Beyond the Contract - A global study of how disputes arise, escalate and get resolved

This 2026 global cross-sector report examines buyer–supplier relationships, highlighting growing executive focus on disputes and a shift toward more collaborative, amicable resolution. It identifies two key trends: declining reliance on contracts and fewer lawyers on the frontline. Drawing on insights from more than 350 organizations, the study also reveals major differences across sectors, regions and business sizes.

Many disputes described in the data arise from evolving scope, shifting priorities, ambiguous drafting, regulatory change, or operational interdependencies that were not – and often could not have been – fully anticipated at the time of contracting.

With heightened market and operational uncertainty, delivery reality often drifts from the assumptions embedded in the original agreement. When friction arises, the contract may be silent, ambiguous, or grounded in a context that no longer reflects present circumstances. Informal change management may have weakened the position of one or both parties with regard to their contractual rights. Strict enforcement may be technically defensible yet commercially destructive.

The report highlights the governance, visibility and organizational alignment that is needed to manage what contracts inevitably leave unresolved. Organizations that build those capabilities spend less time in disputes and more time delivering the value the relationship was designed to create.

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