-- World Commerce & Contracting will hold its Americas Summit 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 5 and 6, bringing commercial, legal, procurement, finance and contract-management professionals together as companies face growing pressure to extract more value from agreements while managing regulatory, technology and supply-chain changes.
Photo Courtesy of: WorldCC
The two-day event, scheduled at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass, will focus on commercial and contract management across organizational functions rather than treating contracting as a responsibility confined to legal or procurement teams. The agenda includes sessions on artificial intelligence, commercial performance, contract standards, negotiation, risk, resilience and cross-functional collaboration.
Contract Value Erosion Puts Performance Under Scrutiny
The business case behind that discussion is measurable. WorldCC research estimates that organizations lose an average of 8.6% of contract value after agreements are signed. Its research puts stronger-performing organizations at slightly above 3% value erosion, while weaker performers can lose more than 20%.
Those losses can emerge from disconnected responsibilities across the contracting cycle. Sales may negotiate commercial terms, legal teams draft agreements, procurement manages supplier commitments, finance tracks costs and operations takes responsibility for delivery. When information and accountability remain divided among those groups, problems can surface in scope management, obligations, pricing, supplier performance and post-award execution.
WorldCC has identified functional fragmentation as one factor behind slower decisions and disconnected contract data. Its June analysis also pointed to questions about who owns promised contract value, who tracks whether it is delivered and who responds when commercial conditions change.
AI, Trade Volatility and Supply Chains Enter the Contracting Agenda
The summit comes as contracting teams deal with issues extending beyond traditional drafting and negotiation. WorldCC’s scheduled topics include AI readiness, tariffs, volatile trade conditions, contract triage, supplier changes and the use of contract information as structured data for technology systems.
Artificial intelligence has become a particular focus as businesses assess how contract data can support automated review, faster workflows and commercial decision-making. The summit agenda places AI alongside governance and operating discipline rather than presenting automation as a standalone technology project. Sessions are also expected to examine statements of work, scope creep and methods for distinguishing value erosion from value leakage.
Trade policy adds another variable. Tariffs, nearshoring, friendshoring and supplier churn can alter the economics underlying existing agreements, increasing the need for businesses to understand contractual rights, obligations and risk allocation when market conditions change.
Cross-Functional Contracting Moves Into Focus
WorldCC has structured the 2026 event around the theme “One Discipline, Infinite Impact: Redefining Commercial and Contracting Beyond Functional Silos.” Its stated audience includes chief commercial officers, commercial directors, heads of contracts, legal counsel, procurement leaders, supplier-management professionals and teams responsible for governance and post-award delivery.
Confirmed speakers include Sandra Watson, president and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority; Tarek Amine, principal vice president and chief supply chain officer at Bechtel; Kristie Hamilton, global director of Global Purchasing and Manufacturing Services Operations and Transformation at General Motors; Whitney Stefko Dover, director and senior counsel at Ford Motor Company; and María Marta Miná, global head of contracts at SLB.
The event is scheduled to include keynotes, panels, workshops, case studies, technology demonstrations and track-based sessions covering operational, digital and leadership issues. Standard registration runs through October 2, with listed prices of $1,400 for WorldCC members and $1,600 for non-members.
For companies managing increasingly complex commercial relationships, the questions raised in Phoenix will extend beyond how contracts are negotiated. The broader issue is whether organizations can connect the commitments made during a deal with the financial and operational results that follow after signature.
Contact Info:
Name: Christine McCurdy
Email: Send Email
Organization: World Commerce & Contracting
Website: http://www.worldcc.com
Release ID: 89202819
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