Integreon Wins IACCM 2013 Innovation Award for "Outstanding" Contract Management Services and Support to Microsoft Corporation

LONDON, October 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Combined Integreon and Microsoft Teams Stand as a Model of Teamwork for the Legal Industry

Integreon, a leading global provider of outsourced legal, document, research and business support, has been awarded recognition as "Outstanding Service Provider" for 2013 by the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management (IACCM) during its annual Innovation Awards ceremony held Wednesday, October 9th in Phoenix, Arizona. The award reflects Integreon's delivery of exceptional contract management services and support to Microsoft. Results were determined by an independent, cross-industry, international panel of judges appointed by the IACCM.

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"Four years ago we began the search for a service provider who could go beyond mere augmentation of resources and help us re-design and improve upon our contract review processes," said Lucy Bassli, Assistant General Counsel at Microsoft. "Through the relationship we established with Integreon, we've seen a dramatic improvement in the efficiency of our contract review process. Our in-house team has also been able to focus on higher level activities while furthering their own legal careers here at Microsoft. We are thrilled to have these achievements recognised by the IACCM."

Prior to engaging with Integreon, Microsoft realised that its existing paralegal resourcing model for legal contract review was not sustainable in the long term. The volume of procurement contracts flowing into Microsoft's Global Contracting Office was significant and growing rapidly. The turnaround time for legal review was averaging three days per contract and causing delays in the procurement process for needed goods and services. In response, Microsoft initiated a dual track effort to study their current contract processes and the opportunities offered by legal process outsourcing (LPO). After a rigorous selection process, Microsoft selected Integreon as its LPO partner.

Integreon's paralegals and lawyers operating from delivery centers in Fargo, North Dakota and Bristol, UK work as an extension of the Microsoft legal department. The close collaboration and integration of the Integreon and Microsoft teams ensured that the engagement realised short term successes and laid the groundwork for expansion of the programme as greater volumes and types of contracts, including foreign language contracts, were brought into scope.

Microsoft's cost for legal contract review has been significantly reduced. Today the Integreon teams in Fargo and Bristol handle 20,000 contracts per year in 14 languages across 125 countries. At the same time, the average turnaround time for legal review has dropped from three days to less than one, and the percentage of contracts meeting the agreed upon turnaround time has increased from 86 per cent to 99 per cent. The increased productivity and reduced costs to manage contracts were complemented by high quality output, as results consistently exceed Microsoft's 98.4 per cent quality target.

"The secret sauce in this success story of legal department transformation is quite simply the strength of our partnership with Microsoft and, more specifically, the depth of integration and collaboration between our respective teams," explained Mark Ross, Vice President, Legal Process Outsourcing at Integreon. "With Microsoft, we have a partner who has embraced the 'art of possible' and shared our passion for legal process improvement and innovation."

"The success we've had at Microsoft and our recognition from the IACCM demonstrate that the traditional model for legal services delivery can be changed for the better. Integreon has the legal process re-engineering expertise, industry knowledge, and global delivery platform that allow us to provide our clients with substantial legal process improvement in tandem with cost reduction," said Brent Larlee, Global Head, Legal Services at Integreon. "Ours is not simply a cost arbitrage approach. It is about aligning the right resources with the right tasks to deliver the right outcomes while still reducing cost."

For an in-depth look at Integreon's engagement with Microsoft for contract management and review, read our new case study.

Integreon's range of contract review, drafting and management services include:

• Contract Mass Review & Abstraction: On-location, onshore and offshore teams to review masses of contracts, apply industry-leading technology to accelerate the process, abstract requisite data/information and ensure high quality results. Useful in M&A events, audits and implementation of contract management software.

• Contract Management Support: Offering procurement and sales organisations the opportunity to leverage teams of lawyers and paralegals to support the buy- and sell-side of contracting. Resources available in dedicated team, time-block or other innovative (i.e. fixed per contract pricing) models to support client contracting requirements.

• Contract Globalisation: Ability to review, redline and negotiate contracts in multiple languages from our European-based LPO delivery center. Project management services available that integrate offshore corporate counsel and outside counsel across jurisdictions for complete global contracts support.

• Contracting Process Redesign: Deep experience deconstructing and reengineering legal processes using Lean and Six Sigma techniques, applying best practices and flexible resources and optimising the mix and utilisation of technology. Analysis of which aspects of the contract review work performed by lawyers and support staff add value and which should be eliminated, automated, or delivered by alternative means.

For more information about Integreon's entire range of outsourcing services for legal, document, research, and business support, please visit http://www.integreon.com.

Or connect directly with Integreon at the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, California, October 27-30, 2013 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Visit booth 801 to learn more about Integreon's award-winning services for corporate legal departments and law firms.

About Integreon

Integreon is a trusted provider of integrated legal, document, research and business support solutions to discerning professionals, including law firms and corporate law departments, leading corporations, financial services organisations and professional services firms. Integreon's 2,000+ associates work globally to support its clients in areas such as market and competitive intelligence, discovery, legal process outsourcing (LPO), operating model transformation and back office redesign. Integreon also excels in business support services such as IT, document processing, finance, and HR. With unrivaled outsourcing experience and its industry-leading onshore and offshore capabilities, clients increasingly rely on Integreon to meet their needs in a demanding business environment. Integreon provides its services to its global client base with delivery capabilities from the US, UK, India, Philippines, South Africa and China. For more information about Integreon's extensive range of services, please visit http://www.integreon.com and follow us on Twitter: @Integreon.

About IACCM

With members from nearly 155 countries and nearly 12000 corporations, IACCM is leading the way in responding to the demands of global networked markets. Its annual awards ceremony (The IACCM Innovation Awards) celebrates the individuals and teams who are raising the profile of contract and commercial capability within their organisations. This year the judges were delighted to see high quality entries from organisations large and small, public and private, including many of the world's top brands.

For additional information, please contact:

Matt Corser
Burson-Marsteller (for Integreon)
+44(0)207-300-6250
press@integreon.com

Carina Kuhl
IACCM
+1-203-403-1978
ckuhl@iaccm.com