From Vision to Reality: San Miguel County’s Journey with Intelligent Agreement Management
San Miguel County, Colorado, transformed its contract processes using Intelligent Agreement Management (IAM). The County reduced turnaround times, improved transparency, and created a searchable digital repository spanning decades.
State and local government agencies are under pressure to do more with fewer resources while maintaining compliance and delivering responsive public service. However, many teams still rely on paper contracts, manual tracking, and disconnected systems that slow progress and increase administrative burden.
In the third and final webinar in the IAM series, “From Vision to Reality: A Public Sector Customer's Journey with IAM,” we shift from platform features to project execution. Starting with a firsthand look at how IAM is transforming its daily operations, the session moves to a live discussion with Carmen Warfield, Deputy Clerk to the San Miguel County Board. She offers a practical example of modernization inside county government.
Life before modernization
Before using Docusign, San Miguel County relied on paper-heavy processes. Contracts were prepared, printed, mailed, and tracked manually. Signed documents were stored in file cabinets or offsite storage. Retrieving an agreement from a few years prior could take up to an hour.
Nonprofit funding agreements often took months to execute, and staff managed multiple versions of contracts across departments with limited visibility into status. Tracking signatures and locating documents required constant follow-up. As workloads increased, this model became harder to sustain over time.
Building a central agreement repository
The County started small, with the Board of County Commissioners and the Attorney’s Office being the first to adopt Docusign. As more teams saw the benefits, usage expanded.
A centralized agreement repository quickly became one of the most impactful changes. Rather than searching through cabinets or shared drives, staff can now locate contracts instantly. Attorneys can review and sign within the same system, and completed agreements are stored in one secure location.
The County also uploaded historical contracts dating back to the 1970s. Thousands of scanned documents were added to the platform, where AI transformed them into searchable records. What once required time-consuming manual searching now takes seconds.
The power of agreement AI
The shift from Docusign eSignature to the IAM platform brings even greater value. With agreement AI, staff can search agreements by keyword, date, or counterparty. Now, pulling every contract associated with a specific organization is no longer a manual task. AI also surfaces relevant documents instantly.
This capability is especially powerful when responding to open records requests. Rather than combing through files, staff can quickly locate and share requested documents digitally. Response times improve, and transparency increases. Turning static documents into searchable data has fundamentally changed how the County manages records.
Faster agreements, better service
One of the clearest examples of impact came from nonprofit funding agreements. Previously, agreements required mailing documents back and forth, collecting signatures manually, and distributing executed copies in stages.
Today, the County uses standardized templates and digital workflows to prepare agreements, collect documentation, and secure signatures electronically. Agreements that once took months are now completed in days. As a result, funds are distributed faster, staff spend less time tracking paperwork, and community partners receive timely support.
The County is now expanding modernization into additional areas, including digital onboarding for human resources.
The bigger picture
Docusign IAM goes beyond electronic signatures and connects the full agreement lifecycle in one secure system—from creation and routing to storage and AI-powered search. With FedRAMP and GovRAMP authorization, it provides the security and compliance that public sector agencies require.
San Miguel County’s journey shows what happens when agencies move from vision to execution. The result is less manual work, faster turnaround times, instant access to decades of records, and more time to serve their communities better.
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