Contract Planning, Strategy and Claims Management Training Course

Participants can define contractual requirements that are measurable, complete and commercially usable.

• Requirements hierarchy linking business needs, specifications, drawings and deliverables
• Work breakdown structure used to test scope completeness and interfaces
• Acceptance criteria expressed through measurable performance, quality and handover conditions
• Assumptions register separating confirmed facts, dependencies and unresolved decisions
• Interface matrix assigning responsibilities between client, contractor and third parties
• Scope exclusions written to prevent implied obligations and duplicated responsibilities

Participants can select a delivery and contracting strategy suited to project conditions.

• Make-buy analysis comparing internal capability, market capacity and strategic control
• Delivery models including design-bid-build, design-build and EPC arrangements
• Packaging strategy balancing interface risk, supplier competition and management capacity
• Single-source justification supported by market evidence and approval criteria
• Contract duration matched to asset lifecycle, demand certainty and supplier investment
• Strategic objectives translated into contract performance and commercial requirements

Participants can assess supplier markets and prepare informed sourcing positions.

• Porter's Five Forces applied to supplier power and market entry barriers
• Kraljic matrix classifying spend by profit impact and supply risk
• Should-cost analysis separating labour, materials, overheads, profit and contingency
• Supplier financial due diligence using liquidity, gearing and cash-flow indicators
• Market sounding questions testing capacity, innovation and procurement feasibility
• Competitive tension strategy addressing bidder numbers, lotting and negotiation alternatives

Participants can allocate contractual risks to the party best able to manage them.

• ISO 31000 risk process applied to contractual threats and opportunities
• Risk breakdown structure covering technical, commercial, legal and external risks
• Probability-impact scoring calibrated with defined scales and decision thresholds
• Risk allocation matrix matching control, insurability and pricing to each party
• Risk treatment actions covering avoidance, reduction, transfer and acceptance
• Contingency ownership distinguished from contractor allowances and client reserves

Participants can match pricing and payment mechanisms to scope certainty and risk allocation.

• Lump-sum pricing assessed against design maturity and change exposure
• Reimbursable contracts controlled through allowable cost definitions and audit rights
• Target-cost mechanisms using pain-gain share and agreed cost baselines
• Unit-rate schedules linked to measurement rules and quantity verification
• Milestone payments tied to objective acceptance evidence and invoice requirements
• Price adjustment formulas addressing inflation indices, currencies and exceptional volatility

Participants can plan defensible tender processes and evaluate bids against stated criteria.

• Procurement plan sequencing approvals, market engagement, tender and award activities
• Tender timetable allowing bidder questions, clarifications and controlled addenda
• Evaluation criteria weighted for technical quality, price, risk and delivery
• Compliance matrix recording mandatory submissions, deviations and qualification responses
• Whole-life cost evaluation including operations, maintenance, disposal and energy use
• Evaluation moderation process documenting consensus decisions and conflict declarations

Participants can interpret core contract clauses and identify their operational consequences.

• FIDIC clause structure covering obligations, payment, variations and claims
• NEC4 early warning process and compensation event principles
• Order-of-precedence clauses resolving conflicts between specifications and commercial documents
• Limitation-of-liability provisions tested against foreseeable loss and insurance coverage
• Indemnities distinguished from warranties, guarantees and statutory liabilities
• Force majeure clauses defining events, notice requirements and relief

Participants can prepare structured negotiation plans for contractual and commercial issues.

• BATNA analysis identifying alternatives when agreement cannot be reached
• Interest-based negotiation separating underlying needs from stated bargaining positions
• Negotiation mandate defining objectives, concessions, limits and approval authorities
• Issue-trade matrix linking concession values to reciprocal commercial returns
• Anchoring strategy tested against market data and cost evidence
• Meeting agenda assigning roles, decision points and documented actions

Participants can create a contract management plan that governs post-award delivery.

• Contract management plan covering governance, controls, reporting and key dates
• Obligations register capturing deliverables, owners, due dates and evidence
• Key performance indicators linked to service levels and contract objectives
• Contract calendar tracking notices, renewals, certifications and review meetings
• Document control protocol defining versioning, transmittals and authorised repositories
• Management information dashboard reporting performance, risk, changes and disputes

Participants can control mobilisation and manage contractor performance against agreed obligations.

• Mobilisation checklist covering securities, insurances, programmes and key personnel
• Kick-off agenda confirming interfaces, reporting, communications and escalation arrangements
• Service-level measurement using baselines, targets, tolerances and remedy triggers
• Performance review meetings structured around evidence, actions and accountabilities
• Corrective action plans addressing root causes, owners and completion dates
• Supplier relationship segmentation distinguishing transactional, managed and strategic arrangements

Participants can issue timely contractual notices and maintain records that protect entitlement.

• Notice register tracking contractual deadlines, recipients, delivery methods and responses
• Notice drafting states event, clause, impact, reservation and required action
• Without-prejudice correspondence distinguished from open contractual communications
• Contemporaneous records include diaries, photographs, minutes and progress reports
• Meeting minutes record decisions, dissent, actions and contractual reservations
• Evidence retention schedule aligned with limitation periods and audit requirements

Participants can administer changes through authorised instruction, valuation and record procedures.

• Change-control workflow from request identification through approval and implementation
• Variation instruction requirements covering authority, scope, timing and valuation basis
• Change register tracks status, cost forecast, schedule effect and decisions
• Valuation methods compare agreed rates, fair valuation and quotation analysis
• Unauthorised work response preserves rights while maintaining operational continuity
• Configuration management controls revised drawings, specifications and approved baselines

Participants can manage payment certification, cost evidence and contractual financial recovery.

• Payment application review checks progress evidence, rates, deductions and tax
• Certification workflow defines reviewer roles, approval thresholds and payment dates
• Cash-flow forecast compares planned, earned, invoiced and paid values
• Retention provisions managed through release conditions, defects and final account
• Set-off rights assessed against notice requirements and undisputed payment obligations
• Open-book audit tests invoices, timesheets, purchase records and cost allocation

Participants can assess time-related events and identify evidence for delay and disruption claims.

• Critical path method identifies activities governing contractual completion dates
• Baseline programme review tests logic, durations, calendars and resource assumptions
• Time impact analysis models prospective effects of discrete delay events
• Windows analysis compares planned and actual critical paths across periods
• Concurrent delay assessment identifies overlapping causes and contractual treatment
• Disruption evidence links productivity loss to records, outputs and causation

Participants can prepare claims that connect contractual entitlement, facts, causation and quantum.

• Claim structure presents entitlement, facts, causation, quantum and requested relief
• Clause analysis identifies conditions precedent, notice periods and remedy provisions
• Chronology prepared from correspondence, records, instructions and programme updates
• Causation analysis separates triggering events from downstream cost consequences
• Quantum calculations substantiate prolongation, disruption, acceleration and financing costs
• Claim narrative cross-references evidence using indexed document and exhibit schedules

Participants can evaluate incoming claims and prepare evidence-based contractual responses.

• Claim triage assesses value, urgency, entitlement strength and settlement options
• Response matrix tests each allegation against clauses, facts and records
• Reservation-of-rights letters preserve contractual positions without premature admissions
• Counterclaim identification addresses defects, delay damages and overpayment recovery
• Expert evidence scope defines questions, data sources and independence requirements
• Settlement authority matrix controls offers, concessions and documented approvals

Participants can select proportionate dispute-resolution routes and prepare for formal proceedings.

• Dispute escalation ladder sets negotiation, mediation and adjudication decision points
• Dispute boards provide contemporaneous recommendations or binding determinations
• Mediation preparation identifies interests, settlement ranges and decision authority
• Adjudication timetable requires focused evidence, submissions and rapid response coordination
• Arbitration clause specifies seat, rules, tribunal and language requirements
• Settlement agreement terms address releases, confidentiality, payment and enforcement

Participants can close contracts systematically while preserving final rights and organisational learning.

• Close-out plan confirms deliverables, certificates, records and final payment milestones
• Final account reconciliation resolves quantities, variations, claims and outstanding deductions
• Defects liability tracking records notifications, remedies and release conditions
• Asset handover verifies manuals, training, warranties and operating documentation
• Post-contract review captures commercial outcomes, root causes and corrective actions
• Lessons-learned register assigns owners, actions and future procurement application

Participants can build, review and present a complete contract strategy and claims management pack for a contested project scenario.

• Contract strategy integrates scope, market analysis, delivery model and pricing
• Risk allocation matrix assigns ownership, treatment actions and contractual mechanisms
• Administration plan establishes governance, notices, records and change controls
• Claim dossier assembles entitlement analysis, chronology, evidence and quantum
• Negotiation position sets objectives, trade-offs, settlement boundaries and approvals
• Peer review tests consistency, evidence gaps, contractual exposure and presentation