Why a cooperation agreement?
There are several reasons to consider getting into a cooperation agreement, whether you are a startup or a growing corporation. A strategic relationship, at the absolute least, will add value to your product or service by broadening what you have to offer. If the two parties engaged reciprocate each other well enough, a strategic collaboration might be a proverbial “match made in heaven.”
A cooperation agreement is a mutually advantageous agreement between two distinct businesses that do not compete with one another. Companies have traditionally used strategic alliances to improve their offerings and save expenses. The underlying premise is that two are better than one, and by pooling resources, partner firms get advantages for both.
Almost everyone who is somebody is involved in some capacity, even if it is not visible to the general public. In a perfect relationship, you profit not just from delivering value for your consumers, but also from cost savings. As a result, every strategic alliance is ultimately a cost-benefit analysis.
Before getting into a partnership agreement, assess the other party and carefully weigh the rewards and hazards of the arrangement. If you can meet your profit targets and consumer expectations through the cooperation, it’s the perfect decision for your company.
Different types of cooperation agreement
1. Strategic marketing cooperation agreement
Small firms with a limited assortment of products and services to offer clients benefit the most from this form of cooperation agreement deal. Although referral agreements are the most basic and informal sort of strategic alliance, strategic marketing partnerships may be far more complicated.
Marketing alliances are highly widespread in the automobile sector, for example, the Toyota IQ is also marketed as the Aston Martin Cygnet. In order to enter a new market, one corporation creates a product while another adds its own marketing spin to it.
Because the same rationale may be applied to a wide range of items, it’s something worth evaluating in a number of scenarios.
If you want to build a strategic marketing alliance, search for a referrer with whom you share a client base or a firm in a related sector that can sell your goods or services to a new audience.
2. Strategic supply chain cooperation agreement
The strategic supply chain partnership is a common (and very beneficial) form of cooperation agreement. One of the most apparent instances of strategic supply chain business partnership is the film industry.
If you’ve ever noticed how most movies start with a list of weirdly called corporations, it’s because movies are often manufactured in a supply chain way. A small production company will manage filming and post-production, while a larger studio will handle funding, marketing, and distribution. Another example is Intel, which manufactures chips for a variety of computer makers. Toyota engines are used in Lotus sports cars.
If you create a physical product that you believe would benefit from a strategic supply chain collaboration, the decision to form an alliance is cost-driven. You don’t need a partner if you can make it yourself for less. However, if you can offload manufacturing to a specialized plant while maintaining profitability without losing quality, by all means, do so. It’s typically an easier option for those of us in the service industry.
Companies typically form supply chain alliances to save costs, streamline procedures, or increase quality. Unfortunately, as useful as supply chain relationships might be, they can also be among the most difficult sorts of alliances to sustain.
3. Strategic cooperation agreement for integration
Strategic integration partnerships are quite popular in the digital era since having multiple apps work together or at least communicate with one another is always beneficial.
And both parties benefit from a more efficient service for our consumers. Agreements between hardware and software manufacturers or agreements between two software developers who cooperate to have their respective technologies function together in an integrated (and not always exclusive) fashion are examples of strategic integration partnerships.
In addition to offering a pleasant travel experience for passengers and increased ratings for drivers, the integration positioned each brand favorably, presumably resulting in repeat consumers.
Nike and Apple’s relationship is an example of a strategic cooperation agreement. Nike and Apple began collaborating on Nike+ in the early 2000s, combining their respective goods and technologies. Customers who purchase the particular fitness shoes and gear may pair them with their Apple iPhone or Watch to measure exercise progress and meet other health goals.
4. Strategic technology cooperation agreement
A strategic technological partnership is another sort of collaboration. Working with IT businesses to keep your organization viable is an example of a strategic alliance. This might be a collaboration between your web design business and a certain computer repair shop that you constantly call in exchange for a service discount. It may also entail collaborating with a cloud-based storage provider to manage all of your file storage requirements.
Essentially, any type of technological skill that your company need but cannot deliver in-house can be delegated to a strategic technology partnership. Choosing a technology partner must be based on an evaluation of your requirements and the identification of a positive advantage from entering into the agreement.
If you’d save more money by going paperless, you don’t need a monthly retainer for printer service. So, once again, evaluate the scenario before entering into any strategic alliance. Never form an alliance only to have the ability to pretend you have a strategic partner.
5. Strategic financial cooperation agreement
Many modern businesses outsource their accounting entirely to strategic partners. Strategic financial relationships are beneficial because, for example, when you utilize a professional accounting firm, they can monitor your income with greater attention than you can accomplish in-house. Strategic financial connections are among the most crucial ties you can cultivate since funds are critical to every firm.
Dedicated financial specialists provide rock-solid experience in cash flow management and can easily and objectively report your present revenue status. And this can be critical to your company’s success.
ℹ️ Working with a professional accountant can help you save time and money.
Different types of legal strategic cooperation agreement
Legal strategic alliances, like strategic partnerships, provide firms with a variety of benefits such as increased resources, personnel, and brand power through a legal agreement.
Strategic partnerships are classified into three types:
1. Collaboration
A joint venture happens when two or more parent firms collaborate to develop a smaller (child) company.
A 50/50 joint venture, in which both parent firms control an equal share of the child company, and a majority-owned venture are both options for partners. In a majority-owned partnership, one partner business can hold 80% of the child company, while the other partner owns the remaining 20%.
2. Equity partnership
To form an equity alliance, one firm must acquire a particular percentage of another company’s equity.
3. Non-equity partnership
When two organizations voluntarily agree on a contractual agreement that transfers certain resources, assets, or other means to one another, they form a non-equity alliance. Many of the previous instances of strategic partnerships are also considered non-equity alliances.
What is included in a cooperation agreement?
Once you’ve chosen a strategic partner with whom you want to collaborate, you must prepare and sign a proposal or strategic partnership agreement with them. Depending on the breadth of the partnership, the terms of the agreement, and the size of the firms participating, this sort of document can range from reasonably basic to extremely complicated.
A basic cooperation agreement should always include the following:
➤ The parties to the agreement |
➤ The services to be done by each partner |
➤ The conditions of the agreement (profit percentages, billing mechanism, etc.) |
➤ The reporting structure, point of contact, and so on |
➤ The period of the agreement |
➤ The signatures of corporate executives or their designees |