Edit MS Word Files Directly in PaperTrail Contract Platform

Microsoft Word and controlled contract workflow now sit side by side in PaperTrail, the content management platform built by Egis Software. Announced from Johannesburg in October 2026, the update means legal teams can draft in Word while every comment, draft and approval stays inside a single governed environment. The link between the two is the Web Open Platform Interface protocol, or WOPI, which ties familiar Office editing directly into PaperTrail's contract processes. The announcement comes at a busy time. Across South Africa, October is when many companies begin closing out supplier agreements, service contracts and renewals so that signatures are in place before December's slowdown.

Getting the wording right is seldom the hardest part of a contract. What slows teams down is the admin surrounding it: pulling a file down to edit it, sending versions back and forth by email, forgetting to check a document back in, and losing sight of which copy carries the newest comments. Rather than giving people yet another tool to learn, PaperTrail's contract management software is designed to cut those steps out entirely.

Editing in Word, inside PaperTrail

Teams using PaperTrail Contract Management keep working in the applications they know, MS Word among them, with the platform integrated seamlessly behind the scenes. Comments are tracked and reviewed in real time in Word, and nobody has to step outside the PaperTrail Contract Management environment to do it.

WOPI is the technology that enables this. Through WOPI, PaperTrail Contract Management delivers a contract workflow that is smoother, more secure and more collaborative, freeing teams to focus on legal and business priorities rather than manual admin. A clear example is that checking documents in and out by hand is no longer necessary. A user opens the contract, makes their changes and carries on, and the platform keeps the record tidy.

The benefit is greatest when one agreement needs several people at the same time. Someone reviewing it in legal, a manager signing off the commercial terms and an administrator getting it ready for signature can all work from the current version instead of piecing together copies scattered across desktops and attachments. With fewer copies in circulation, there is less chance of an old draft being signed in error, which becomes a bigger danger when teams are racing to finalise agreements before year end.

Organisations that have relied on shared drives and email attachments for years will notice the difference day to day. What is being edited is the document held in the system, and its full change history travels with it.

Three roles, one workflow

Contract work in PaperTrail is built around three roles. The initiator kicks off the agreement, the reviewer checks it and the signatory gives the approval. New contracts can start from ad-hoc or default templates, so standard terms stay consistent from one department to the next while one-off agreements are still catered for.

Internal staff are not the only participants. External counter parties can join the process too, keeping negotiation inside the same controlled workflow instead of spreading it over separate inboxes. Add Word editing via WOPI and a contract can progress 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, with organisations free to choose from four electronic signature types: Advanced Electronic Signatures, biometric signatures, ordinary electronic signatures and digital signatures. OTP gateways and role management control who has access, signatories can be given supporting documents, and every signature is saved automatically alongside a clear audit trail.

Since signing happens on the same platform used for drafting and review, there is no need to upload the signed contract again or file it somewhere else. It is already sitting exactly where the team expects to find it.

Beyond the signature

PaperTrail is full contract management lifecycle software, so its reach extends past drafting and signing. The contract module brings together workflow, collaboration, approval, signing, renewals, addendums, controlled access, and reporting and analytics within a secure repository. Alerts keep legal and admin teams from overlooking important 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 each organisation's contract volumes and business processes. A small legal department and a large procurement function can therefore run on the same platform, each paying in line with its actual usage.

One module in a larger system

Contract Management is just one part of the wider electronic content management system that Egis Software has been building and supporting since 1998. That platform also handles document storage and retrieval, routing and workflow, eForms, group email handling, bulk capture and optical character recognition. It includes specialist solutions too: CreditorsHub for accounts payable, PeopleHub for human resources, LeaseHub for property leasing and TravelHub for the travel industry.

PaperTrail can run 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 can be arranged on request, and PaperTrail Sign comes with an API for connecting to back-end systems.

Built in South Africa

Organisations weighing up contract management software in South Africa will find in PaperTrail a locally developed platform, run from a Johannesburg head office with 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 working in practice.

For more information on PaperTrail and its contract management module, go to https://www.papertrail.co.za/.

About PaperTrail

Made by Egis Software, the trading name of Mailcomp (Pty) Ltd, PaperTrail is an electronic content management system. 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. The product range spans document management, PaperTrail Sign, PaperTrail Contract Management, CreditorsHub, PeopleHub, LeaseHub and TravelHub, with deployment available on premise or hosted in the cloud.