Introduction
Summer is here, and it is the ideal moment to relax and lose yourself in a good book. If you are a contract manager, project manager or work in any other role linked to the preparation, negotiation or management of contracts, we have just what you need for a studious summer.
In this article, we have selected a series of contract management books to (re)discover. Accessible reads for a relaxed but studious summer. So settle into your deckchair, pour your favourite cocktail, put on your sunglasses and dive into our summer book recommendations!
1. “Le Contract Manager : outils et bonnes pratiques” by Eric Le Quellnec and Alain Bensoussan
Let us start with a classic, in French. Co-written by the highly prolific Alain Bensoussan, this is THE French-language reference book on contract management.
It sets out good practices, tools and the basics for starting out in, or (re)discovering, contract management.
The best choice for a concrete introduction to the contract manager’s profession.
2. “Negotiating the impossible: how to break deadlocks and resolve ugly conflicts without money or muscle” written by Deepak Malhotra
A technical but enjoyable read, with plenty of concrete illustrations and situations you will recognise without a doubt!
Written by a Harvard professor, this book is well worth discovering and will give you a few keys (and a little hope) for desperate situations and negotiations that look lost from the outset.
On the menu: a great deal of human relations, and a framework built on empathy, process and perspective!
3. “Droit des contrats” by Dimitri Houtcieff
If you are looking for a book that revisits the basics of contract law in an accessible and concise way, this one is for you.
In this 6th edition, published in 2022, Dimitri Houtcieff returns to two key concepts: the formation of the contract and the effects of the contract.
Whether you are a contract manager, a business owner or a project manager, this book will give you a solid grounding in contract law.
4. “Fundamentals of Contract and Commercial Management” by International Association for Contract and Commercial Management
Admittedly, this is another book in English.. but what a book! This is the reference work on contract management, at least on American soil (where the practice of contract management was born). It was published by the international association for contract and commercial management (IACCM), which is now called “World Commerce and Contracting“.
Aimed at non-lawyers, this book covers the concepts, methods and fundamentals of contract management in a very operational, non-academic way.
5. “Pratique du contract management” by Grégory Leveau
This was the first French guide written on the subject (in 2013). Even though the book is celebrating its 10th birthday, it has aged well, since the concepts it addresses (what is the contract manager’s role? what duties does the contract manager have? etc.) are still relevant today.
The book is also part of the reference material used by the European school of contract management (E2CM), the first contract management training centre in France.
Conclusion
Whether you are a contract management professional or simply interested in the subject, this selection of books will keep you in good company this summer, and let you use your few weeks of well-earned rest to make contracts rhyme with Piña Colada (who would have thought it).
In short, from books for contract management beginners through practical guides to contract administration and on to strategic approaches to negotiation and monitoring, there is something for every taste in our selection.
Happy reading!