Eight Steps to Ensure a Contract Briefing Document Is Created When Justified

Jim Bergman

In complex or high-stakes engagements, the absence of a Contract Briefing Document (CBD) can lead to misalignment, operational drift, and costly misunderstandings. When the contract, relationship, or project parameters justify deeper onboarding and shared understanding, the CBD becomes a strategic tool – not just a formality. Here are eight disciplined steps to ensure one is created when needed.

1. Define the Thresholds That Justify a CBD

Not every contract warrants a briefing document. Establish clear criteria – such as contract value, strategic importance, risk profile, or multi-party involvement – that trigger the need for a CBD. These thresholds should be embedded in your contract governance framework and reinforced through policy.

2. Embed CBD Requirements in Your Contract Lifecycle Process

Ensure your contract lifecycle management (CLM) system or manual workflows include a mandatory checkpoint for CBD creation when thresholds are met. This step should be part of your post-signature implementation protocol, not an optional afterthought.

3. Assign Ownership Early

Designate who is responsible for drafting the CBD – typically the contract owner, project lead, or procurement officer. Ownership should be clear, documented, and reinforced through training and onboarding. Without accountability, the CBD risks being deprioritized.

4. Standardize the CBD Template

Provide a branded, modular template that prompts the right level of detail: contract scope, key deliverables, performance metrics, governance cadence, escalation paths, and stakeholder roles. A standardized format ensures consistency and reduces cognitive load for the drafter.

5. Integrate CBD Review into Kickoff Protocols

Make the CBD a standing agenda item in contract kickoff meetings. This ensures cross-functional alignment and gives stakeholders a chance to validate assumptions, flag risks, and clarify expectations before execution begins.

6. Secure Formal Acknowledgment

Require signatures or documented acknowledgment from key stakeholders – internal and external. This step reinforces accountability and signals that the CBD is a governance artifact, not a courtesy document.

7. Store and Surface the CBD Where It’s Needed

Ensure the CBD is stored in a central, searchable repository – ideally linked to the contract record in your CLM or ERP system. Make it accessible to operational teams, not just legal or procurement. Visibility drives utility.

8. Audit for CBD Compliance

Include CBD presence and quality in your contract compliance audits. If a contract meets the threshold but lacks a CBD, flag it as a governance gap. Over time, this reinforces discipline and elevates the CBD as a non-negotiable best practice.

Final Thought:

A Contract Briefing Document is more than a summary – it’s a strategic alignment tool. When used consistently and rigorously, it transforms contracts from static documents into operational roadmaps. The key is embedding its creation into your culture, systems, and governance rituals.

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Published by Jim Bergman

Jim Bergman is a commercial contract professional with global experience spanning the USA, Latin America, UK, Europe, China, South Korea, Japan, India, SE Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Australia. He has worked on a wide range of direct and indirect spend categories in numerous sectors, developing a deep knowledge of services, goods and technology procurement and sales. Across this wide array of commodity and services experience, Jim has found the keys to success in maximizing value for money through customer-supplier relationships founded on innovative category management and strategic sourcing practices, key performance metrics and measures, as well as Total Cost of Ownership principles and collaborative contracting tenets. He has shared his knowledge through advisory engagements, as well as in developing and delivering training programs both on-line and in classrooms, in both open-enrollment and internal environments. Jim has assisted his clients through all phases and steps of contracting, negotiation, strategic sourcing and bidding processes, demonstrating value generation in excess of $250 million. His audiences and clients have included over 7,000 attorneys and commercial professionals students from over 1,000 corporations and public-sector entities.

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