What is Software for Contracts?

Contract software assists with creating, negotiating, signing, renewing, and gathering actionable data related to business contracts. It allows law firms and others dealing with contracts to replace manual contract management, so they can meet large contract volumes without needing more staff. By using software for contracts, business teams can also self-serve from owned templates, so that routine contracts can be negotiated and managed from a centralized location at scale.

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Why is Software For Contracts Important? 

Software for contracts is essential to maintaining an efficient and effective process of negotiation. A well-managed contract minimizes legal, financial, and brand risks for any organization. Poorly managed contracts, often without contract software, can result in missed renewal and expiration dates, broken obligations, lack of compliance, unauthorized data access, as well as unhappy partners, suppliers, and customers. Additionally, 92% of the time spent on contracts is spent on processes because of inefficient manual contracting - the IACCM found this to be true. When there is disorganization among contracts, there may be friction among team members that will hinder their efficiency. Key dates can be missed due to poor lifecycle management, resulting in costly renewals. This can be avoided through implementing records through software for contracts.

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Benefits of Software For Contracts  

• Visibility: Software for contracts allows for increased visibility and 24/7 access to contracts. In comparison to the traditional, manual contract lifecycle, CLM software significantly increases visibility and monitoring of legal contracts.
• Organization: Software for contracts assists companies in organizing their legal contracts, which is crucial to success. With this software, any contract can be found and viewed based on its date, type, sector, etc. This is a huge benefit since any contract can be viewed with just a few clicks. 
• Efficiency: The software allows users to automate workflows and prevents them from making changes that are illegal. A company that deals with legal contracts every day will see exponential results from the reduction in labor hours; in fact, the whole process will be more efficient.
• Negotiation: With contract software, there is no need for back-and-forth in-person negotiations; instead, all parties are notified of the tasks they need to complete. The review of contracts can now be done from all various locations simultaneously, eliminating the need for long meetings. Software for legal contract management allows users to update contract versions, monitor changes, make comments, discuss, and share.

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Types of Contracts Covered By Software For Contracts

• Cost Reimbursement Contract: It is used when there is uncertainty in the requirements and in the development process. This is a method of new research and development that involves increasing innovation without guaranteeing the outcome. This contract is based on the idea that the seller will provide work for a fixed period and then increase the bill after the work has been completed. Due to the lack of discussion prior to the agreement, the other party does not know the amount of the raise.
• Time and Material Contract: Within a reasonable limit, one party agrees to pay the other for the time and materials used. When the customer agrees to pay all real and legitimate expenses, it can be cost reimbursed. Alternatively, the customer can set the limit, similar to a FP. It is important to select a vendor who possesses the necessary capabilities and experience, as well as the required resources and manpower. Supply costs are negotiated and paid according to how much resources are consumed or purchased. To avoid massive cost overruns, the contract is fairly simple and convenient for both parties.
• Unit Price Contract: It ensures that each hour that its members spend on the overall software development process will be paid at a specified hourly rate by the party engaged in the development process. This sole advantage is the main reason why it is attractive to freelance workers. 

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Challenges of Software For Contracts 

• Compatibility Issues: It is difficult to share documents with other parties due to compatibility issues between different versions of Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF. It may be easier to implement a contract software solution that is web-based (HTML) and can be used by anyone, regardless of what device or operating system you are using, from Windows to Apple.
• Space Limitation: It is difficult for some users to find enough space in order to store all of their contracts online as well as share this information conveniently with other parties (as opposed to a single user having difficulty uploading dozens of documents). 
• Difficult Navigation of Content: In collaboration sessions with colleagues, it may be difficult to access certain words, lines, or pages when working on multiple contracts simultaneously. By using tools that allow for better categorization of content by departments, this can be solved.