Platform Experience
We help you select the CLM platform that fits your business, not the one that seems the shiniest.
Our practitioners hold implementation experience across leading CLM platforms. We remain vendor-agnostic at the selection stage, and deeply capable across the major systems once a decision is made. We are a Docusign partner, and our Docusign consulting practice covers eSignature, Docusign CLM, and the IAM platform.
If you are currently managing contracts on shared drives, email, or a spreadsheet tracker, we have mapped that environment before. Our CLM Discovery Sprint starts by understanding what you have, not what a vendor told you that you need.
Faster contract processing cycle through CLM implementation and process automation
CLM programs and legal ops teams built for Fortune 500 companies from the ground up
Start Here
Two ways to begin.
Whether you are still deciding what your contract program needs, or you already run Docusign and need the governance around it, there is a defined first engagement for each.
Assessment · 4 to 6 weeks
CLM Discovery Sprint
Before selecting a platform or scoping an implementation, you need a clear, honest picture of where your contract management function sits today. The Sprint maps your current contract lifecycle, gauges process maturity, sets the system-of-record boundaries across your platforms, and identifies the gaps a successful CLM program will need to close.
You come away with an implementation roadmap and something concrete to act on, regardless of whether you engage Swiftwater afterward.
Explore the Discovery Sprint →Implementation · Docusign Partner
Docusign Implementation
If your agreements already run on Docusign, the fastest gain is usually governance rather than a new platform. We consolidate accounts, lock approved templates, set sending and signature authority policies, and route executed agreements into a governed repository.
From there, Docusign CLM and the IAM platform extend it into full lifecycle management, delivered by the same practice behind our Fortune 500 contract programs.
Explore Docusign Consulting →Our Services and Approach
Contract Lifecycle Management Services
From contract discovery and platform selection through data migration, configuration, and team adoption, our CLM implementation services cover every step, led by named senior practitioners.
01
CLM Discovery, Maturity and Readiness
A clear starting point before any technology decision, through the CLM Discovery Sprint or direct scoping.
02
System Selection & RFP
Vendor-agnostic evaluation across Onit CLM, Docusign CLM, Agiloft, Conga, SpotDraft and others.
03
Implementation & Configuration
Workflows, approval chains and clause libraries built around how legal, procurement and commercial teams work.
04
Contract Migration & Data Normalization
Your contract library migrated, normalized, searchable and auditable from day one.
05
Commercial Contracting Program Design
Standard form suites, playbooks, approval frameworks and escalation paths.
06
Stakeholder Alignment
Legal, procurement and sales aligned before go-live.
07
Training & Adoption Program
A structured change and adoption program that drives actual usage.
08
Post-Implementation Fine-Tuning
We stay engaged through the first six months, when the real configuration needs surface.
CLM topics
Go deeper: the sprint, the platforms, and running your CLM.
Start here
CLM Discovery Sprint
A fixed-fee 4 to 6 week diagnostic before you choose a platform.
Start here
Contract Management Consulting
Assessment, readiness and maturity, playbooks and vendor-neutral selection.
Platforms
Onit CLM
Implementation, migration and support from a team with Onit depth.
Platforms
Conga CLM
Formerly Apttus: implementation, optimization and migration.
Platforms
Agiloft CLM
Implementation and support, with the process designed first.
Platforms
Docusign CLM
Capabilities, fit and implementation, from a Docusign partner.
Readiness and migration
Icertis
Readiness, assessment, process improvement and migration.
Readiness and migration
Ironclad
Readiness, assessment, process improvement and migration.
Run it
CLM Administration
Ongoing administration and a fractional CLM administrator.
CLM Practice
Named practitioners. Built-in change management.
When you work with a CLM consultant at Swiftwater, you get a senior practitioner who has built these programs before, supported by specialists for platform configuration, integrations, and data migration.
Gary Wheeler
CLM & AI Lead
Gary has built CLM programs and created legal ops teams for multiple Fortune 500 companies. His focus: designing contract programs that commercial teams actually adopt, not just systems that go live. He brings equal depth in CLM platform implementation and commercial contracting program design.
CLM • Onit CLM • Docusign CLM • Contract Program Design
Tina Meisberger
Change Management Leader & Senior PM
Tina leads change management across Swiftwater’s CLM and technology implementations. She has built adoption programs that turn CLM go-lives into genuine business change, engaging legal, procurement, and sales stakeholders rather than just delivering training. Previously at Microsoft on legal process and tooling projects.
Change Management • Training Design • Adoption Programs • Senior PM
Jonathan Gilman
Senior ELM / CLM / LSR Expert
Jonathan has delivered CLM programs across complex enterprise environments, with deep strength in contract data migration and systems integration. Earlier in his career, he joined Onit as employee number eleven, bringing inside knowledge of how these systems are built, not just how they are configured.
CLM • Product Development • Data Migration • Systems Integration
Danish Butt
Managing Director
20+ years standing up legal operations and contracting programs for enterprise legal departments, with earlier roles at Huron Consulting and Morae Global.
Contracting Programs • Legal Operations • Managed Services
Frequently asked questions
How long does a CLM implementation take?
Duration depends on the scope and complexity. A straightforward repository implementation can take 45 to 90 days. An end-to-end contract implementation with a dozen or so contract templates may take 4 to 6 months. As complexity grows, for example integrating with sales or procurement systems, the timeline can easily extend to 12 months. The key is not only the technical implementation but change management: getting templates in place, training people, and rolling out to the business in a meaningful way.
How much does a CLM implementation cost?
CLM implementation cost varies by the size of the organization, transaction volume, and the size of the legal team. An SMB CLM solution and implementation can range from $10,000 to $50,000. A medium to large implementation, such as a legal-only or lower-volume contracting rollout, can range from $51,000 to $250,000. An enterprise solution, whether sell-side, buy-side, or legal, can cost upwards of $250,000 for the solution and implementation.
Which teams need CLM seats first?
Legal first, since legal owns the templates, approvals and playbooks the system runs on. Procurement and sales come next, usually through an intake form rather than full seats, so the business can request and track contracts without being trained on the whole platform.
How long should a CLM pilot run?
Typically 6 to 12 weeks on one priority contract workflow, long enough to run real contracts through intake, approval and signature. Our CLM Discovery Sprint identifies and scopes that pilot in four to six weeks.
What does a CLM implementation consultant do that the vendor's services team does not?
A vendor’s services team configures its own platform. A CLM implementation consultant puts the processes, templates and governance in place around it, aligns legal, procurement and sales before go-live, runs the adoption program, and brings implementation experience from many projects and platforms.
What happens after go-live?
The first six months of a live CLM system surface the real configuration needs, so we stay engaged to fine-tune workflows, templates and approvals as the business uses it. Ongoing administration and support are available through our managed services practice.
Do you work with Conga, formerly Apttus?
Yes. Conga, which grew out of Apttus, is one of the CLM platforms our practitioners evaluate and implement, alongside Onit CLM, Docusign CLM, Agiloft and SpotDraft.
How do you choose between Docusign CLM, Onit CLM, Agiloft and Conga?
Start from your requirements, volumes and the systems the contract record has to live with, such as Salesforce, ServiceNow or your procurement suite, and evaluate the platforms against them rather than against a demo. Our CLM guide and how to choose a CLM vendor set out the selection framework.
What are CLM adoption services, and why do they matter?
CLM adoption services are the change-management side of an implementation: making sure the business actually uses the system instead of working around it. This is where most CLM projects quietly stall. With AI in the mix, a lot of conventional wisdom is also worth revisiting. Do you really need formalized templates for everything? Does a rigid playbook serve your business, or does it get in the way of creative negotiation? We help you answer those questions for your organization and build adoption in from the start.
Build a contract program your teams will actually use.
Book a Discovery Call