How human centricity was the difference maker for Gore

International manufacturing company Gore, as many companies have, found themselves outgrowing the original contracting process they put in place.  

It’s not uncommon for other business needs to arise after you solve your initial business need. For Gore, there was a clear gap in both processing times and the ability to quickly access the proper contracts. With that gap top of mind, Global Legal Operations leader Samantha Bates and her team began the hunt for a new solution.  

Finding a partner  

Despite Gore’s size and reach as an organization, they have strong guiding principles that keep them close-knit. With their philosophy of “the power of small teams,” it was important to find a partner, not just a service provider.  

When starting their search, Samantha and her team reviewed the standard reports, did independent research, and ultimately decided it was time to call in a subject matter expert. So, after interviewing both large and boutique consultants, the Gore team met Agiloft partner Qualitas – and the rest, as they say, is history.  

So together, with Qualitas, the Gore team worked through an extensive RFP process. After initial RFPs and a scoping exercise, Gore & Qualitas’ list of eight potential CLM vendors was narrowed down to four, and then they sat through end-to-end demos. From there, the teams developed a scoring system that combined the demo, RFP results, and additional research and conversations they had that further whittled their list down to two. Ultimately, just like the partnership with Qualitas, the clear cultural fit was what set Agiloft apart from the pack. “Agiloft just stood out,” Bates said. “[They’re] always available for conversations…even if we asked the same questions in different ways, they were always like ‘we’re here to help you.’ We would not be where we are today if it weren’t for both Qualitas and Agiloft supporting us on this journey.”  

Setting expectations 

When Gore implemented their first CLM system in 2009, they learned quickly that it was done in a bit of a vacuum, and convincing members of non-legal teams to adopt the solution proved difficult. With that lesson learned, Samantha and her team decided to take a different approach this time around. Consulting procurement, finance, technical accounting, logistics, trade, and more, each team had an opportunity to give requirements, and feedback, subsequently feeling like a true stakeholder in the project and its future.  

After having these conversations, Samantha and her team returned to those now stakeholders and gave demonstrations of exactly how this new technology would solve pain points for them. With teams having a chance to see these changes firsthand, especially now that implementation has started for certain workflows, the contracting team is now being contacted directly and told, “Hey, I’ve heard such great things about what you’re doing. I want you to help me with this contract related process.” In fact, they’ve had so many volunteers that they’re turning people away and creating a backlog for after their official implementation scope. That proactive engagement has blown communication doors wide open for the Gore team. 

“We really had to understand we’re not implementing this system just for legal’s purposes. We are implementing this to create a global enterprise-wide process…and those conversations were critical to making sure that we have a successful deployment and adoption moving forward,” Bates said. But, even with all those conversations and preparation, the Gore team understood they were in for a long journey, so they prepared the business accordingly.  

Currently, their implementation plan is set to end in 2026. Even then, Samantha knows they will continue to iterate on the process, but they’re happy with the results they’ve seen already.  

For example, Gore had an employee in an administrative role that spent 30 hours a week drafting documents out of a database, printing and physically mailing them, and then scanning returned copies to add back to a database.  

“Her potential is so much more than that, and we knew we have to figure out a better way for this process,” Bates said of the employee.  

With Agiloft, this otherwise tedious process takes about three hours a week, depending on the number of agreements. With these efficiencies realized, Gore was able to elevate that personnel resource to more high-value work.   

Lessons learned in human centricity

Successful implementation of any software only happens when you can truly: 

find the balance between the people, the processes, and the technology. 

Gore chose to find this balance by bringing the right people in the mix from day one, both internally and externally. This corresponds directly to a second takeaway; the journey might not be a short one, but it can be impacted directly by the team. 

“The length of the journey is really dependent upon ensuring that you are engaging with those non-legal folks, with those other people that are going to be highly impacted by the software, who are going to want to understand ‘what is the value for me?’” Sam said. 

What does that mean? Build the team, have the conversations, and go in as prepared as possible when and if you’re able.  

Qualitas’ Chris Dodd advised: “Go in with eyes wide open, don’t leave anything unsaid, unasked, or unevaluated when you’re looking at the true realm of the possible needs for your organization, and make sure you’re being thoughtful and proactive every step of the way – making measured and informed decisions.” 

This also means trying to plan and prepare for the future when you can. It’s most common to have a triggering business-process problem or event that leads directly to the need for implementing a new CLM solution, but today’s problems might not be the problems of tomorrow. Those solutions that might seem too “big” or advanced for your organization right now, might be exactly what you’ll need as time goes on.  

As Chris said, “There‘s no one-size-fits-all solution out there, so you want to find someone that’s not going to jam a pro-forma platform onto your process or company. Solve the problem for today, but have the ability to solve a problem that will probably arise tomorrow.”   

Conclusion 

Gore’s journey to revamp their contracting process underscores the importance of finding the right balance between people, processes, and technology. By engaging stakeholders from the outset and fostering strong partnerships, they have set a solid foundation for long-term success. The collaboration with Qualitas and Agiloft has not only streamlined their operations but also empowered their team to focus on higher-value tasks. As they continue to iterate and improve, Gore’s commitment to communication and inclusivity ensures that their CLM system will evolve to meet future challenges with “the power of small teams.” 

Listen to the full conversation between Gore, Qualitas, and Agiloft here.