#contractmanager

Van aanbestedingsmachine naar netwerksteward: de nieuwe rol van de contractmanager De afgelopen jaren is in het sociaal domein een stille maar stevige verschuiving gaande: van sturen op markt, productie en prijs naar zoeken naar menselijke maat, publieke waarde en duurzame relaties. Gemeenten stappen over op consortia, regiovisies en langjarige samenwerking, terwijl tegelijk de taal van passende…

https://www.hackedexams.com/item/113988/ctcm-certification-exam-study-guide-2025-2026-master-key-concepts-pass-your-texas-contract-manager-test-on-the-first-try

Employee turnover is hard for any company. Not only is it expensive (for a senior-level executive, it could cost more than twice their annual salary to replace them), it can leave you scrambling to handle the processes that executive normally deals with. Unfortunately, turnover is a reality of business operation. Sometimes, in spite of your best efforts, you just can't keep an executive from leaving your company. In order to keep things running as smoothly as possible, however, it's important to have a checklist in place that will let you know what to do when an executive leaves the company. Not only is it just good practice, but it can also help you keep your contract management process moving according to schedule. Learn more about the nine stages of solid contract management to see where your company’s executives fit in. Then put these steps into practice today.

1. Have backup approvers already in place.

Many times, your executives are the ones responsible for handling details like negotiated terms and pricing. Long before an executive chooses to leave your company, you need backup approvers in place. These are individuals within the company who: Understand your normal processes.Know how you do things.Are willing to take on the burden of that responsibility.  These individuals should receive training in things like contract risk assessment and how to put together an effective contract. If the day comes when they need to handle those approval processes, they should already know what to do. If you don't have those individuals in place before you receive notice that an executive is leaving, start the training process as soon as possible. Keep in mind that it could take weeks or months to replace an executive member of the company, even if you start the search process immediately. You may want to train multiple individuals to take on those vital job tasks, including contract approval. A single individual probably cannot add all of an executive's assignments to their own list of responsibilities. 

2. Automate what you can. 

When an executive leaves, you may be scrambling to take on many of their responsibilities. This is the perfect opportunity to take a look at your contract management processes. See what tasks you can automate so they don’t fall onto another executive’s plate. Automation doesn’t just stop potential emergencies before they start. It’s an essential element of excellent contract management. Optimize your contract management software to be as effective as possible — with as little input from your team as possible. 

3. Make a list of the executive's specific responsibilities. 

Your contract management software likely already takes care of much of the contract management process for you. But how much of it? How many of those processes are already automated by your contract management software? What processes, including signing, approvals, or audit management, will need to be handled by others? When an executive has been with your company for a long time, it may surprise you just how many tasks they take care of on a daily basis. They might manage tasks for both contract approval and contract administration. Before they leave, have them list out their responsibilities and the contributions they make to the contract management process. Then, make sure that you have other individuals in place to handle those responsibilities. 

4. Revoke the executive's permissions. 

It doesn’t matter how trustworthy the individual who used to work for your company is. They are no longer a member of your team. Make sure you go into all of the company's programs, including your contract management software, and revoke access and permissions. You do not want a former executive to have access to your company's vital records and information. Even if it’s unlikely, you don’t want the potential liability that they can steal information or change it in the future.  Many companies mistakenly maintain the executive's permissions after the executive leaves. This allows other members of the team to use the former employee's login information until that position has been filled. Unfortunately, that can leave gaping security holes in your organization. It allows lower-level employees access to information that only executives should have. Before you revoke permissions, however, make sure those tasks have been assigned to someone else. Also, create a plan for handling those processes in the interim. Alternatively, consider assigning tasks to a “role” instead of a person so you can assign that role to different people over the years.

5. Communicate with your remaining team.

Employee turnover is hard for any company. Not only is it expensive (for a senior-level executive, it could cost more than twice their annual salary to replace them), it can leave you scrambling to handle the processes that executive normally deals with. Unfortunately, turnover is a reality of business operation. Sometimes, in spite of your best efforts, you just can't keep an executive from leaving your company. In order to keep things running as smoothly as possible, however, it's important to have a checklist in place that will let you know what to do when an executive leaves the company. Not only is it just good practice, but it can also help you keep your contract management process moving according to schedule. Learn more about the nine stages of solid contract management to see where your company’s executives fit in. Then put these steps into practice today.

1. Have backup approvers already in place.

Many times, your executives are the ones responsible for handling details like negotiated terms and pricing. Long before an executive chooses to leave your company, you need backup approvers in place. These are individuals within the company who: Understand your normal processes.Know how you do things.Are willing to take on the burden of that responsibility.  These individuals should receive training in things like contract risk assessment and how to put together an effective contract. If the day comes when they need to handle those approval processes, they should already know what to do. If you don't have those individuals in place before you receive notice that an executive is leaving, start the training process as soon as possible. Keep in mind that it could take weeks or months to replace an executive member of the company, even if you start the search process immediately. You may want to train multiple individuals to take on those vital job tasks, including contract approval. A single individual probably cannot add all of an executive's assignments to their own list of responsibilities. 

2. Automate what you can. 

When an executive leaves, you may be scrambling to take on many of their responsibilities. This is the perfect opportunity to take a look at your contract management processes. See what tasks you can automate so they don’t fall onto another executive’s plate. Automation doesn’t just stop potential emergencies before they start. It’s an essential element of excellent contract management. Optimize your contract management software to be as effective as possible — with as little input from your team as possible. 

3. Make a list of the executive's specific responsibilities. 

Your contract management software likely already takes care of much of the contract management process for you. But how much of it? How many of those processes are already automated by your contract management software? What processes, including signing, approvals, or audit management, will need to be handled by others? When an executive has been with your company for a long time, it may surprise you just how many tasks they take care of on a daily basis. They might manage tasks for both contract approval and contract administration. Before they leave, have them list out their responsibilities and the contributions they make to the contract management process. Then, make sure that you have other individuals in place to handle those responsibilities. 

4. Revoke the executive's permissions. 

It doesn’t matter how trustworthy the individual who used to work for your company is. They are no longer a member of your team. Make sure you go into all of the company's programs, including your contract management software, and revoke access and permissions. You do not want a former executive to have access to your company's vital records and information. Even if it’s unlikely, you don’t want the potential liability that they can steal information or change it in the future.  Many companies mistakenly maintain the executive's permissions after the executive leaves. This allows other members of the team to use the former employee's login information until that position has been filled. Unfortunately, that can leave gaping security holes in your organization. It allows lower-level employees access to information that only executives should have. Before you revoke permissions, however, make sure those tasks have been assigned to someone else. Also, create a plan for handling those processes in the interim. Alternatively, consider assigning tasks to a “role” instead of a person so you can assign that role to different people over the years.

5. Communicate with your remaining team.

The contract has been signed, what do you do now? One of the first steps a contract manager needs to take after getting a new contract is to hold a post-award kickoff meeting.

What is a Post-Award Kickoff Meeting?

One or two weeks after a contract is signed, the signatories meet to discuss their obligations under the contract. Usually, the contract manager will be working to schedule the meeting in the weeks before the contract is signed. This meeting gives both sides the chance to confirm the details of the deal they just finished negotiating.

Why Does It Matter?

It’s easy to think that a post-award kickoff meeting is a waste of time. But, holding this meeting is one of the best ways to avoid contract disputes and to make sure the contract is built on a strong foundation of trust. Contract negotiations often long and drawn-out. The signatories may not have even read the entire final agreement that their team has negotiated before signing it. The post-award kickoff meeting reminds everyone what the purpose of the agreement is, and what each side will need to accomplish.

Who Attends the Kickoff Meeting?

For a post-award kickoff meeting to be successful, you need to have the right people in the room. The attendees should include: The signatoriesContract negotiators from both sidesContract managers from both sidesLegal representative from any law firm that helped draft the contractPeople from both sides that will oversee the execution of the contract Any other major stakeholders should also attend the meeting. You want to make sure everyone at both organizations that will play a part in executing the terms of the contract are clear on what needs to be done and what their deadlines are.

Setting the Agenda

The most crucial role for the contract manager is setting the agenda and keeping the meeting on track. You want to circulate the agenda to all of the meeting participants before the meeting. The post-award kickoff meeting does not need to be long. Because there are so many different people at the meeting, a strict agenda is essential to getting anything accomplished. Agenda items should include: The specific goods or services the supplier will deliverThe deadlines for deliveryHow performance will be measuredThe process for requesting changes to the deliveryThe invoice processHow late payments will be handledAny compliance fines

After the Kickoff Meeting

The contract has been signed, what do you do now? One of the first steps a contract manager needs to take after getting a new contract is to hold a post-award kickoff meeting.

What is a Post-Award Kickoff Meeting?

One or two weeks after a contract is signed, the signatories meet to discuss their obligations under the contract. Usually, the contract manager will be working to schedule the meeting in the weeks before the contract is signed. This meeting gives both sides the chance to confirm the details of the deal they just finished negotiating.

Why Does It Matter?

It’s easy to think that a post-award kickoff meeting is a waste of time. But, holding this meeting is one of the best ways to avoid contract disputes and to make sure the contract is built on a strong foundation of trust. Contract negotiations often long and drawn-out. The signatories may not have even read the entire final agreement that their team has negotiated before signing it. The post-award kickoff meeting reminds everyone what the purpose of the agreement is, and what each side will need to accomplish.

Who Attends the Kickoff Meeting?

For a post-award kickoff meeting to be successful, you need to have the right people in the room. The attendees should include: The signatoriesContract negotiators from both sidesContract managers from both sidesLegal representative from any law firm that helped draft the contractPeople from both sides that will oversee the execution of the contract Any other major stakeholders should also attend the meeting. You want to make sure everyone at both organizations that will play a part in executing the terms of the contract are clear on what needs to be done and what their deadlines are.

Setting the Agenda

The most crucial role for the contract manager is setting the agenda and keeping the meeting on track. You want to circulate the agenda to all of the meeting participants before the meeting. The post-award kickoff meeting does not need to be long. Because there are so many different people at the meeting, a strict agenda is essential to getting anything accomplished. Agenda items should include: The specific goods or services the supplier will deliverThe deadlines for deliveryHow performance will be measuredThe process for requesting changes to the deliveryThe invoice processHow late payments will be handledAny compliance fines

After the Kickoff Meeting