Overcoming Contract Compliance Challenges in California

Much of contract management involves compliance, and ongoing compliance in particular can be challenging to stay on top of. The more contracts a team is managing, the more difficult this challenge becomes.

California agencies serve more than 39 million people, so the state’s contract management teams have full plates. When teams are tracking more contracts than they can keep up with throughout the year, it is difficult to keep abreast of all the contract compliance requirements and deadlines.

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Ongoing contract compliance is a real challenge

Sticky notes, calendar reminders, and spreadsheets only help to a certain degree. The sticky note might get lost. The calendar reminder must be updated if a deadline changes. A spreadsheet requires regular review. A system like this can get a team by, but at what cost? Missed deadlines, late hours, and frustrated employees are common results of a haphazard system.

Ongoing contract compliance is a real challenge. We get it. Crowe Contract Manager for public sector can help.

Crowe Contract Manager for public sector was built for government agencies

The public sector does not operate like the private sector. Consequently, government contract management teams are often leery of tools built by and for the private sector.

Here’s the good news: Crowe Contract Manager for public sector supports government agency operations. It’s a part of the Crowe Government Hub, a suite of cloud technology solutions designed to simplify government operations. We built this tool not to meet private sector needs, but to offer cloud technology solutions specifically customized for government agencies – solutions that facilitate the entire contract management process.

The Crowe team includes public sector consultants who have field experience at all levels of government as well as knowledge about the industry’s most pressing challenges. Contract management teams in the public sector can benefit from this deep expertise.

California’s State Contracting Manual

Agencies in California must follow the State Contracting Manual (SCM). For instance, section 9.04 of SCM Volume 1 outlines the responsibilities of a contract manager to include maintaining contract documentation, reviewing invoices and costs claimed in the contract, and approving invoices promptly, to name a few.

The SCM also defines how organizations must maintain recordkeeping. For example, SCM Volume 1, section 9.09 outlines the need to implement practices that allow easy access to management information, such as expenditures, contract expirations, and contract renewals. Section 9.09 also includes a requirement to keep copies of the correspondence with the contractor. This practice helps protect agencies and contract managers in the event of a contract dispute or an audit.

Delegated authority

Maintaining a department’s delegated authority is also critically important. To lose delegated authority is less than ideal. Who wants to be required to involve another oversight agency to do any sort of procurement? The resulting cost, time, and frustration for all parties involved can be avoided.

Your entire contract management team can benefit

A contract might cross several different groups or departments throughout its life cycle. There’s something for everyone in Crowe Contract Manager for public sector, including contract administrators interested in tactical execution, IT focused on the technology, and leadership overseeing risk mitigation.

From contract initiation to contract closeout, this cost-effective solution supports whole teams throughout the contract life cycle. Crowe Contract Manager for public sector helps resolve issues government agencies face every day related to tracking and managing the life cycle of a contract.

Crowe Contract Manager for public sector features at a glance

• Cloud solution
• Dashboard capabilities
• Contract life cycle tracking
• Document storage
• Vendor timesheet system
• Communication tracking
• Standardized closeout checklists
• Familiar Microsoft™ features

Implementing change might not take as long as you think

Contract management teams are busy. It can be hard to imagine making a change because of the time needed to do so. However, teams can implement changes as big or small as they need.

Public sector consultants at Crowe can implement comprehensive change in a short period of time. They can also work with contract management teams on just one stage of the contract life cycle before considering other stages.

For instance, if invoicing is a recurring issue, Crowe specialists can provide practical solutions to specific invoicing challenges. Then, working backward, they can collaborate with contract management teams to simplify workflows one stage at a time – all the way to contract generation.

You can simplify contract compliance – and so much more – with our contract management solution

Crowe Contract Manager for public sector is a comprehensive contract management solution. It can help California contract management teams overcome compliance challenges and retain their delegated authority by streamlining the contract life cycle.

At the end of the day, Crowe public sector consultants want to help contract management teams function more efficiently. We want to help make the professional lives of those serving California agencies more manageable.

Schedule a demo today and find out how others in the public sector have solved their contract compliance problems with help from Crowe.

Contact us

California teams, let us help simplify your contract management process.

Chris Worley

Principal, Public Sector Consulting
916-266-9516