES and the national business register, and the finished PDF goes out for signature through DocuSign, Adobe Acrobat Sign or PandaDoc. The signature status comes back to the CRM on its own. Nobody opens Word to hunt for the last contract.
- 0 fieldsthat much counterparty data a person retypes: the legal name, VAT number, address, amount and dates are placed by the workflow from the CRM, and the VAT number is checked against VIES
- 1 templateone source of clauses instead of copies scattered across folders: a reworded confidentiality or GDPR clause is in every contract that follows
- 2 to 6 weeksfrom workshop to a working generator, depending on the number of templates and on the signature platform
- 3 signature levelssimple, advanced or qualified, matched in the workshop to the type of contract; a qualified signature carries the legal effect of a handwritten one across the whole EU
The problem
Why does every contract start with save as?
A rep opens Word, finds the contract of a similar client and swaps seven fields by hand: company name, VAT number, address, date, scope, amount and terms. Someone reviews it, marks corrections, exports a PDF and sends it. In the document that already went out, the previous client's name is still sitting in clause three, or a data protection clause from two revisions ago, or a VAT number copied off a business card with one digit wrong.
Do the arithmetic on your own numbers. If one contract takes 20 minutes and you sign 40 of them a month, that is over 13 hours of retyping the same fields. With lease contracts amended every month, contractor agreements in a staffing firm, or NDAs and SaaS contracts in an IT company, the number grows, and so does the number of template versions nobody can rank by date.
The legal barrier went away a long time ago. Under Regulation (EU) No 910/2014, known as eIDAS, applicable since July 2016, a qualified electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature (Article 25(2)) and has to be recognised in every member state. In plenty of companies the process still runs on Word, an inbox and a scanner.
- The contract waits for a rep to find time to put it together, while the client talks to a competitor
- The previous client's name or a wrong VAT number in a document that already went out for signature
- A new clause reaches three templates out of five, because nobody remembered the other two
- Nobody knows which contracts expire this quarter, because the date lives only inside a PDF
Why now
What changed, so a contract can build itself?
The data a contract needs is already in the CRM: legal name, VAT number, address, contact person, value and scope of the deal. Moving the stage to ready to sign is an event that n8n or Make picks up a second after the click. What is left is placing those values in a template, and that is the easiest part of the whole chain.
The rest of the chain has interfaces too. Google Docs and Word support fields in a template, VIES answers whether an EU VAT number is valid for cross-border trade, national business registers return the legal name, the address and the people entitled to sign, and DocuSign, Adobe Acrobat Sign and PandaDoc take a document over the API and send the signature status back on a webhook. The whole thing goes together with little custom code, or none. Process first. Tools second.
The third change is the AI agent. A workflow will generate the contract, but it will not answer which contracts expire this month or how many amendments got signed last quarter. BOND, our company AI agent, answers that from the CRM and the contract repository in 5 to 10 seconds, with nobody digging through folders or logging into five systems.
What changes
What does the team that signs contracts get?
The contract is ready before the rep opens Word
A stage change in the CRM starts the workflow: data from HubSpot, Pipedrive or a Google Sheet goes into a Google Docs or Word template, and the finished PDF lands on the signature platform. The rep gets a link and a notification instead of a task.
Seven fields that someone swaps by hand today are placed by the workflow in under a minute
Counterparty data from a register, not from a business card
Before anything reaches the template, the workflow pulls the legal name and the registered address from the business register, validates the VAT number in VIES, and for limited companies reads who is entitled to sign. A typo from a web form never reaches the document.
Legal name, registered address, company number and VAT status checked before every contract
One template, every contract current
Clauses live in a single template with a version number. A new confidentiality wording, or a change of the legal basis for processing personal data, reaches every contract that follows, with nobody policing copies in folders.
One clause changed in one place, and every contract records the version it was built from
The signature status comes back to the CRM on its own
DocuSign, Adobe Acrobat Sign or PandaDoc send the status back on a webhook. Once the contract is signed the CRM moves the stage, and the workflow fires whatever you agreed: the invoice, client onboarding, the expiry date written into the calendar.
Three steps after signing with no person involved: invoice, onboarding, date in the calendar
Two language versions out of one process
A client in Germany, Austria or Switzerland gets the contract in German from the same trigger. The German template carries its own set of clauses, because the local standard differs from the English one in substance, not only in language.
One sales process, two templates, EN and DE, with no duplicated admin work
Questions about contracts in a plain sentence
Which contracts expire this month. How many amendments did we sign last quarter. Which clients have a contract but no NDA. The AI agent answers from the CRM and the contract repository, without anyone opening a folder.
An answer in 5 to 10 seconds, in English or in Polish
And in your company
What if our contracts are all different?
Four sentences we hear most often about contracts, and how we answer them. We write with B2B companies of 10 to 200 people in mind, the ones already running a CRM and signing at least a few contracts a month.
Every contract is different, this will not fit a template.
In the workshop we take the contracts from the last 3 months and split them into two piles: the ones that differ only in the data, and the ones that differ in substance. The first pile we automate end to end. In the second, the template gets a field for the unusual wording that a person fills in. If the first pile turns out to be empty, we say so in the workshop and there is no rollout.
We sign in Word and scan it, our lawyer does not trust e-signatures.
Under eIDAS a qualified electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten one and has to be recognised in every EU member state. We match the signature level to the type of contract in the workshop: an NDA does not need what a contract with a statutory written form requirement needs. We invite your lawyer to the workshop, because the clauses and the signature level are their call.
We have no CRM, the client data sits in a spreadsheet.
A Google Sheet can be the data source for the workflow. In the workshop we check whether it holds the columns a contract needs: VAT number, address, signatory, value, and we add the missing ones. The legal name and the registered address get pulled from the business register anyway, so the sheet does not have to be perfect. When you move to a CRM later, we repoint the workflow at the new source.
Our lawyer edits the template every quarter, the automation will fall behind.
The template stays in Google Docs or Word and your lawyer edits it the way they do today. One rule only: the fields filled from the CRM are marked and their names do not change. Template versions are numbered and every contract records the version it came from. Training on editing and versioning clauses is part of the rollout.
- CRM and data source
- HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, Zoho, Google Sheets
- Templates and repository
- Google Docs, Word (docx), Google Drive, SharePoint in Microsoft 365
- Registers and checks
- VIES for EU VAT numbers, the national business register in the client's country, your own blocklist of counterparties
- Electronic signature
- DocuSign, Adobe Acrobat Sign, PandaDoc, Autenti for the Polish market
- After signing
- Xero, QuickBooks, an ERP such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Google Calendar, Slack, Microsoft Teams
- Automation layer
- n8n, Make, custom API integrations
What the workflow checks before a contract goes out for signature
The fields a B2B contract is usually made of, where the workflow takes them from and what it verifies before anything reaches the template.
| Contract field | Where the data comes from | What it checks |
|---|---|---|
| Counterparty name and address | the CRM record, then the national business register | the name matches the register, and typos from the web form are caught |
| VAT number | the CRM, then VIES | the format, and whether the number is valid for cross-border trade in the EU |
| Signatory and authority to sign | the CRM, the business register for limited companies | whether the person in the CRM may sign; a power of attorney stays a manual field |
| Scope and amount | the opportunity in the CRM, the line items from the proposal | net and gross, the currency, and whether the line items add up to the deal value |
| Dates and term | the CRM stage and what was agreed in the proposal | start date, expiry date and notice period, written into the calendar |
| Language version | the client's country held in the CRM | an EN or DE template with the set of clauses that belongs to it |
| Signature level | the contract type from a lookup list | simple, advanced or qualified, as agreed in the workshop |
The scope of validation is agreed in the workshop. A field the workflow cannot verify gets flagged for manual confirmation rather than passing through unchecked.
How we work
Five steps from a template in Word to a contract out of the CRM
Process first. Tools second. Every step ends with something you can judge before you decide on the next one.
Workshop
We count how many contracts a month go through the team, how many template variants are in circulation and where the errors come from: stale clauses, counterparty data, a missing language version. We establish what the source of truth about a client is today, the CRM, a spreadsheet or a rep's inbox. We invite your lawyer, because the clauses and the signature level are their call.
Template and rule design
One template per contract type with marked fields, a lookup list of contract types with a signature level attached to each, and the validation rules: what we check in the registers and in VIES, and what stays a field for manual confirmation. Then the tool choice: n8n or Make, the signature platform, the language versions.
Build and parallel run
The workflow generates contracts alongside the current process, with Word still switched on. We compare the output against the contracts of the last few months: amounts, dates, language variants, PDF formatting, and whether the signature level matches the contract type. Error monitoring is configured from day one.
Switch-over and training
Once it checks out we switch to production. The person who owns contracts learns to edit the template and version the clauses without us, and the reps get one instruction: change the stage in the CRM. You get documentation, not a black box.
Measurement after 30 and 90 days
We look at how many contracts went through with no manual correction, how many stopped on missing data and whether signature statuses are coming back to the CRM. We retune the validation and the list of manual fields against what actually arrives, not against what we predicted.
Before and after
How the day changes for the person who puts contracts together
Before
- Digs through a folder for the last contract with a similar client and swaps the data by hand
- Asks the rep for the VAT number and the address, because the email only has the company name
- Checks in three places which version of the data protection clause is the current one
- Hears about an expiring contract from a client who has already signed with someone else
After
- The contract is built when the stage changes in the CRM, with data checked against the register
- A missing field stops the workflow and creates a task for the rep, instead of a blank in the PDF
- The clause lives in one template with a version number
- The expiry date is in the calendar 60 days ahead, with a task about the renewal
The first contracts out of the workflow appear on switch-over day. The validation rules and the list of manual fields we judge after 30 days, on contracts that actually went through.
For the person signing this off
What a head of sales or operations gets out of it
A contract with a wrong VAT number or a stale clause goes out in the company's name, and the person who approved it is the one who explains it. After the rollout the data comes from a register, the clauses come from one version of the template, and every contract records the version it was built from. That is your answer when a lawyer or an auditor asks what exactly a given client received in March.
The second thing matters more in front of the board. You know how many contracts expire this quarter and what they are worth, before the client remembers to give notice. Today that number sits in PDFs scattered across folders and nobody has it to hand.
- Every contract carries the version number of the template it came from
- Counterparty data from business registers and VIES, not from a business card
- The workflow runs in parallel, so Word holds until the tests are done
- Your lawyer changes the template without raising a ticket with us
What it costs
The workshop has a published price, the rollout is quoted after it
The process workshop costs EUR 3,500 net per week, and runs from 1 to 7 weeks. Contract generation usually needs one week, and two when several contract types and two language versions are in scope. We quote the rollout after the workshop, once it is clear how many templates are in play, what you sign through and what state the data in the CRM is in.
You pay the cost of running the workflow directly to the tool provider, that is n8n or Make, or you pay nothing at all when it sits on your own infrastructure. The signature platform subscription goes to its provider the same way. No margin from us. Where an AI agent is part of the setup, a single query costs the provider roughly EUR 0.005 to 0.07.
Process workshop
EUR 3,500 net
per week, usually one week for contracts, two when you run two languages
A self-contained piece of work. It ends with a process map, a list of templates with their fields, and validation rules you could put in place without us.
- A map of how contracts move today and where the errors are made
- A list of contract types with the fields to fill and the signature level for each
- Validation rules: business registers, VIES, and the fields that stay manual
- A recommendation on the tool and the signature platform
- Most popular
Workshop and contract generation rollout
Quoted after the workshop
scope follows from the number of templates, languages and the signature platform
The option most companies choose. A working generator 2 to 6 weeks after the workshop, tested against your contracts from the last few months.
- Everything in the workshop
- A workflow in n8n or Make wired into the CRM, the template and the signature platform
- Validation against business registers and VIES, plus a queue of fields for manual confirmation
- Signature status back in the CRM and the steps after signing: invoice, onboarding, calendar
- A parallel run and a switch-over with monitoring
- Training on editing the template and versioning clauses
Contract generation and an AI agent
Quoted after the workshop
for teams that ask about contracts a dozen times a week; the agent takes about 2 months to stand up
Everything in the rollout plus BOND, which answers questions about contracts in a plain sentence and watches the dates for you.
- Everything in the contract generation rollout
- An AI agent wired into the CRM and the contract repository: what expires, how many amendments, who has no NDA
- Alerts on contracts expiring within 60 days and on signatures pending longer than 7 days
- Access for the reps, the lawyer and the board, in English and in Polish
The workshop ends with a document: a process map, a list of templates with their fields and the validation rules, and it holds up without us. If it turns out you sign 3 contracts a month, we will tell you it is cheaper to stay with a tidied-up Word template, and the engagement ends at the workshop.
Frequently asked questions
What is automatic contract generation?
It is a workflow that reacts to an event in the CRM, typically a deal moving to the ready-to-sign stage. It pulls the counterparty details and the commercial terms, checks them against the business register and VIES, places them in a Google Docs or Word template, exports a PDF and sends it for signature through DocuSign, Adobe Acrobat Sign or PandaDoc. The signature status comes back to the CRM and triggers the next step. A person only fills in the fields marked as unusual.
How long does a contract generation rollout take?
One week of workshop and 2 to 6 weeks of rollout, depending on the number of contract types, language versions and the signature platform. One contract type, one language and a CRM with tidy data is the lower end. Several templates, a German version and register lookups push it towards the upper end.
Is a contract generated automatically and signed electronically legally valid?
Yes. Under eIDAS a qualified electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten signature and has to be recognised in every EU member state. The signature level, simple, advanced or qualified, is matched to the type of contract in the workshop: an NDA does not need what a contract with a statutory written form requirement needs. Your lawyer makes that call and we build to it.
Where does the workflow take the contract data from, and what happens when a field is missing?
From the CRM, that is HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce or Zoho, or from a Google Sheet if that is your source of truth about clients today. The legal name and the registered address get pulled from the business register, and the VAT number is validated in VIES. When a field is missing the contract does not go out: the workflow creates a task for the rep with the list of gaps, rather than leaving a blank in the PDF.
Can we generate contracts in two languages, for example English and German?
Yes, from the same trigger. The client's country in the CRM picks the template, and the German template carries its own set of clauses, because the local standard differs from the English one in substance, not only in wording. Your lawyer or a translator does that work once, in the template, rather than on every contract.
What happens after the contract is signed?
The signature platform sends the status back on a webhook, the workflow moves the stage in the CRM and files the signed PDF in your repository, Google Drive or SharePoint. Then it fires whatever we agreed in the workshop: the invoice in your accounting system, client onboarding, the expiry date written into the calendar with a reminder 60 days ahead.
Who changes the template after the rollout, and do they need us for it?
They do not. The template stays in Google Docs or Word and your lawyer edits it the way they do today, with one rule: the fields filled from the CRM are marked and their names do not change. Template versions are numbered and every contract records the version it came from. Training on editing and versioning is part of the rollout, along with the documentation.
Is contract data safe when it is processed outside the CRM?
The workflow passes between systems only the fields needed to fill the template, and we agree that list in the workshop. Signed contracts stay in your repository, not with us. n8n can run on your own infrastructure, in which case the data never leaves the company. The legal basis for processing the personal data of signatories and contact persons is written up in the rollout documentation, in line with the GDPR.
Let us count how many of your contracts start with save as
The free consultation takes 30 minutes. You tell us how many contracts a month you sign, how many templates are in circulation, where the data comes from and what you sign through. You can show us the template you use today, and we will say what can be automated straight away and what needs the data sorted out first. You do not have to share any systems. You write directly to Paweł, the founder, and the answer comes back from him within one working day.
We run at most two rollouts at a time, so that someone is genuinely sitting on each of them.
Book a free consultationPS. If anyone in your company sent out a contract with the previous client's details this month, that is exactly the problem. Data retyped by hand goes wrong sooner or later, usually on the tenth contract of the day. Data placed from the CRM and checked against a register does not. That is where the workshop starts.