Course overview
Contractor expenditure, performance and compliance can deteriorate long before a project reports a formal problem. Weak scopes, incomplete records, unverified progress claims, informal instructions and poor change control expose organisations to overpayment, delay, defective work, disputes and regulatory findings. Auditors and contract managers need to test the full contractor lifecycle, not simply review invoices after costs have been incurred.
This course develops the practical skills required to plan and conduct contractor audits for capital projects, maintenance programmes, outsourced services and construction contracts. Participants examine contract clauses, tender files, mobilisation records, cost claims, schedules, quality records, safety evidence, variations, subcontracting arrangements and close-out documents. They apply risk-based audit planning, control testing, sampling, evidence evaluation, root-cause analysis and report writing to identify control failures and support defensible findings.
Instruction combines short technical briefings with realistic contractor audit cases from infrastructure, energy, public procurement, facilities management and industrial operations. Participants work with contract extracts, payment certificates, project schedules, variation registers, timesheets and audit evidence files. During the course, each participant develops a contractor audit work programme, control matrix, testing plan and reporting pack that can be adapted for their own contracts. The course concludes with a capstone audit review and presentation of findings to a simulated management panel.
The programme suits professionals responsible for assurance, contract administration, project controls, procurement compliance and operational oversight. It is particularly relevant where organisations depend on third parties to deliver high-value projects, regulated services, maintenance work or essential infrastructure.
