Contract Insights

Contract execution is a critical stage in contract lifecycle management. By this point, the terms of the contract have been negotiated. Parties involved have ensured that everything is understood and all necessary resources have approved the written agreement. From there, contract parties sign the contract to propel its execution.

Given the importance of this stage of contract management, you should know what an executed contract is and its meaning. As such, here is a brief overview of contract execution.

Unfulfilled contract obligations can create a post-award contract management nightmare that can escalate to stressful legal action – such as issuing a cease and desist or suing your counterparty. 

So, how can you avoid this? 

By clearly defining the obligation of contracts between you and your counterparty and leveraging contract management software tools to receive timely alerts for each obligation of contracts, you can retain contract obligation accountability instead of meddling with unnecessary disputes.

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.

CobbleStone Software’s Executive VP and Founder, Mark Nastasi, narrows down his top eight items of recommendation to help you lead your legal digital transformation in 2022.

Do you manage contracts in a small to mid-size organization?  Or, do you manage a large amount of contracts and need a basic yet streamlined contract management solution for optimal control and oversight?  Regardless of the position or size of the organization you are a part of, contracts are integral to your organizational processes.  From client contracts to employee contracts - among many others - your organization’s contract management KPIs can be hindered by contract non-compliance, disorganized pre-award contract processes, missed contract renewal opportunities, and more without the proper contract management system in place.  Read on to to learn how CobbleStone’s Contract Insight Express Edition can streamline your contract administration processes with a user-friendly and highly-configurable interface.

Government contract management can be divided into three overarching phases: procurement and acquisition planning, the sourcing and award, and post-award contract administration.  The first two phases typically enjoy the most time, attentiveness, and financial investment.  However, the neglect of the third stage - post-award management - as a tertiary duty can leave your organization unsupported and en route toward needless compliance violations, increased risk variables, and missed opportunities.  It could be argued that the post award contract process is the most essential stage for your government organization, but it has notoriously been abandoned to insufficient visibility and a lack of allocated resources.  Read this article to learn how to face the challenges of post award contract management head on with an actionable post award contract management software solution.