
Full course description
Course Description
Negotiation is a huge part of managing contracts, and it's critical to approach these situations mindfully and with careful consideration. Our Contract Negotiation course offers you the ideal opportunity to build essential communication skills and practice negotiations. You will also have an opportunity to study real-world examples and consider the nuanced aspects of these documents.
In this course, you'll navigate a variety of contracts from both the buyer and seller's perspective in order to identify negotiation styles and create effective deals for all parties involved. By building relationships in the contract negotiation process, you will ensure that your communication is productive and serves the needs of all stakeholders involved.
Objectives
- Contracting review processes
- Contract planning and negotiation
- Metrics for a successful performance-based contract
- Tools and techniques to understand negotiation styles
Course Instructor

Brian P. Gatus
Director of Indirect Procurement at Southern California Edison
Brian P. Gatus leads the Indirect Procurement group for Southern California Edison (SCE). He is responsible for managing over $1.2B in annual spending and leading a team of professionals in delivering effective procurement (sourcing, contracts & negotiations) and category spend management solutions for SCE's indirect procurement and business enterprise supply chain.
He has a proven track record of success in leveraging spend, optimizing procurement controls, minimizing risk and improving product quality. With over 20 years of public and private sector experience, his areas of expertise include sourcing of various IT/OT hardware and software, complex contract negotiations, logistics, and execution of business process improvements.
From 2000 – 2010, he served with the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s 2nd largest public school district, holding various supply chain leadership roles. He started his professional career in Southeast Asia, holding business operations roles in the construction and textile industries.
Brian is recognized by the National Contract Management Association as a Certified Professional Contracts Manager and by the Institute of Supply Management as a Certified Professional in Supply Management. He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University and an undergraduate degree in Business Information Systems.