Contract Management

EARLY

• No contract management tool

• Contracts saved in multiple locations (e.g. shared drives, hard drives, etc.) rather than in a central repository

• Ad hoc legal review

• Signature policy nonexistent or weak enforcement/compliance

• Incomplete execution

• Inconsistent terms; multiple versions

• No automated date, term, or timeline follow-up.

INTERMEDIATE

• Contract lifecycle management tool (some automated contract creation, standard contract workflows, approval processes, e-signatures)

• Central contract repository

• Clearly defined corporate ownership of contracts

• Authoring supported by family templates, clause libraries, redlining, and version control

• Reporting and audit/history capabilities, operational metrics, obligation tracking, expiration alerts

• Standardized processes and templates; focus of lawyer review is on exceptions only

• Signature authorization policy; strong compliance

• Some automated date, term, and timeline follow-up.

ADVANCED

• Contract lifecycle management tool utilized enterprise-wide, leveraging systems integrations (e.g. with procurement and sales systems) and collaboration with supplier portals; completely or nearly paperless

• Single repository contains all contracts (buy and sell side); robust searchability supports compliance

• Operational and quality control reporting and metrics are robust, including business intelligence driving continuous improvement in contract terms

• Standardization, risk calibration, and playbooks allow extensive contract creation/execution with no legal department involvement

• Signature policy governed through automation; 100 percent compliance

• Focus on operational improvement, reducing cycle times and disputes; effort invested only in highest risk/complexity contracts

• Full automation of reminders and workflow of contract term dates, renewals, and milestones.

CLM Platform Functionality Checklist
Checklist to help prioritize CLM features and functionality when choosing a platform.

Contract Review Checklist
The Checklist was developed primarily for Procurement Services to use as a review tool to aid in protecting an organization's interests in contractual matters. The Checklist is not all-inclusive but it does cover many of the basics of sound contracting.

Contract Risk Classification Questionnaire
Sample questionnaire for classifying contracts according to risk

Illustrative SLA and Balance Scorecard Report
Sample of an Illustrative contract management SLA and Balance Scorecard Report

OneNote Playbook
Screenshot of OneNote NDA Agreements Process and Playbook homepage

Playbook Structure Handout
Contract Process and Negotiation Playbook Structure

Sample Contract Management Briefing (Contract Drafting, Review and Approval Policy and Process)
This sample briefing outlines the process for drafting, reviewing, and approving contracts.  

Contact Review Request Form
Intake form to assist effective contract request routing and creation.

Fall-back Analysis Report
Sample clause fall-back position utilization analysis

Knowledge Transfer Checklist for Contract Management and Playbook Design
Document production request list for Knowledge Transfer to enable contract playbook design

OneNote Playbook Contract Structure
Screenshot of OneNote Contract Process and Playbook Structure

Pulling Data from Contracts
Sample of Pulling Structured Data from Your Contracts