Facilitated by Ade G.
In Agile environments, flexibility and responsiveness are essential—not just within internal teams, but also in how organizations engage with third-party vendors and external service providers. Traditional procurement models often clash with Agile values, introducing bottlenecks, rigid timelines, and misaligned goals.
That’s why we’re launching a two-part series, starting with Agile Contracting & Vendor Management (Part 1) in May 2025, to explore adaptive contracting models, collaboration strategies, and value-driven vendor relationships.
Why Agile Needs a Contracting Rethink
Waterfall-style contracts are typically built on fixed scope, fixed time, and fixed cost—all of which undermine the adaptive nature of Agile delivery. A contract that forces rigidity:
- Inhibits the ability to pivot based on user feedback
- Encourages scope inflation to ‘get it all in’ upfront
- Leads to friction between delivery teams and procurement functions
Learn how traditional contracts differ from Agile-friendly models.
What You’ll Learn in This Session
1. Agile Principles in the Context of Procurement
- Aligning vendor engagements with Agile values: transparency, collaboration, early delivery
- Encouraging trust-based relationships over adversarial ones
- Moving from “command and control” to co-creation
2. Contract Structures that Support Agility
- Time & materials vs. fixed price vs. hybrid models
- Incremental contracting and rolling wave agreements
- Contracts with shared risk/reward mechanisms (e.g., bonus for early value delivery)
Explore the Harvard Law School Forum’s take on Agile-friendly contracting.
3. Key Terms and Clauses to Consider
- Flexibility in scope negotiation and change control
- Metrics that reflect value (velocity, working product, NPS) over cost alone
- Dispute resolution that favors collaboration over litigation
4. The Role of Cross-Functional Teams
- Collaborating across legal, finance, procurement, and delivery functions
- Building vendor onboarding processes that support Agile delivery
- Engaging vendors early in discovery and backlog grooming phases
Who Should Attend
- Procurement professionals in Agile organizations
- Product Managers working with external development partners
- Legal and finance stakeholders in digital transformation initiatives
- Agile Coaches facilitating collaboration across functions
How to Prepare for the Session
- Review a current or past vendor contract your team has used
- Identify misalignments between contract terms and Agile ways of working
- Be prepared to share examples of friction or success with external vendors
Benefits of Attending
- Learn how to write and negotiate contracts that empower, not restrict
- Discover models that better reflect Agile’s iterative nature
- Build vendor relationships based on mutual value and transparency
- Walk away with checklists and templates for Agile-ready procurement
Vendor collaboration shouldn’t slow your Agile progress—it should accelerate it.
Join us this May for Agile Contracting & Vendor Management (Part 1) to rethink how you engage, align, and grow with external partners.
Register now
Transform outdated procurement practices into Agile enablers.