The Bureau of Meteorology (Bureau) has transitioned its legal department to Consensus, a comprehensive contract and matter management solution developed on Microsoft technology. Completed at the end of 2022, this transition has bolstered data security measures and streamlined processes at the Bureau’s legal department.
For legal procurement teams, one of the biggest challenges is keeping track of contracts and critical information, such as scheduled price increases, key amendments and other details. After implementation, Consensus replaced the Bureau’s internally built matter management software (MMS), which had a number of issues.
Key to creating uninterrupted workflows was Consensus’ integration with Outlook, which made it possible for the legal team to automatically track responses and forward email. ‘This is extremely beneficial for instances where a lawyer may be on leave, and another needs to pick up the matter,’ explains a Senior Manager for Application Sourcing Services at the Bureau.
However, more than just convenience, Consensus offers new capabilities, most notably the contract lifecycle and facilities management modules which the senior manager says could be useful in the future. For the Bureau, what caught their attention was the greater level control over sensitive data stored in Consensus.
‘As organisations transition to the cloud, legal teams are becoming increasingly concerned with data sovereignty and security,’ explains Amanda Fajerman, Consensus’ Engagement Manager, ‘which is why our team ensured customers have complete control over their data within Consensus. In addition, as legal teams prepare for generative AI and Copilot, we have seen an increased awareness in the use of Microsoft technology for information and knowledge management.’
Having now implemented Consensus after using the Clearspace workforce management app at the height of the pandemic, the Bureau is currently exploring plans to leverage more of Microsoft’s low-code Power Platform, while expanding the use of Consensus through its modular functions.
