CATS CM® Methodology

Control over your contract portfolio in a scalable and strategy-driven way

CATS CM® is the #1 contract management methodology worldwide since 2005. Over 1500 organizations and thousands of professionals have worked or are working according to this standard. CATS stands for Contract Administration and Tracking Scenarios. It helps organizations to manage collaborations in a way that multi-year plans get the necessary agility. It also empowers people to become winners in contract management! CATS CM® sets the standard on how contract management should be approached within your company.

Find out more, CATS CM® download: The Triad of People, Technology, and Process

Contract management is all about the realization of intended contract objectives. These objectives reflect everything an organization wants to achieve with the contract. CATS CM® enables organizations to proactively manage and execute contracts and at the same time focus on versatility and the need for change in the contract objectives. The methodology is used by both demand and supply. Realizing maximum value on your entire portfolio of contracts is key in realizing your total set of organizational objectives.

CATS CM® is continuously developing in order to always stay one step ahead. The methodology is flexible. It is designed for operational purposes, but also has a high strategic and tactical value for organizations, as it meets objectives on different levels and recognizes that the necessary human involvement should be primary over systems.

The book on the CATS CM® methodology is available at Amazon, Managementboek.nl and for Kindle. You can download a tome of the book here: preview CATS CM® version 4.

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Why use CATS CM®?

Successful organizations master CATS CM®

Get maximum control over your ecosystem by managing your contract portfolio!

In most organizations the dependency on vendors and clients is huge. There is a lot of focus on entering into a contract, but the true value is realized during the contract execution. This value comes from the ability to manage contracts on a single level in such a way that a company is able to:

  • Respond timely to fast changing environments.
  • Proactively manage the contracts effect on strategic KPI’s such as shareholder value, safety, shareholder value, Net Promotor Score (NPS), employee satisfaction and compliance.
  • Manage the aggregated level of contracts in a hyper-specialized supply chain.
  • Provide supplier, account and category management with true value adding information on portfolio performance.

The process

CATS CM® pays close attention to all factors in successful contract management.

By incorporating these success factors in a balanced way on a strategic, tactical and operational level and in relation to adjacent processes companies can make contract management a true strategy. If you are a representative that would like to discuss improving and accelerating contract management within your organization, please get in touch with us!

Become a CATS CM® certified professional

Individual contract professionals

Demonstrate your level of expertise in the CATS CM® methodology by becoming a certified contract manager, service manager, contract owner or contract management process owner! There are two levels of expertise: Foundation and Practitioner.

Trainers and business coaches

Enable professionals and organizations to improve their knowledge of and performance in contract management: Become a certified CATS CM® trainer or business coach! We provide full train-the-trainer and train-the-coach masterclasses to transform you into a certified CATS CM® trainer or coach.

For more information, please send an e-mail to jointhecommunity@cats-cm.com.

CLM and CATS CM®

Software certifications

CATS CM® is very effective in enhancing the performance of Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) systems and other related software.

By adopting CATS CM® you can become a certified software provider for specific use of the methodology. If you are a software provider interested in the CATS CM® certification or if you want to know more about software and CATS CM®, please send an e-mail to jointhecommunity@cats-cm.com.

Services

CATS CM® methodology tools

CATS CM® delivers a wide range of services and products for organizations to improve their contract management performance. Here’s an overview of tools helping your business to embrace the #1 contract management methodology:

Courses

For more information about CATS CM® Foundation and Practitioner courses, please contact us and we will connect you with a certified trainer.

For more information on our e-learning CATS CM® Core, please contact us for details or visit the website catscmcore.com.

CM Book

‘Contract Management with CATS CM® version 4, from working on contracts to contracts that work’

Download tome: BOOK PREVIEW

Buy the book: ENG | NL

More to come!

High-End Support

Is your organization struggling to get the desired results out of contract management? Please get in touch with us and we will connect you with a certified coach.

Certifications

Certifications are available for professionals, trainers, business coaches and software. Please contact us for more information.

Courseware

All official CATS CM® courseware is developed by our wizards. For more information about the available materials, please contact us.

Customers

Proud CATS CM® Ambassadors

Wizards

Your solution, their masterpiece

Linda Tonkes

Linda Tonkes

Chief Wizard - CEO of CM Partners Holding

In 2019 Linda updated the CATS CM® methodology to version 4 and published the book ‘Contract management witch CATS CM® version 4, From working on contracts to contracts that work’ as a co-author. She has a clear vision on contract strategy and how to implement this strategy in order to make sure that contracts will actually create value and support organizational goals. If you want to control the contractual impact on your organization (and beyond), then Linda is the person to talk to.

Arjen van Berkum

Arjen van Berkum

Chief Strategy Wizard

Arjen is a global knowledge leader in business (eco)systems. He believes contract management is a vital business function. Arjen sees a good synergy between his participation in CATS CM® and his other activities. Contract management is a crucial connecting element in his growing ecosystem. As a visionary and strategic thinker he made a valuable contribution to the book ‘Contract management with CATS CM® version 4, From working on contracts to contracts that work’.

Richard Steketee

Richard Steketee

Technical Wizard

Richard is an experienced consultant in the field of designing and implementing practical executable service and contract management processes. From his background in business economics he has a broad overview and provides the best suitable solution with the optimal result. As a co-developer of the CATS CM® methodology, he is also active as a trainer.

Gert Jan Vlasveld

Gert Jan Vlasveld

Senior Wizard

Gert-Jan is a real ‘believer’ in contract management. He is one of the founding fathers of CATS CM®. He has had contract management running through his career as a central thread since 1995. Gert-Jan is an experienced trainer and advisor, co-developer of the methodology and co-author of the book ‘Contract management with CATS CM® version 4, From working on contracts to contracts that work.’

Blogs

Ins and outs

FAQ

CATS CM®, the answer to your questions

What is CATS CM®?

CATS CM® is the #1 contract management methodology worldwide. CATS stands for Contract Administration and Tracking Scenarios. The methodology sets the standard on how contract management should be approached. It is designed for operational purposes, but also has a high strategic and tactical value, as it meets objectives on different levels and recognizes that the necessary human involvement should be primary over systems. It is a value driver for organizations, trainers and contract management professionals that want to become winners in contract management.

How can I master the CATS CM® methodology?

The worldwide network of CATS CM® professionals is expanding fast. There are several ways to learn CATS CM® for different levels and purposes. Please find more on the possible courses in the services section.

The English version of the book is now available at Amazon, Managementboek and for Kindle.

How do I become a certified contract manager?

To become a certified contract manager, you need to attend a CATS CM® course and pass the exam. There are courses on several levels: foundation and practitioner. Join the community! For more information about CATS CM® courses, online or locally, please contact us.

Can I learn CATS CM® online?

Yes, for more information about our e-learning CATS CM® Core, please contact us for details.

How do I become a certified trainer or coach?

To become a certified trainer or coach and help organizations and individuals to excel in contract management, you need to pass the CATS CM® train-the-trainer masterclass. Are you a contract management professional interested CATS CM® certification? Please contact us.

Can I have a chat with the author on contract management within my organization?

CATS CM® is based on the high-quality substantive knowledge of Linda Tonkes and the intense collaboration with leading parties that have embraced CATS CM®. She is an inspiring sparring partner on a strategic level. To schedule a chat with Linda, please contact us at jointhecommunity@cats-cm.com.

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Downloadable content

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