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Artwork for The Leading Edge
Artificial Intelligence
Contract Management
Procurement
Contracts
Supply Chain Management
Performance-Based Contracting
Risk Mitigation
Regulations
Anti-Fragility
Ethics
Innovation
Worldcc
Contract Lifecycle Management
Risk Management
Public Procurement
Outcome-Based Contracting
Contract Clause Linkages Guide
Federal Contracting
Noaa-Z
Cyber Security

The Leading Edge is a new thought leadership series, offering in-depth insights into the key challenges, innovations, and evolving dynamics of the contract and commerce landscape.

We’re bringing these insights to our community in a new way – through a curated series of articles and accompanying podcasts featuring expert voices and industry leaders.

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Artwork for The Leading Edge

Latest Episodes

In this episode, we explore how organizations can turn fragmented commercial data into actionable intelligence – giving CFOs greater visibility of emerging risks, opportunities, and future financial performance.

View the series and supporting insigh... more

Recorded live at NCMA’s World Congress, Nikki Mackay is joined by PwC Partners and CLM Leaders Seth Claus and Mike Stetz to explore what it really takes to transform contract management at scale.

Drawing on their experience advising some of the larg... more

Analizar cómo está evolucionando la relación entre Legal y Procurement, dónde persisten los principales puntos de fricción y qué oportunidades existen para que ambas funciones trabajen de forma más integrada y generen mayor valor para el negocio. El ... more

Recorded live at NCMA’s World Congress, Nikki Mackay is joined by Nancy Patel, Vice President of Go-To-Market at Unison, to explore how technology is reshaping the business of government and the future of federal contracting. 

Drawing on more than t... more

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Recent Guests

Javier Arias
Group Procurement and Outsourcing Manager
Episode: Legal y Procurement: ¿Socios o todavía están en mundos separados?
Paul Zammit
Director of Product Marketing for AI and Platform at Ivalua
Ivalua
Episode: Beyond Efficiency: Ivalua’s Paul Zammit on What Agentic AI Really Changes in Acquisition
Deniece Peterson
Vice President of Market Analysis, Deltek
Deltek
Episode: Speed vs. Control: What Top Contractors Are Getting Right and How They’re Evolving in 2026
Dr. Dan Finkenstadt
Chief Innovation Officer at NCMA and Federal SME at the CCM Institute
NCMA; CCM Institute
Episode: Revealing the 2026 US Public Procurement Benchmark: Product vs. Practice, and Will AI Elevate or Eliminate Us?
Patrick Hughes
Industry Advisor for the Public Sector at IFERTIS
IFERTIS
Episode: Revealing the 2026 US Public Procurement Benchmark: Product vs. Practice, and Will AI Elevate or Eliminate Us?
Pedro Espaillat
Special guest discussing meta-regression analysis on performance-based contracting in public outsourcing
Episode: The performance of performance-based contracting in public outsourcing: a meta-regression analysis
Víctor Vergara
Chilean lawyer, expert in construction law, infrastructure, energy, CPC projects, contract management, claims, and dispute resolution
Independent / CPC specialist
Episode: América Latina y China: oportunidades y nuevas exigencias para contratos, procurement y gestión comercial
Óscar Hernández
Director at Open Contracting Partnership
Open Contracting Partnership
Episode: Desbloqueando el potencial de la Contratación Basada en Resultados
Sharon Zachariah
Founder of Innovation Law
Episode: The Role of Lawyers in a Changing World

Host

Nikki McKay
Chief Development Officer of the Commerce and Contract Management Institute and Host of The Leading Edge.

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Revealing the 2026 US Public Procurement Benchmark: Product vs. Practice, and Will AI Elevate or Eliminate Us?
Q: why does AI elevate rather than replace professionals
AI should take over administrative and repetitive tasks, freeing professionals to focus on strategic decisions and advisory roles for the C-suite, thereby enhancing the contracting function rather than eliminating it.
Revealing the 2026 US Public Procurement Benchmark: Product vs. Practice, and Will AI Elevate or Eliminate Us?
Q: how do you view the commercial as product vs practice debate and why it matters
The distinction influences how the government engages with suppliers; misclassifying a supplier as 'commercial' when it's not can strip away important data, distort pricing and risk assessment, and ultimately hinder mission delivery.
Revealing the 2026 US Public Procurement Benchmark: Product vs. Practice, and Will AI Elevate or Eliminate Us?
Q: what's the single most surprising actionable finding in the data
The survey indicates a high demand for AI adoption, yet a low adoption rate among those who have onboarded it, which calls for bold organizational change management and a clear sense of obligation to integrate AI into business operations.
Desbloqueando el potencial de la Contratación Basada en Resultados
Q: ¿Cuál es la diferencia fundamental entre la Contratación Basada en Resultados (OBC) y la Contratación Basada en Desempeño (PBC)?
Óscar describe un espectro de contratos donde, en el extremo suave, se integra la disciplina de pago por resultados sin necesariamente pagar por resultados; luego aparece la definición más clara de métricas vinculadas al cumplimiento; y en el extremo más estricto existen contratos basados enteramente en resultados donde el pago depende fuertemente de lograr resultados finales, con la gobernanza y la evaluación adecuadas para que el objetivo tenga sentido.
Elevating SRM from framework to competence
Q: Looking ahead five years, what will distinguish organizations excelling in SRM under ongoing uncertainty?
The hosts and guest emphasize a shift from rigid, issue-by-issue contract adjustments to a broader, proactive approach that integrates governance, relationship health, and external perspectives to sustain collaboration and value creation.

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Leading Edge

What is The Leading Edge about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A focused look at commercial capability, contract management, and the evolving role of technology in procurement and infrastructure. Across recent episodes, the conversations center on how contracts must evolve from rigid compliance to collaboration-driven, outcome-oriented frameworks, with a strong emphasis on relational management, adaptability, and AI-enabled insights. The discussions frequently touch on large-scale projects, benchmark findings, and the need for clearer ownership, modernized processes, and advanced tools to improve performance and resilience in both public and private sectors. This show stands out for bringing together practitioners, researchers, and technology thought leaders to translate complex contract ecosystems int... more

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How many episodes of The Leading Edge are there?

The Leading Edge launched a year ago and published 33 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Leading Edge?

Recent guests on The Leading Edge include:

1. Javier Arias
2. Paul Zammit
3. Deniece Peterson
4. Dr. Dan Finkenstadt
5. Patrick Hughes
6. Pedro Espaillat
7. Víctor Vergara
8. Óscar Hernández

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