Contract Management Mechanism
The Contract Management Mechanism (CMM) is a process for Communications Providers (CPs) and BT to address issues that arise when negotiating terms and conditions of SMP Products (as defined in the Undertakings). It came into effect on 22 March 2006. The process provides for a review of its effectiveness after 9 months.
The review started on 30 January 2007 and was attended by five CPs. It was recognised that the CMM had not been used. It was felt that this was a reflection of the good work that had been done over the last 12 months to resolve potential CMM issues and find a compromise without the need to resort to the formal CMM process.
It was also recognised that the number of contract negotiations over the last 12 months was not huge. The scope of the review was, therefore, limited to finalisation of the arbitration process documents, which sit underneath the CMM and to confirm details for the next review of the CMM. We expect the review to conclude within the next few weeks.