Contract Lifecycle Management

Pierce County is seeking to implement an enterprise Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) solution to standardize and modernize contract management across all departments. The solution will centralize contract activities, automate workflows, improve visibility into all agreement types, and strengthen compliance with County requirements and best practices. The goal is to improve how contracts are created, reviewed, approved, executed, amended, tracked, and closed out. The ideal solution will reduce administrative burden, increase process efficiency, enhance transparency, and provide reliable reporting to support data-driven decision-making. The selected solution should provide a single working environment for all contract-related activities while integrating with the County’s existing enterprise systems.

Pierce County currently manages contracts through decentralized systems, manual processes, and department-specific practices. While standard templates exist, there is no unified system or consistent process for managing contracts across the organization. The County manages a significant and growing contract portfolio, including more than 5,000 active contracts, approximately 900 new contracts, and 350 formal solicitations annually. These activities generate over 13,000 workflow steps in systems such as Workday and OpenGov. Despite this scale, contract-related activities and communications are often handled through email, shared drives, and disconnected tools, resulting in fragmented and inefficient workflows. Contracts and supporting documents are stored inconsistently across systems, limiting visibility and making it difficult to track contract status, amendments, approvals, and version history. Departments rely heavily on manual processes, increasing administrative burden and introducing risks related to compliance, missed deadlines, and incomplete documentation. These challenges create inefficiencies and risks, including:

1. Limited visibility into contract status, amendments, and approvals

2. Inconsistent processes across departments

3. Difficulty tracking deadlines, renewals, and compliance requirements

4. Limited reporting capabilities and data insights

5. Increased operational, compliance, and financial risk

As contract volume and complexity continue to grow, the County requires a centralized, enterprise-grade CLM system to standardize processes, improve collaboration, and provide a single source of truth for contract management. Implementing a countywide CLM solution will automate routine tasks, reduce reliance on email and shared drives, and centralize contract data. A centralized repository with built-in audit trails and version control will strengthen oversight, improve transparency, and support policy compliance. Standardized workflows and real-time reporting will enhance accountability, enable data-driven decision-making, and improve monitoring of contract performance, vendor compliance, and risk. This initiative aligns with Pierce County’s commitment to accountability and good governance by increasing transparency, improving operational efficiency, and reinforcing public trust. Existing enterprise systems (e.g., Workday, OpenGov) will remain systems of record where applicable, with the CLM solution integrating to support the full contract lifecycle.