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Contract Research Next-Twelve-Month Backlog

isolates the portion of clinical-research backlog expected to convert to revenue over the coming year, providing a timing view that total backlog alone cannot.

By Lee BaileyPublished Sep 28, 2026
Research context

See what supports this page, how current it is, and where comparable or historical context is available.

Research date
Sep 28, 2026Use the dated article and cited sources for the definition, examples, and stated limitations.
Operating-model context
10 connected conceptsPart of the reviewed Contract Research Organization Economics; issuer definitions remain distinct where disclosed.
Company examples
2 reviewed companiesRelationships reflect supported examples, not a normalized cross-company KPI ranking.
  1. Total backlog can hide very different revenue timing
  2. The percentage is not a standardized duration measure
  3. Part of the Contract Research Organization Economics
  4. See It in Company Research
  5. Continue Research

Contract research next-twelve-month backlog is the portion of total CRO backlog that management expects to convert into revenue over the following twelve months.

At June 30, 2026, IQVIA expected approximately $9.2B of its $34.2B R&DS backlog to convert over the next year. Medpace's year-end 2025 disclosure said roughly $1.89B to $1.91B of its $3.027B backlog was expected to convert during 2026.

Total backlog can hide very different revenue timing

Two CROs can report similar backlog growth while carrying very different project durations. Long global trials can remain in backlog for years, while shorter studies and pass-through-heavy work may convert much faster.

The near-term portion therefore gives investors a better revenue-timing bridge than the total contract research backlog balance alone.

The percentage is not a standardized duration measure

IQVIA's June disclosure is a rolling next-twelve-month expectation. Medpace's year-end disclosure references the following calendar year. Those windows are close economically but should not be treated as identical without checking the measurement date.

Changes in the NTM amount can reflect new awards, schedule shifts, cancellations, study mix, and foreign exchange. A rising amount does not guarantee the revenue will arrive exactly as expected.

Use it with backlog conversion rate and book-to-bill to separate demand coverage from execution timing.

Primary sources: IQVIA second-quarter 2026 Form 10-Q and Medpace 2025 Form 10-K.

Part of the Contract Research Organization Economics

Connect clinical-research awards, cancellations, book-to-bill, backlog policy and conversion, near-term revenue visibility, and reimbursed pass-through activity across contract research organizations.

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Where this concept fits
  • Backlog quality, timing, and conversionCurrent relationship
    Backlog captures expected contracted work, inclusion policy defines which work qualifies, RPO preserves a separate accounting boundary, next-twelve-month backlog shows near-term timing, and backlog conversion indicates how quickly the booked work becomes revenue.
    CRO BacklogCRO Backlog ConversionCRO Backlog PolicyCRO Backlog vs. RPOCRO NTM BacklogCurrent concept
  • Awards, cancellations, and demand coverage
    Net new awards or bookings incorporate cancellations, while book-to-bill compares that net commercial inflow with current revenue. Together they show whether newly won work is replenishing the revenue base without treating gross wins as guaranteed future revenue.
    CRO Book-to-BillCRO CancellationsCRO Net New Awards
  • Pass-through costs and underlying service growth
    Reimbursed expenses can materially change reported clinical-research revenue and costs without adding equivalent service economics, so revenue excluding reimbursed expenses helps isolate the underlying service-growth read.
    CRO Reimbursed ExpensesCRO Revenue ex Reimbursements

See It in Company Research

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Compare near-term backlog

Compare the portion of CRO backlog expected to convert over the coming year while preserving measurement dates and project-duration differences.

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