The Playbook is a feature of the Bonterms Platform that helps users add and reuse Additional Terms in their Deals. These allow Deal Owners on both sides of a Deal to quickly select from common, pre-approved terms instead of drafting custom language from scratch. This helps both parties negotiate more efficiently using standardized, reusable language.
This includes:
- A Standard Playbook with out-of-the-box terms provided by Bonterms
- An Internal Playbook with customized terms created by your Organization to efficiently, consistently re-use terms across Deals
- An Internal Usage Note within the Internal Playbook for contextual guidance on proposals
You can use Playbook Items in Deal Templates or add them directly during Deal creation and Guided Review.
Types of Playbook Items
Standard Playbook
The Standard Playbook contains predefined Additional Terms provided by Bonterms. These items reflect common contract terms and alternative options that parties may want to include during Deal creation or negotiation.
Use these to:
- Quickly build Deals with common terms
- Start from trusted, neutral language
To view our pre-defined Standard Playbook terms, go click Playbook in the Platform, then select Standard. There is a dropdown at the top to toggle between Standard Playbook terms across each of the Deal Types.
Internal Playbook
The Internal Playbook contains custom Additional Terms created by Admins and Supervisors in your Organization. These items reflect your company’s preferred positions or approved variations to a given Standard Agreement. Internal Playbook Items ensure that all deals align with your internal legal and business standards. Recipients do not have access to your personalized Internal Playbook.
You can:
- Create new terms from scratch
- Customize items from the Standard Playbook
- Reuse these in Deal Templates, new Deals or during Guided Review
See the article on how to Create an Internal Playbook item for more details.
Internal Usage Note
The Internal Playbook also includes an Internal Usage Note which can be customized to provide internal guidance for your team during Deal creation and Guided Review.
Use Internal Usage Notes to document:
Preferred responses to common customer requests
Guidance on when standard fallback terms are acceptable
Instructions on when to involve Legal or a Reviewer
Internal contact information for escalation
Internal Usage Notes are:
Visible only to your Organization
Seen during Deal creation and Guided Review at the top of the Internal Playbook
Not included in the Agreement
Not directly tied to any Additional Terms
Example:
"OK to accept Affiliates clause from the Standard Playbook. Escalate any edits to the Feedback clause to Legal for review."
How Playbooks are used
Admins & Supervisors - Deal Template setup
Admins and Supervisors use the Playbook to create and manage Internal Playbook items and build Deal Templates for Owners to in their Organization. These templates define starting points for common Deal scenarios.
Owners - Deal creation
Owners use the Playbook when creating and modifying a new Deal from a Deal Template, or adding Additional Terms during Guided Review. This allows Deals to be consistent (through templates), and flexible (through per-Deal customization).
Recipients - Guided Review
Recipients can also add or modify Additional Terms during Guided Review. They can review proposed Terms, suggest changes, add Additional Terms using available Standard Playbook items, or create a new Term from scratch.
No Bonterms account is required for recipients to use Standard Playbook items or create Terms from scratch.
Here is how a recipient will access Standard Playbook items during Guided Review
Key takeaways
- The Standard Playbook provides out-of-the-box Additional Terms from Bonterms
- The Internal Playbook contains your Organization’s reusable custom terms
- Playbook Items can be used in:
- Deal Templates
- Deal creation
- Guided Review
- Different users interact with the Playbook at different stages:
- Admins/Supervisors: create and manage Playbook Items and add them to Deal Templates
- Owners: apply Playbook Items when creating Deals
- Recipients: review and propose Playbook Items (Additional Terms) during Guided Review
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