Contract management is a young discipline, in constant evolution. The interactions between contract practitioners and a wide range of stakeholders (buyers, lawyers, projects, finance, senior management and so on) make contract management a rich discipline and give the contract manager a leading role, but they also make it necessary for practitioners to keep their knowledge and skills up to date, following trends and news so as to maintain a contemporary – if not forward-looking – practice of the discipline.
That raises the question of anticipating the trends ahead, in order to foresee their impact on day-to-day contract management practice, but also to budget for the adjustments required (which brings us back to the “people-process-technology” triptych we hold so dear). We asked ourselves that question at the end of 2024, and we now invite you to contribute, so that this forward-looking study is not the product of a discussion among a dozen insiders but the result of a far wider consultation.
Which trends will affect contract management in 2025?
That is the question we set out to answer at Prime Conseil last week. Ideas flew, many suggestions were logged, and we then gradually widened our panel of respondents to partners and friends, including BirdsEye, Le Village de la Justice, Blickstein Group and SideQuest.
Broad themes and trends likely to affect contract management in 2025 were identified:
- Artificial intelligence
- Geopolitics
- Talent & skills
- ESG and sustainability
- Supply chain
- Digital
- Macroeconomics
- Ethics and compliance
Fairly quickly (those who suggested it will recognise themselves) came the idea of widening the pool of contributors as far as possible, of making this study a collaborative effort bringing together as many contract managers and contract lifecycle stakeholders as we can, in order to broaden our horizons and those of contract professionals.
How can you contribute to this study on the future of contract management?
We want every one of you to be able to take part in this study. Nothing could be simpler. Just take 5 minutes of your time and answer this questionnaire (click on the banner below or here) by 29 December 2024 at the latest:
What happens next?
Completing this questionnaire will take only a few minutes (we promise), and at the end you can ask to receive the study by email ahead of publication. We will also draw one respondent at random to receive a small gift early in the new year!
Thank you in advance for contributing to this study, which we hope will be as representative as possible of the contract lifecycle ecosystem!
The Prime Conseil Team