How CMS Helps With Redlining For Multi-party Contracts

A drawn-out contracting process costs a company additional money and resources. Organizations need the right tools and strategies to speed up their workflows. Or else they end up losing out on significant initiatives and revenue streams.  

One such weighty part of contract management that may hold up the process is negotiation. It is a cumbersome operation where the interested stakeholders work out the specifics of the legal agreement. They go back and forth on the various stipulations and terms mentioned in the contract. Keeping track of the modifications is more challenging when several parties are engaged.  

Redlining through contract management software offers great flexibility to make the negotiation process go smoothly. It provides organizations ease of use, security, and accessibility when dealing with multi-party contracts. In this blog post, we will cover the specific way contract management systems help with contract redlining.   

What is contract redlining? 

Contract redlining is the process of making changes to a legal document. As part of the negotiation, the stakeholders make redlines to decide which part to accept or reject. The redline makes it easier for handlers to track the changes. The main objective is to produce an agreement that all sides approve. Eventually, everyone agrees to one version, making it the finalized document.  

The term "contract redlining" originated from the practice of redlining contracts on hard copies using red ink. But fortunately, nowadays, organizations do not have to go through a manual process to finalize a document. CMS offers advanced tools for redlining, reviewing, and negotiating legal agreements within a single platform.  

How do you redline a contract using CMS? 

Contract redlining involving multiple parties means umpteen changes and versions. Thankfully, automated contract software has provisions to keep track of it all.  

After the drafting process, the contract managers can share the legal document with multi parties for review. The counterparty can analyze the contract and start redlining. All the users can see the changes, and they can either accept or reject them. This process goes on until all the parties agree upon all the changes. The sidebars and built-in comment section make it easier for users to navigate the thousands of redlines. It is clear to all parties who made a change and when. Consequently, they can get on the same page before the approval stage.  

Also, organizations can adopt comprehensible language to accelerate the review process. Less legal jargon and convoluted terms can go a long way during negotiation. And eliminating dispensable clauses and conditions can speed up approval workflow.  

What are the challenges of redlining for multi-party contracts? 

Contract redlining is an unavoidable part of efficient contracting. But the process does come with its own set of difficulties. Collaboration is a struggle when there are several parties to a contract. And it can lead to misunderstanding and delays instead of an optimum contracting process. Some of the challenges of redlining for multiple parties include: 

• Keeping track of changes 

One of the constant struggles of redlining multi-party contracts is staying on top of all the modifications. Improper tracking might result in inconsistencies and the loss of all the changes.   

• Readability 
  

It is hard to ensure the readability of a contract when various parties are making constant changes. Moreover, it will be hard for users to identify and rectify common errors in an illegible document. 

• Longer negotiation process 

When there are too many changes to go through and review, it substantially slows down the entire negotiation process. Consequently, it will take longer to start the approval workflow.  

What are the benefits of redlining through CMS? 

Contract redlining available through CMS enables organizations to capture contract modifications digitally. The legal team does not have to keep sending emails back and forth to finalize an agreement. All the editing, collaboration, and negotiation happen on a single platform. When the process is automated, there is no scope for human error or losing track of changes. The advantages of automated contract redlining include the following.

• Optimizes the contract redlining process 

Contract negotiations over endless emails are a waste of time and resources. CMS and automation optimize contract redlining to produce better and faster results. And the system comes with automated reminders and notifications to apprise reviews. Implementing CMS empowers organizations to simplify and accelerate the reviewing and approval process. Automated redlining eliminates unnecessary manual steps to expedite the process. Businesses do not need to invest countless hours in just one legal arrangement.  

• Reduces error and miscommunication 

In contract management, even the most trivial mistake can cost money and credibility. If organizations employ manual processes for negotiation and approval, it increases the scope of inaccuracies and misunderstandings. Moreover, it is hard to keep the legal document updated and relevant.   

CMS automates the review and approval process to reduce human error. It also ensures that all the stakeholders have instant access to relevant and accurate contractual agreements. All the changes made by the multiple parties during contract redlining are consistently updated. Consequently, innumerable versions of the document will not dilute the review process. It improves the chances of approval and compliance.  

• Complete security 

Organizations without automated contract redlining employ different tools and software to finalize legal agreements. Storing and managing documents from various platforms can be a security risk. Switching between software to review, edit, or sign legal documents is a tedious task. And there is a high possibility of data leakage and version loss.  

But with contract management software, the entire lifecycle is handled from a centralized platform. The optimized process ensures the seamless flow of information from one party to another. Moreover, the system automates contract redlining to provide absolute control over the different versions.  

How does CMS help with contract redlining for multiple parties? 

Multi-party contracts, as their name suggests, involve more than two parties in the contractual arrangement. It can either mean multiple internal or external parties or both. As a result, it is a headache for businesses to keep track of all the modifications during contract redlining. That is why negotiating the legal points offline or through email is out of the question. Fortunately, CMS offers the necessary tools to streamline the redlining process for multi-party contracts.  

• Version Management 

When multiple parties negotiate a contract, it is bound to include numerous exchanges of legal agreements between the stakeholders before finalizing. As a result, innumerable copies of papers are in circulation, making it difficult to monitor them all. And before getting to that definitive version, efficiently collaborating to manage the modifications is crucial.   

But with redlining through CMS, rather than static documents, organizations have access to dynamic digitized files with timely updated changes. There is no unstructured data or countless copies to muddle through. Businesses can scroll through the contractual agreement to know who made the changes and when. Organizations have complete version control over contracts, regardless of how many parties are engaged. 

• Historical Record  

For efficient contract management, all contract-related information is essential. During the negotiation process, the legal document goes through numerous modifications. These details might not seem significant, yet they are vital for upcoming partnerships. All this information is permanently lost when stored in static files or on paper.  

Fortunately, contract management software efficiently preserves all the trail of modifications made during redlining. Moreover, all the individual data is made searchable for effective utilization. Contract managers can analyze the data to determine the needs and wants of counterparties. It empowers organizations to make informed decisions.  

• Automated workflows 

The review and approval process for any type of contract is complicated. For instance, sometimes, the negotiators and approvers may not overlap. Hence, contract management software offers customizable and automated workflows. Organizations can alter the workflow according to their wants and needs.

It ensures that relevant information is getting to the right person. Consequently, there are no unnecessary breaks or delays in the negotiation or approval process. The operation works seamlessly even when multiple parties are involved.   

• Contact Data 

CMS provides a digital repository to store the contact details of every stakeholder. Businesses can effectively organize information like counterparty names, primary and secondary contacts, etc. Moreover, contract managers get instant access to all the contracts related to a particular party. 

An extensive overview of contract-related information is helpful when managing multi-party agreements. It mitigates the redlining process and eliminates the risk of miscommunication. And the data flows through the designated reviewers without breakage.  

Let us conclude

Contract redlining essentially means reviewing and reviewing legal documents. Each party involved in the negotiation process makes ‘redlines’ to denote content they accept or reject. In multi-party contracts, numerous stakeholders mean complicated and lengthy negotiations.  

But optimizing contract redlining through CMS shortens the contract review process. It empowers businesses to carry out redlining without room for miscommunication or errors. Automated systems enhance the visibility, accuracy, and accountability of contract redlining. Organizations can effortlessly monitor the changes without losing control over multiple versions.  

Schedule a personalized live demo to learn about the benefits of Contract Management Software.