Maximizing Value through High-Yield Contracting

While many contracting courses address risk, this webinar is focused upon value and how the commercial relationship contracting interface – between procurement/sourcing and sales – can maximize it for both parties.  You will learn how to become effective at generating value for both sides and avoiding the pitfalls which many overlook.  What is value?  How can it be maximized?  What threats exist which might ub-optimize value?  What role do tendering documents, contract terms, scopes of work, service level agreements, key performance indicators, contracting strategies and relationship management plans have?  These are just some of the easier questions we will address in this informative and practical session.         

The key objectives include:

• The structure of a value maximization strategy document and knowing what to cover
• The core points to cover in certain contract documents, such as warranties, indemnities, acceptance, standards of performance and delivery
• How to move value optimization from philosophical points, to conceptual elements and further on to specific details
• Striving for complete, consistent and collaborative strategies
• Why, how and when to not pursue certain value opportunities
• Automation, tools and tactics which make value capture easier, cheaper and more reliable
   

This session will focus on the strategic and tactical aspects of maximizing value between customers and vendors/suppliers.  Topics will include: 

• The ideal timing to pursue value
• Establishing the strategic direction for the value optimization process
• Addressing stakeholder needs and expectations from the effort
• Meeting the vendor’s/supplier’s needs
• Approaching the strategic and tactical issues related to the value optimization process
• Developing contingency and fallback plans in case there are setbacks
• Deciding when to fall back, compromise or pursue creative solutions when value is not optimized
• Plus, the trends and pitfalls to avoid in value capture  
   

This session will allow the participants to understand how value is defined, created and maximized across a commercial contract and relationship portfolio, and anticipate how specific process steps will impact the value yield.  Plus, there will be discussion around the tools and talent needed, allowing participants to identify the appropriate commercial skills needed for maximizing value and understand the commercial tools used in the journey.  The session will also cover some of the tactical points, such as how to develop the key tactical points in a world-class value optimization plan and then define and measure one’s success.

• Purchasing, sourcing and supply management professionals
• Sales contracting professionals
• Contract lawyers and attorneys
• Contract management professionals
• Contract managers and administrators
• End-users who impact, or are impacted by, the contracting process
• Finance professionals involved in contracting
• Auditing
• Contract negotiators
• Operational managers
• Commercial relationship managers
   

Jim Bergman is an experienced negotiation professional with international management consulting experience in commercial management across the USA, UK, Europe, China, India, SE Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia. He has experience working on a wide range of direct and indirect categories in various industries and has a broad knowledge of numerous aspects of services, goods, and technology contracting. Previously, Mr. Bergman was a contract attorney for a Fortune 500 petrochemical corporation, Amoco Corporation, and was responsible for legal and negotiation support to the procurement staff. He supported multiple locations globally, where he addressed strategic sourcing and legal issues concerning commodities and services valued at more than $1 billion annually.  

Jim’s experience encompasses developing, negotiating, and managing contracts for a wide array of projects with multiple clients. Across his wide array of commodity experiences, he has been extensively involved in establishing many customer-supplier relationships founded on strategic sourcing, supply chain management, performance metrics, and measures, as well as Total Cost of Ownership principles, and has served as editor for publications focusing on the successes associated in such relationships. He has also led in developing and delivering both public and internal training programs.

As a strategic management consultant, Jim has assisted numerous clients through all phases and steps of contracting, negotiation, strategic sourcing and bidding processes, and contract management processes, demonstrating savings in excess of $100 million. He has also served as a webinar and seminar instructor on many topics regarding sourcing, contracting, outsourcing, law, and negotiations. His audiences and clients have included attorneys, plus financial, operational, and sourcing professionals from multinational corporations and the public sector.

Career highlights: 

• Through his “in the trenches” experience as an attorney and commercial contracting professional, he has delivered over $100 million in negotiated savings and value for money through his negotiation support.
• He has been involved in global research studies on The Most Negotiated Terms and The Most Admired Companies in Negotiation.
• He has conducted workshops and webinars on negotiations for the benefit of over 10,000 individuals during the past decade.
• His sessions have been delivered to individuals in over 100 countries
• He has been licensed as an attorney in Illinois, Texas, and Oklahoma.