NEWS RELEASE
Media contact:
Maxine Ambrose
Ambrose Communications
+ 44 14 91 41 29 44
dolphin@ambrosecomms.co.uk
Contract management breakthrough from Dolphin Software benefits SharePoint market
18th May 2009, Reading, UK - Dolphin Software has launched Dolphin Contract Manager for SharePoint, contract management software that brings cost, time and risk reduction to the 60%+ organisations standardising on the Microsoft SharePoint platform*. The contract lifecycle management market is growing at 23% per year*. Dolphin Software also announces the signing of its first customer, Canadian firm Ontario Northland, plus five partners across the US, UK and Ireland: Gimmal Group, Mindlance, ICS Solutions, Triad Group and Spanish Point Technologies.
www.dolphin-software.com
Most large organisations have 20,000-40,000 contracts* and 60-80% of all business transactions are governed by contracts or agreements*, which on average take upwards of 3 weeks to draft. However, many organisations do not have a clearly defined enterprise-wide process for drafting, reviewing, negotiating and managing contracts. Rarely is there clear visibility of contracts, which are often archived on paper or electronic systems, where key contract milestones, commitments and obligations remain hidden. It is estimated that over 10% of all executed contracts are lost*.
“Using technology to automate and control the contract lifecycle management process is relatively new, but has huge benefits for organisations. Contract management software creates a single repository where everything associated with contracts, from cradle to grave, can be tracked,” says Ronan Lavelle, Dolphin Software CEO. “Companies that have standardised on the Microsoft SharePoint platform can improve their return on investment, and for partners, contract management software is a rich new seam of revenue.”
In-house legal and procurement departments are typical customers for contract management software, but also CIOs, CFOs, sales human resources and contract managers. However, in most cases, automated administration of contracts organisation-wide is rare, since few organisations have a single person with responsibility for contracts on an enterprise-wide scale. Risks include contracts being renewed without review, penalty clauses, lost revenue or cost-saving opportunities.
Tim Cummins, President of the International Association for Contract & Commercial Management (IACCM), “With the sheer volume of contracts that most organisations have to deal with, and their growing complexity, contract management software is the logical way forward. Automating control of contracts means that they become more visible, accessible and easier to monitor. Our research shows that this improves performance in cycle times, financial returns and the quality of relationship management. Dolphin Contract Manager is a welcome addition to the contract management industry, offering an attractive and highly practical way forward for many organisations.”
Features
Dolphin Contract Manager provides a single, centralised repository and, by automating the process and dealing with minutiae, frees employees’ time while giving them the assurance that vital details are not being overlooked. Features include: a contract clause tracker; Compliance Monitoring & regulatory requirements; automated alerts; Tracking of Price Rebates; Reporting; Contract negotiation workspaces; Workflow and reporting tools; Author workspaces; Contract drafting and storage.
For partners, Dolphin Software has developed the Dolphin Alliance Programme to provide a fast-track to adding contract management to their service portfolios.
Comments from customers and partners
“Dolphin Software is a complete lifecycle system for contract management that can leverage our existing Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft SQL technologies and infrastructure. The interface is intuitive, and can be customized to our brand, creating a seamless portal experience for the end user,” said Tony Szaranski, Chief Information Officer of Ontario Northland, the first officially announced customer for Dolphin Contract Manager.
Said Donal Cullen, CEO of Spanish Point Technologies Ltd, one of Dolphin Software’s first partners, “Dolphin Contract Manager 2009 is a great example of a new breed of Enterprise Applications which are design to leverage Microsoft SharePoint as an application platform. This platform has allowed Dolphin to include features and functionality within its Enterprise Contract Management application that is difficult and complex to develop in competing technologies, provides a familiar user experience and ensures that corporate IT teams can seamlessly install it in their existing environment.”
Ronan Geraghty of Microsoft said, “We are delighted with the success of Dolphin Software. It is a testament to the advantages of the Microsoft BizSpark programme and demonstrates the value of Microsoft .NET and SharePoint as a development platform as Dolphin has been able to leverage SharePoint to rapidly build a full feature enterprise contract management application. As members of the BizSpark Programme they have had the advantage of access to Microsoft software, development tools and network partners”.
About Dolphin Software
Dolphin Software was founded in early 2009 by long-established executives with extensive track records in the Enterprise Content Management and business consulting markets. Its mission is to make the benefits of contract management software available to organisations worldwide, leveraging the increasing prevalence of Microsoft SharePoint. The company is currently privately funded, focusing on building its operations in the UK and the US. Dolphin Software is a member of Microsoft BizSpark.
About Ontario Northland
Ontario Northland Transportation Commission is an operational entity of the Province of Ontario since 1902 serving a large geographical area in north eastern Ontario, Canada. Approximately 1000 people are employed providing rail freight, rail car refurbishment, telecommunications as well as motor coach and rail passenger services.
About Spanish Point Technologies
Established in August 2005, Spanish Point Technologies Ltd is a young, fast-growing and highly innovative Irish IT company. A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Spanish Point won the Microsoft World Wide Partner of the Year Award 2007 in Information Worker Solutions, Smart Client Development. Its unique specialist skill-sets give it a leading position in integration solutions and Microsoft application server technologies. Headquartered in Dublin, the company has two offshore development centres in Eastern Europe. Customers include Allied Irish Bank, American Insurance Group (AIG), Elan Corporation and the Health Service Executive (HSE).
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