Central City Concern uses the Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) platform to help fight the battle against homelessness, poverty and addiction

Objective

Manage obligations more efficiently to streamline compliance and improve funder relationships.

Highlights

Improved ability to demonstrate fiscal responsibility in use of funds
Proactive alerts on expiring funding agreements to ensure timely renewal
Accelerated contract velocity by introducing dynamic search, electronic signatures and other time-saving features

Central City Concern

Nonprofit Improves Compliance Oversight, Increases Ability to Deliver Innovative Services

Business Challenge

Central City Concern is dedicated to providing a range of services, from affordable housing to employment, integrated primary and mental health care, and recovery treatment. Its work involves managing a variety of grants, certifications, lease agreements, equipment purchases, and partnerships across a wide range of discrete programs. The organization was using a local server to store and manage thousands of contracts.

Searching across the content of the contracts was impossible. In order to continue its mission, Central City Concern needed a way to ensure it met obligations spelled out in contracts, demonstrated the proper use of funds, and adhered to a variety of state and federal regulations.

“For us as a nonprofit, it’s what lives in those documents, those obligations to our funders, that are our lifeblood,” says Cherlyn Bryans, Contracts Manager at Central City Concern. “We needed a way to surface those obligations.”

Solution

The Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) platform is at the forefront of Central City Concern’s initiative to transform their service delivery model by digitizing many aspects of their day-to-day operations. With clear visibility into obligations and commitments, eSignature integration and advanced search functionality, the contracting process has greatly accelerated, with tasks that used to take an hour now taking minutes. And with full visibility into contracts, obligations are now automatically surfaced.

This is vital as the agency is subject to a wide array of regulations governing the housing, healthcare, and employment sectors. With the new platform in place, Central City Concern can streamline the contracting process, making better use of employee time and budgets. Being able to demonstrate fiscal responsibility helps to ensure continued access to federal funds and an uninterrupted commitment to fulfilling the nonprofit’s mission.

Results

ICI has completely changed how CCC approaches contracts and obligation management. In addition to accelerating the process, it can fully track contract history and expiry. The organization has set up automatic alerts for end-dates on funding agreements, which allows stakeholders to go to funders sooner.

“They’re going to have an opportunity to have those conversations before the budgets get baked,” Bryans says. “And that should equate to more funding in the long term.”

Case Study