Contract management. Never miss a deadline again.

Contract management software. What ELO Contract can do.

ELO Contract is ELO's contract management solution – built for central contract management across the entire company. It runs on the ELO ECM Suite and comes with everything digital contract management needs: a central repository for all contracts, an overview of terms and notice periods, approval workflows, templates, reports – and AI that summarises contracts for you. Because ELO Contract is part of the platform, contracts don't sit in an isolated silo but in one system alongside invoices, correspondence and HR documents.

What digital contract management delivers

• No missed deadlines: Automatic reminders replace notes in individual people's calendars.
• Lower costs: Unwanted renewals, duplicate contracts and forgotten special termination rights get flagged before they cost money.
• Faster approvals: Contracts move by workflow instead of internal mail and email ping-pong.
• Less risk: Everyone sees the valid version, and every decision is logged.
• More transparency: Management and controlling see obligations and terms at the push of a button.
• Better negotiations: If you know which contracts are running with a partner, you negotiate with facts.

Contract administration or contract management?

The terms are often used interchangeably, but they mean different things. Contract administration means filing contracts and finding them again. Contract management means actively steering the entire lifecycle – with deadlines, approvals, templates, owners and reports. Even digital contract administration on a network drive or in an Excel list can at best administer. Contract management software like ELO Contract actually manages.

The contract management process

Every contract goes through the same phases – whether it's a supply contract, a lease or a software licence. Good contract management supports all of them:

1. Request and draft: A department needs a contract. The draft is created from a template or comes from the contract partner.
2. Review and negotiation: Purchasing, legal and the business unit review content, risks and conditions. Changes are versioned.
3. Approval: Depending on contract type and value, the responsible people give their approval – documented and traceable.
4. Signature: The contract is signed digitally or on paper and filed as the valid version.
5. Term: Obligations, payments, services and amendments are tracked. Reports show costs and commitments.
6. Renewal or termination: A reminder arrives before every deadline. You decide deliberately instead of being surprised by automatic renewals.
7. Archiving: After the contract ends, it is retained in an audit-proof archive until the retention period has expired.

Typical contract types

Contract administration software has to handle very different contracts. Typical in mid-sized companies are supplier and framework agreements in purchasing, customer and service contracts in sales, rental, lease and maintenance contracts for buildings and equipment, leasing contracts for vehicles and machinery, software, licence and cloud contracts in IT, insurance contracts, non-disclosure agreements and employment and service contracts in HR. Each of these contract types has its own deadlines, approval paths and owners – which is why you set each one up as a separate contract type in ELO Contract.

The digital contract file

Every contract gets a contract file. It holds the contract itself, all attachments, amendments, correspondence and a form with the key data: contract partner, contract type, term, notice period, value and owners. Every contract is based on a contract type – such as supplier, customer, rental, maintenance or framework agreement – and inherits its structure and rules. Terms can be stored as open-ended, fixed or indefinite.

ELO Contract maps the lifecycle with clear statuses: draft, approval initiated, approved, in negotiation, concluded, terminated or cancelled. That way you see at a glance where each contract currently stands. Dynamic folders also sort contracts by status, contract type or partner – without anyone having to move files.

Deadlines and notice dates under control

The most important promise of contract management software is simple: never miss a deadline again. ELO Contract shows follow-ups, notice periods and contract end dates in three views – as a table, as a timeline and as a calendar with month and day views. Before every deadline, the system automatically notifies the people responsible, including for upcoming renewals. If someone is absent, their deputy sees the same dates.

Approvals by workflow

Before a contract is signed, several people usually review it: the business unit, purchasing, legal, management. In ELO Contract this starts an approval workflow that sends the contract sequentially or in parallel to the defined review steps. Every decision is logged. You define once from which contract value management must approve or which contract types always go to legal – workflows handle the rest automatically.

Templates and clause management

Contracts are created faster when nobody starts from scratch. Document templates in ELO Contract contain placeholders that are filled automatically with data from the contract file. With clause management you define standard clauses once, centrally. If a clause changes, the change can be applied to all affected contracts and updated with one click before signing. For complex documents with tables, conditions and data from other systems, HEROdocgen adds contract creation from Word templates.

AI in contract management

With the ELO Assistant, AI works directly in ELO: it analyses entire contracts, summarises individual passages concisely and suggests suitable next steps. On request it proposes values for the fields of the contract file, which you review and save – you stay in control. The assistant only accesses documents the respective person is authorised to see. If you want to extract contract data from large legacy holdings, you can also use the HEROextractor, which recognises any data in any document. Because artificial intelligence in ELO is part of the platform, you use the same functions for invoices, correspondence and personnel files too.

Electronic signature

Once the contract is approved, it goes off for signature. ELO connects DocuSign directly: the contract is sent from the system, the signer receives an email, and the signed document automatically lands back in the contract file. If you use a different provider, HEROsign connects Adobe Sign, FP Sign, Skribble or MOXIS to the contract process.

Which signature you need depends on the contract. A simple electronic signature is enough for many contracts without formal requirements. An advanced one assigns the signature unambiguously to a person and detects subsequent changes. Only the qualified electronic signature (QES) replaces the statutory written form. You define these levels per contract type so that nobody has to decide case by case.

Find contracts instead of searching for them

Full-text search covers contracts, attachments and correspondence – including scanned paper contracts after text recognition. You can also filter by fields such as partner, contract type, status, end of term or owner. The question “Which maintenance contracts expire next year?” is answered in seconds.

Reports, permissions and collaboration

A dashboard shows all active contracts. ELO Contract stores reports as Excel spreadsheets in the repository, and payment plans are set up quickly. Only authorised people get read and edit rights – across locations and on mobile devices too. You store contacts and companies once and simply select them for the next contract. For financial companies there is also an extensible DORA module that integrates BaFin requirements into the contract file and exports reports for the BaFin portal.

Who ELO Contract is right for

ELO Contract suits companies that have more than a handful of contracts and no longer want to manage them in binders and lists – from mid-sized businesses with a few hundred supplier contracts to corporate groups with several locations. It pays off especially when several departments are involved in contracts, approvals have to be traceable or contracts need to work together with ERP, accounting and invoice verification. If you already use ELO for document management or incoming invoices, you add contract management on the same platform without introducing a new system.

What to look for in contract management software

Whether you're evaluating ELO Contract or another contract management tool – these points separate a solution that holds up in everyday work from one that ends up back in Excel after a year:

• Deadline logic: Can the system properly map notice periods, minimum terms and automatic renewals and send reminders in time – to deputies too?
• Workflows: Can approvals be controlled by contract type, value and department without anyone having to write code?
• Integration: Are contracts connected to suppliers and orders in the ERP, to email and to accounting?
• Archive: Are contracts stored audit-proof with retention periods, or do you need yet another system for that?
• AI: Does AI help with reading and summarising – and do your contracts stay in your environment and under your permissions?
• Operation: Does the solution run on your own servers and in the cloud, and can you switch later?
• Expansion: Can you later digitise invoices, personnel files or incoming mail on the same platform?

ELO Contract meets these criteria because it isn't a standalone tool but part of a platform that reaches from document management to complete process digitalisation.

Introducing digital contract management. How to go about it.

The software is the smaller part. For digital contract management to work in everyday business, you need clear contract types, responsibilities and a clean start with the contracts that already exist today. This is how we approach it with you.

Six steps to digital contract management

1. Take stock: Where are your contracts today – cabinet, drive, inbox, Excel? Which contract types exist, and who is responsible?
2. Define contract types: For each contract type we define fields, deadlines, approval paths and permissions.
3. Set up ELO Contract: Contract file, workflows, templates, clauses, notifications and reports are configured.
4. Migrate existing contracts: Paper contracts are scanned, digital contracts imported. AI can extract key data from large holdings, which is then reviewed.
5. Train: Business units, purchasing and legal get to know ELO Contract using their own contracts.
6. Go live and expand: One area first, then more – for example purchasing, then sales, then real estate and IT.

If you still have a lot of paper contracts, plan scanning as a separate sub-project. How you can digitise documents without blocking day-to-day work depends mainly on the volume and condition of the files.

What the law says

In Germany, a contract is generally not subject to any formal requirements. Where German law requires a specific form, there are three levels:

• Written form (§ 126 BGB, German Civil Code): handwritten signature. It can be replaced by the electronic form unless the law states otherwise.
• Electronic form (§ 126a BGB): name plus qualified electronic signature (QES).
• Text form (§ 126b BGB): a legible declaration with a name on a durable medium, for example by email – without a signature.

Since 1 January 2025, employers in Germany may provide the essential working conditions under the Nachweisgesetz (German Evidence of Employment Conditions Act) in text form, provided the document can be stored and printed and proof of receipt is requested. This does not apply to certain sectors covered by the Schwarzarbeitsbekämpfungsgesetz (German Act to Combat Undeclared Work). Terminations and termination agreements, on the other hand, still require written form; the electronic form is excluded for them (§ 623 BGB). For a fixed-term employment contract, § 14 TzBfG (German Part-Time and Fixed-Term Employment Act) requires written form, which can be replaced by a QES. And for long-term commercial leases, text form has been sufficient since 2025. That is why you define which signature method suits which contract per contract type.

How long contracts must be retained

Contracts are often commercial or business letters and must therefore be retained for six years under § 147 AO (German Fiscal Code) and § 257 HGB (German Commercial Code). If they serve as accounting records, eight years have applied since 2025. The period starts at the end of a calendar year; in practice, for contracts you count from the year in which the contract ends. An overview of all retention periods helps you store the rules per contract type. In ELO, contracts are archived in an audit-proof way – unalterable, logged and with automatically monitored deadlines.

SAP contract management and ERP

Contracts in purchasing are closely tied to suppliers, orders and invoices. If you use SAP, you link documents from ELO directly with transactions in SAP via the SAP integration – for S/4HANA On-Premises, Private Edition and older SAP systems as well as for S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition. That way purchasing sees the matching framework agreement for a supplier in SAP, and invoice verification checks prices against the agreed conditions. You can also connect other ERP systems such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central via the ELO platform.

On-premises or cloud

ELO Contract runs wherever it fits your IT: on your own servers, in a private cloud or hosted by us in the HEROcloud from German and European data centres. Especially for contracts with sensitive conditions, that's a strong argument – your data stays in Europe, and you keep control over who has access. Switching the operating model later is possible without replacing the system.

From incoming mail straight into the contract file

Many contracts don't come from your own template but from the partner – by post or email. In the digital mailroom, HEROclassify recognises incoming documents as a contract, amendment or termination and starts the right ELO process. Uncertain cases are checked by a person before the document lands in the contract file. That way no contract gets lost in one person's inbox again.

Microsoft 365 and Outlook

Contracts are often negotiated by email. You archive emails from Outlook and Exchange directly in ELO, and Teams and SharePoint are connected. Drafts, queries and the final version are kept together in the contract file – instead of scattered across personal inboxes.

Connecting contracts and invoices

A contract defines what a supplier is allowed to charge. If contracts and invoices sit on the same platform, invoice verification can check prices and conditions directly against the agreement. With e-invoicing in ELO, incoming invoices arrive digitally from 2027 anyway – the link to the contract is then just one click away.

Data protection for contracts

Contracts contain personal data: contact persons, signatures and, in employment contracts, salaries and addresses. The GDPR requires that only authorised people have access and that data is deleted once there is no longer a purpose or retention obligation. In ELO you control access via roles and permissions, log every access and store deletion periods per contract type. For employment contracts and other HR documents, the digital personnel file with even stricter permissions is the right choice.

And the Excel list?

A contract management Excel list is where many companies start – and as a transition it's perfectly fine. But it breaks as soon as several people maintain it, deadlines need automatic reminders or an auditor wants to know who approved what and when. The good news: a well-maintained list is the best basis for migration. We import columns such as partner, contract type, start date, term and notice period directly as key data into ELO Contract.

Clarifying roles and responsibilities

Software alone doesn't prevent a missed deadline. What matters is that it's clear who is responsible for each contract. A simple division has proven itself:

• Contract owners in the business unit know the content and service and decide on renewal or termination.
• Purchasing or sales negotiate conditions and keep partner data up to date.
• Legal or an external law firm reviews clauses and risks.
• Management approves contracts above a defined value.
• Administration maintains contract types, templates and permissions.

In ELO Contract every role is linked to the contract file. Reminders go to the right person, and the deputy takes over during absences.

Typical mistakes – and how to avoid them

• Everything at once: If you introduce all contract types at the same time, you'll get bogged down. It's better to start with the area where missed deadlines cost the most.
• Too many mandatory fields: Every field nobody needs lowers data quality. Start with the key data required for deadlines and reports.
• Ignoring legacy contracts: A new system helps little if running contracts stay in the cabinet. Plan the migration from the start.
• No owners: A reminder without a recipient goes nowhere. Every contract needs a responsible person.
• Isolated solution: A contract tool with no connection to ERP, email and archive creates duplicate filing. Plan contract management as part of your ELO digitalisation platform.

Metrics that pay off

With all contracts in one system, questions that used to take days become answerable: How many contracts expire in the next 90 days? Which ones renew automatically? How high are annual commitments per supplier or cost centre? How long does an approval take on average? ELO Contract stores such analyses as reports in the repository – the basis for better negotiations and fewer surprises.

Three typical everyday scenarios

• IT licences: Software subscriptions often renew annually and automatically. ELO Contract reminds IT in good time so that unused licences are cancelled or conditions renegotiated – instead of silently paying for another year.
• Maintenance and facilities: Maintenance contracts for buildings, lifts or machinery often run for many years. The contract file bundles contract, inspection reports and invoices, so in the event of a fault it's immediately clear what was agreed.
• Framework agreements in purchasing: Quantities, prices and terms are in the framework agreement, orders run in the ERP. Linked to both, purchasing sees when a framework agreement expires and whether the agreed conditions are being met.

What contract management costs – and what it saves

The cost of contract management software depends on the number of users, contract types, operating model, interfaces and the migration of your existing contracts. On the other side is what happens without a system: contracts renew because nobody cancelled in time. Discounts and special termination rights go unused. Employees search for versions instead of working. And during an audit there's no proof of who approved what. Preventing just one unwanted renewal of a larger service or maintenance contract can cover a large part of the implementation. We prepare a binding quote after a short analysis of your contract portfolio.

Why the partner makes the difference

ELO Contract is implemented by certified ELO Business Partners. As an ELO Business Partner we know both: the requirements of purchasing, sales and legal, and the platform behind them. We connect contract management with the mailroom, with email and Microsoft 365, with SAP via our SAP integration and with DATEV via ELO for DATEV. And if you're choosing between several systems, the DMS comparison helps you decide.