--- title: ROI 2026 description: Organizations are losing nearly 10% of contract value through contracting weaknesses. Discover what the latest research reveals about value erosion, AI, and measurable contracting excellence. image: https://info.worldcc.com/hubfs/The%20ROI%20of%20contracting%20excellence%202026%20-%20Cover%20image.jpeg --- # World Commerce & Contracting [![WorldCC-logo-white-hrz](https://info.worldcc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/WorldCC-logo-white-hrz.png?width=244&height=50&name=WorldCC-logo-white-hrz.png "WorldCC-logo-white-hrz")](https://www.worldcc.com/) # The ROI of contracting excellence 2026 From contracting activity to measurable business value [![Already a member? Access the report here](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/23488298/interactive-226350994280.png)](https://info.worldcc.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLLoUyL%2FKW1RBawhM1gaM0REGTltkDS3Ff8GCCUL0IDjqEnbVR9gpw03Brdi6TAn2bRnkGRC1Aw%2BirRGDO05yzYfjOSJyPyXlLi1cmkc6HcyEaelJ4tJusGAqK16MOOBy7%2Bx%2FQb6EAT8ycbzVkEN0cQeDIhbisQ1MkPh4C5wFnSeMgA6KinsfC%2F9VWdVokrDAMTYpzeRhOEi8hA5pVCurmJoi8o67mpW%2BPfFveoZjxJjXyNE%2Bmv1jky9Un48SOJ%2BnJ%2FzgA%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=226350994280&portalId=23488298&hsLang=en) Supported by [![deloitte-logo-black-and-white-1](https://info.worldcc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/deloitte-logo-black-and-white-1.png?width=2000&height=444&name=deloitte-logo-black-and-white-1.png "deloitte-logo-black-and-white-1")](https://www.deloitte.com) [![Ironclad\_logo\_primary\_full\_mark\_white\_1000px\_Transparent (1)](https://info.worldcc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Ironclad_logo_primary_full_mark_white_1000px_Transparent%20(1).png?width=2000&height=379&name=Ironclad_logo_primary_full_mark_white_1000px_Transparent%20(1).png "Ironclad_logo_primary_full_mark_white_1000px_Transparent (1)")](https://ironcladapp.com/) # Executive summary **What is contracting worth to an organization? The practitioner evidence indicates that this simple question remains surprisingly difficult to answer.** Interviewees linked effective contracting to revenue, margin, cash flow, cost avoidance, project delivery, risk, resilience and the ability to respond to change. And despite all the AI adoption, Return on Investment (ROI) remains elusive in practice. Asked how that contribution is measured, respondents were far less certain. The problem for contracting in 2026 is less about its actual or potential value, more about visibility. *“Contracting is and should be viewed as a strategic commercial infrastructure.”* Director, Information Technology **1. Erosion has not improved** Practitioners estimate that weaknesses in the contracting process cost just under 10% of a typical contract’s value. That compares with the 8.6% recorded in 2023 and the long-run WorldCC benchmark of near 9%. Half of respondents report no change over three years; others attribute an increase to market conditions. Only a minority monitor the losses. After a further wave of technology, and now AI, the headline number is essentially where it was 10 years ago. **2. Buyers report more loss than sellers** The weighted estimate runs at roughly 13% on the buy-side against about 8% on the sell-side, a divergence consistent with WorldCC’s federal contracting research and a reminder that a single organizational number can hide the real exposure. ![ROI 2026 - exec summary stats](https://info.worldcc.com/hubfs/ROI%202026%20-%20exec%20summary%20stats.png "ROI 2026 - exec summary stats") **3. AI is improving efficiency, not yet value** Two-thirds of organizations remain at individual-productivity use of AI or below, and 62% agree that individual gains have not translated into organization-level results. Not one respondent could point to a measured effect of AI on value lost, risk incidence or revenue captured. *“AI is ubiquitous online, but it’s easier to find Bigfoot than it is to find ROI.”* CCM Executive **4. Value leaks away after signature** As a continuing trend, weak post-award governance is a top-three contributor to value loss in every segment. Disputes and claims, the visible failures, rank last. The damage accumulates through unmanaged change, missed obligations and on-going renegotiation. **5. The data foundation is missing** Only 19% of organizations give Finance comprehensive structured access to contract data, and none have contract data flowing automatically into enterprise systems. Even among organizations that operate with integration between buy-side and sell-side resources, only about a fifth review buy-side and sell-side commitments together. **6. Contracts are not built for the conditions they now encounter** Only 2% of respondents are very confident their major contracts could absorb a significant disruption without renegotiation or dispute. Indexation is common, but the mechanisms that let a contract flex, trigger-based re-openers and benchmarking rights, remain rare. Contracts assume stability: the market doesn’t agree. **7. Interest in outcomes is rising faster than the ability to measure them** Appetite for outcome-based structures has grown, most strongly among organizations that see both sides of the deal, yet the leading barriers are the inability to measure outcomes and a shortage of skills. The through-line is a function where strategic reach and relevance has outgrown its measurement system. The following sections of this report trace that gap from the value at stake, through the point where value is actually won or lost, to the operating model and data foundation that determine whether intelligence becomes action. The report closes with an action plan for readers. **The headline picture: 2023 and 2026 compared** ![Figure-01-4](https://info.worldcc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Figure-01-4.png?width=2000&height=743&name=Figure-01-4.png "Figure-01-4") # The ROI of contracting excellence From contracting activity to measurable business value [![Already a member? Access the report here](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/23488298/interactive-226351003707.png)](https://info.worldcc.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLIo8CM1K3SfVzQguXGnIRIewHru1Rbc4XbEznjenm5gtJ5vs8GNCwY4Zc6T9xvPQI5tmkisFled7BVu9jFa55FLL2SppUT%2Bl9xEdrHQkM0fVm5%2BAOsg8prHlzPSyDEKibyl%2Bng685eMKdan6E%2FOPpaBHyOJv3GganiL%2BpkHZtAHdYRO7c2J0Gp9PB4u839ZxqOBK6aSxmkFfCjhX8ojCrvS%2FBeg6tzOT42jWRZD7HiulodmDKD4bOYkjQvXCnq0zftGeg%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=226351003707&portalId=23488298&hsLang=en) # Conclusion: from contracts processed to value realized **The practitioner evidence reveals a set of activities in the middle of a significant transition. Contracting is increasingly recognized as shaping commercial performance rather than primarily controlling contractual risk.** It is about adding value, not just protecting existing assets. However, organizational recognition and measurement have not kept pace and the stronger the strategic claims made for contracting, the less adequate its traditional metrics become. Cycle time, contract volume and workload remain useful indicators of operational performance. On their own they cannot explain why contracting matters to the enterprise. The stronger evidence lies in the tangible commercial outcomes contracting helps create or protect: revenue realized sooner, margin preserved, cost recovered, cash collected, obligations performed, change controlled, risk avoided, disputes prevented and relationships sustained. The 2026 survey shows the estimate of leaked value increasing to almost 10% – in itself, not surprising given the volatility of markets. However, investments directed only at efficiency will likely have very limited impact on value. Two conclusions from 2023 are confirmed by the latest data. Substantial value is lost after signature, through weak continuity, poor handover, unmanaged change and unexercised rights, so this is where investment should now focus. And the greatest AI opportunity is not automating existing functional tasks: it lies in using AI to connect data and support decisions, workflows and financial outcomes. The future of contracting looks less like a document-production and maintenance activity and more like an integrated commercial capability: technologically-enabled and human-led, multidisciplinary rather than isolated, shaping commitments before they are fixed and ensuring performance after they are signed. **The measure of contracting excellence in 2026** ![Graphic-10](https://info.worldcc.com/hubfs/Graphic-10.png "Graphic-10") # The ROI of contracting excellence From contracting activity to measurable business value [![Already a member? Access the report here](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/23488298/interactive-226351003707.png)](https://info.worldcc.com/hs/cta/wi/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLIo8CM1K3SfVzQguXGnIRIewHru1Rbc4XbEznjenm5gtJ5vs8GNCwY4Zc6T9xvPQI5tmkisFled7BVu9jFa55FLL2SppUT%2Bl9xEdrHQkM0fVm5%2BAOsg8prHlzPSyDEKibyl%2Bng685eMKdan6E%2FOPpaBHyOJv3GganiL%2BpkHZtAHdYRO7c2J0Gp9PB4u839ZxqOBK6aSxmkFfCjhX8ojCrvS%2FBeg6tzOT42jWRZD7HiulodmDKD4bOYkjQvXCnq0zftGeg%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=226351003707&portalId=23488298&hsLang=en) # Next steps Where should your organization begin? Explore WorldCC frameworks and assessments to identify priorities and strengthen commercial performance. ![ROI of contracting excellence - Action plan](https://info.worldcc.com/hubfs/Canva%20images/ROI%20of%20contracting%20excellence%20-%20Action%20plan.png) ##### Build an action plan WorldCC’s 2023 ROI report described the foundations for contracting excellence – the importance of segmentation, simplification and dynamic governance. Those elements remain necessary. The findings of this report translate into a sequence – the steps needed to support those foundations. Measurement comes first, because it sets the framework for purpose and intent. The data foundation and ownership come next, because they determine whether AI and analytics translate into action. [Download the report](https://www.worldcc.com/resource/the-roi-of-contracting-excellence-2026.html) ![CMS-hero](https://info.worldcc.com/hubfs/CMS-hero.jpeg) ##### Create a shared foundation The Contract Management Standard™ provides a common language and lifecycle framework to help finance, procurement, legal, commercial, and delivery teams align their negotiation practices. [Discover the Standard](https://www.worldcc.com/knowledge-insights/contract-management-standard.html) ![Commercialinteligencehero](https://info.worldcc.com/hubfs/Commercialinteligencehero.jpeg) ##### Understand your organization’s capability Where should your organization begin? Explore WorldCC frameworks and assessments to identify priorities and strengthen commercial performance. Identify strengths, gaps, and improvement priorities across your contract lifecycle with WorldCC's Capability Maturity Analysis & Benchmark. [Explore capability benchmarking](https://www.worldcc.com/capability-benchmarking.html) ![Competency-Management-Program-hero](https://info.worldcc.com/hubfs/Competency-Management-Program-hero.jpeg) ##### Build the skills to deliver WorldCC's Competency Management Program helps enterprise teams assess commercial and contract management skills, identify gaps, and target development where it matters most. [Learn more](https://www.worldcc.com/capability-benchmarking/competency-management-program.html) # Written by ### Tim Cummins [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-cummins-62248a/) President WorldCC ![Tim Cummins](https://info.worldcc.com/hubfs/Tim%20Cummins.jpg) Tim Cummins President WorldCC About Tim Cummins An international, cross-industry career that has moved from corporate management to extensive research, advisory and capability development services to public, private and third sector organisations. Tim has lived and worked in the UK, France (3 years), and the United States (20 years), building an impressive research and entrepreneurial record with a demonstrated commitment to delivering social benefit. As Founder and President of World Commerce & Contracting (formerly International Association for Contract & Commercial Management), Tim has built a 72,000-member worldwide non-profit association which increasingly influences commercial policies and contracting practices in major corporations and governments. In September 2019, he was presented with the Financial Times ‘Market Shaper of the Year Award. Tim was, until recently, Professor and Chair of International Commercial & Contract Management at the University of Leeds, School of Law, where he taught and led the development of inter-disciplinary commercial programs. Prior to founding World Commerce & Contracting, Tim was on the Chairman’s staff at IBM Corporation and led the development of worldwide commercial processes and skills. His early career included management roles in the banking, automotive and aerospace industries, where he led negotiations up to $1.5 billion in value. He has served in advisory roles for government departments in various countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Japan. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-cummins-62248a/) ### Craig Conte [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigjconte/) Global & UK Lead Partner Contracts Deloitte ![Craig Conte](https://info.worldcc.com/hubfs/Speakers/Craig%20Conte.jpg) Craig Conte Global & UK Lead Partner Contracts Deloitte About Craig Conte [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigjconte/) ### Mark Ross [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrosslpo/) Principal Deloitte Legal Business Services ![Mark Ross-2](https://info.worldcc.com/hubfs/Mark%20Ross-2.jpeg) Mark Ross Principal Deloitte Legal Business Services About Mark Ross [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrosslpo/) ### Dan Springer [Follow me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-springer-965120/) CEO Ironclad ![Dan Springer - Ironclad - CEO](https://info.worldcc.com/hubfs/Dan%20Springer%20-%20Ironclad%20-%20CEO.jpeg) Dan Springer CEO Ironclad About Dan Springer [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-springer-965120/) # Become a member **Join now to access a range of benefits as part of the world's largest commerce and contracting community.** - Become part of a global community and connect with other members at events and on online forums. - Participate in live webinars and sponsored webcasts with thought leaders and experts. - Attend local networking groups and regional or international conferences. - Access the latest research, reports, analytics, best practice templates and thought-leadership articles. - Become certified with our globally recognized training programs. - Gain one-on-one mentorship from our experts. - Receive regular news and industry updates. - Search and post jobs on our members job board. - Raise your professional reputation by contributing to our Content Hub, joining working groups, speaking at  conferences, and contributing to research. 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