Case Study: How Contract Storage Helped Manufacturing Firm To Retrieve Document Efficiently

Spotlight

This mid-sized manufacturing firm has been in operation for over two decades, producing industrial components. With several vendor relationships, and long-term contracts with logistics and equipment providers, the company relied on spreadsheets and digital folders. When the operations team decided it was time to revisit internal processes, contract storage was the first thing they wanted to fix.

Highlights

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Faster Contract Retrieval Rate

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More Renewals Handled on Time

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Boost in Cross-Departmental Contract Visibility

Customer’s Speak

Mike Reynolds

Legal Operations Manager

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Managing contracts manually led to missed deadlines, compliance risks, and inefficiencies. With SharePoint Contract Management, automation streamlined workflows, reduced manual effort, and ensured compliance. Now, we focus more on clients instead of paperwork.

Challenges Faced Before Implementing CLM 365

This became clear when we first connected with the team. During our initial conversation, they shared several pain points that storing agreements not only slowing down their operations but also creating unnecessary risks. Here’s a deeper look at the key challenges they were facing.

Inefficient Contract Retrieval
The process of finding contracts was time-consuming and challenging. Business agreements were stored in multiple places and digital folders. This lack of organization meant that retrieving a contract made it delays in daily operations.
Lack of Version Control and Clarity
The absence of a single source of truth for agreement versions led to confusion. Different teams had different versions of the same contract some saved in email inboxes, others in team folders and it was often unclear which version was final. This issue contributed to errors, missed renewals, and confusion over contract terms.
Manual Reminder System
Renewal dates and important deadlines were tracked manually, often on physical calendars or sticky notes. With no automated system in place to send reminders, key dates would occasionally be overlooked. While team members tried to keep track, human error was inevitable, leading to missed deadlines and disruptions in the workflow.
Limited Access and Visibility for Leadership
When leadership needed access to a specific contract for decision-making, the process was often delayed. The lack of a centralized contract management system meant that executives had to wait for various teams to retrieve and send documents, creating unnecessary back-and-forth communication. This delay in obtaining contracts hindered the ability of leadership to make timely, informed decisions.

How We Solved It – The Solution

After understanding the pain points, our approach was simple, make contract storage effortless and accessible. We were not aiming to reinvent workflows overnight. We just wanted the right contracts in the right place at the right time without extra effort.

Centralized Every Contract
We began by digitizing all existing contracts and consolidating them into a secure, centralized location. This made it easy for the team to access any contract, whether it was from a current supplier or a past agreement. Permissions were set according to roles, so procurement teams had access to the contracts relevant to their work, while leadership could access everything they needed without having to request it.
Organized Contracts
Contracts were categorized using key attributes such as project, department, supplier, and renewal timelines. This allowed team members to locate relevant agreements quickly without relying on memory or manual searches. The new structure made it easy for the team to find them and it is accessed easily through SharePoint Library. It is handled minimal effort, improving day-to-day efficiency and reducing time spent searching for documents.
Automated Reminders
Automated reminders helped them to notify the right people not just the admin team, but the individuals responsible for the relevant contracts ensuring that important dates were never overlooked. This feature eliminated the reliance on sticky notes and calendars, creating a system that was both proactive and reliable.
Version Control
With contracts constantly undergoing updates and revisions, version control was a significant challenge. It helped where every contract had one master version, and any changes made were tracked. This meant no more uncertainty about which version was the final one. Each change was logged with details about who made it and when, providing full transparency and eliminating confusion.
Secure Storage
Whether team members were on-site, attending vendor meetings, or working remotely, the platform made it easy to access contracts securely from any location. Role-based access controls ensured that only authorized individuals could view or make changes to sensitive agreements. This level of security supported efficient collaboration while maintaining confidentiality, giving the entire team confidence in how contracts were managed.

Results & Business Impact

The impact was not just felt in operations. Contract storage went helped them to save time and helped them to access the files at ease. Here is what changed and the numbers that backed it up.

80% Improvement in Contract Retrieval Efficiency
Accessing contracts became significantly faster. Previously, locating a single agreement often required coordination with other departments or digging through scattered storage locations. With everything centralized, the firm was able to find what they needed quickly and independently.
70% Decrease in Missed Renewal Deadlines
Automated reminders and increased visibility led to more timely follow-ups on upcoming renewals. Teams were better equipped to manage expiration dates, reducing the risk of service interruptions or unintended renewals and helping maintain stronger supplier relationships.
55% Increase in Contract Visibility Across Departments
Previously, teams worked in silos with limited access to supplier or project contracts. The new centralized storage system gave the right people instant visibility into the agreements that mattered to them from operations to procurement leading to faster decisions and better alignment across departments.