Large outsourcing providers set the standard when it comes to quality contract management, according to a study by the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management (IACCM).
The organisation asked 10,000 contract, procurement and legal professionals to name the businesses they most admired and has released a list of the top 25 (see below).
The top spots are dominated by outsourcing companies, with IBM and Accenture first and second respectively, BT fourth and EDS, recently bought by Hewlett-Packard (third place), was seventh.
The highest placed non-outsourcers were Boeing in fifth spot, while Cardinal Health, Intel, Qualcomm and Bechtel completed the top 10.
The IACCM said effective contract management could provide a framework for regulatory compliance, risk management and change control, as well as adding value and innovation.
Top companies were able to use superior contract management skills to improve the safety and reliability of contractors and ensure higher standards of speed and quality, it added.
“As governments worldwide debate regulatory responses to the banking and credit crises, they should consider the extent to which contracting policies and practices represent a key line of defence for corporate behaviour and ethics,” said Tim Cummins, the IACCM’s chief executive.
“They would do well to study the companies and business sectors that have adopted robust self-regulation through high-quality management of their trading commitments.”
THE GLOBAL 25
1. IBM
2. Accenture
3. Hewlett-Packard
4. BT
5. Boeing
6. Cardinal Health
7. EDS
8. Intel
9. Qualcomm
10. Bechtel
11. Centrica
12. Procter & Gamble
13. Chevron
14. BAE Systems
15. CH2 M Hill
16. Johnson & Johnson
17. Lockheed Martin
18. ABN Amro
19. Coca-Cola Enterprises
20. Fluor Corporation
21. Saudi Aramco Oil Company
22. Bank of America
23. EXL Holdings
24. Capgemini
25. General Motors
Source: IACCM
