Only a few companies are now able, with one click a current overview of the treaties concluded by you to provide, to realistically a resulting risks - but also opportunities-, and whether it's only miss the agreed period of notice. Even small companies already manage a variety of contractual arrangements, in industries such as insurance companies or banks are contracts from the cornerstone of business model.

A wide variety of types of contracts may apply:

• Leasing contracts
• Contracts of employment
• Mobile phone contracts
• Supplier contracts
• Customer contracts
• Maintenance contracts
• Rental agreements
• License agreements
• Non-disclosure agreements and much more.

Each individual contract can have impact on the business success of an enterprise. It is accordingly important, at any time to keep an overview of the contractual conditions and the potential impact, were there periods of notice, Dates for automatic adjustments to the contract, expiring contracts, etc.

Furthermore, non-standardised contracts are subject to a design process usually. In the design phase, for example, a lease goes through several stages with changes made by the Contracting Parties, the other version is created. Then this final version must be filed on one in an editable version, facilitate subsequent substantive tests by text searches, and so that the Treaty can be used as a template for future contracts. And the valid, signed version must be kept in a central folder, can be accessed quickly in the, even if it only, to make copies. Also a digital file is - in addition to the drop in a paper folder-.

In many companies, editing and storing contract documents in the file system is. This raises a number of issues, must but the elements of the contract life cycle be very carefully and manually edited and maintained:

1. Creating different versions of a contract from design of up to final version,
2. Coordination process between the contractors and processing of designs by various persons, Departments and ggf. Lawyer or external service providers,
3. Access rights to contract data (think only of the access protection of employment contracts)
4. special storage of contract versions, so that only authorized access (Permission to display or change),
5. Storing font / mail traffic to the documents,
6. interne Genehmigung der Verträge über Workflow-Funktionalitäten,
7. Maintaining the current original Treaty signed in (by scanning) in the central system,
8. quick and easy search of the Treaty on the system,
9. Evaluation and storage of the content of the treaties such, that z.B. Some deadlines and risks- and be made manageable.

Ein professioneller Ansatz mit ECSpand Contract management

Based on the platform Microsoft SharePoint We provide our customers with the ECSpand Contract management a professional solution available, the agreements covered not only the entire life cycle of all the company intuitive maps, but provides important analysis and archiving functions and moreover - as always Microsoft SharePoint – easily and with little effort on the individual Requirements can be tailored to the company. You manage the following basic information with the contract management ECSpand:

• Master contract
• Periods and notice periods
• Other contract deadlines
• Contract costs
• Contract documents
• Tasks
• Notes
• Notifications
• Access rights

The principle of the contract file

In addition, you can manage specific information to certain types of contracts or information required specifically for your company without any restrictions. Adding additional features like z.B. Discount conditions at supplier contracts or condition changes in season lease happens during the introduction and installation and is also possible with very little effort. In addition, simple searches are available for, Show, Archiving and structuring of contract information and contract documents functions available. The storage is carried out according to the principle of file, According to the contract information and contractual documents are managed together with logical contract files. In paper-based form the contract file would correspond to a folder in the filing cabinet, on its folder cover important details of the contract are found and contains also notes or the communication between the Contracting Parties in addition to the signed contract.

Periods and notice periods

The terms of contracts be often very different. The start of the contract is common to all contracts. There not necessarily a defined end of the contract must be to a contract, can z.B. Specifies information such as minimum contract term and automatic renewal. About the notice period in months and the effect of the termination, the termination date is determined automatically.

Management of the actual contract documents

In addition to the master data of the contract can the actual contract documents (z.B. signed contract) and contract documents, as z.B. Correspondence, Attachments, etc., be managed. Existing contract documents – as is customary with Web Forms – upload individually or as a group of several documents or alternative an Explorer view in the file system “copy and paste”. In addition, you can further edit uploaded documents via context menu and manage.

Management of access rights
The access rights are defined on the contract file level, d.h. the rights of contract documents, Deadlines, Notes, etc. correspond to the rights to the contract file. Here, a simple distinction is possible example in user, have only read rights, and such, the contract documents may edit.

Notifications for contract files

Ensure automatic notifications, that you already in advance automatically by Email be informed, If certain periods of notice must be observed, fully automatically.

Is a predefined notification is enabled, administratively configurable number of months is deducted from the termination date and as “Beginning of the notification” automated registered. Notification interval, Receiver and notification text are freely configurable.

 Approve and sign-off of contract versions
The figure of an approval process by authorized signatories of one or more is possible without further ADO. The approval process required in your organization can be set up easily and without any programming skills with the standard features of Microsoft SharePoint.

Conclusion

A comprehensive contract management solution offers two advantages:

1. A complete overview of all contractual operations with security, to be able to act in good time and proactively.
2. Considerable amount of time- and cost savings when you create, Manage, Archiving and retrieval of relevant contract information.

We will gladly advise you in your considerations on contract management and implement contract management tailor-made for in compact form. Contact us!