An e-signed contract is only as good as the evidence behind it. Five practices keep yours defensible.
1. Verify signer identity beyond email
Email is necessary but weak. For higher-stakes contracts (>$50K, or with legal compliance implications), enable two-factor: signer must enter a code sent to their phone before the signature is valid.
2. Capture intent, not just signature
The audit trail records each signer's explicit "I agree to be bound" click before the signature widget appears. This is the evidentiary difference between a signature and a forgery.
3. Make the audit trail public-verifiable
Every signed PDF carries a verification URL on the last page. Any third party can paste it and see: who signed, from which IP, at what timestamp, what version of the document. No OMB Cloud login required.
4. Retention matches contract life
Set retention so contracts persist past their term + statute-of-limitations. Default is "indefinite for signed contracts." Don't prune signed contracts on a 7-year schedule unless you have an attorney-approved retention policy.
5. Never edit a signed contract
Need to change something? Issue an addendum or a fully new contract that supersedes. Editing a signed document destroys the audit chain. OMB Cloud locks signed documents read-only by default; trust this default.