Contracts & Signing
Contract management software
Choose contract management software by comparing storage, approval workflows, renewal actions, permissions and exit needs.
Choose contract management software for the work your team must control. If the main problem is finding signed agreements and acting on key dates, start with a contract repository. If requests, drafting, review and approval also need a managed route, assess contract lifecycle management (CLM) software.
Map the contract journey
Trace a routine supplier agreement and one with a changed term. Identify who requests, drafts, approves and signs each contract; who stores the final copy; and who acts on its commitments. Record what each person needs: counterparty, notice deadline, renewal date and action owner.
Keep notice deadlines separate from expiry dates: an expiry reminder may be too late for a renewal decision. Keep obligations separate from reminders. Each action needs an owner and a recorded outcome.
| Need | What to ask a supplier to show |
|---|---|
| Find an agreement | Retrieve the signed copy and relevant terms using an ordinary user account. |
| Control a changed term | Route it to the right reviewer and identify the version approved for signature. |
| Act after signing | Assign a renewal decision and a separate obligation to named owners. |
| Restrict access | Show who can find, open, edit and download a confidential contract. |
| Leave the system | Retrieve contracts and the metadata needed for a move. |
Three products to investigate
Confirm each supplier's billing, data-hosting, support and contract terms for an Australian business, plus implementation work.
ContractWorks
ContractWorks describes a folder-based repository, administrator-controlled folder and document access, custom tags, reports and date alerts. Its tracking page describes milestone emails and a calendar for upcoming dates.
Published Standard and Professional plans list 2,500 and 10,000 documents respectively. Confirm which repository functions and alerts each tier includes. Premium lists drafting, redlining and workflows. If approval before signature matters, check that the proposed plan provides it; a date alert is not an approval gate.
ContractWorks' published plans list unlimited users across all three tiers. Standard lists 5 electronic signature licences and 2,500 documents; Professional lists 10 licences and 10,000 documents; Premium lists 20 licences and unlimited documents. Compare proposed document and signature allowances with expected workload, not user access alone, as the measure of capacity.
The ContractWorks pricing feature table names OCR, an audit log, SAML single sign-on and Salesforce integration. Ask which are included in the quoted plan and whether setup is required.
Ironclad
Ironclad describes its CLM subscription as including workflow-related services.
The order form, licences, permissions and configuration determine what a customer can use. Ask the supplier to map each participant to the proposed licence and show the workflow and obligation functions in the offer. Check suggested metadata against the signed agreement before using it for decisions.
Ironclad's product description names possible external integrations including Docusign, Adobe Acrobat Sign and Dropbox Sign, plus Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, Dropbox and Egnyte for cloud storage. It also lists SAML-based single sign-on. Availability is subject to the applicable order form, purchased licences, usage limits and configuration; confirm each required connection in the proposed offer.
Docusign CLM
Docusign CLM describes document generation, review and approval workflows, an AI-powered repository for agreement insights and key milestones, and data population from systems such as Salesforce.
Request in writing the functions, integrations and permissions included in the proposed quote, and demonstrate the workflow with the intended roles. Check CLM entitlements separately from any existing Docusign eSignature subscription.
Docusign CLM describes dynamic templates, data population from systems such as Salesforce, and conditional rules that can send non-standard terms for review.
Docusign also describes a drag-and-drop process editor, more than 100 pre-configured workflow steps and pre-built connectors and APIs.
Contract management software: key features comparison
- ContractWorksFolder-based repository, custom tags, date alerts, milestone emails, SAML SSO, OCR, audit log, Salesforce integration
- IroncladCLM workflows, external integrations (Docusign, Adobe Acrobat Sign, Dropbox Sign), cloud storage connectors (Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, Dropbox, Egnyte), SAML SSO
- Docusign CLMAI-powered repository, dynamic templates, data population from Salesforce, conditional rules, drag-and-drop process editor, 100+ pre-configured workflow steps, APIs and connectors
Document and user capacity by plan – ContractWorks
Make the decision
Use fictional or cleared agreements. Upload a signed contract with a notice date and an obligation. Create a new contract, change a term requiring review, approve the final version and retrieve the signed record. For confidential-contract permissions, see the dedicated permission-test article.
Compare the full cost of the proposed setup, including migration, configuration and ongoing ownership of fields and workflows. A repository may cover controlled storage and dates. A CLM system is justified when its configured route solves the pre-signature work your team must manage.
In this guide
- Comparing contract repositories with full lifecycle systemsDecide whether signed-contract storage and alerts are enough, or whether your team needs controlled drafting, review and approval.
- Testing renewal reminders and obligation trackingUse sample contract dates and owners to check reminder delivery, renewal decisions, overdue work and obligation completion.
- Evaluating permissions for confidential contractsTest contract access across search, records, attachments, downloads, reports and permission changes using defined user roles.
