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Arjen Van Berkum
Wizard at CATS CM
Delft, Netherlands
I am a firm believer in business ecosystems. As (in)formal investor I am committed to realizing goals by the companies I am part of. I believe in leveraging and sharing knowledge and spreading the next steps.
The core of my being is about sharing not about hoarding. So I am always open for a chat on opportunities and always open to speak.
I combine technological and social innovation to drive disruption, based on a creative mindset, always out there to change and move forward......
Available For: Authoring, Consulting, Influencing, Speaking Travels From: Delft, Netherlands
Arjen Van Berkum
Points
Academic
0
Author
52
Influencer
348
Speaker
3
Entrepreneur
20
Total
423
Points based upon Thinkers360 patent-pending algorithm.
Not the dramatic stillness of fiction. The real kind. The kind where trade data still looks manageable, where contracts are being signed, where procurement teams are still running their usual playbooks, and somewhere upstream, deep in the arteries of the global economy, something has already broken.
AI and the ethical challenge
Linkedin
April 14, 2025
Artificial Intelligence is no longer a distant concept; it’s a reality shaping industries, decisions, and even relationships. But as we marvel at its potential, there’s an urgent question that demands our attention: What values should AI be trained on, and who gets to decide them?
The interplay between politics and economics is an undeniable force shaping the global business ecosystem. Decisions made in legislative chambers ripple through industries, redefining how organizations operate and collaborate. While LinkedIn is a space I prefer to keep apolitical, the impact of these forces on contract management is an area worth exploring—especially as we face increasing uncertainty in global markets.
When labour gets commoditised
linkedin
February 08, 2019
Recently I was triggered by something Han Mesters from ABN AMRO said on LinkedIn, referring to an article about commoditisation in broad sense. The thing he emphasised in his post was the commoditisation of labour. Interesting topic. I think it is vital to talk about the future of work; where are we heading, on what should organisations and people anticipate? It is important for organisations to think about the impact of economic, societal and technological developments and what the consequences are for its operational model and its workforce if they dont want to be fully disrupted.
The robotics evolution: what will work look like in the future?
linkedin
December 07, 2018
Automation and robotics create great opportunities, but Human Resources (HR) needs to engage in a much more active conversation within their own organisation. It is not interesting to see automation as a cost issue, rather focus on improving your service and customer experience. In a Dutch article I elaborate on the fact that practically no one is actively asking what work will look like and which skills sets will be important for employees. Organisations should proactively approach people with this line of questioning. Line management is opportunistic, and especially concerned with the short-term result. It is crucial for HR to take the lead in the future of work discussion.
How to recognise the right business model for Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
linkedin
March 13, 2018
Lately I have been delving into the different business models for Robotic Process Automation, or as its called in short: RPA. How are these RPA business models implemented, how are suitable processes identified and how are the services charged? Most important, why do RPA projects fail most of the time, although they initially seemed to be with high potential. In this blog I will elaborate on which processes are suited for current state RPA and explain how I think they should be implemented. In closing I will dive into the remuneration of the RPA provider.
Grow up, start to use advanced business intelligence
linkedin
November 29, 2017
Big data has been hot topic for a while now. Still, many organisations are behind when it comes to the optimal usage of business intelligence (BI). Its often used on a low-key basis, because organisations are often reluctant in investing in the right tools and skills. The right interpretation of data can mitigate risks and deliver opportunities. Not only the lack of knowledge on management level, but also the bias on data IT departments have to deal with limits organisations in answering to market demand. In 2018 its time for organisations to move over to a next level if they want to avoid complete disruption by competitors. What are the trends to follow and to incorporate in the BI strategy for next year, thus most likely to invest in?
Are you ready for the future of workplaces?
linkedin
October 21, 2017
Since the sixties, the traditional way of living has changed. The frivolous Dolly Parton song From nine to five, is no longer applicable to current workplace environments. Having time off in the evening and weekends is also not that obvious. By 2020 50% of the workforce will be millennials. They want to work, shop, sleep or relax randomly, which requires a more individual approach in the offered scale of options. With that said, how do we manage across generations and how does mobility play a role in the flexibility of the future workplace?
The Top 20 Agentic AI Applications That Will Transform Contract Lifecycle Management
Linkedln
June 03, 2026
For years, Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) systems have focused on storing contracts, extracting clauses, managing workflows, and automating approvals. While valuable, these capabilities barely scratch the surface of the economic value hidden inside contract portfolios.
Contract Management in the Age of AI: Rediscovering the Human Skill Behind the Document
Linkedln
June 01, 2026
The rise of Artificial Intelligence is transforming contract management. We now have systems that can review thousands of clauses in minutes, identify deviations from standard language, assess risks, summarize obligations, and even draft agreements automatically.
The Illusion of Stability: Risk, Orchestration, and the Coming Test of the Ecosystem Age
Linkedln
May 26, 2026
There is a particular kind of danger in prosperity. When markets perform well, when indices climb with quiet confidence, when geopolitical shocks appear to be absorbed with barely a tremor, we are tempted into a comfortable cognitive error: we mistake the absence of visible disruption for the absence of structural risk. The surface of the global economy today is, by many conventional metrics, reassuring. Equity markets have shown extraordinary resilience.
The two forces that should drive every organization, and why most organizations have lost sight of both
Linkedin
May 21, 2026
The first is purpose. Call it mission, call it vision, call it strategic intent. It is the answer to the question: why do we exist, and where are we going? It is the force that points in a direction. It is the north star that should guide every decision, every investment, every relationship, and every contract.
Quick wins in contract management
Linkedin
May 18, 2026
There is a persistent myth in contract management. It goes something like this: before you can truly improve your contract management practice, you need to invest heavily. You need a new contract lifecycle management platform, a dedicated team, a formal transformation programme, executive sponsorship, a budget, and probably a consultant or two
Resilience Is Not a New Idea. It Is an Old Obligation We Keep Ignoring.
Linkedin
May 08, 2026
Resilience has become one of the most frequently used words in boardrooms, regulatory filings, and conference keynotes over the past decade and it is becoming more and more a bigger topic.
The Contract Was Never Just a Document
Linkedin
May 05, 2026
There is a specific kind of silence that surrounds a contract. It sits in a drawer, in a shared drive folder, in a legal filing system, or maybe even in an outlook mailbox of somebody from procurement or sales.
The fundamentals of the contract management business case
Linkedin
April 30, 2026
In this article I will dive into the businesscase topic once more. It always comes back and it worries me still that we keep on thinking old fashioned in business cases whilst at the same time many organizations do not control if the benefits where ever realised and we are experiencing unprecedented shocks in our business ecosystems. If you loose time on discussing the case you will end up in a very bad situation.
Risk Appetite: A Practical Guide for Contract Managers in Complex Networks
Linkedin
April 22, 2026
Risk appetite is the amount and type of risk an organization is willing to accept in pursuit of its objectives. It is not the same as “risk tolerance” (how much deviation you can endure) or “risk capacity” (how much risk you could survive). Appetite is a choice: a strategic stance.
Orchestrating Both Sides of the Supply Chain
Linkedin
April 16, 2026
That position can be a competitive advantage, but only if it is orchestrated. Without orchestration, the organization becomes a corridor where commitments enter on one side and liabilities exit on the other.
Coffee, Contract Management, and the Business Value of “Small” Spend
Linkedin
April 13, 2026
In many organizations, coffee is the most consumed “service” on site. It is present in onboarding, informal problem-solving, client visits, night shifts, and the five-minute recovery moments between meetings.
Contract Management As A Valuation Lever In Private Equity Portfolio Management
Linkedin
April 08, 2026
Private equity portfolio management has matured. The dominant narrative is no longer “buy, lever, and wait.” In a market with higher rates, more scrutiny, and fewer easy exits, value creation increasingly comes from operations: how a portfolio company executes, controls risk, converts EBITDA into cash, and proves that performance is repeatable.
SLA's are met, emotions rage...
Linkedin
April 04, 2026
Contract management looks rational on paper. It is built on definitions, service levels, governance, and escalation paths. It assumes that people will behave like the contract: structured, consistent, and predictable.
Inflation is not going to be 2%...
Linkedin
March 31, 2026
When tension rises around the strait of hormuz, markets do not wait for certainty. they price risk immediately. insurance premiums go up. shipping routes get reconsidered. lead times stretch. suppliers start adding surcharges. and before most organizations have even updated their dashboards, the first signal shows up where everyone notices it: higher prices at the pump.
Where contracts meet execution
Linkedin
March 26, 2026
Every once in a while when giving trainings or lecturing it strikes me how much effort we put in contracts, into creating them, into specifications, into KPI's and how little attention we spend on how to execute it. Because contracts are not static. They live. They breath. They are a beacon in the storm. Let me dive a bit into that in this article. Inspired by the book CATS RVM by Linda Tonkes and Richard Steketee .
Invest in Training: Recalibrate Your Baseline
Linkedin
March 24, 2026
Most professionals operate from an invisible default setting. A way of thinking, reacting, prioritising, and deciding that feels logical in the moment. Unfortunately it is largely automatic. Under pressure, you do not suddenly become more rational, more structured, or more courageous. You revert to patterns. And those patterns determine the majority of outcomes: how you handle risk, how you manage stakeholders, how you escalate, how you negotiate, how you lead.
Shock to the system? Or a system of shocks?
Linkedln
March 19, 2026
Geopolitical instability in the Middle East is increasingly a structural feature of the global business environment rather than an occasional disruption. For boards, the relevant question is not “what will happen next week?”, but “what does persistent volatility do to our cost base, earning capacity, our continuity, and our ability to deliver outcomes?” The answer is clear: it raises friction across the global economy, increases the probability of inflationary pulses, and turns supply chain reliability into a strategic differentiator.
CWO, RPO and contractmanagement in HR
Linkedin
March 14, 2026
Contingent Workforce Outsourcing (CWO) and Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) sit in a unique intersection: they look like “procurement categories,” yet they behave like living operating models. They touch policy, brand, leadership decisions, employee and candidate experience, cost, risk, and compliance. And it touches simultaneously. That is precisely why the contract cannot be reduced to an order process and a rate card.
Most organizations say they care about value realization, continuity, and risk control. Yet their attention, budget, and prestige often concentrate on the pre-award phase: sourcing, selection, negotiation, and signature.
From deal-making to realization
Linkedin
March 08, 2026
Most organizations treat information in contract management as a compliance requirement: store the contract, track a few obligations, and produce evidence when asked. That approach works, until the world shifts into unplanned modus.
Contractmanagement for long term assets
Linkedin
March 05, 2026
When you buy a train, build a wind farm, lay cables under the ground, commission a ship, or deploy solar infrastructure, you are not purchasing a “thing.” You are committing to decades of performance in a world that will not stay still. The contract is not a closing document; it is the operating framework for reliability, safety, cost control, and value creation over time.
Strategic fit. Myth or reality
Linkedln
February 26, 2026
Organizations often describe “strategic partnerships” as if the label itself creates value. In practice, strategic fit is not a declaration; it is the day-to-day ability of two organizations to deliver outcomes together; reliably, ethically, and under pressure. Realizing the organizational objectives so to speak.
Contractmanagement in the public sector
Linkedln
February 24, 2026
Public procurement laws differ across countries, but the underlying intent is consistent: create a level playing field, ensure transparency, and enable accountability for public spending. The recurring challenge is what happens after signature. Many public organizations invest heavily in getting to the deal, then lose ownership once the contract is live. Leading to missed deliverables, uncontrolled upselling, forgotten renewals, and avoidable lock-in.
Over 20 years ago the pioneers behind CATS CM started their journey into bringing order and process to the world of contractmanagement. It is my job to evangelize the field of contractmanagement and to bring people and organizations in contact with this methodology.
The Physics of Contracts: Natural Laws, Uncertainty, and the Architecture of Obligation
Linkedin
May 17, 2026
There is a particular kind of frustration that lives inside every organisation that has ever signed a well-written contract and then watched it underperform. The terms were clear. The obligations were defined
A Question Procurement Needs to Ask Itself
Linkedin
May 03, 2026
As I lecture a lot at universities, at business schools I keep on seeing old school management thinking being taught to whole generations of upcoming talent. Talent programs at large organizations focus on developping talent along old power paradigms. And guess what, they keep thinking in org structures. Weird? Yes!
From firefighting to something that actually works
Location: https://www.linkedin.com/events/webinar3-fromfirefightingtosust7460972033565192192/ Date : July 17, 2026 - July 17, 2026 Organizer: Arjen van Berkum
So what does it look like when contract management is done well? Not in an award-ceremony, best-practice kind of way. In a practical, real-world way.
It looks like this: the contract manager is involved before the contract is signed. They understand the commercial intent behind the legal language. They have a working relationship with the people on both sides of the agreement, not just the legal teams. They know which risks are real and which ones are theoretical. And when problems arise, because they always do, they deal with them early, without drama, before they turn into a crisis.
That is sustainable contract management.
It is also harder to demonstrate than heroism, because the value is invisible. You are not the person who saved the day. You are the person who made sure there was no day to save. That is a much harder story to tell internally, but it is the right one.
Proces and People Management require the same attention
Location: https://www.linkedin.com/events/webinar2-processandpeoplemanage7460970938654744576/ Date : July 03, 2026 - July 03, 2026 Organizer: Arjen van Berkum
Process and people. You actually need both.
The natural response to the heroism trap is to systematise everything. Build a contract register. Define your contract lifecycle. Create templates. Automate reminders. Use software to track obligations and deadlines.
All of that is necessary. But it is not sufficient.
The mistake many organisations make is treating contract management as a documentation and compliance exercise. Get the processes right, tick the boxes, and assume the outcomes will follow. They will not. Because contracts are agreements between people, not between documents. And people do not behave like documents.
A supplier who feels disrespected will find ways to underdeliver, even while technically meeting every contract term. A client who feels unheard will escalate small issues into formal disputes. A colleague who does not understand why a clause exists will quietly work around it. None of this shows up in a contract register.
Managing these dynamics requires something that no AI tool, no platform, and no template library can fully replace: the ability to read a situation, build trust, have a difficult conversation, and make a judgment call under pressure.
That is a human skill. And it is the skill that often determines whether a contract actually delivers what it was supposed to.
Heroism is why contractmanagement doesnt break down
Location: https://www.linkedin.com/events/webinar1-heroismiswhycontractma7460969073456144384/ Date : June 19, 2026 - June 19, 2026 Organizer: Arjen van Berkum
The heroism trap
One of the things I explore in my webinar series with Volker Ballueder is what we call the heroism trap.
Webinar 1: Heroism is why contract management fails
In many organisations, the contract manager is the person who arrives when things go wrong. The deal is close to collapsing. The supplier is not delivering. The client is threatening to walk. And the contract manager steps in, reads the contract, finds the relevant clause, and sorts it out.
That sounds useful. And in the short term, it is.
But here is the problem. If your value as a contract manager is defined by how well you handle crises, you are essentially building a system that depends on crises to demonstrate its worth. You become a firefighter. And firefighters, by definition, do not prevent fires. They just show up when one starts.
In the Age of AI and ecosystems, this is unsustainable. Ecosystems move fast. The interdependencies are deep. By the time a crisis becomes visible, the damage is often already spreading in multiple directions at once.
The hero model worked in a simpler time. It does not scale in the world we are operating in now.
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The Illusion of Stability: Risk, Orchestration, and the Coming Test of the…
Shock to the System
AI and the ethical challenge
Expect the unexpected
When labour gets commoditised
The robotics evolution: what will work look like in the future?
How to recognise the right business model for Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
Grow up, start to use advanced business intelligence
Are you ready for the future of workplaces?
The Top 20 Agentic AI Applications That Will Transform Contract Lifecycle Management
Contract Management in the Age of AI: Rediscovering the Human Skill Behind the Document
The Illusion of Stability: Risk, Orchestration, and the Coming Test of the Ecosystem Age
The two forces that should drive every organization, and why most organizations have lost sight of both
Quick wins in contract management
Resilience Is Not a New Idea. It Is an Old Obligation We Keep Ignoring.
The Contract Was Never Just a Document
The fundamentals of the contract management business case
Risk Appetite: A Practical Guide for Contract Managers in Complex Networks
Orchestrating Both Sides of the Supply Chain
Coffee, Contract Management, and the Business Value of “Small” Spend
Contract Management As A Valuation Lever In Private Equity Portfolio Management
SLA's are met, emotions rage...
Inflation is not going to be 2%...
Where contracts meet execution
Invest in Training: Recalibrate Your Baseline
Shock to the system? Or a system of shocks?
Welcome to the Contract Management Department
CWO, RPO and contractmanagement in HR
The pre award bias
From deal-making to realization
Contractmanagement for long term assets
The relevance of experience
Strategic fit. Myth or reality
Contractmanagement in the public sector
Chief Strategy Wizard
Non Executive Director
The Physics of Contracts: Natural Laws, Uncertainty, and the Architecture of Obligation
A Question Procurement Needs to Ask Itself
From firefighting to something that actually works
Proces and People Management require the same attention
Heroism is why contractmanagement doesnt break down
