Case Study: California Natural Resources Agency achieves rapid contract approvals and major cost savings with DocuSign

DocuSign helps the California Natural Resources Agency and the Department of Water Resources accelerate its digital transformation

The California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) and its Department of Water Resources (DWR)—together overseeing 26 agencies and more than 20,000 employees and one of the nation’s largest state-built water systems—needed to accelerate a government-wide digital transformation. DWR faced slow, error-prone paper workflows (contract approvals taking two to four weeks), high shipping and processing costs, and the challenge of scaling a digital solution across widely distributed teams.

By partnering with DocuSign and establishing a center of excellence, DWR rolled out eSignature, Guided Forms and advanced workflows to 3,500+ employees, streamlining procurement and HR processes and enabling rapid COVID-era remote work. Results included contracts signed in minutes, a 75% cut in hard paper costs, an 800% increase in DocuSign usage (over 19,000 forms sent in one month), HR savings of about 570 sheets per month with 70% of merit forms returned same day, and faster form build times—from months to weeks.

California Natural Resources Agency

Kevin See

Deputy Chief Information Officer California’s Department of Water Resources