Contract Insights

Contracts are essential in supplementing business transactions, business relationships, and business growth; naturally, so are those who manage those contracts. But what does a contract manager really do – and what makes a good contract manager? Read on to find out.

Contract drafting is a multi-faceted and complex process.  Document collaboration, contract authoring, negotiation, terms and conditions, and other relevant steps can be challenging. They are all the more challenging if you are relying on manual tools - such as shared drives and emails.  Leave tedious, manual contract drafting methods in the past by embracing robust contract management software.

Traditional paper contracts were replaced long ago by better contract processes. The paper document has been foregone in favor of digital contracts. However, not all computer-based contract management processes are created equal.

Managing contracts can be challenging - especially when primarily relying on outdated tools such as spreadsheets, emails, and shared drives.  Without accountability, visibility, and actionable insights, you can find yourself confronting contracting workflow bottlenecks.  Enterprise contract lifecycle management (CLM) requires careful planning, the right technology, and a well-planned contract strategy.

To gain the most out of enterprise contract management, take advantage of seven best practices.  Enterprise contract management best practices involve contract lifecycle management software. CLM software digitally unifies processes from contract requests through renewals. It provides a centralized, web-enabled, single source of truth for contracts. 

Read on to learn more.

Did you miss any of our blog posts from October?  Don't worry; we have outlined each of them for you.  Stay up-to-date with industry topics, real-world case studies, and contract management software and procurement best practices in November by reading the latest CobbleStone® content.

What is a digital signature? Is it not the same thing as an electronic signature?

We inhabit an ever-evolving technological landscape in which new and updated terminology and functionality are constantly presented. It can be confusing to know the differences between terms such as the two mentioned above. However, those differences are actually quite simple!

Familiarize yourself with these two terms. Discover how to utilize both eSignatures and digital signatures to establish a process that is:

• secure.
• user-friendly.
• compliant.
• and rapid.

CobbleStone Software's latest version – CobbleStone Contract Insight® Enterprise 22.1.0 – has arrived for a refreshing contract lifecycle management experience!

Read on to acclimate yourself with next-level CLM features and innovations to bring your contract management software platform into the future of legal operations!

Government contract management is divided into three stages: procurement or acquisition planning, sourcing, and post-award contract management. 

The first two stages have had the most focused time and financial investment for improvement.  This approach leaves post-award management as a secondary duty for contract officer representatives (CORs) and contract managers within legal teams. Consequently, they are left unsupported for compliance, risk management, and opportunity realization. 

Arguably, contract processes after acquisition and sourcing are the most crucial stages for public-sector and private-sector contract managers. However, these stages notoriously lack proper visibility and resources.  This article will address the challenges and present actionable post-award contract management best practices with the help of contract management software.