CoSign Digital Signatures for Engineering, Construction and Manufacturing Organizations

AEC, EPC, and manufacturing organizations have heavily invested in automating operations and business processes. However, in many cases, documents and drawings are still being printed and manually routed for approvals (signature/stamp capture) and delivery. Such paper-based deadlocks are highly expensive, slow, inefficient, and affect business agility. In scenarios where the approval process requires authorizations from multiple offices, traveling signers, or third parties, the organizational expenditures in time and resources significantly increase. Additionally, the conversion between electronic and printed documents reduces quality and can result in the loss of document searchability.

Digital signature solutions produce legally enforceable electronic records, closing the gap in going fully paperless by completely eliminating the need to print documents for signing. Digital signatures enable the replacement of slow and expensive paper-based approval processes with fast, low-cost, and fully digital ones.

By enabling a fully automated workflow, digital signatures reduce the expenses and time allocations that paper-based signatures require. A paper-based signature is estimated to cost an organization upwards of $6.50 each (including printing, scanning, archiving, routing and replacing lost documents). An average authorized signer signs two documents a workday. With 20 workdays a month, the monthly paper signing costs can surpass $260 per signer.

By expediting the workflow and reducing the costs associated with signature authorizations, CoSign digital signatures enable engineering and construction organizations to improve operational efficiencies and reduce project cycle times. CoSign's ability to ensure content integrity and the identity of the signer also mitigates risk and confirms document content integrity. Additionally, the standards-based nature of CoSign enhances collaboration, increases competitiveness and service levels, and simplifies long-term file retention.

Read more about the digital signature business case for the engineering industry.

CoSign works seamlessly with all common document formats such as Adobe® PDF, AutoCAD®, Bentley® MicroStation, Microsoft® Word, Excel®, Outlook®, InfoPath®, TIFF, and other document types. CoSign is standards-based (based on Public Key Infrastructure – PKI), avoiding vendor lock-in and allowing the document to be verified by anyone, anywhere, anytime without the need for proprietary verification software or third party support.

CoSign is available in two product offerings, CoSign Central and CoSign Desktop. CoSign Central is based on easy-to-use software that communicates with a centralized and secure digital signature server. It is quick-to-deploy and ideal for mid to large sized organizations, offering seamless integration with content management and workflow systems. For smaller organizations (up to 10 signers), CoSign Desktop is offered as a standalone solution that does not require any hardware component. Learn more about the differences between CoSign Central and CoSign Desktop.

CoSign creates legally enforceable digital signatures in compliance with all federal, state, provincial, international, and institutional regulations pertaining to e-signatures and to the integrity and authenticity of electronic records (e.g., ESIGN, UETA, Sarbanes-Oxley, Prof. Eng/Arch/Surveyors Boards, ASCE, HIPAA, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, FAA, DHS, EU Directives, etc.).

Continue reading about CoSign's legal compliance.

CoSign's customers include international engineering and construction firms, project management firms, city and county engineering departments, and state transportation departments. Some of CoSign's customers include: Braun Intertec, Kimley-Horn, GE Healthcare, the South Carolina DOT, and the Harris County Engineering Department. 

Read more about CoSign's customers in the engineering industry.