The Leading Edge

Commerce & Contract Management Institute
  • 0.0 (0)
  • Non-Profit

The Leading Edge is a new thought leadership series, offering in-depth insights into the key challenges, innovations, and evolving dynamics of the contract and commerce landscape. We’re bringing these insights to our community in a new way – through a curated series of articles and accompanying podcasts featuring expert voices and industry leaders.

  1. 3d ago

    América Latina y China: oportunidades y nuevas exigencias para contratos, procurement y gestión comercial

    Analizar cómo la creciente relación entre América Latina y China está transformando los negocios en la región, y qué implicaciones tiene para los profesionales de contratos, procurement y gestión comercial. Show Notes: https://ccm.institute/insights/show/america-latina-y-china-oportunidades-y-nuevas-exigencias-para-contratos-procurement-y-gestion-comercial  https://ccm.institute/insights/show/latin-america-and-china-opportunities-and-new-demands-for-contracts-procurement-and-commercial-management

  2. Jul 16

    The Cost of Mismanaged Agreements; Why Contracting Must Reinvent Itself

    Recorded live at Docusign's flagship event, Momentum, this episode of The Leading Edge tackles one of the most persistent and under-acknowledged problems in global business: the sheer scale of value destroyed by poorly designed, poorly executed, and poorly managed commercial agreements. Drawing on CCM Institute's Benchmark research series and Docusign's 2026 research with Deloitte, host Nikki Mackay is joined by Tim Cummins, President of WorldCC and Executive Director of the CCM Institute, and Stéphane Barberet, Group Vice President & General Manager, EMEA at Docusign. Together they unpack why this problem is getting worse despite decades of investment in process and technology, and what separates organisations that capture real ROI from those that don’t. The conversation is grounded in what's already working: Experian cut contract cycle times from 10 days to hours by connecting agreement workflows and making contract data instantly accessible; Perceptyx slashed NDA turnaround by 99%, from a week to under an hour; and AON is migrating over 400 million documents into a single intelligent agreement management platform, replacing six legacy vendors and cutting document generation time by 99% freeing its legal team from hours of manual work every week. As agentic AI reshapes what a "contract" even is, moving from static document to operating system for a relationship, Tim and Stéphane make the case that the time for incremental improvement is over. With Docusign IAM, the tools, evidence, and frameworks for redesign now exist. The only question is who moves first.

  3. Jul 1

    From Contract Management to societal Value Creation: A public Procurement Portfolio Model

    In this episode of The Leading Edge, Nikki Mackay is joined by Andrea Patrucco, Robert Handfield, and Daniel J. Finkenstadt to discuss a new approach to public procurement. Together, they explore why traditional procurement models often fail in the public sector and how procurement leaders can better balance accountability, resilience, supplier diversity, and societal value.The conversation examines how public procurement can evolve from a compliance-driven function into a strategic tool for delivering broader economic and social outcomes.

  4. May 25

    Desbloqueando el potencial de la Contratación Basada en Resultados

    A medida que los gobiernos y las industrias buscan formas de generar más valor con recursos limitados, la Contratación Basada en Resultados (OBC) ofrece una alternativa sólida: cambiar el enfoque de los procesos hacia los resultados. Sin embargo, materializar su potencial requiere más que nuevas plantillas; exige un cambio cultural, definiciones más claras y una colaboración más sólida. En este episodio, analizamos qué está impulsando el resurgimiento de la OBC, qué obstáculos enfrenta y cómo las organizaciones pueden convertir la ambición en un impacto medible. Outcome Based Contracting in the US Government

  5. May 20

    The Role of Lawyers in a Changing World

    In this episode, we explore how the role of lawyers is evolving in response to shifting market dynamics, technological disruption, and new contracting models. We examine how legal professionals are moving beyond traditional risk management toward becoming strategic partners in designing resilient, adaptive, and outcome-focused commercial relationships.

  6. Apr 21

    Decades of Lost Potential in Defense Research and Development

    In this episode, we unpack a deep and systemic challenge at the heart of U.S. defense innovation: how a flagship program intended to catalyse breakthrough technologies has, over decades, evolved into an engine of bureaucratic inertia and entrenched incumbency. Using the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program as a case study, we explore how misaligned incentives, flawed policy design, and organisational risk aversion have constrained entry for truly innovative firms, starved defence research of fresh ideas, and squandered taxpayer resources. More than a critique of one program, this episode surfaces strategic questions about how defence innovation systems reward incumbency, how they bridge early-stage research to real operational impact, and what meaningful reform would require in an era of rapid technological challenge and great-power competition.

  7. Apr 7

    China's CCM capability gap: a strategic inflection point for global commerce

    In this episode, we explore whether China’s transition from manufacturing to services is truly constrained by a lack of Contract and Commercial Management (CCM) capability – or whether the reality is more nuanced. We examine how different operating models – from scale-based manufacturing to more flexible, scope-based delivery – create very different commercial demands, and why China’s rapid capability development may be less about absence and more about compression. Ultimately, we’ll explore whether this moment represents a true capability gap – or a transitional phase that is already reshaping global competition. Read more.

  8. Mar 24

    ¿La IA es la oportunidad que Procurement (Compras / Abastecimiento) estaba esperando para reinventarse?

    Enfoque: En este episodio exploramos cómo la IA está transformando el panorama de Procurement, no al mejorar el modelo tradicional, sino al cuestionar su propia existencia. A medida que los sistemas inteligentes automatizan tareas tradicionales, el enfoque debe pasar del control y el cumplimiento hacia la creatividad comercial, la integración estratégica y el valor a lo largo de todo el ciclo de vida del contrato. Analizaremos cómo podría verse esta reinvención y qué está en juego si no damos ese salto. Leer más. Este episodio forma parte de nuestra serie en español, presentada por Cinthia Nazario.

See All (24)

About

The Leading Edge is a new thought leadership series, offering in-depth insights into the key challenges, innovations, and evolving dynamics of the contract and commerce landscape. We’re bringing these insights to our community in a new way – through a curated series of articles and accompanying podcasts featuring expert voices and industry leaders.

Information

  • Creator
    Commerce & Contract Management Institute
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Commerce & Contract Management Institute
  • Show Website
    The Leading Edge