Contract lifecycle optimisation for an industrial group
How we transformed contract management for an industrial group with a CLM (Contract Lifecycle Management) solution, securing relationships with subcontractors and reducing legal risk.
Context
A major industrial group is facing growing financial and legal risk tied to the non-standardised management of its subcontracting contracts. Its account managers, putting speed of execution first, sometimes bypass the contractual processes, exposing the company to significant litigation risk.
Issues identified
Legal risk: Contracts left unsigned, or amended without any control
Financial losses: Costly disputes with subcontractors
A non-standardised process: Practices that vary from one region to another
Lack of traceability: Contract amendments are hard to track
What was at stake in the transformation
The project was built around three strategic areas:
-
Legal safeguards
- Standardising the contractual processes
- Systematic validation of clauses
- A full history of amendments
-
Operational efficiency
- Digitalising the contract cycle
- Automating approvals
- Access to the documents from any device
-
Compliance and control
- Adherence to the mandatory procedures
- Traceability of actions
- Centralised reporting
Our approach
Our work was structured around several areas of expertise:
1. Analysis and design
Process audit
- Mapping the existing practices
- Identifying the risks
- Analysing the business needs
Solution design
- A CLM architecture matched to the need
- Tailored workflows
- Intuitive interfaces
2. Implementation
Digitalising the processes
- Automated approvals
- An intelligent reminder system
- Secure digital archiving
System integration
- A connection to the ERP
- Documented APIs
- Data synchronisation
3. Change management
User training
- Sessions by business role
- Detailed documentation
- Dedicated support
Results
1. Safer processes
- Systematic validation of contracts
- Full traceability of amendments
- Reduced legal risk
2. Operational optimisation
A contract cycle under control
- Automatic reminders
- Signature tracking
- Version management
Greater efficiency
- Shorter processing times
- Better compliance
- Centralised documents
3. Business innovation
- An intuitive interface on any device
- Workflows matched to the needs
- Easier collaboration between departments
Business impact
The CLM solution achieved the following:
- A significant reduction in legal risk
- Fewer costly disputes
- A better relationship with subcontractors
- Standardised practices across the group
This transformation shows how digitalising contractual processes can make an industrial group’s operations safer while improving operational efficiency.