Why Certify Your Contract Even If It’s Not Publicly Available

In today’s increasingly data-driven business environment, companies are under more pressure than ever to ensure their contracts are not only compliant but fair, balanced, and competitive. One of the most effective ways to demonstrate this is through contract certification, that is why we built Certify™.

In the past, our Certification offering was only available for publicly hosted contracts—think standard online terms or open template agreements. But we changed that a while ago, because not every company wants to make its terms public, yet still wants to prove their fairness.

While certification is often associated with publicly posted terms, many organizations operate with private contracts—agreements that are not published online, but still define the foundation of critical business relationships. So, why certify them?

Certifying a private contract enables businesses to reap many of the same benefits as public certification, while maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive documents. Here’s why it’s still worth it:

Certifying a private contract with Certify gives your organization access to objective benchmarking data without having to publish your terms. You can see how your terms compare to industry norms and thousand of peer contracts—information that’s critical for legal, sales, and procurement teams.

Whether you're looking to tighten risky clauses or assess how your terms hold up in competitive negotiations, Certify™ provides data-backed clarity instead of guesswork.

Certify™ isn’t just for certification—it’s a tool for improvement. Internally, it helps teams:

• Identify overly aggressive or outdated provisions
  
  
• Align on acceptable fallback positions
  
  
• Pinpoint contract friction that slows down deals

Legal teams can use the insights to refine templates. Sales teams gain confidence in the terms they're offering. Finance can ensure the contract is compliant to avoid financial risks. Over time, this leads to more efficient processes, fewer escalations, and improved contract performance.

Even when contracts remain private, Contract certification helps build trust with internal and external partners:

• Executives gain assurance that the company’s standard terms meet recognized fairness benchmarks.

• Boards and investors see evidence of mature, responsible contracting practices.

• Partners and counterparties may not see the full certification initially but it can be shown that it’s certified—offering a meaningful signal of fairness and integrity.

At the moment of negotiation, trust is everything. A certified contract reduces friction when deals reach the contract stage by showing that you're committed to:

• Minimizing  objections
  
  
• Creating less back-and-forth between legal teams
  
  
• Showing that you're committed to fairness from the outset
  

This often leads to faster contract execution and stronger relationships, built on a shared understanding of what’s reasonable. Certification becomes a catalyst—not just for closing deals more quickly, but for building healthier, more trusting partnerships.

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A Smart Move for Forward-Thinking Companies

Whether your contracts are public or private, certification validates your approach, enhances your templates, and communicates your standards to the people who matter.

It’s a strategic choice for companies committed to fairness, efficiency, and accountability in every agreement.

Certify smart—even if you keep it private.