Adopting the
Contract Management StandardTM
The Contract Management Standard™ (CMS™) provides a universally recognized structure for effective contract management. For it to have a truly global impact, organizations need to commit to adopting it. By becoming an adopter, you are signalling your organization’s dedication to embed these best practices into your work environment, and to aligning with a global contract management framework.
By adopting the CMSTM, your organization becomes part of a growing movement to elevate contract management as a modern, strategic function, one that creates value and drives impact across every sector. To begin, please download the Adopter Guide, and a member of our staff will connect with you to support your next steps.
Why adopt the CMS™?
Minimize friction
Cut down on risk, inefficiency, and unnecessary hurdles
Enable alignment
Keep teams and partners moving in the same direction
Improve communication
A shared language and framework connects legal, commercial and technical teams on both buy and sell sides
Unite the CCM profession
Be part of a consistent, cohesive global approach to contract management
Adoption FAQs
Adoption is a public commitment to implementing CMS as a guiding framework for your contract management practices. This may include:
- Aligning your internal policies or training to CMS
- Using the Standard to validate or enhance existing practices
- Embedding CMS in job design, workforce development, or process improvement
- Promoting your adoption to clients, customers, and partners
- Adopters engage with CMS in a way that’s practical and relevant to their organization, whether as a foundation, an enhancement, or a signal of excellence.
The CCM Institute understands that each organization’s adoption journey is unique. We aim to foster open, ongoing collaboration that supports your individual goals and provides mutual value. If you’d like to discuss what that can look like for your organization, we are happy to help.
Our Adopter Guide offers a first level of advice about the CMS and how and why you should be using it – if you’d like more detailed support then reach out to standards@ccm.intstitute
We encourage organizations to share their progress, and where the CMS is having a positive impact. Periodically we’ll invite you to give optional feedback, to help us improve. However, if at any time you’d like to share how the CMS is helping, then you can email us directly on standards@ccm.intstitute
We recognize that adoption is a journey, not a single step. While the CCM Institute will not measure your progress, we encourage you to track and evaluate your implementation internally. Our role is to support you in our shared goal: making contract management more globally accessible, recognized, and integrated across borders, roles, and industries.
Our goal is to learn together, adapt as needed, and spotlight successes that strengthen the profession.