Drafting & Negotiating Commercial Contracts
Every ambiguous clause is a dispute on layaway — good drafting is cheap insurance written in advance.
Format
Classroom · Virtual
Upcoming sessions
Pick a session to applyADMISSIONS OPENThe programme
Most commercial disputes trace back to a sentence someone thought was clear. This programme trains non-lawyers and junior lawyers alike to draft and negotiate agreements that perform: plain-language drafting principles that remove ambiguity without removing precision; the working anatomy of a commercial contract — obligations, payment, term, liability, indemnities, termination — and what each clause is actually for; risk allocation as a deliberate commercial decision rather than boilerplate inheritance; and negotiation of terms: knowing which clauses to fight for, what to concede, and how positions translate into words that hold.
What you will do
Who attends
Commercial, procurement and sales professionals who negotiate contracts; project and contract managers; in-house counsel early in their careers; founders signing their own agreements.
Programme agenda
Built for the decisions no textbook prepares you for
I.The craft of drafting
- Plain language with precision: shorter sentences, sharper obligations
- Shall, will, may and the verbs that create or destroy duties
- Definitions, schedules and the architecture of a readable contract
II.The clauses that matter
- Obligations and payment: performance defined so it can be measured
- Liability, caps and indemnities: the risk clauses read properly
- Term, termination and what survives the end
III.The negotiation
- The issues list: fight, trade, concede — decided in advance
- Mark-ups and counter-drafts that advance rather than antagonise
- Closing: from agreed positions to signed words that match them
Frequently asked
Do I need to be a lawyer to attend?
No. The programme trains non-lawyers and junior lawyers alike — commercial, procurement and sales professionals, project and contract managers, early-career in-house counsel and founders signing their own agreements. It is professional training in drafting and negotiation, not legal advice on specific contracts.
Which clauses does the course cover?
The working anatomy of a commercial contract — obligations, payment, term, liability, indemnities and termination — with what each clause is actually for. Risk allocation is treated as a deliberate commercial decision: liability caps, indemnities and force majeure read properly rather than inherited as boilerplate.
Does it train negotiation as well as drafting?
Yes — the issues list decided in advance (fight, trade, concede), mark-ups and counter-drafts that advance rather than antagonise, and closing from agreed positions to signed words that match them. Drafting and negotiation are taught as one craft.
In which languages and formats does BIZENIUS run it?
In English and French, on a rolling calendar with dates confirmed on request. In-house, tailored editions are available — often built around a team’s own template agreements — and fees and quotations are provided on enquiry.
Who teaches this
Practitioners, not presenters.
Led by practitioners who have run operations, projects and transformation programmes at enterprise scale, including former and serving chief operating officers and heads of programme delivery, and who advise on operating models between cohorts. They teach execution as they have practised it: cadence, cost and the front line.
What the bench brings
- Contracting, claims and commercial negotiation
- Supplier due diligence and third-party risk
- Sourcing decisions the institution lives with
- Project delivery and programme governance
- Executive communication and high-impact presentations
- Negotiation and consultative influence
Where they have practised
Practitioners who hold the seat today.
Sectors: Professional services · Government & public sector · Banking & financial services · Oil & gas
Regions: Africa · the Middle East · Europe · Asia · the Americas
How they teach
- Case studies of real programmes and operating models
- Scenario exercises and group problem-solving
- Role plays of steering and stakeholder sessions
- Templates, tools and knowledge checks
- A personal action plan
Cohorts are kept small so every exercise is worked on the participants’ own situations — in person or live virtual.
The faculty profile for your cohort is sent with the full agenda and the next dates when you enquire.Request brochure →
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In their words
Knowledge transfer, emphasised throughout
“We worked with BIZENIUS for our Fresh Graduates Programme — they are simply amazing. Knowledge transfer and practical learning were emphasised throughout.”
Kuwait Investment Authority
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Take the brochure with you.
One request — the full agenda, the faculty and the next cohort dates, sent personally by the admissions team.