Contract Management & Administration Fundamentals

This is the first course in our Contract Management Professional (CMP) certification program.

Contract administration is a broad term used to describe management of the parties’ responsibilities in delivering contracts. At the core of each responsibility is the contract.

This course briefly reviews the formation and interpretation of contracts as the rules of engagement between parties embarking on a project. It then looks and the processes of administration and management of the contract throughout the course of a project.

Furthermore, the course will provide the knowledge for developing practical procedures to deliver a streamlined contract administration process.

Participants will also review the crucial interface between the contract administrator’s role and responsibilities, and that of the project manager project management functions.

Finally as claims processes are fundamental concepts in contract administration, the course examines the most common claims, with an emphasis on claims for variations and delays. The approach to dealing with delivery defects is also addressed.

Teaching methods will include interpretation of examples provided.

For more information and discounts, please contact Sushil on 02 9080 4395 or email us at [email protected]

UNDERSTANDING CONTRACT MANAGEMENT

• Contract management principles
• Pre-award, award and post-award considerations of contract management from both buyers’ and sellers’ perspectives
• Detailing the role of the contract manager
• Understanding where contract management fits with the broader organisational goals
• Strategic considerations behind contract management

THE CONTRACT – A MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE

• Understanding quoting and tendering to ensure proper process is maintained
• Pre-contractual negotiations – How to use them to ensure your desired risk transfer is achieved
• Contract formation – Various approaches and what to be careful of
• Documentation – Understanding the purpose and importance of various documents that make up a typical set of contract documents
• Contractual interpretation – How to use it to inform sensible contract management decisions

CONTRACT PLANNING AND RISK MANAGEMENT

• Developing the overall management plan for the contract
• Aligning contract planning with established organisational systems
• Evaluating risks
• Using contracts as effective risk management tools and developing strategies for mitigating risk that arise from contracts
• Making the contract effective in practice

THE CLAIMS PROCESS – THEORY AND PRACTICE

• Overview of the claims process
• Key points in formulating claims
• Key considerations in valuing claims
• The contract administrator’s relationships and responsibilities, and those of the project manager
• The administrators role and limits of authority
• Examining other roles in the contract management network and their associated limits of authority/decision making power (contracts manager, superintendent, project manager, project director, development manager, functional manager etc.)
• The interpersonal communication to make contracts happen
• Ethics in contract management – Are contractual obligations and ethics the same thing?

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• The interface between contract administration and project management
• The importance of effective systems for the administration of contracts
• Establishing timelines, lookups and prompts
• Contract compliance: monitoring, reporting and adherence to standards
• Document control and milestone planning
• Developing communication systems within the contract delivery hierarchy

CONTRACT MANAGEMENT SPECIFIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS

• Understanding how effective contract specific communication can
• facilitate optimum contract delivery and administration outcomes
• Pre award conferences, the benefits and disadvantages
• Pre contract conferences – Their value and how to run them effectively
• Delegating effectively
• Dispute avoidance and resolution-contractual principles and practical procedures

CLAIMS, VARIATIONS, DISAGREEMENTS AND DISPUTES

• Payment claims – The legal principles and the practical procedures
• Variations – Legal principles and practical procedures
• Delays, extensions of time, delay costs and damages – Legal principles and practical aspects of their management
• Defects – The contractual remedies and the practical procedures for ensuring they are realised

THROUGHOUT THE COURSE

Examination, dissection and discussion of case studies

• Throughout the course, participants will interact and work with examples and case studies to identify various points of contract law, contract interpretation and practical contract administration. This is aimed at assisting learning

Prior to the study and practise of law, Sean spent over 20 years in building and construction in various roles featuring project management. He ran his own successful building company in Melbourne for 7 years. Here he navigated contract and site management as well as dealing with planning and regulatory issues.

Over the last decade, Sean has focused on construction, procurement, contracts and general property and commercial law in both his studies and in legal practice. He has been “in-house” legal practitioner for a major ACT government directorate providing advice across all facets of operations, and dealing with infrastructure disputes for the latter part of 2012.

Sean teaches part time at both ANU and the University of Canberra law faculties, and is currently a director at the Society of Construction Law Australia. He has written awarded papers on the
role of “ethics” within the construction industry.


Alana Dowley

Alana is the Legal Services Director of Encore Legal Pty Ltd. After several years in practice, Alana recognised that most disputes could and should have been averted before reaching lawyers. Therefore, she began training industry groups and revolutionised legal service delivery to adopt a more mentoring and consulting model.

Alana runs training courses in contract law, contract management and dispute resolution – recognising that up-skilling in these industries is a crucial part of service provision that has been long neglected by the legal profession.

The consulting and mentoring that Alana and her team offer to clients also includes advice on tenders, contracts, claims and disputes. Alana endeavours to impart knowledge, understanding,
systems technology and expert advice into industry to improve the standard of contract management to increase efficiency, promote good practice and minimise costly disputes.

Perth // 20-21 Jun 2017
Super Early Bird rate: $2,395 (Save $300 + GST). Use code P17GL04PE. Expires by 12 May 2017.
Early Bird rate: $2,595. Expires by 2 Jun 2017.
Standard rate: $2,695.

Sydney // 26-27 Oct 2017
Super Early Bird rate: $2,395 (Save $300 + GST). Use code P17GL04SY. Expires by 15 Sep 2017.
Early Bird rate: $2,595. Expires by 06 Oct 2017.
Standard rate: $2,695.

Brisbane // 1-2 Nov 2017
Super Early Bird rate: $2,395 (Save $300 + GST). Use code P17GL04BR. Expires by 22 Sep 2017.
Early Bird rate: $2,595. Expires by 12 Oct 2017.
Standard rate: $2,695.

Perth// 9-10 Nov 2017
Super Early Bird rate: $2,395 (Save $300 + GST). Use code P17GL04PE2. Expires by 29 Sep 2017.
Early Bird rate: $2,595. Expires by 20 Oct 2017.
Standard rate: $2,695.

Melbourne // 21-22 Nov 2017
Super Early Bird rate: $2,395 (Save $300 + GST). Use code P17GL04ME. Expires by 13 Oct 2017.
Early Bird rate: $2,595. Expires by 3 Nov 2017.
Standard rate: $2,695.