Forums/Networking » Communities of Interest / Working Groups

IACCM offers both Communities of Interest and specific Working Groups.

Communities of Interest are worldwide networks of professionals who share particular areas of expertise. Each on-line community (and there are currently more than 50 of them) benefits from targeted information, research and opportunities to contact each other to discuss specific questions or issues of common interest. Click here to see the Communities that you can join (you can participate in any number).

Working Groups are formed to undertake specific projects and have a defined membership, with agreed leaders and output goals. Current Working Groups are:

Negotiations: What are leading companies doing to build and monitor negotiations capability at a group or organizational level? This forum will allow those who are charged with building, measuring or maintaining negotiation skills or process with the chance to talk with peers from other companies and share ideas and experiences. Meetings will be by phone, webcast and periodic physical meetings where feasible. FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact benjamin.webster@hp.com

Risk Management: Balancing opportunities against potential catastrophes is an area of major concern for functional executives - and they need answers both to lead change and to respond to senior management expectations. There are lots of ideas and variables out there; this forum will enable sharing and discussion of best practice ideas, what works, what doesn't. FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact tcummins@iaccm.com

Contract Management Tools: We all know that there is a growing array of software tools available to our community. It is confusing to know how best to evaluate, what to select and then how to establish and run the project team required for implementation. This forum is for those either setting out on the journey, or who have already embarked. In either case, they will have the chance to interface and share experiences, ideas and recommendations. FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact kkawamoto@iaccm.com

Contract Negotiations Guide: This group is developing a Contract Negotiations Guide for both buy-side and sell-side professionals, attorneys and business negotiators. They are currently creating a sample of 'model terms' and will provide guidance on the risk or business factors that cause negotiated variation. The goal is:

• to create a baseline that is broadly accepted as 'reasonable' for both buy side and sell side,
• to generate greater mutual understanding of the factors that cause variations from this position,
• to outline the spectrum of negotiated terms that typically result.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact vincent.schatteman@hp.com

Academic Forum: This group is interested in bridging the gap between business and academia in the areas of research and training related to commercial management. The first IACCM Academic Forum was held in April 2006. The participants at the Forum only touched the surface of how the two groups could work together. If you are interested in joining the group, please contact: kkawamoto@iaccm.com

Women's Networking Group: The mission of the Women's Networking Group is to provide an opportunity for women contracting professionals to share knowledge, experiences and information for the purpose of the development and advancement of women professionals in the field of contract management. FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact: kkawamoto@iaccm.com

ProActive Think Tank: ProActive is a new working group consisting of Associations, Academics, Lawyers and Practitioners who are getting together to find a way to develop the the ideas and concepts of proactive / preventive law, and apply them by putting them into practice in the business environment. For more information, click here.