As South African companies head into the busy October stretch of finalising supplier agreements, service contracts and renewals ahead of the December slowdown, Egis Software is drawing attention to a feature of its PaperTrail content management platform built for exactly that pressure.
JOHANNESBURG: The Contract Management module in PaperTrail now runs on the Web Open Platform Interface protocol (WOPI), which links everyday Office editing to PaperTrail’s contract workflow so legal teams can draft in Microsoft Word while every version, comment and approval remains in a single controlled environment.
The words in a contract are seldom the hardest part for legal and admin staff. What slows them down is everything around those words: pulling a file down to edit it, sending versions to and fro by email, forgetting to check a document back in, and losing sight of which copy carries the most recent comments. Rather than handing people yet another tool to master, PaperTrail’s contract management software is designed to strip those steps out altogether.
Editing in Word, inside PaperTrail
Teams working in PaperTrail Contract Management keep using familiar applications such as MS Word, and those applications integrate seamlessly with the PaperTrail platform. Reviewers can track and assess comments in real time in Word, all without stepping outside the PaperTrail Contract Management environment.
WOPI is the technology behind this. It gives PaperTrail Contract Management a contract workflow that is smoother, more secure and more collaborative, freeing teams to focus on legal and business priorities rather than manual admin. The most noticeable change is that documents no longer have to be checked in and out by hand. A user opens a contract, does the work and carries on, and the platform keeps the record tidy in the background.
The benefit is greatest when several people need one agreement at the same time. Someone reviewing in the legal department, a manager signing off commercial terms and an administrator readying the document for signature can all work from the current version instead of trying to reconcile copies scattered across desktops and email attachments. With fewer copies in circulation, there is less chance of an old draft being signed in error, a danger that grows as teams hurry to close deals before year end.
Teams that have relied on shared drives and attachments for years will find their daily routine looks different. The document under edit is the document in the system, and its change history travels with it.
Three roles, one workflow
Contract work in PaperTrail is organised around three roles. The initiator kicks off the agreement, the reviewer checks it, and the signatory approves it. Agreements can start from ad-hoc or default templates, so organisations can hold standard terms steady across departments and still accommodate one-off contracts.
The process also extends beyond internal staff. External counterparties can be invited in, which keeps negotiation inside the same controlled workflow instead of spreading it across different inboxes. Paired with WOPI-based Word editing, this lets a contract travel from first draft to final version without ever being exported or rebuilt.
Signatures without switching systems
When the terms are settled, contracts are legally signed through the built-in PaperTrail Sign, using any of four electronic signature types an organisation chooses: Advanced Electronic Signatures, biometric signatures, ordinary electronic signatures or digital signatures. OTP gateways and role management control who has access, supporting documents can be attached for signatories to see, and every signature is saved automatically with a clear audit trail.
Since signing happens on the same platform as drafting and review, there is no need to re-upload the signed agreement or file it somewhere else. It is already sitting where the team expects to find it.
Beyond the signature
PaperTrail is full contract management lifecycle software, so its reach goes well past drafting and signing. The contract module brings together workflow, collaboration, approval, signing, renewals, addendums, controlled access, and reporting and analytics in a secure repository. Alerts keep legal and admin teams from overlooking key renewal or expiry dates, a real help at year end when large numbers of agreements roll over together.
Pricing models are flexible and built around an organisation’s contract volumes and business processes. A small legal department and a large procurement function can therefore run on the same platform, each on terms that reflect its level of use.
One module in a bigger system
Contract Management sits within a wider electronic content management system that Egis Software has built and supported since 1998. That platform also handles document storage and retrieval, routing and workflow, eForms, group email handling, bulk capture and optical character recognition, alongside specialised solutions including CreditorsHub for accounts payable, PeopleHub for human resources, LeaseHub for property leasing and TravelHub for the travel industry.
PaperTrail can be deployed on premise or in the cloud, with the hosted route lowering upfront IT spend. Egis Software delivers business analysis, implementation, training and first, second and third level support under service level agreements, and its help desk provides 24/7 support for critical systems. Custom development and integration with third-party systems are available on request, and PaperTrail Sign includes an API for connecting to back-end systems.
Built in South Africa
Organisations weighing up contract management software in South Africa will find that PaperTrail is developed locally, with its head office in Johannesburg and branches in Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth. Old Mutual, the South African Reserve Bank, CBI-Electric, Fair Cape Dairies and IHS Property Management are among the organisations whose feedback is featured on the PaperTrail website.
Now that the last quarter of 2026 has begun, legal and procurement teams gearing up for year-end contract work can book a demonstration of PaperTrail Contract Management and see WOPI-based Word editing, the initiator, reviewer and signatory workflow, and built-in signing in action.
For more on PaperTrail and its contract management module, visit https://www.papertrail.co.za/.
About PaperTrail
PaperTrail is an electronic content management system developed by Egis Software, the trading name of Mailcomp (Pty) Ltd. Alon Feldman and Troy Ferraris founded Egis Software in 1998, and the company is located at 138 Athol Street, Highlands North, Johannesburg. It operates branches in Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and New Zealand and works with strategic partners in Mauritius, Botswana, Ghana and the United Kingdom. Its products include document management, PaperTrail Sign, PaperTrail Contract Management, CreditorsHub, PeopleHub, LeaseHub and TravelHub, all available on premise or hosted in the cloud.
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Email: support@egis-software.com
Phone: +27 11 880 4411
Website: https://www.papertrail.co.za
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