Day 1 — Advanced Negotiation Strategy and Commercial Excellence

Explore the science and strategy of negotiation, bargaining power, commercial decision-making and value optimisation.

• Session 1 – The Science and Strategy of Negotiation: Distributive versus integrative negotiation, positions versus interests, negotiation lifecycle, stakeholder mapping and ethical negotiation.
• Session 2 – BATNA, ZOPA and Negotiation Planning: Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA), Zone of Possible Agreement (ZOPA), reservation price, target outcomes, walk-away criteria and authority limits.
• Exercise A – The ₹10 Crore Procurement Negotiation: Buyer and supplier teams negotiate a hypothetical ₹10 crore contract, using confidential information about commercial priorities, alternatives, cost structures and decision authority.
• Session 3 – Counterparty Intelligence and Power Dynamics: Bargaining power, market alternatives, dependency, information asymmetry, decision-makers and hidden stakeholders.
• Exercise B – The Difficult Counterparty: Responding to extreme opening demands, artificial deadlines, repeated concession requests and attempts to bypass decision-makers.
• Session 4 – Advanced Bargaining and Persuasion: Anchoring, framing, sequencing, calibrated questions, silence, tactical empathy, reciprocal concessions and multiple equivalent simultaneous offers (MESOs).
• Session 5 – Commercial Negotiation and Value Optimisation: Price benchmarking, total cost of ownership, lifecycle costs, payment terms, volume commitments, price escalation, performance incentives and bundled offers.
• Session 6 – Practical Negotiation Simulation: Buyer and supplier negotiations covering price, scope, delivery, payment and service commitments.

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Day 2 — Indian Contract Law, Contractual Risk and Enforceability

Understand Indian legal principles, critical commercial clauses, contractual remedies, compliance and enforceability.

• Session 1 – Indian Contract Law for Negotiators: Indian Contract Act, 1872; offer and acceptance; consideration; capacity; free consent; void and voidable agreements; and essential elements of an enforceable contract.
• Session 2 – Critical Contractual Clauses: Scope, deliverables, acceptance criteria, representations and warranties, indemnities, limitation of liability, confidentiality, intellectual property, termination and exit.
• Session 3 – Commercial and Financial Terms: GST allocation, milestone payments, advance payment, retention, price escalation, currency and payment risk, invoice and dispute handling.
• Session 4 – Regulatory Compliance and Ethical Contracting: Competition Act considerations, confidentiality and data protection, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, procurement integrity, sustainability and ESG obligations.
• Session 5 – Dispute Prevention and Resolution: Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996; dispute resolution mechanisms, escalation, mediation, litigation risk and enforcement of awards.
• Exercise A – The Disputed Contract: Assessing a supplier's request for an extension of time and cost adjustment following a missed delivery milestone, and negotiating a resolution that protects the project timeline.
• Session 6 – Contract Clause Negotiation Lab: Reviewing sample contracts, identifying one-sided clauses and negotiating balanced alternatives.
• Exercise B – Contract Clause Redlining: Reviewing a hypothetical services agreement and redlining five clauses: scope, acceptance criteria, service levels, liability and termination.

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Day 3 — Multi-Sector Contract Negotiations and Case Studies

Apply negotiation techniques to sector-specific contracts, regulatory requirements, international agreements and complex commercial scenarios.

• Session 1 – Sector-Specific Negotiation Strategies: Banking and financial services, government procurement, infrastructure and EPC, manufacturing and supply chains, IT, cloud and cybersecurity, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, energy and utilities.
• Case 1 – Banking and Financial Services: Negotiating a technology outsourcing agreement involving service availability, regulatory access, audit rights, cybersecurity, business continuity, subcontractors and exit support.
• Session 2 – Government Procurement and Public-Sector Contracts: General Financial Rules (GFR), applicable Department of Expenditure procurement manuals, GeM, tender conditions, cloud and SaaS agreement security, change orders, auditability and procurement integrity.
• Case 2 – Infrastructure and EPC: Negotiating delayed approvals, cost escalation, scope variations, milestone payments, delay damages and extension of time.
• Session 3 – Technology, Data and Emerging Risks: IT outsourcing, cloud and SaaS agreements, cybersecurity clauses, confidentiality, intellectual property, AI contracts, personal-data obligations, incident response and exit rights.
• Case 3 – Manufacturing and Supply Chain: Negotiating quality standards, minimum order quantities, delivery schedules, raw material price adjustments, rejected goods, warranties and alternate sourcing.
• Session 4 – International and Cross-Border Contracts: Currency and payment risks, Incoterms where relevant, governing law, jurisdiction, international arbitration, foreign supplier dependency, force majeure and geopolitical risks.
• Case 4 – IT and Cybersecurity: Negotiating software implementation acceptance, data handling, intellectual property, vulnerability remediation, incident notification, liability and transition assistance.
• Session 5 – Contract Lifecycle and Governance: Contract ownership, contract tracking, variations, renewals, claims management, performance dashboards, supplier governance and lessons learned.
• Case 5 – Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals: Negotiating product quality, applicable regulatory compliance, supply continuity, recall responsibilities, temperature-controlled logistics where relevant, indemnities and warranties.
• Session 6 – Capstone Negotiation Simulation: A multi-party negotiation involving a buyer, supplier, legal adviser, finance representative and risk/compliance representative.
• Session 7 – Negotiation Debrief and Assessment: Team presentations, negotiated outcomes, risk review, peer feedback and facilitator assessment.

Legal interpretation, contract drafting and jurisdiction-specific advice should be validated by qualified legal counsel.

• Develop Strategic Negotiation Skills: Apply BATNA, ZOPA, reservation points and structured negotiation planning.
• Improve Commercial Outcomes: Negotiate pricing, payment terms, deliverables, service levels and commercial trade-offs.
• Understand Contractual Risk Allocation: Evaluate liability, warranties, indemnities, termination and contractual obligations.
• Strengthen Knowledge of Indian Contract Law: Understand key legal principles and their relevance to commercial negotiations.
• Manage Difficult Counterparties: Respond to aggressive demands, negotiation pressure and complex stakeholder dynamics.
• Improve Procurement Negotiations: Apply negotiation techniques to supplier agreements, tenders and procurement contracts.
• Address Technology and Outsourcing Risks: Evaluate cybersecurity, data protection, service continuity and third-party obligations.
• Manage Cross-Border Agreements: Consider currency exposure, governing law, jurisdiction and international arbitration.
• Strengthen Contract Governance: Improve contract tracking, variations, renewals, claims management and supplier performance.
• Practise Through Realistic Scenarios: Participate in negotiation exercises, clause redlining, sector-based case studies and a capstone simulation.

This executive masterclass is designed for professionals responsible for commercial negotiations, procurement, contracts, legal risk, project delivery and organisational governance.

• Senior Executives
• Business Heads
• Procurement Professionals
• Contract Managers
• Legal Counsel
• Project Leaders
• Risk Professionals

Srinivas Muppaneni

Global Board Advisor | Corporate Governance | Risk Management | Advanced Contract Negotiations | Banking Technology | Cybersecurity | Leadership Development

Srinivas Muppaneni is a senior banking, technology and risk management professional with over 40 years of leadership and advisory experience across banking, financial services, digital payments and regulatory ecosystems in India, the Middle East and Africa.

He brings a practical, governance-oriented perspective to Advanced Contract Negotiations, drawing on his leadership and advisory experience in banking, financial services, technology transformation, cybersecurity and regulatory compliance.

His multidisciplinary experience provides a foundation for executive-level learning in negotiation strategy, commercial decision-making, risk allocation, stakeholder management and contract governance.

His approach connects negotiation principles with real-world leadership, governance and risk management challenges. It is designed to help executives and professionals prepare systematically, assess alternatives, negotiate responsibly and achieve commercially sound and sustainable outcomes.

Programme Investment

Secure your place at the Advanced Contract Negotiations Three-Day Executive Masterclass.

Fee Note: All fees are inclusive of applicable GST. The programme is non-residential.

Registration and Enquiries

For programme details, registration assistance and corporate team participation, please contact:

Irfan Patel
Mobile: +91 9967129117
Email: Irfan@infforums.com
Website: www.infforums.com

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• Full payment is required within five working days from the date of invoice.
• Payment must be received before the training date.
• Programme fees include programme materials and refreshments.
• Substitutions are permitted at no additional charge, subject to the stated terms and conditions.
• Cancellation and postponement are governed by the registration terms and conditions.

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