Volody partners with SMBC, LexisNexis & AMT to Shape the Future of Legal AI - Read Press Release →

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Volody partners with SMBC, LexisNexis & AMT to Shape the Future of Legal AI - Read Press Release

Volody partners with SMBC, LexisNexis & AMT to Shape the Future of Legal AI- Read Press Release

From Vendor Risk to 5x Faster Onboarding

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10

Vendors Onboarded Monthly

3

Risk Tiers Configured

85%

Faster Onboarding Cycle

100%

Vendors Risk-Classified at Entry

Executive Summary

The firm onboarded its vendors through a manual process built on emails, spreadsheets and scattered documents. There was no consistent way to judge a vendor's risk level at the start, so every vendor was treated the same regardless of the money or exposure involved. The process was slow, and the team could onboard only 1-2 vendors a month.

Volody replaced this with an AI-powered vendor onboarding workflow. Vendors now complete a structured onboarding form, are automatically classified by risk level based on contract value, and are asked for documents that match their risk tier. The counterparty can upload some of those documents directly. The firm now onboards 10 vendors every month, a 5x increase in throughput, with full risk visibility from day one.

Problem Statement

Manual Vendor Onboarding Was Hiding Risk And Limiting Growth

As a global law firm working with many external vendors, the firm relied on a manual onboarding process. Vendor details, documents and approvals were tracked across emails and spreadsheets. At the moment of onboarding, the firm had no clear view of how risky a vendor was. High-value and low-value vendors went through the same slow process, and critical due diligence was easy to miss.

The Challenge

Unclear Vendor Risk And Slow Manual Onboarding Held The Team Back

The firm's onboarding process depended on manual follow-ups. Legal and procurement teams chased vendors for information over email, and there was no standard intake form. As a result, the team could not tell a low-risk vendor from a high-risk one until much later in the relationship, if at all.

Document requirements were inconsistent. Some vendors were asked for too much, while others who handled significant spend were asked for too little. Because the internal team had to collect every document themselves, onboarding took weeks and the team could handle only 1-2 vendors a month.

Vendor risk level was unknown at the time of onboarding

1

2

No standard onboarding form or intake process

Document requirements were not linked to vendor risk

3

4

Internal teams had to chase every document manually

Onboarding capacity was limited to 1-2 vendors a month

5

6

Vendor information was scattered across emails and files

1

Vendor risk level was unknown at the time of onboarding

3

Document requirements were not linked to vendor risk

5

Onboarding capacity was limited to 1-2 vendors a month

2

No standard onboarding form or intake process

4

Internal teams had to chase every document manually

6

Vendor information was scattered across emails and files

Without a structured, risk-aware process, the firm risked onboarding high-exposure vendors without proper due diligence, while slow cycles delayed the services it needed.

The Solution

An AI-Powered Vendor Onboarding Workflow Built Around Risk

After evaluating multiple vendors, the firm chose Volody as its contract lifecycle partner. Volody worked with the legal and procurement teams to map their vendor onboarding journey and understand where risk was being missed. A tailor-made onboarding workflow was then configured.

The platform digitised vendor onboarding from the first form to final approval:

Digital vendor onboarding form: Replaced email-based intake with a single structured form that captures all vendor details upfront.
Value-based risk classification: Automatically assigns each vendor a risk level based on the monetary value of the engagement.
Risk-based document requirements: The higher the risk, the more documents are required. Low-risk vendors move through quickly, while high-risk vendors go through deeper checks.
Counterparty document uploads: Vendors can upload certain documents themselves, which removes internal follow-ups.
AI-assisted review: AI features help extract, check and organise vendor information, reducing manual effort and errors.
Centralised vendor repository: Every vendor record, document and approval is stored in one searchable place.

See how Volody helped a top e-commerce retailer streamline its contract management.

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Implementation

A Structured Rollout Focused On Onboarding First

The implementation began with workshops with the legal and procurement teams to understand the existing process and pain points. This was followed by designing the risk tiers, building the onboarding form and configuring document rules for each tier.

The implementation process involved:

Vendor Evaluation → Legal Team Discovery → Risk Tier Definition → Onboarding Form Design → Document Rule Configuration → Counterparty Upload Setup → AI Feature Enablement → Go-Live And Training

A key part of the implementation was defining the risk thresholds with the firm's stakeholders, so the system reflected the firm's real policy and not a generic template.

We never really knew how risky a vendor was until long after they were onboarded. Now we know on day one, and the right documents are requested automatically. It has completely changed how we bring vendors on board

Head of Legal & Procurement

Major Customization

A Risk-Tiered Vendor Onboarding Journey, Built For The Firm

The biggest customization in this project was a vendor onboarding module designed around the firm's own risk policy.

Step 1 - Vendor fills the onboarding form: Captures company details, services offered and expected contract value.

Step 2 - Risk level is assigned: The system classifies the vendor as low, medium or high risk based on the money involved.

Step 3 - Documents are triggered by risk: Each risk tier unlocks its own checklist of required attachments.

Step 4 - Shared document collection: The internal team attaches some documents and the counterparty uploads the rest directly.

Step 5 - Approval and activation: Once documents are complete and approved, the vendor is onboarded and linked to its contracts.

This customization gave the firm a consistent, auditable and scalable onboarding process that matches due diligence effort to actual risk.

The Result

Faster Onboarding, Clear Risk Visibility, And A Scalable Process

The new process gave the firm a consistent, risk-aware onboarding workflow. The team moved from handling 1-2 vendors a month to onboarding 10 vendors monthly, a 5x improvement in capacity. Every vendor is now classified by risk from the very beginning, and due diligence matches the exposure involved.

Key Outcomes:

5x Onboarding Capacity Achieved

Grew from 1-2 to 10 vendors a month without adding headcount.

Risk Visible From Day One

Every vendor is classified by risk level at the point of onboarding.

Smarter Document Collection

Required documents are matched to vendor risk, avoiding over-collection and gaps.

Less Manual Follow-Up Effort

Counterparties upload documents directly, which saves internal time.

AI-Driven Operational Efficiency

AI features reduced manual data entry and review effort.

Centralised Vendor Records

One searchable repository for all vendor data and documents.

About the Client

A leading international law firm known for providing high-quality legal advice and client service. It works with corporates, financial institutions and private clients, backed by a large network of external vendors and service providers.

Company Size: £330 million

Industry: Legal Services

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