Effective Business Control, Increased Visibility and Accessibility, Completely Web-Based Solution with no plug-ins, Complete solution deployed in 3 to 40 days for as little as $10,000, Return on Investment in less than 1 year, typically in less than 3 months Leading independent research firms rank Upside Software as a leader in Contract Lifecycle Management software.
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quick facts & general questions

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  • Can UpsideContract support our efforts to become compliant with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act?

 
To help become and stay compliant with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) requirements, organizations are leveraging contract management systems to effectively manage and report on their contractual relationships and activities.

A robust contract management system provides the foundation for a set of business processes and systems that ensure the verifiable management and retention of records and information related to relationships and transactions that have a material impact on the financial position of the organization.

UpsideContract provides support for companies to meet requirements under all SOX sections that pertain to business systems and corporate responsibility, including sections 302, 401, 404, 409, 802, and 906.

Learn more by visiting our Sarbanes-Oxley Act page or contact us to learn more about how UpsideContract can help with SOX compliance initiatives.
 

  • Does UpsideContract support Risk Management?

 
The ability to manage risk is a key feature in UpsideContract. The system provides a mechanism to identify, evaluate, track and manage risk events, drivers, and impacts. 

UpsideContract allows risk events to be identified including a text description of the event along with an estimated probability of occurrence and the estimated loss if the event were to occur (in time or dollars).


For each risk event:
  • One or more Event Drivers can be identified, recording the reasons why the event may occur.
  • One or more Impacts can be identified, documenting potential outcomes if the event were to occur, each with an assigned probability.
  • Each Impact can have one or more Impact Drivers which document the elements contributing to the loss if the event were to occur.
  • A specific user is assigned to the event; this will be the individual responsible for managing the risk event and taking steps to reduce the probability of occurrence.
  • A specific event can be assigned to a contract or a project, including customer defined projects.


UpsideContract records details of actions taken to mitigate risk events and stores historic information on adjustments made to probability estimates.

The system provides extensive reporting capabilities providing stakeholders with an effective view of their risks, supporting material, and associated mitigation plans.

Contact us to learn more about how UpsideContract supports your risk management activities.

Visit the UpsideContract product section for more details.
 


  • Can the system support document sharing in MS Word?

 
UpsideContract supports Microsoft Word in three ways:
  1. MS Word export & import for off-line editing and negotiation.
    UpsideContract supports the exporting of documents to Microsoft Word 2000 or higher. Users external to the UpsideContract application can modify the Word document using Microsoft Word then send it back to a user with access to UpsideContract. The document can then be imported back into UpsideContract while maintaining the structure and integrity of the document (sections, clauses, styles, headers and footers, fonts, etc).
  2. Conversion of MS Word contract documents into the UpsideContract database.
    UpsideContract comes with powerful conversion tools to get existing contracts into the system quickly and effectively. The MS Word conversion tool takes existing contracts in MS Word and converts them into UpsideContract, allowing organizations to take full advantage of the extensive capabilities of UpsideContract to manage all contracts – new and old.
  3. Attached documents can be MS Word or any other type of electronic file.
    UpsideContract supports attached documents of any type including Microsoft Word documents. Attached Word documents can be seamlessly incorporated into the contract (the content of the attached document becomes part of the contract text), or it can simply be stored as supporting information.

Contact us to learn more about how UpsideContract supports Microsoft Word documents.

Visit the UpsideContract product section for more details.


  • Can the ongoing configuration be done by "end-users" or are technical resources required?

 
We have made every attempt to design UpsideContract so that it can be managed and updated by users with little to no technical expertise. The design allows end-users to update the system with the company’s rules, workflow, and processes, as well as other management functions. All functionality is provided using a simple web-based application that requires very little training to use.
 

  • Can we use only certain features of UpsideContract and disable the remainder?

 
UpsideContract is designed so that you can decide what features you want enabled. Our pricing includes all the features, but as an organization (or even within groups of your organization), you can decide who gets certain features turned on and/or off.

The security model allows for the management of features made available to your company staff – all this through an easy to use web-based interface.
 

  • Does the application need to be hosted or reside on our servers?

 
We offer either method: ASP (Application Service Provider - which could be the third party provider of your choice) or Corporate (installed on your company servers).

  • Does your software use Plug-ins or Applets?

 
Absolutely not! Our software does not use any applets, plug-ins, or any downloadable components that reside on the end-user desktop for the management of contracts or related functions.

All you need is an Internet connection and a browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape) to run our software.
 

  • Where can I find a complete list of UpsideContract features?

 
Click Here to see our full list of UpsideContract features.
 

  • What types of contracts does UpsideContract handle?

 
UpsideContract handles all types of contracts including buy-side, sell-side, Intellectual Property, employment agreements, non-disclosure agreements, etc.

UpsideContract manages contracts relating to goods by tying into inventory systems or by maintaining the items within UpsideContract. The ability to enter purchase orders, or link to them, ensures data integrity. For services type contracts, effective management of various services and relevant details for those services is possible.

Visit the UpsideContract product section for more details.
 

  • How can we see a demo or get more information?

 
Contact us to arrange a product demonstration over the web - all you need is a phone, an Internet connection, and a Browser.
 

  • What industries or verticals can the software accommodate?

 
We are proud to offer software that truly addresses the needs of practically any industry. The key reason we are able to do this is our application’s data is extensible (by a non-technical end user) therefore, data fields that are captured by your company can be added to the system by a non-technical user with our web-based application. Let us show you how easy it is to add new fields...

For some of the industries covered, take a look at ../Industry+Solutions/Overview.htm
 

  • We have a limited budget and would like to get started - what are our options?

   
  • We can offer you per seat licensing which is very affordable and low cost and then when you are ready, offer you packages to increase usage.
  • We can offer you an ASP based service (hosted by a third party) or install the application on your company servers (Corporate).
  • Depending on the type of deployment (ASP or Corporate), we can get you started in as little as 10 days, including training and conversion.

  • Can I start small and grow as time goes on? How about a Pilot first?

   
  • Our pricing and deployment model allows you to start very small (e.g. 5 users) and grow as either your organization grows or you are able to get a larger user base to adopt electronic contract management.
  • Our pricing options allow us to offer you a credit towards a larger licensing package when you are ready.


We can arrange to have a pilot set up on either your hardware or ours.

  • setup is quick and the financial risks are very low.

  • Can our company’s rules and processes be incorporated into UpsideContract? 

 
UpsideContract supports user defined business rules and workflow. The system has been designed to allow companies to enter various rules, approval workflows, reporting hierarchies, and so forth into the system. If this information is being stored on other company systems, we can integrate with those systems to leverage the information from there.
 

  • We have all our existing contracts in MS-Word or other systems - how will all this get converted?

   
  • UpsideContract includes intelligent document import and conversion utilities that enable fast and effective conversion of existing documents into the system. This allows for fast and simple document conversion from MS-Word whereby respective sections, clauses, styles, header/footers, fonts from the existing document are recognized and imported into the application structure (into the database).
  • Batch utility for bulk document conversion allows users to place all their existing contracts and/or templates into a specified directory and initiate the batch document load, which will take all the MS-Word or suitable documents and import them into the application structure (right into the database) and recognize sections, clauses, styles, fonts, etc.

    Online functions to insert documents and/or document sections into new contracts.
     

  • Our company has ERP and CRM systems - how would this affect UpsideContract?

 
UpsideContract can be integrated with any ERP or legacy system, as well as CRM solutions.

During the implementation phase, we will work with you to identify what systems you presently have and their role in terms of data created and stored, as well as how information should flow between those systems and UpsideContract.

UpsideContract is a great addition to an existing ERP and/or CRM system. It enhances the benefits you are (or are planning on) receiving from the ERP/CRM systems. We can show you real customer examples where they have achieved a significant ROI (Return On Investment) by adding UpsideContract to their existing enterprise software investments.
 

  • Typically what is the timeframe for implementation, and what are the steps?

 
Typically, UpsideContract can be implemented within 20-40 days of signing a contract. The total time is dependent on the level of customization required to integrate with your existing systems, the readiness of your customers and suppliers, and the availability of IT infrastructure resources.

In situations where our customers are joining an existing Application Service Provider (ASP) hosted service, the implementation time can be greatly reduced, speeding your return on investment.

Contact us to discuss your specific situation and we can provide you with a quote.

Visit the Implementation Options section for more details.

While we tailor the deployment project to meet the needs of the customer and to minimize deployment costs, we use a standard methodology that includes:
  • Business process review and assessment
  • Technical environment review, assessment and preparation
  • Software deployment
  • Business process, rules, workflow and G/L mapping determination and implementation
  • Support personnel and pilot user training
  • Pilot (limited scale) deployment
  • Pilot review and adjust plans as appropriate
  • Completion of user deployment and training
  • Post implementation review
     

  • Need to procure a contract management solution? Need an RFP?

 
We'd like to help you get started with your RFP!

Fill out the form displayed to request a generic 'contract management solution procurement' RFP.

If you have any questions about the document or the general RFP process let us know and we will do what we can to help you out.
 



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