How a contract management system improves the procurement process

For those in Procurement, it can be complicated to keep up with the myriad of contract types between vendors and suppliers. Previously, this task has been made almost impossible when different types of contracts are spread between folders and shared hardware. These take up valuable time when you need to stay ahead of contract events, such as renegotiation, expiration or outdated compliance policies. 

A procurement professional should be able to focus on sourcing and purchasing, instead of tedious administrative contract-related tasks. A contract management system that covers the entire lifecycle makes it easier to manage internal and external relationships. It also reduces supplier cost and mitigates risk. 

BUILDING CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS

In order to establish successful relationships with vendors, the contract process must be organized to give real-time insights. This includes things such as monitoring contract terms to meet obligations and agreed-upon compliance requirements. It is, of course, also very important to automate as much as possible for easy visibility and retrieval. 

It’s important to have a contract lifecycle system with flexibility. This is because of the wide range of types of services with liability limitations, confidentiality clauses, scope of work, and so on. Not to mention, the meaning of these terms can be identified in different ways depending on the type of vendor. A contract management system will ensure the latest in compliance requirements, approval workflows and real-time insights.

One of the advantages to having a contracting platform that handles creation, e-signing, organization and more is that it also eases negotiation and collaboration. In this way, teams save so much time and avoid misunderstandings. When incorporating automated document solutions , it’s easy to invite others both internally and externally for contract review. This is where can offer suggestions and proposals online for a quick and secure collaboration.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A CENTRALIZED REPOSITORY

A fully searchable online repository means your contracts are always secure and easy to find when you need them. Not to mention, you can share documents and even third-party papers with all other members of your team. 

One of the essential ways of improving contract management for procurement and purchasing is to have greater visibility into the performance of your supplier relationships. 

With a central repository, finding information to draft effective agreements is simple. Because of the smart search capabilities of any contract information, it’s easy to monitor and manage contract terms, ensuring compliance. In addition, data can be leveraged to examine clauses and template libraries. As a result, it’s easy to discover where specific clauses and terms are used regarding their suppliers.

UTILIZING FEATURES TO DEVELOP SUCCESSFUL PROCUREMENT

One of the most important things when dealing with procurement contracts is to have an efficient process that reduces cost and time. Choosing the right vendors is an integral part of any business. Procurement contracts must ensure the most beneficial agreements for quality, needs and resources. This is where intelligent data analysis comes in. 

An automated contracting solution is crucial if teams want to stay on top of market trends, customer preferences and pricing structures. AI algorithms can analyze data, sort information and offer valuable insights to customer and supplier behavior. For example, are your vendors delivering what they promised? Are certain clients more productive or profitable than others?

Your contract management dashboard and archive can automatically retrieve the details you need with up-to-date information, giving you the opportunity to follow changes. And when it comes to reducing risk, a smart archive analysis will send an alert for all contracts that may contain certain types of international and local regulations. Thus, your company will find out about risk-value contracts that may have changing compliance requirements. With insight into obligations and possible adjustments, you can make evidence-based decisions to repeat successes and eliminate future obstacles.

ASSIGNING ROLES SAVES TIME AND REDUCES RISK

When dealing with multiple vendors, it can be difficult to keep up with the different levels of the procurement process. Assigning roles and permissions can maximize the operational efficiency. It’s important to control who has access to your contracts, so you can allow certain users to suggest changes and give feedback without altering the agreement. In this way, you ensure the document has not been changed, maximizing compliance with legal standards and guidelines.

The ability to set internal rules and processes for review and approval also saves a lot of unnecessary waiting time. Setting an approval workflow for general or repetitive types of contracts lets you decide who approves a drafted contract before it’s sent for negotiation or signing. To this end, the entire process runs smoothly, eliminating needless bottlenecks.

TRANSFORM YOUR PROCUREMENT OPERATIONS TO STAY ON TOP

To sum up, the contracting processes of those responsible for procurement improves drastically through the proper contract management system. Time from creation to execution is noticeably cut in half. Also, with all documents in one place, it’s easy to find and access any document you’re looking for. As a result, you can respond quickly to client requests and questions. Not to mention, data analysis gives you everything you need to strategize further business opportunities and risk management.

Understanding the benefits of contract management in the area of procurement can lead to decisions that transform how your company operates. Strategic management and analysis software is available, and it’s actually quite simple to implement. It’s time to evolve beyond the old ways of manual, time-consuming paperwork. Start focusing your resources on clients in ways that will improve profitability and minimize risk.

If you’re interested in how contract management software can transform your procurement processes, take a more detailed look at what Precisely has to offer for procurement contract solutions.