US$29,999.00
excl GSTs
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GLS Contract Approval Matrix™
A matrix of recorded contract approval authority
The Problem
You do not have a single, organisation-wide Contract Approval Matrix.
Related challenges include:
- uncertainty across the business as to who is authorised to sign what
- contracts being approved by the wrong people, at the wrong level
- inconsistent risk and value thresholds being applied deal-by-deal
- avoidable delays while approvals are re-routed or re-done
- legal being pulled in late to “bless” decisions already made
- weakened audit trails and decision accountability
- increased exposure to unauthorised commitments
- reliance on “who approved it last time” as a control mechanism
Without a clear approval matrix, authority becomes informal, situational, and memory-based — exactly where governance breaks down.
If only you had time to define a single Contract Approval Matrix.
The GLS Solution
GLS Contract Approval Matrix™ establishes a single, authoritative view of who in your organisation can approve, sign, and commit the business to contracts — by contract type, risk profile, value threshold, and deviation from standard positions. This solution is for a large legal team operation.
GLS Contract Approval Matrix™ introduces discipline, speed, and defensibility into the approval layer of the contracting process — from early deal structuring and negotiation through to execution, audit, and post-signature accountability.
This “formative level” legal department resource will determine how effectively authority, risk, and commercial judgement are exercised across your organisation. Solution performance contributions include:
- Authority: your organisation operates with a clear, documented and enforced delegation of contractual authority
- Risk Control: approval thresholds align to risk exposure, not job titles or legacy practice
- Speed: approvals are routed correctly the first time, reducing escalation loops and deal friction
- Consistency: similar contracts are approved in similar ways, regardless of business unit or geography
- Accountability: every approval decision is attributable, reviewable, and defensible
- Delegation: legal teams can safely empower the business without losing control
- Audit & Governance: approval logic withstands internal audit, regulator scrutiny, and post-deal review
- Legal Tech Enablement: approval logic can be embedded into CLM, workflows, and automation rules
Prepared with the “user” in mind, GLS Contract Approval Matrix™ is practical, intuitive, and designed to be used by the business — not hidden in legal folders or known only to senior lawyers.
GLS Contract Approval Matrix™ delivers immediate reductions in approval ambiguity, contracting delay, and unauthorised commitments, and is an essential foundation for any legal team looking to scale contracting safely and efficiently.
Problem solved.
Solution Deliverables
| Contract Approval Matrix: | We provide a clear, structured and user-friendly approval matrix that defines who can approve and sign contracts by contract type, value, risk profile and deviation from standard positions.
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| Approval Logic Workshops: | Our solution includes facilitated workshops to efficiently capture your current approval practices, risk tolerances and escalation thresholds.
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| Business Specific: | The matrix is calibrated to your organisation’s structure, risk appetite, operating model and commercial realities.
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| Risk-Based Thresholds: | Approval levels are aligned to legal and commercial risk exposure — not just contract value or job title.
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| Delegation of Authority Alignment: | The matrix is mapped to (and rationalises) your existing Delegation of Authority framework to eliminate overlap, conflict and ambiguity.
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| Workflow Ready: | The approval logic is designed to be directly embedded into CLM systems, approval workflows and automation tools.
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| Audit & Accountability: | Approval rules and sign-off logic are documented in a way that supports internal audit, regulator review and post-deal scrutiny.
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| Efficiency Plan: | Includes guidance on how to operationalise the matrix across the full contracting lifecycle to reduce delay and re-work. |
| Maintained: | Regular updates are provided to ensure approval thresholds remain aligned with organisational change, growth and risk evolution.
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| Training: | We provide clear training guidance so business users and legal teams understand how approvals work and when escalation is required.
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| Branded: | All materials are fully branded to your in-house style and corporate identity.
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Solution SLA Options and US$ Pricing
| Column one | Column two | Column three | Column four | Column five |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DELIVERABLE | STANDARD | |||
| Kick Off Session | ✓ | |||
| Delegation of Authority Review | ✓ | |||
| Matrix Model Template | ✓ | |||
| Risk Allocation Modellings | ✓ | |||
| Finalised Matrix | ✓ | |||
| Matrix Handover | ✓ | |||
| CLMS / Workflow Investigation | ✓ | |||
| Price (excl GST) | USD29,999 |
GLS RPLV Legal Operations Score
This solution’s GLS RPLV impact score:
| Resource Status: | Specialist | Repeater | Formative |
| Ease of Implementation: | Complex | Average | Easy |
| Value Demonstration/Visibility: | Low | Medium | High |
| Productivity Leverage Profile: | Low | Medium | High |
| IHL Line Optimisation: | Single | Multiple | All Lines |
IHL Critical Function Optimisation Targets
This solution enhances performance across the following critical in-house functions:
In-House Legal: Critical Functions / Processes
Contracting
Compliance
Human Capital
GLS has identified 15 critical in-house processes/functions that are present in every world-class legal department. To learn what these functions are, their composition and how they interrelate to deliver efficient legal team performance outcomes - visit here.
