Contract Insights

(This post was originally published April 24, 2017. Updated May 29, 2018)

Managing contract compliance can be tough.  It becomes even more difficult when important terms and clauses are buried deep within a contract.  Times that by the thousands of contracts a company will manage and you can find yourself more frustrated than ever.  Missing compliance can cost an organization much more than hefty fees and fines.  Reputations could tarnish and deals could go down the drain.  Your organization could be playing catch up for a while.  Being able to meet compliance becomes a top priority.  It becomes easier with the right contract management software in place.

There’s a lot of buzz when it comes to digital innovation in just about any part of an organization. When it comes down to it, what exactly does that entail?

It is very rare when an organization is so on point that others use them as a standard (we’re looking at you, Amazon). The ability to have most, or all, of your business processes fine-tuned and in sync is something that most organizations are often trying to accomplish. These types of changes could take years before they truly take effect. Unfortunately, business happens quick and organizations can’t afford to wait that long. Many areas of the organization including marketing, sales, and service departments have already eradicated outdated ways of operating.

The topic of digital innovation in the procurement process, however, seems to be the one area that tends to get overlooked. Why?

CobbleStone announces its newest release of our leading contract management software, Version 17.2. Building upon the success of Version 17, we have included new features throughout multiple modules in the system, along with improving overall capabilities and improving usability. Additionally, clients have the option to update select user accounts without compromising the settings of other user systems.

Effectively managing tail spend now can save your organization headaches in the long run.

What is Tail Spend?

In an organization where there are outlined procurement procedures, roughly 80% of that organization’s total spend will be strategically managed through those guidelines. Those purchases are usually lead by an experienced purchasing professional who will thoroughly vet the potential vendors. They will ensure that the purchase is in compliance with company and industry guidelines, and, once work is awarded, the purchasing professional will continue to audit that relationship. They will make sure that the terms are being met as agreed upon and will continue to rate the vendors work to justify renewing the contract.