In the past, Geerts/Denayer utilized a wide range of MS Word templates to create documents related to public procurement law (e.g. tender and contractual documents, letters, etc.). The variable elements in these templates were color-coded to assist the user in creating a concrete document out of them. The consequence, however, was that an entire page had to be devoted to explaining the different uses of the different colors (e.g. orange text is for a works tender, blue text is for a services tender, etc). This approach made for an often confusing and error-prone way of working. It quickly became apparent that Microsoft Word was ill-suited to the management and updating of the knowledge contained within these templates.
“The search for the right tool was a long-term quest for a more innovative and modern solution to knowledge and clause management, but also the deployment of that knowledge. We turned to LawVu Draft to not only optimize our own internal process, but the ways in which we make our knowledge available to our clients.”
Johan Geerts, Managing Partner – Geerts/Denayer
With these problems in mind, Geerts/Denayer started to look for a better solution, one that could handle the legal complexity inherent in the templates it had created. First, they tried specialized public procurement software. The problem with this software was it focused too much on the management of a procurement process and not enough on the drafting of complex documents. Which is when Geerts/Denayer started to look at LawVu Draft.
In record time, Johan Geerts became an expert in the automation of complex legal documents, which prompted LawVu Draft and Geerts/Denayer to join forces in creating a white-labelled solution called “TenderBase”.
TenderBase features the complete template library previously constructed in Microsoft Word by Geerts/Denayer, but with the bonus of intelligent automation and reusable clauses. Not only does this make the firm that much more efficient in creating new documents, it can also update its templates more efficiently and provide a central platform to its clients where the complete library of documents is made available.
Clients who wish to create a document from one of 26 available template documents can simply select it from the library and fill out an easy-to-use questionnaire to generate a document tailored to their needs. Maintenance and continued compliance of the intelligent templates with public procurement law is guaranteed by Geerts/Denayer, making TenderBase the ideal one-stop shop for any company or governmental entity that is frequently confronted with complex tender processes.
“By launching TenderBase, we were able to create new ways of servicing our clients and generating revenue, all while also optimizing our own internal processes. Initial market feedback has clearly shown a need for a solution like TenderBase and we are excited to see what the future holds as we continue to build the service.”
Johan Geerts, Managing Partner – Geerts/Denayer
