Jim Bergman, Mark Cohen
Biography:
Jim Bergman
Jim is an experienced contracts attorney and procurement professional with international management consulting experience in the procurement field in the USA, UK, Europe, China, India, SE Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia. He has experience working in both the public and private sectors on a wide range of direct and indirect spending categories and has a broad knowledge of numerous aspects of services, goods, and technology procurement.
Previously, Mr. Bergman was a contracts attorney for a Fortune 500 petrochemical corporation, Amoco Corporation, and was responsible for legal and negotiation support to the procurement staff. He supported multiple locations globally, where he addressed strategic sourcing and legal issues concerning commodities and services valued at more than $1 billion annually.
Jim’s subsequent experience encompasses developing, drafting, negotiating, and managing contracts for a wide array of projects with multiple clients – and advising the clients on the risks and value opportunities that lie therein. He has an extensive background in the negotiation and sourcing of hardware, software, system integrators, telecommunication networks, printers, as well as office furniture, equipment, supplies, MRO, process chemicals, engineered equipment, fleet, dispensers, packaging, scaffolding, insulation, insurance products, environmental remediation, waste services, janitorial, landscaping, security services, logistics services, warehousing, and engineering and construction services, plus leasing and outsourcing.
Across his wide array of commodity experiences, he has been extensively involved in establishing effective contracts and customer-supplier relationships founded on strategic sourcing, supply chain management, performance metrics, and measures, as well as Total Cost of Ownership principles, and has served as editor for publications focusing on the successes associated in such relationships. He has also led in developing and delivering both public and internal training programs.
As a strategic management consultant, Jim has assisted numerous clients through all phases and steps of contracting, negotiation, strategic sourcing and bidding processes, and contract management processes, demonstrating savings in excess of $100 million.
Jim has also served as a seminar instructor in many topics regarding sourcing, contracting, outsourcing, law, and negotiations. His audiences and clients have included attorneys, plus financial, operational and sourcing professionals from multinational corporations and the public sector, including AT&T, BP, Delphi Automotive, DuPont, FedEx, General Motors, Intuit, Johnson & Johnson, Lam Research, LG Electronics, Makro, Maxis, Merck, Monsanto, Petronas, Samsung, Saudi Aramco, Shell, Singapore Telecom, Walmart, the State of California, the State of Florida, the State of Texas, South Australia Health, the US General Services Administration, Australia’s Defence Materiel Organization (now CASG), UK’s Crown Commercial Services, Singapore’s Ministry of the Treasury, South Africa’s Treasury, Nigeria’s Bureau of Public Procurement, Canada Post, and numerous others.
Qualifications:
- Juris Doctor, University of Tulsa, USA
- Master of Business Administration, University of Tulsa, USA
- Master of Arts, Marquette University, USA
- Bachelor of Arts, Marquette University, USA
Areas of Expertise:
- Strategic Sourcing / Category Management
- Sourcing and category strategies and processes
- Tender management
- Negotiation
- Supplier Relationship Management
- Contract Management
- Contract Drafting
- SOW's, SLA's and KPI's
Mark Cohen
Mark Cohen has 40 years of experience as a lawyer. He earned a B.A. in Economics at Whitman College and earned his law degree at the University of Colorado in Boulder. He earned an LL.M. in Agricultural and Food Law from the University of Arkansas, where he also taught advanced legal writing. His diverse legal career includes service as an Air Force Judge Advocate, a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, a prosecutor, a municipal judge for Boulder, and six years on the Advisory Board of The Colorado Lawyer (including one as chairperson).
Mark wrote six articles in the Am. Jur. Proof of Facts series. He has written numerous articles and book reviews for The Colorado Lawyer. His satirical piece, How to Draft a Bad Contract, has been reprinted in several journals. He is a member of the Institute of General Semantics and the Mystery Writers of America. He writes a regular column for the Nederland Mountain Era.
Mark’s practice focuses on drafting and reviewing legal documents and litigating contract disputes. He holds an AV Martindale-Hubbell rating and has been selected by Super Lawyers for four years in a row.
Mark holds a black belt in karate and serves on the board of directors of a non-profit that offers training in personal safety and violence prevention. In 2022, Colorado Governor Jared Polis appointed Mark to serve on the Colorado Combative Sports Commission (formerly the Colorado Boxing Commission).
