DEVELOPING THE NEGOTIATION AGENDA

After you have finished your negotiation preparations and rehearsed the plan, your next step is to develop an agenda for the actual negotiation session. The agenda is a critical tool for getting the negotiations started right—and asserting control over the pace and the process. The agenda will also be how you let the other side know critical things like location, time, and access requirements without giving them your entire negotiation plan.

The agenda should first cover general information such as time, location, breaks, duration, points of contact, and seating capacity. Next, list the negotiation issues you plan to discuss in the priority that supports your strategy. You should then send the agenda to the contractor in draft form, labeling it a "proposed agenda." Make sure to give the contractor enough time to respond.

When you send out your draft agenda, ask who the lead negotiator will be and what authority he or she has to finalize any agreements or changes you decide on during the negotiation session. Ask how many people will attend the negotiation, who these folks will be, and what expertise they represent. The main reason is to make sure you have enough chairs, refreshments, and the like, to accommodate them. Another reason is to make sure your team matches their expertise—person for person.

When you get your draft agenda back from the other side, with or without comments, you can finalize the agenda. Any comments that come back on your draft agenda will give you additional insights into the other side. If the contractor has provided comments or suggestions, you don't necessarily have to change your agenda—that's totally your call. Remember, you control the process.

Update your agenda as you like and change it from "draft" to "final." Make sure to provide a copy to everyone who will attend the negotiation session on your side, as well as to key members of your supporting cast who may not actually participate in the negotiation (e.g., program staff), the contractor, and your boss.

Manager Alert

Ask how many people will attend the negotiation, who these folks will be, and what expertise they represent. The main reason is to make sure you have enough chairs, refreshments, and the like to accommodate them. Another reason is to make sure your team matches their expertise—person for person.