Case Study: University of Northern Colorado achieves streamlined, transparent contract management with OnBase

Public university tackles contract management challenges with OnBase case management

The University of Northern Colorado (about 12,000 students, Greeley, CO) was struggling with a paper‑based, inconsistent contract process in Procurement that lacked transparency, created duplicated work and increased compliance risk. Stakeholders couldn’t easily see where requests stood, required information was often missing, and version control was managed through shared network folders.

UNC implemented OnBase for Contract Management (integrated with Banner), using electronic self‑service forms, case management, automated routing and document composition with templates and a fragment library. The system auto‑creates contract records, prevents duplicate drafting by assigning work, tracks versions, enforces approval rules (e.g., >$50k to general counsel) and provides expiration alerts. The result: dramatically reduced paper and turnaround time (contracts can be completed in as little as 10 minutes), more consistent workflows, greater transparency and improved compliance — with a platform the university can expand across campus.

University of Northern Colorado

Cristal Swain

Assistant Legal Counsel and Chief Procurement Officer