Contract lifecycle management

Last updated

Contract lifecycle management (CLM) is the proactive, methodical management of a contract from initiation through award, compliance and renewal. Implementing CLM can lead to significant improvements in cost savings and efficiency. [1] Understanding CLA and using contract lifecycle management software to automate CLM processes can help to limit organizational liability and improve compliance with legal requirements.

Stages

There are many different phases of each contract – no matter the size or importance of any particular document, they must all go through each stage in order to be completed properly. As well as formation of contracts, contract lifecycle management addresses processes after contract signature or execution such as ensure parties comply with their contractual obligations, continuing compliance and dispute resolution. [2]

The stages of the contract lifecycle management process include:

  1. Requests - The start of every contract involves the actual request. This is the phase where involved parties gather all the relevant information and data they need in order to create a contract that works for both sides. The request stage is arguably one of the most important stages of the contract lifecycle and can take some time depending on who is involved.
  2. Authoring - This is the stage where the contract actually gets written. Both parties put their terms into writing and ‘solidify’ their clauses and relevant information relating to their contractual obligations.
  3. Negotiations - The negotiation stages are where both parties continue to negotiate specific contract parameters – this is the stage that directly precedes final approval. Negotiations can be very quick or prolonged – it entirely depends on the method of negotiation, the involved parties, the scale of the contract, how many people are involved, etc. Use of contract lifecycle management software can drastically reduce the amount of time spent in the negotiation phase.
  4. Approval - Once both sides have agreed on the various terms, clauses and dates relating to the particular contract, it can now be approved. Department heads, executives, and ‘higher-ups’ may need to get involved at this phase of the contract to ensure everything is as it needs to be. Once the contract gets the approval from the relevant departments and/or personnel, the contract can then be signed.
  5. Signature - In the signature phase, the contract is signed by whoever needs to sign it in order to become official (who signs the contract is unique to each business). If contract lifecycle management software is used, the signature stage can be done electronically via the internet which drastically reduces the amount of time this stage takes.
  6. Obligation - Each involved party and personnel will have their own set of responsibilities and obligations pertaining to the specific contract.
  7. Compliance - Compliance means the involved parties and personnel all keep to their various obligations. Without a proper system or contract lifecycle management software, compliance can be difficult to keep track of and can result in legal ramifications, late fees, bottlenecks, and other business hazards.
  8. Renewal - After a document is expired (or when it is nearing expiration) a contract must be renewed and renegotiated. Contract lifecycle management software makes it easy for businesses to keep track of expiry dates and upcoming renewals.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-disclosure agreement</span> Contractual agreement not to disclose specified information

A non-disclosure agreement (NDA), also known as a confidentiality agreement (CA), confidential disclosure agreement (CDA), proprietary information agreement (PIA), or secrecy agreement (SA), is a legal contract or part of a contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish to restrict access to. Doctor–patient confidentiality, attorney–client privilege, priest–penitent privilege and bank–client confidentiality agreements are examples of NDAs, which are often not enshrined in a written contract between the parties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Systems development life cycle</span> Systems engineering terms

In systems engineering, information systems and software engineering, the systems development life cycle (SDLC), also referred to as the application development life cycle, is a process for planning, creating, testing, and deploying an information system. The SDLC concept applies to a range of hardware and software configurations, as a system can be composed of hardware only, software only, or a combination of both. There are usually six stages in this cycle: requirement analysis, design, development and testing, implementation, documentation, and evaluation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Product lifecycle</span> Duration of processing of products from inception, to engineering, design & manufacture

In industry, product lifecycle management (PLM) is the process of managing the entire lifecycle of a product from its inception through the engineering, design and manufacture, as well as the service and disposal of manufactured products. PLM integrates people, data, processes, and business systems and provides a product information backbone for companies and their extended enterprises.

Construction management (CM) aims to control the quality of a project's scope, time, and cost to maximize the project owner's satisfaction. It uses project management techniques and software to oversee the planning, design, construction and closeout of a construction project safely, on time, on budget and within specifications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exclusion clause</span>

Exclusion clauses and limitation clauses are terms in a contract which seek to restrict the rights of the parties to the contract.

Project finance is the long-term financing of infrastructure and industrial projects based upon the projected cash flows of the project rather than the balance sheets of its sponsors. Usually, a project financing structure involves a number of equity investors, known as 'sponsors', and a 'syndicate' of banks or other lending institutions that provide loans to the operation. They are most commonly non-recourse loans, which are secured by the project assets and paid entirely from project cash flow, rather than from the general assets or creditworthiness of the project sponsors, a decision in part supported by financial modeling; see Project finance model. The financing is typically secured by all of the project assets, including the revenue-producing contracts. Project lenders are given a lien on all of these assets and are able to assume control of a project if the project company has difficulties complying with the loan terms.

In software development, peer review is a type of software review in which a work product is examined by author's colleagues, in order to evaluate the work product's technical content and quality.

Contract management or contract administration is the management of contracts made with customers, vendors, partners, or employees. Contract management includes negotiating the terms and conditions in contracts and ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions, as well as documenting and agreeing on any changes or amendments that may arise during its implementation or execution. It can be summarized as the process of systematically and efficiently managing contract creation, execution, and analysis for the purpose of maximizing financial and operational performance and minimizing risk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian contract law</span> Overview of contract law in Canada

Canadian contract law is composed of two parallel systems: a common law framework outside Québec and a civil law framework within Québec. Outside Québec, Canadian contract law is derived from English contract law, though it has developed distinctly since Canadian Confederation in 1867. While Québecois contract law was originally derived from that which existed in France at the time of Québec's annexation into the British Empire, it was overhauled and codified first in the Civil Code of Lower Canada and later in the current Civil Code of Quebec, which codifies most elements of contract law as part of its provisions on the broader law of obligations. Individual common law provinces have codified certain contractual rules in a Sale of Goods Act, resembling equivalent statutes elsewhere in the Commonwealth. As most aspects of contract law in Canada are the subject of provincial jurisdiction under the Canadian Constitution, contract law may differ even between the country's common law provinces and territories. Conversely; as the law regarding bills of exchange and promissory notes, trade and commerce, maritime law, and banking among other related areas is governed by federal law under Section 91 of the Constitution Act, 1867; aspects of contract law pertaining to these topics are harmonised between Québec and the common law provinces.

<i>Burger King Corporation v Hungry Jacks Pty Ltd</i> Australian court case between Burger King and Hungry Jacks

Burger King Corporation v Hungry Jack's (2001) 69 NSWLR 558 was an Australian court case decided in the New South Wales Court of Appeal on 21 June 2001, concerning a dispute between United States-based fast food chain Burger King, and its Australian franchisee Hungry Jack's. It related to the breach of a business development agreement between the two companies, and the resulting attempts of Burger King to terminate the contract. The Court of Appeal decided that Burger King could not terminate the contract, for several reasons, one of which was that it was in breach of an implied term of good faith, having taken steps to engineer the breach of the contract.

A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to transfer any of those at a future date, and the activities and intentions of the parties entering into a contract may be referred to as contracting. In the event of a breach of contract, the injured party may seek judicial remedies such as damages or equitable remedies such as specific performance or rescission. A binding agreement between actors in international law is known as a treaty.

The sale and purchase of ship is an important aspect of the shipping industry. It may involve large amounts of money and requires brokers to possess knowledge of types of vessels and their function, knowledge of maritime law, as well experience in bargaining. To reduce the number of disputes and smoothen the sale and purchase procedure, normally the ship-owner (seller) and the buyer will appoint brokers as middlemen to handle the transaction. There are three main stages for the sale and purchase of a ship which include: (1) the negotiation and contract stage, (2) the inspections stage, and (3) the completion. From different stages, it includes different important issues and regulations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African contract law</span> Law about agreements between two or more parties

South African contract law is "essentially a modernized version of the Roman-Dutch law of contract", and is rooted in canon and Roman laws. In the broadest definition, a contract is an agreement two or more parties enter into with the serious intention of creating a legal obligation. Contract law provides a legal framework within which persons can transact business and exchange resources, secure in the knowledge that the law will uphold their agreements and, if necessary, enforce them. The law of contract underpins private enterprise in South Africa and regulates it in the interest of fair dealing.

<i>Bhasin v Hrynew</i> 2014 Supreme Court of Canada case

Bhasin v Hrynew, 2014 SCC 71 is a leading Canadian contract law case, concerning good faith as a basic organizing principle in contractual relations in Canada's common law jurisdictions.

Configuration Lifecycle Management (CLM) is the management of all product configuration definitions and configurations across all involved business processes applied throughout the lifecycle of a product.

Contract management software constitutes a range of computer programmes, libraries and data used to support contract management, contract lifecycle management, and contractor management on projects and in the procurement of goods and services. It may be used with project management software.

Icertis is an American privately owned software company that provides contract management software to enterprise businesses using a software-as-a-service model. The company, which was founded in 2009, is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automatic renewal clause</span>

An automatic renewal clause, is activated towards the end of the contractual period whereby it automatically renews the terms of an agreement except when the contract is terminated, or one of the contracting parties has sent a letter of contract cessation to others prior to the end of the period. An example of the clause is illustrated in the following quote: “Each Term shall automatically renew for subsequent periods of the same length as the initial Term unless either party gives the other written notice of termination at least thirty (30) days prior to expiration of the then-current Term."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missives of Sale (Scots law)</span> Scottish trading law

The missives of sale, in Scots property law, are a series of formal letters between the two parties, the Buyer and the Seller, containing the contract of sale for the transfer of corporeal heritable property (land) in Scotland. The term 'land' in this article includes buildings and other structures upon land.

ISO/IEC 5230 is an international standard on the key requirements for a high-quality open source license compliance program. The standard was published jointly by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in late 2020. The standard is based on the Linux Foundation OpenChain Specification 2.1. It focuses on software supply chains, easier procurement and license compliance. Organizations that meet the requirements of the standard can self-certify to ISO/IEC 17021, from an accredited certification body or after successfully completing an audit.

References

  1. "The Benefits of Contract Lifecycle Management/CLM". Villanova University. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  2. G2.com, Inc. Best Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) Software, updated July 2023, accessed 28 August 2023