Key details
Mode of delivery: Classroom-based
Course code: PCM25B
Duration: 5 days
Fee: £4,605.00 + VAT
CPD Hours: 30
Course Overview
This course builds on foundational contract knowledge, focusing on strategic contract management, risk mitigation, and performance optimisation. Participants will explore contract variations, claims management, dispute resolution, and advanced negotiation techniques to handle complex contractual issues effectively. With a strong emphasis on performance monitoring, KPIs, and financial controls, this programme is ideal for mid-to-senior professionals in procurement, project management, and commercial roles who need to manage contracts proactively and enhance business outcomes.
Agenda
Day — 1 Contractual Obligations and Rights in a Typical Construction Contract
- Employer and Contractor rights and obligations (including warranties)
- Standards of work – Reasonable skill and care, Fitness for purpose in design
- Relationships between contracts and negligence
- Case study of a model agreement – NEC/FIDIC templates
Day — 2 Claims, Variations and Delay
- Managing contract variations
- Consequences of delay, including delays by the employer or the contractor
- Handling contractor claims for extension of time and additional costs, acceleration or disruption
- Liquidated damages
Day — 3 Contract Negotiation
- Preparing to negotiate planning, objectives, mandate, issues, strategies
- Positional bargaining and Interest-based negotiation styles
- Negotiator tactics and skills, making concessions
- Tools and techniques to enhance your negotiation, including BATNA and ZOPA
Day — 4 Effective Contract Monitoring and Performance Management
- Fundamentals of effective contract performance management
- Use of KPIs / Targets in performance and links to payment
- Contract performance reviews and benefits realisation
- Managing defects
Day — 5 Course Review
- Summary and recap of key learning objectives
- Action Planning
Post-Course
- Three (3) x hour-long Executive Coaching sessions at monthly intervals following Course Completion
Target Audience
- Contract and Commercial Managers, and Contract Administrators managing active contracts
- Procurement and Supply Chain Managers, and Vendor Management Professionals
- Project Managers, Engineers, and Construction or Consultancy Contract Professionals
- Claims, Variations, Delay, and Performance Management Professionals
- Legal, Compliance, and Risk Management Professionals involved in contract interpretation
- Finance and Cost Control Professionals supporting payments, claims, and contract performance
- Operations Managers and Service Delivery Managers responsible for contractor performance
- Professionals preparing for senior contract management responsibilities
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to implement a successful strategy that enables you to:
- Explain key contractual rights and obligations of contractors and employers, including warranties and fitness-for-purpose requirements.
- Assess the standard of work expected in construction contracts and its relationship with negligence claims.
- Analyse a model agreement (NEC/FIDIC) to understand how contractual obligations and intellectual property rights are structured.
- Identify and evaluate different types of contract variations and their impact on project scope and cost.
- Analyse the consequences of delays caused by both employers and contractors and determine appropriate remedies.
- Apply legal and contractual principles to assess claims for additional time, costs, acceleration, and liquidated damages.
- Develop negotiation strategies by understanding planning, mandate setting, and stakeholder interests.
- Apply key negotiation concepts such as BATNA, ZOPA, and interest-based bargaining to contract discussions.
- Utilise effective negotiation tactics and tools to manage contract variations and achieve favourable terms.
- Implement contract monitoring techniques to track performance and ensure compliance with key deliverables.
- Use KPIs and evaluation frameworks to assess contract performance and link payments to performance outcomes.
- Apply defect management and collateral contract principles to improve contract enforcement and minimise disputes.
