Something has gone wrong. Maybe the contract the Customer signed hasn’t turned out as expected. There has been conflict which has escalated, which now it seems impossible to resolve. Of course you can recourse to legal proceedings, but these are time-consuming and expensive. Is there really no other alternative?

Scandinavian Purchasing Group argues that in situations where there is deadlock and all seems hopeless there is often an alternative to legal action.

Our most experienced consultants have successfully handled many conflicts. We use our most senior and seasoned negotiators. Long experience from many difficult situations in the business world has built solid knowledge of alternative routes of negotiation and how to adapt them to the situation. It is not uncommon that a third party with a different approach to that which led to the deadlock, suddenly finds an alternative solution.

The basis for discussion is the simple fact that the supplier and the customer has signed an agreement for the customer to buy a product or service, and which the supplier would deliver. Now things have gone wrong, but often the wish to go on persists. Conflict resolution does not assume that one party is ‘right’ and that the other party consequently is ‘wrong’. Our experience shows that it is almost always an adapted business deal that creates opportunities for both parties. This is a process in which the parties gradually converge, with small concessions in the beginning and with increasing commitment towards the end. A well thought-out and tailored conflict resolution model will lead to renewed confidence and new intent, often in the form of a supplementary agreement to the existing one.

Both parties must always be given equal rights to ‘pull on the brake’ at any time and drop out of the process. Willingness, logic and security in the process create the motivation to adjust, aim ahead and really try to succeed. In many cases, we quickly put several process milestones behind us, and begin to see a way forward. If either party drops out, there is always the legal process to fall back on, with slow processes and expensive lawyers. That is why attempts at mediation are almost always worth trying. The stakes are low in relation to significant potential gains when intentions quickly and smoothly become a reality.