--- title: Contract Redlining Software in Microsoft Word | Aavenir url: https://aavenir.com/solutions/contract-redlining-software/ description: Contract redlining software that keeps negotiation in Microsoft Word. Each round returns to the Contractflow record as a version, and Avy explains clauses. updated: 2026-11-07 --- [Home](https://aavenir.com/) / [Contract suite](https://aavenir.com/solutions/aavenir-contract-suite/) / [Contractflow](https://aavenir.com/solutions/enterprise-contract-management-software/) / Contract redlining Contractflow · Contract redlining # Negotiate in Word. Keep every version on the record. Counterparties keep redlining in Microsoft Word, and your team works through the Aavenir add-in. Each round comes back to the contract record as a new version, and Avy can explain any clause before you reply. Definition ## What is contract redlining software? Contract redlining software manages the back and forth of negotiation, tracking each party's proposed edits, keeping every version in order and recording who changed what, so the agreed text is never lost in an email thread. Aavenir [Contractflow](https://aavenir.com/solutions/enterprise-contract-management-software/) keeps redlining in Microsoft Word through Office 365 and the Aavenir add-in. Each round syncs back to the contract record as a version, and you can ask Avy to explain language before you respond. Neither side learns a new editor. - Both sides redline in Microsoft Word, with no new editor to learn - Each round returns to the contract record as a new version - Ask Avy to explain language from inside the add-in - The full version history stays with the contract Our customers ## Procurement, legal, IT, finance, and sales teams run their contracts on Aavenir. American Seafoods Group T.D. Williamson Thrive Express Employment Professionals MUFG State of Utah How it works ## One clause, three rounds, one record. - The draft goes out as a Word file from the contract record The counterparty edits in their own copy of Word Nobody on either side learns a new tool. - Each returned file is stored as the next version Tracked changes stay visible clause by clause Earlier rounds stay one click away. - Ask what a counterparty edit changes, in plain language See the edit next to your playbook position Agree the text, and the final version moves to approval. Why negotiation stalls ## Lost versions cost more than slow replies. Most redlining pain is not the editing. It is finding the right version and knowing who changed what. ### Versions in shared drives A Southeast Asian bank kept contracts on Google Drive, where redline versions were hard to find, before moving to [Contractflow on ServiceNow](https://aavenir.com/case-study/contract-management-for-leading-banking-financial-services-company-servicenow/). ### Edits nobody can trace When every round lands on the record, you can show who proposed each change and when. ### A new editor nobody wants Counterparties will not learn your tool. Word on both sides keeps the negotiation moving. Results ## What customers report after moving to Aavenir. 42%reduced contract risk at a leading Southeast Asian bank [Case study](https://aavenir.com/case-study/contract-management-for-leading-banking-financial-services-company-servicenow/) 5xfaster approval cycle at the same bank [Case study](https://aavenir.com/case-study/contract-management-for-leading-banking-financial-services-company-servicenow/) 70%faster contract cycle at a Fortune 500 insurer on RFPflow and Contractflow [Case study](https://aavenir.com/case-study/source-to-contract-workflow-improve-contract-cycle-time-efficiency/) 5xfaster contract cycle time at a mining company on RFPflow, Onboardingflow and Contractflow [Case study](https://aavenir.com/case-study/accelerate-sourcing-cycle-by-25-source-to-contract/) “ Breakthrough results for our legal team. **Dominic Gyngell**General Counsel, Speedcast, on Contractflow in ServiceNow Aavenir and the alternatives ## How Aavenir compares with the other ways teams do this. | What matters | Aavenir | Standalone contract lifecycle management tools | Shared drives, email and spreadsheets | | Where it runs | Native on ServiceNow, or deployed standalone | Their own platform, connected to other systems by integration | Wherever the file was last saved | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | One record across the lifecycle | Sourcing, contract, obligations and invoices on one record | Usually the contract stage, other stages through partners | No record, only files and threads | | AI at each stage | Aavenir AI extracts terms, reviews against your playbook and tracks obligations, and a person approves | Varies by product, often strongest in review and search | None | | After signature | Obligations assigned, evidence checked, renewals flagged before the notice window | Varies by product | A calendar reminder, if someone set one | | Where others can be stronger | Configured to your workflow, one module or the whole suite | Often a quick start for a single legal team | Free and familiar, until volume grows | Comparisons describe categories of tools, not named products. For named comparisons, see [Aavenir compared](https://aavenir.com/compare/). ## Further reading [AI in contract lifecycle management AI-native vs bolt-on contract lifecycle management: how to tell the difference before you buy Read the article](https://aavenir.com/blog/ai-native-vs-bolt-on-clm/)[Contract management Where contract value goes after signature Read the article](https://aavenir.com/blog/post-signature-value/)[AI in contract lifecycle management AI agents in contract management: what they actually do Read the article](https://aavenir.com/blog/ai-agents-contract-management/) Questions ## Talk to a contract expert Bring a few sample agreements. We will show you Aavenir AI reading them, on ServiceNow or standalone. Schedule a demo ## Before and after the redline [Contractflow The full contract lifecycle on one record Learn more](https://aavenir.com/solutions/enterprise-contract-management-software/)[Contract review Aavenir AI flags what to push back on Learn more](https://aavenir.com/solutions/contract-review/)[Contract approval The agreed version goes to sign off Learn more](https://aavenir.com/solutions/contract-approval-software/)[Supplier price increase review Check what the signed text allows Learn more](https://aavenir.com/use-cases/supplier-price-increase-review/)[Integrations Word, e-signature, ERP and ServiceNow Learn more](https://aavenir.com/integrations/)[For legal teams Intake, review and redlining for legal Learn more](https://aavenir.com/solutions/legal-contract-management/) Frequently asked questions (FAQ) ## Common questions ### ### What is contract redlining? Contract redlining is the process of proposing edits to a draft agreement as tracked changes, so each party can see what the other wants to add, delete or reword. It runs in rounds until both sides agree the text. [See contract review](https://aavenir.com/solutions/contract-review/). ### ### Does Aavenir work with Microsoft Word? Yes. Contractflow keeps redlining in Microsoft Word through Office 365 and the Aavenir add-in, so neither your team nor the counterparty learns a new editor. Each round syncs back to the contract record as a new version. [See integrations](https://aavenir.com/integrations/). ### ### How are redline versions tracked? Every round that comes back is stored on the contract record as the next version, with its tracked changes. Earlier versions stay available, so you can show who proposed each change and when the text was agreed. [See Contractflow](https://aavenir.com/solutions/enterprise-contract-management-software/). Have a question we have not answered? [Ask the Expert](https://aavenir.com/contact/) Schedule a demo ## See your contracts run on one record. - **1****A 30 minute walkthrough**Built around your team, whether that is procurement, legal, IT or finance. - **2****Your contracts, not ours**Bring a few sample agreements and watch Aavenir AI extract and review them. - **3****ServiceNow or standalone**We show the deployment that fits the systems you already run. Prefer to talk first? [Contact the team](https://aavenir.com/contact/). The form did not load. [Contact the team](https://aavenir.com/contact/) instead, or refresh the page.