Taking Contracts Into the Future

Focus less on avoiding failure and more on building a language that supports success

When an outsourcing agreement fails, no matter which side you’re on, everyone loses. At Nationwide, the folks that manage contracts are very aware of this, and they’re taking steps to mitigate against failure; most notably, by focusing less on what can go wrong and more on developing the kind of language in the contract that creates a more successful outcome for the project. This also means taking a step away from a "procurement" strategy, towards a "partnership" strategy. But contracts need to support that. "If all we are doing with our contracts is keeping things at the status quo, that's not going to be a good platform for where Nationwide wants to go in the future," says Brent Rogers, Managing Counsel in the Office of Privacy, Technology, Information & Contract Services at Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

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