Construction Document Workflow Automation

We are a high-end residential construction company looking to automate our document management workflow using Nanonets, Google Drive, Smartsheet, and DocuSign. The goal is to create a seamless, error-free process that takes incoming PDFs (invoices and subcontractor change orders), parses key data fields, stores files correctly, and keeps Smartsheet fully up to date — including handling signed documents.

This project will start with parsing Change Order PDFs, but the automation should be scalable to handle future document types (invoices, contracts, proposals, etc.).

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Automation Workflow (End-to-End):
1. Source / Input
• Usually a PDF (but sometimes Excel or Word) is received via email.
2. File Naming & Organization
• Automation renames the file based on extracted data (e.g., ProjectName_SubCO#_SubcontractorName.pdf).
• Saves it into the appropriate project-specific Google Drive folder (e.g., /Projects/[Project Name]/Change Orders/).
3. Parsing via Nanonets
• The file is sent to Nanonets for OCR and data extraction.
• Parsed fields (per our schema):
• Project Address
• Date
• Sub CO#
• Subcontractor Name
• Change Order Amount
• Change Order Description
4. Data Upload to Smartsheet
• Extracted data populates a new row in the project’s Master Sheet in Smartsheet, updating relevant budget and reporting columns automatically.
• File is attached to the Smartsheet row.
5. Document Sending via DocuSign
• The PDF is sent for signature using DocuSign integration or API, triggered automatically from Smartsheet (e.g., via document builder or webhook).
• Recipients and signing sequence are defined based on Smartsheet columns (e.g., Subcontractor Email, PM Email).
6. Signed Copy Handling
• Once fully signed, the signed document is:
• Saved automatically in the same Google Drive folder (e.g., /Change Orders/Signed/).
• Attached back to the same Smartsheet row (replacing or supplementing the original unsigned version).

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Deliverables:
• Functional workflow connecting Google Drive → Nanonets → Smartsheet → DocuSign → Google Drive
• Proper error handling (e.g., missing fields, parsing errors, failed signatures)
• Clear documentation of setup and credentials (for future maintenance)
• Scalable design for additional document types later

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Tech Stack / Tools:
• Google Drive API or Zapier/Make (Integromat) for file handling
• Nanonets API for document parsing
• Smartsheet API / Automation / Webhooks for data upload and tracking
• DocuSign API or Smartsheet Document Builder integration for signature routing
• (Optional) Gmail integration for forwarding attachments automatically to Drive

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Ideal Freelancer:
• Proven experience building end-to-end workflow automations between these tools
• Strong knowledge of Nanonets, Zapier, Make (Integromat), or custom API scripting (Python/Node.js)
• Familiarity with Smartsheet data structure and API
• Understanding of Google Drive file architecture and DocuSign workflows
• Able to document the process clearly and design it for easy future expansion

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Goal:

A fully automated, hands-free pipeline where our team can simply forward an email or drop a file into Drive, and the system:
1. Names and files it correctly
2. Parses and uploads data to Smartsheet
3. Sends the document for signature
4. Saves and attaches the signed copy automatically