Giulio D’Ali, Senior Vice President of SaaS Management, Calero, shares five strategies to streamline SaaS contract management.
In today’s fast-paced business world, organisations rely heavily on SaaS applications to drive efficiency, reduce costs and foster innovation.
However, with this growing dependence on software comes the complex task of effectively managing SaaS contracts. Without robust contract management practices, organisations risk inefficiencies, hidden costs, non-compliance and missed opportunities to optimise their software spend.
For IT leaders, mastering SaaS contract management is a strategic necessity.
Here are five strategies to streamline SaaS contract management, reduce risks and enhance financial control.
1. Centralise SaaS contract management for greater visibility
One of the key challenges in SaaS management is the decentralisation of contracts across various departments. Without a single view of all contracts, it becomes increasingly difficult to track renewal dates, service level agreements (SLAs) and vendor performance. This lack of oversight can lead to costly mistakes, such as missing renewal deadlines or overpaying for unused licenses.
Centralising SaaS contract management through a dedicated platform helps organisations consolidate all contract data into one system. This centralised system provides comprehensive visibility into contract terms, pricing, renewal dates and vendor performance. For IT leaders, having this centralised view is crucial for aligning software expenditures with business goals. By understanding how each contract supports or hinders organisational objectives, you can make more informed decisions, mitigate compliance risks and negotiate better terms with vendors.
2. Automate renewals to avoid unnecessary costs and downtime
Managing renewals is one of the most time-consuming and error-prone aspects of SaaS contract management. Without automation, it’s easy for IT teams to miss renewal deadlines or to renew contracts without fully assessing the vendor’s performance. These oversights can lead to unexpected costs, service interruptions, or worse – being locked into unfavourable terms without the chance to renegotiate.
Automating the renewal process is one of the most effective ways to streamline SaaS contract management. By setting up automated reminders and alerts for upcoming renewals, organisations can ensure that they never miss a critical deadline. In addition to avoiding auto-renewals at high rates, automated renewals provide an opportunity for IT teams to assess the software’s value. This proactive approach allows businesses to negotiate better terms, eliminate underutilised licenses and reallocate resources to more strategic areas, ultimately maximising ROI from SaaS investments.
3. Integrate SaaS management with procurement for seamless workflow
While SaaS management typically falls under the IT department, its impact stretches far beyond IT, touching procurement, finance and other areas of the business. The key to efficient SaaS contract management lies in ensuring that all departments are aligned and working off the same set of data.
Integrating SaaS management with procurement workflows allows organisations to align software purchasing with broader financial and operational strategies. This integration makes it easier for procurement teams to compare vendor offerings, track spending and ensure that purchasing decisions adhere to corporate policies. By automating and streamlining the contract management process, procurement and IT teams can work collaboratively to negotiate better deals, identify cost-saving opportunities and prevent unnecessary spending on duplicate or unused software subscriptions.
For IT leaders, this collaboration with procurement not only improves financial oversight but also reduces the risk of SaaS sprawl – where software subscriptions proliferate without oversight – leading to wasted resources and unnecessary complexity.
4. Ensure compliance and mitigate risk with proactive monitoring
As SaaS applications continue to play a critical role in business operations, compliance with industry regulations and internal policies is non-negotiable. Whether it’s adhering to data privacy laws like GDPR or ensuring that SaaS vendors meet specific security standards, managing compliance manually is no longer feasible.
SaaS management platforms equipped with compliance tracking capabilities allow IT leaders to monitor vendor performance against established security protocols and compliance frameworks. With real-time alerts and automated audits, organisations can proactively manage risks and ensure that vendors are meeting their contractual obligations. By integrating compliance monitoring directly into the contract management process, businesses can reduce the likelihood of regulatory violations, data breaches, or costly fines.
Furthermore, SaaS management platforms can help IT teams keep track of data protection and security certifications, providing peace of mind that all vendors are compliant with the necessary standards and minimising potential risks to the business.
5. Gain financial control and improve forecasting accuracy
Managing SaaS contracts isn’t just about monitoring performance and compliance, it’s also about gaining financial control. With so many subscription-based services, it’s easy for costs to spiral out of control, especially if there’s a lack of visibility into overall usage and spending.
Streamlining SaaS contract management provides organisations with granular financial insights, enabling IT teams and CFOs to better forecast costs, optimise spending and eliminate waste. By consolidating all contract data, including license usage, spend history and renewal terms, businesses can gain a clearer picture of their software investments. This visibility allows for more accurate financial planning and better control over SaaS-related expenses.
Additionally, with better insights into software usage, organisations can prevent SaaS sprawl by identifying and eliminating underused or redundant subscriptions. This level of financial oversight helps organisations avoid unnecessary costs and keep SaaS expenses aligned with actual demand, improving overall budget predictability.
In an age of digital evolution, SaaS contract management is no longer a back-office task. For CIOs, CTOs, SAMs and other IT leaders, it’s a strategic lever for optimising software investments, ensuring compliance and driving cost efficiency. By centralising contract data, automating renewals, fostering collaboration between IT and procurement and utilising compliance and financial insights, organisations can unlock the full value of their SaaS applications while avoiding the risks associated with poor contract management.
By adopting these five best practices, businesses can streamline their SaaS contract management process and stay agile, competitive and financially efficient in an increasingly complex digital landscape.
