Naresh Bhardwaj · CLM Solution Architect

Contract Lifecycle Management, designed with clarity and run with confidence.

Independent CLM solution architect, with hands-on experience of Icertis, Workday Contract Intelligence and Leah.

Discuss your programme Free resources

Experience at a glance

15+ yrsCLM & source-to-pay

Platform experienceIcertis, Workday Contract Intelligence, Leah (ContractPodAI)

5 sectorsEnergy, pharma, banking, FMCG, medical

20+CLM projects delivered

New to CLM? See how a system fits together, from business requirements to configuration.Interactive guide →

Typical roles

Where Naresh fits in a CLM programme

Brought in as an independent specialist alongside the client team and the implementation partner.

Role

Solution architect

Contract types, workflows, integrations and security, designed before anything is configured.

Role

Design authority member

Part of the client design authority team: decisions recorded, changes controlled, the solution kept coherent.

Role

CLM advisor

Independent advice on requirements, platform fit, roadmaps and live systems that need fixing.

Role

Project manager

Planning, governance and delivery oversight for CLM implementations and rollouts.

Live with a system nobody fully understands?

Bring order to a CLM platform after go-live

Many organisations go live with weak documentation and no design authority. When the implementation partner leaves, nobody knows why the system works the way it does. The answer is capturing the as-built design, finding the gaps and risks, and putting governance in place so changes are safe.

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As-built solution design and configuration inventory
Gap, risk and data-quality review
Knowledge transfer before the vendor team leaves
Change control and design sign-off
Phase 2 roadmap and BAU handover

Platforms

CLM platforms delivered

IcertisWorkday Contract IntelligenceLeah (ContractPodAI)

Free resources

A typical CLM implementation, with free resources

An overview of how CLM implementations typically run, phase by phase, with free practical material drawn from 20+ CLM implementations.

Browse resources

Eight phases, from mobilise to measure
Key tasks and sign-off gates for each phase
Free checklists and guides for selected tasks
Vendor-neutral and free to use

Let’s talk about your CLM programme

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Experience

Trusted on complex, global programmes

Recent engagements.

European energy company

Icertis · SAP S/4HANA

Challenge

A large Icertis implementation across multiple business areas, integrated with SAP S/4HANA.

Role

Independent Icertis Solution Architect and CLM advisor.

Focus

Requirements analysis, functional solution design, quality assurance, backlog and testing support, deployment readiness, and functional advice on the SAP S/4HANA integration.

Global food manufacturer

Workday Contract Intelligence

Challenge

Deploying an AI-enabled CLM platform across a global business.

Role

CLM Solution Architect, engaged through a specialist legal technology consultancy.

Focus

Solution design, requirements definition and implementation leadership, covering the contract repository, AI extraction and workflows.

Major international bank

Workday Contract Intelligence · Proof of concept

Challenge

Proving AI-enabled contract review for ISDA and banking facility agreements.

Role

Project manager, solution architect and primary client liaison.

Focus

Clause extraction, obligations, risk identification and portfolio analytics; workflows and approvals aligned to banking controls and audit traceability; a target-state architecture with a “Legal Front Door” intake.

Global pharmaceutical company

Leah (ContractPodAI)

Challenge

A global CLM transformation delivered by a multi-vendor team.

Role

Director, CLM Implementation.

Focus

Design and governance of the end-to-end architecture (workflows, AI, clause libraries, templates, integrations, security and data); discovery, blueprinting and phased rollout planning; delivery oversight and quality assurance.

Global medical equipment manufacturer

Icertis · Salesforce · Coupa

Challenge

One CLM solution serving Sales, Procurement and Legal.

Role

CLM Implementation Manager and solution architect.

Focus

Architecture and delivery of the Icertis solution, with Salesforce and Coupa integrated for end-to-end contract workflows, driven by requirements workshops with each business area.

Major global bank

Icertis · Process Unity

Challenge

Procurement operations needing CLM linked to third-party risk management.

Role

Project Director.

Focus

End-to-end Icertis implementation: workflows, Process Unity integration via the Icertis API, AI for clause discovery, obligations and negotiation, the testing strategy, and an enterprise security model.

Earlier programmes while at Icertis included Philip Morris International, British American Tobacco, Daimler and Celgene.

About

Naresh Bhardwaj

Founder of Samvida AI · CLM Solution Architect

Naresh has spent more than two decades designing and delivering enterprise systems, and the last fifteen years focused on contract lifecycle management and procurement transformation, at Icertis, IBM Emptoris, Deloitte and independently.

He works where business, legal and technology meet: turning contracting processes into clear designs, keeping integrations and data honest, and making sure the system is documented and governed so the client can run it long after the project team has gone.

Why “Samvida”? From the Sanskrit saṃvidā (संविदा), meaning agreement, contract, promise and knowledge.

Career

Background

2024 – nowSamvida AI Founder, CLM consulting

2025 – 2026Execo Director, CLM Implementation

2021 – 2024Deloitte CLM Implementation Manager (contractor)

2021SYKE (now Consilio) Project Director

2018 – 2021Icertis Program Manager

2008 – 2018IBM Emptoris Engagement Manager

2006 – 2008Amdocs Consulting Manager

1998 – 2006Atos Origin / KPMG Consulting Executive Consultant

Certifications

Icertis Administrator, Obligation Management and AI
Workday Contract Intelligence (formerly Evisort)
ContractPodAI (Leah)
Ironclad CLM
Sirion (Admin)
Emptoris Strategic Sourcing

Education

BSc (Hons) Chemical Engineering, Leeds University
MSc Computer Aided Engineering, Liverpool Polytechnic
Diploma in Business Administration, Aston University

Resources

Free CLM resources

Practical, vendor-neutral material drawn from 20+ CLM implementations. Free to download and use.

Start here · Interactive

How a CLM system is built

What the business has to define, how design turns it into a specification, and what the configuration team builds. Click through the building blocks, or walk through implementing one contract type step by step.

Open the interactive guide →

The phases

A typical CLM implementation

Drawn from hands-on work across every phase. Specialist support is available whether a programme is just starting, mid-build or already live.

⤓ Download the full overview (free PDF)

Eight phases, each ending in a sign-off gate.

PhasesKey tasks

Phase 1MobiliseGate: Plan and governance approved

Confirm objectives and success criteriaAgree governance, roles and planAssess organisational readinessGather sample contracts and data

Phase 2DiscoverGate: Requirements and scope signed off

Run requirements workshopsMap future contracting processesDocument and prioritise requirementsIdentify integration and data needs

Phase 3DesignGate: Solution design signed off

Design contract types and templatesDefine workflows, approvals and remindersDefine security and accessPlan integrations and data migration

Phase 4ConfigureGate: Ready for UAT

Configure in short cycles with demosBuild templates, clauses and integrationsTest end to endReview configuration against design

Phase 5UATGate: UAT sign-off

Business runs real-life scenariosTriage and fix issues dailyRetest fixesAgree any open items

Phase 6Go-liveGate: Go/no-go decision

Train users and super-usersCommunicate the changeMigrate and validate dataRehearse cutover; decide go/no-go

Phase 7HypercareGate: Handover accepted

Provide dedicated early supportFix issues quicklyTrack adoption from day oneHand over to BAU support

Phase 8MeasureGate: Value reviewed with sponsor

Run adoption reviews at one, two and three monthsTrack adoption and cycle-time KPIsPrioritise improvementsPlan the next phase

All phases

Design authority: decisions recorded, changes controlledProgramme governance: status, risks and issues, steering group

Downloads

Available now

Guide · PDF

A typical CLM implementation

The eight phases with key tasks, outputs and sign-off gates for each.

Download (free PDF)

In preparation

Coming soon, by request

Resources being prepared. Requests through the form below help decide which come first.

Coming soon

Go-live readiness checklist

For the weeks after UAT: open items, risks, business readiness, cutover and hypercare.

Request it →

Coming soon

Template selection simulator

An interactive example of how a few simple questions choose the right contract template.

Request it →

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Contact

Let’s talk about your CLM programme

Starting out, mid-implementation, or living with a system nobody fully understands? Get in touch.

Email

naresh@samvidaai.com

View LinkedIn profile ↗

Location

Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom.
Working with clients across the UK and Europe, remotely and on site.

Helpful to include

Your CLM platform, or the platforms you are considering
Where you are: planning, implementing or live
What you need help with and your timescales

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