Our Story

In the mid-90s many multinational technology and telecommunications companies shared the same challenge – they were not truly global. Sales and procurement were by–product and by-country and contracts were single jurisdiction – it was complicated and time-consuming. A common question at CEO level was, “What are other people doing?”. To reengineer their approach to global contracts a group of leading companies banded together – and that’s where our story starts:

Timeline

1997 – The founders gather

Tim Cummins created the ‘Benchmarking Group’ whilst at IBM. Five members; BT, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Lucent Technologies, Marconi and Siemens later became the founders of IACCM.

1998 – A CCM first

First ever conference for Contract and Commercial Management (CCM), created and hosted by Marconi in the UK. Piloted an online skills assessment and organizational benchmarking tool.

1999 – IACCM is born

International Association of Contract and Commercial Managers Inc. (IACCM) officially launched in New York as a not-for-profit association.

2000 – New York, New York

Introduced first global professional certification program in CCM. Hosted our first US conference in New York.

2002-2003 – Online learning

Launched the ‘Most Negotiated Terms’ survey and report. Hosted first Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) conference in Amsterdam. Developed the first online learning syllabus and program.

2004-2005 – Conferences and forums

Hosted first Australia conference. Hosted the first Academic Forum for Contract and Commercial Management.

2007-2008 – 10k members

Released the ‘contracting capability maturity assessment’ to allow robust assessments of organization and process performance. Incorporated IACCM EMEA Ltd in UK. Membership reached 10,000.

2010-2011 – Virtual conversations

Launched the first ‘Global Online Discussion Forum’ for CCM and the first internationally recognized accreditation in supplier relationship management. Membership reached 20,000.

2012-14 – The CCM guide

Published ‘Contract and Commercial Management: The Operational Guide’. UK National Audit Office identifies Contract Management as strategic activity. IACCM initiates work with UK Government on Commercial Reform.

2015 – Two launches, one year

Launched JSCAN (now IJCC), the first academic journal covering contracting and negotiation. Launched Contract Management Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).

2016 – Translating CCM

Academics win Nobel Prize for Economic Science for work in contracting. Launch of translated CCM program in China and South America. Membership reached 40,000.

2017-2018 – A new chief

Incorporated IACCM Pty Ltd in Australia. Produced world’s first multi-jurisdictional benchmark report on public sector contracting. Launched first ‘Contracting Principles’ to aid negotiation. Sally Guyer appointed as CEO.

2019 – Professor Tim Cummins

Launched IACCM Research Forum. Tim Cummins appointed Professor of CCM at Leeds University, UK and winner of FT’s ‘Market Shaper’ award. Membership reached 60,000.

2020 – Stepping into the future

IACCM rebranded and renamed as World Commerce & Contracting. Membership surpassed 70,000.

2022 – Empowering Sustainable and Equitable Commerce

WorldCC Foundation is launched, an independent non-profit public charity working globally to achieve a world where all trading relationships deliver social and economic benefits.

2024 – Celebrating 25 Years

WorldCC celebrates 25 years with the annual theme ‘Contracting for Outcomes: Process, Technology and Skills’.