This article appeared in the January 2024 issue of Contract Management magazine, published by the National Contract Management Association. Used with permission.
 
As a skilled profession, contract management has developed complex terminology over many years. Now NCMA's common language is aligning this terminology and early adopters are elevating the future of the profession.
By Samantha Williams 

As contract management professionals, we are used to being told we speak a different language. The truth is that within our language there are subdialects that vary by industry, agency, and even within the same organization. This is a challenge for buyers and sellers who need to communicate clearly and for professionals seeking to define their skill sets. 

Despite the seeming language barrier, there is a common language for contract management that is gaining momentum. NCMA’s American National Standards Institute (ANSI) (1) -approved Contract Management Standard™ (CMS™) and NCMA’s Contract Management Body of Knowledge (CMBOK®) define the guiding principles, domains, phases, competencies, and processes of our day-to-day work and give us all common terminology to describe what we do. 

NCMA encourages the formal adoption of the common language. The CMS™ can be downloaded free of charge at www.ncmahq.org/cms. The CMBOK®, which is based on the CMS™, is available as an ebook or in print at www.ncmahq.org/cmbok.

Early Adopters 
Several pioneering organizations have done the early work of adopting the common language by aligning their hiring, training, curriculum, or service offerings to the CMS™ and CMBOK® and signing a memorandum of understanding with NCMA to formalize and publicize this commitment. [Federal Publications Seminars is one of these early adopters.]

Their willingness to stand up and say, “Yes, a common language matters,” is leading us all boldly to a bright future for our skilled profession. 

Read the entire article immediately below, or download (see right-hand side of this page).