Proposals & contracts

A BookNox proposal is one document that combines the quote, the contract, and the invoice. BookNox builds it from your catalog and your contract settings at the moment you create it, so the terms match the industry and the price the client chose, and the text never changes afterward.

Creating a proposal

A proposal is created in one of two ways. A prospect who sends a request from your booking page gets one automatically, or you build one yourself with New quote in the dashboard: choose the industry, the package, the hours, and any add ons, enter the client's name and email, and add a service date when there is one. Some industries ask for details of their own, such as the service tier for wedding planners, set hours for DJs, the menu tier and guaranteed headcount for caterers, the support type for doulas, or the subject for tutors.

Proposals save as drafts before you subscribe, up to 5 at a time, and each draft has a Preview PDF link that shows the full document with a watermark. Once you subscribe, the Send to client button on a draft row delivers it.

What your client receives

The client receives an email from BookNox with a link to the proposal, and replies to that email go to you. The link carries a 12 character access code, so the client opens the document in one click; anyone who has only the bare proposal address is asked for the code instead. Too many wrong codes in a row pause further attempts for a while.

How long does a proposal stay open?

An unsigned proposal stays open for 14 days after it is sent. After that the link shows This proposal is no longer valid and asks the client to reach out to you for an updated one. Signed and paid proposals never expire, so a client can always reopen a signed contract or a receipt.

How does my client sign?

Signing happens on the proposal page, below the full document. The client prints their full name, then either draws a signature with a mouse or a finger or types one, and ticks a box consenting to sign electronically. The page explains that the signed PDF will be emailed to them and can be downloaded and printed at any time, and that they can decline by leaving without signing. A draft can never be signed; a proposal you have sent stays signable until it expires, even if your subscription lapses in the meantime, although its deposit can only be collected while you are subscribed.

BookNox records the signature together with the signer's name, the time of consent and of signing, the IP address and browser, and a SHA256 fingerprint of the signed PDF, and prints that record in a Signatures and audit trail section of the document. The signed PDF is stored privately and can never be overwritten.

The signing flow is built around the federal ESIGN Act, which says a signature may not be denied legal effect solely because it is in electronic form. State law can say the same: Florida's version of the Uniform Electronic Transaction Act, for one, says a record or signature may not be denied legal effect solely because it is electronic. For questions about a specific contract or state, talk to your own attorney.

Sources, read October 22, 2026: 15 U.S.C. 7001 (ESIGN): no denial of legal effect solely for electronic form; 15 U.S.C. 7006: what counts as an electronic signature; Florida Statutes 668.50: the same rule under Florida's Uniform Electronic Transaction Act.

After the client signs

BookNox emails the signed PDF to the client and to you as an attachment, and the proposal page moves straight to the deposit step, titled Reserve the date. When the deposit payment succeeds, the proposal shows as paid, the booking appears on your Bookings page, and any remaining payments are listed on the client's page with their due dates.

The client's proposal page

The proposal page reads as one continuous document: the title, the package with each priced line, the full terms, the signature step, and then the deposit step. After the deposit, the same page lists the remaining payments with their amounts and due dates, and the client can pay a remaining payment from there when it is requested.

Signed copies stay within reach. The client receives the signed PDF by email and can download and print it at any time. Draft previews carry a watermark before you subscribe; signed documents never do.

Can I change a proposal after sending it?

A sent proposal cannot be edited, so the client always signs exactly the document they were sent. To change the price, the date, or the terms, create a new proposal and send that one. An unsigned proposal you no longer want simply expires after 14 days.

What the contract covers

Every contract follows the same outline:

• Parties and services
• Fees and payment schedule, with every payment and its due date
• Cancellation policy, built from your cancellation window
• Force majeure
• Travel, only when the quote charges travel
• Deliverables and the terms specific to your trade
• Liability, indemnification, governing law and disputes, and general provisions
• Electronic signature

Settings controls the cancellation window, the deposit, travel, and the inputs specific to your trade; the Customizing your contract terms article lists each one and what stays fixed.

Daily client email limit

BookNox caps the client emails it sends on your behalf each day, counting proposal emails you send, milestone payment requests, and waive notices. Emails a client sets off themselves, such as the proposal from a booking page request, receipts, and signed contract copies, never count. If you reach the cap, the proposal is still created and the dashboard shows a notice with the link to share directly.