Construction and trades
PDF tools and e-signatures for builders and trades
Get quotes and variations signed from the van, turn site photos into reports small enough to email and keep every certificate searchable. Server jobs run in London and files are deleted within 2 hours.
Try Business free for 30 daysSee how signing works
£6.99 per user a month, billed yearly · from 2 users
What trades use it for
Built for paperwork that happens on site
Quotes and variations, signed
Send a quote or a variation for signature before the work starts. The customer signs on their phone, and the certificate shows when they agreed.
Photo reports from site
Turn a set of site photos into one PDF with a page for each, then compress it so it emails to the client or the main contractor without bouncing.
Certificates you can find again
Scan electrical, gas and building control certificates with your phone and make them searchable by address, date or certificate number.
Mark up drawings and spot changes
Add notes and highlights to a drawing or a specification, and compare two revisions to see exactly what changed.
Handover and operation packs
Merge manuals, warranties and certificates into one handover pack with page numbers, ready for the client at completion.
Supplier invoices to a spreadsheet
Read the totals and VAT from supplier invoices and export them to a spreadsheet for your bookkeeper, or turn PDF price lists into Excel.
Where Macaaw fits on a job
Most trades run on a phone. Macaaw works in the phone’s browser, so you can scan a certificate, sign a document or merge a handover pack between jobs without installing anything. Photo-to-PDF, merging and signing your own documents happen on the device.
Compression, text recognition and comparison run on our servers in London and the files are deleted within 2 hours. On Business the office and every van share one plan, with pooled allowances and one bill.
Disagreements on small jobs usually come down to what was agreed and when. A signed quote, a signed variation and a dated photo report answer most of those questions, and Macaaw keeps them as PDFs you control rather than messages scattered across a phone. Agreements sent for signature are kept encrypted until everyone has signed and then for 30 days, so download the signed copy and keep it with your job records.
Playbook
A signed variation in four steps
Agree extra work in writing before you start it, from the site.
Write it up
Write the variation in your usual template and save it as a PDF, or photograph a handwritten note with Scan to PDF.
Add photos
Turn the site photos into a PDF and merge them behind the variation so the customer sees what you mean.
Send for signature
Add the customer’s email, place the signature field and send it from your phone.
Keep the signed copy
Download the signed PDF with its certificate and file it with the job before the work begins.
Business plan
One plan for the whole team
The office and every van on one plan, with allowances pooled across the team.
£6.99per user a month, billed yearly · or £9.99 monthly
- 200 signature requests per user a month, pooled
- Up to 20 signers on each document
- 1,000 pages of text recognition per user a month, pooled
- 500 Office conversions per user a month, pooled
- Files up to 500 MB and 200 files in one task
- Members, roles, shared workflows and central billing
- UK serversServer tools run in London.
- Deleted within 2 hoursFiles from our tools, or the moment you press Delete.
- UK GDPRA data processing agreement on Business.
- Audit trailEvery signed PDF carries its signing certificate.
Questions
Trades ask
Is an electronically signed quote or contract binding?
In England and Wales an electronic signature is valid for most contracts, including quotes and variations. Contracts executed as a deed, and documents that must be witnessed, need extra formalities, so check with your adviser. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Every tool works in a phone’s browser, and Scan to PDF uses the camera to capture pages. Nothing needs installing.
Can I compare two revisions of a drawing?
Compare PDFs marks the differences between two PDFs page by page, including text and layout changes. It is a Pro tool, included in Pro and Business.
How big can site photo reports be?
On Business you can work with files up to 500 MB, then compress the report to a size that email and portals accept.
Can my customer sign without an account?
Yes. They open the link in their email and sign on any phone or computer. Only the person sending needs an account.
Can I run everything from my phone between jobs?
Yes. Sending a document for signature, turning photos into a report and compressing it all work in a phone’s browser. Sign in once on your phone and your agreements, saved workflows and plan are the same as on the office computer.
Legal information on this page is general guidance for England and Wales, not legal advice. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules, and deeds or documents that must be witnessed need extra formalities.
Paperwork done before you leave the site.
Try Business free for 30 days with your whole team.