Contract Management Body of Knowledge®: CMBOK® Seventh Edition

A must-have reference for contract management professionals, the CMBOK presents what should be learned by contract managers and how they should learn it. The content was developed through a voluntary consensus process governed and administered by NCMA to promote the fair development of consensus. This consensus was established through a job task analysis survey of contract managers and working groups comprised of subject matter experts in contract management.

The CMBOK is not solely for the benefit of contract managers; contract managers are not the only ones involved in contract management activities. Numerous stakeholders measure success or failure by contract performance. Knowledge of contract management and competent contract management processes directly impacts the success of contract performance.

The seventh edition of the CMBOK is primarily driven by the changes to the Contract Management Standard™ (CMS™). In June 2022, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) reaffirmed the NCMA CMS™ as an American National Standard (ANS). This ANS [ANSI/NCMA ASD 1-2019 (R2022)—see Annex] serves as the CMBOK’s foundational document to expand, refine, and reorganize contract management knowledge.

The CMBOK provides further definition of the field of contract management; the framework for the body of knowledge; and the practices, lexicon, and processes of contract management. In addition, it provides procedural steps for contract management processes in general, as well as for specialized areas, including government or commercial contracting.