International Construction Management Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Construction Managers, Project Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-CM-094

Before you join: Participants should understand basic construction project terminology, including drawings, specifications, contractors, subcontractors, programmes and payment applications.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

International construction projects face pressures that are less visible on domestic work: unfamiliar contract forms, cross-border supply chains, currency exposure, differing site regulations, multilingual teams and client governance requirements. A schedule or cost report can appear sound while failing to show late design information, procurement bottlenecks, disputed variations or weak subcontractor performance. Construction managers need a disciplined system for planning, controlling and reporting work from mobilisation through handover.

This course develops the management methods needed to deliver international building, civil engineering and infrastructure projects. Participants work through project definition, work breakdown structures, baseline scheduling, cost control, procurement strategy, contract administration, quality management, health and safety, risk control, claims avoidance and stakeholder reporting. The course uses FIDIC and NEC4 principles to examine roles, notices, change procedures and records. Participants learn to connect field progress, earned value, cash flow, procurement status and risk registers into management decisions.

Instruction combines short practitioner briefings with cases based on contractor, consultant and client-side project situations. Participants analyse project documents, interpret reporting data, prepare management responses to change events and practise decision-making under time, cost and contractual constraints. They leave with a reusable international construction management pack containing planning, control, reporting and close-out templates that can be adapted to live projects.

The course is suited to professionals moving into project or construction management roles, as well as experienced technical specialists who manage packages, contractors, consultants or site teams on international assignments.

What you will be able to do

  • Develop a project execution plan using scope, governance, delivery strategy and control arrangements
  • Build a work breakdown structure and baseline schedule using critical path method logic
  • Prepare cost reports using earned value management, committed cost and cash flow data
  • Administer contract changes using FIDIC and NEC4 notice, instruction and record requirements
  • Assess procurement risks using package strategy, bidder evaluation and supplier expediting methods
  • Control construction quality using inspection and test plans, non-conformance reports and punch lists
  • Maintain project risk registers using probability-impact analysis, response ownership and contingency actions
  • Produce integrated management reports linking progress, cost, risk, procurement and stakeholder decisions

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Apply recognised control methods to international construction assignments
  • Interpret schedule, cost and procurement signals before they become delays
  • Handle variations and contractual notices with clearer supporting records
  • Improve credibility when reporting to clients, lenders and senior project leaders
  • Prepare for broader project, construction or package management responsibilities

For your organisation

  • Stronger early warning of delay, cost growth and procurement exposure
  • More consistent project controls across sites, contractors and international teams
  • Better documented change management and reduced exposure to avoidable disputes
  • Improved reliability of progress, forecast and cash flow reporting
  • Clearer coordination between engineering, procurement, commercial and site functions

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can establish governance, delivery priorities and management controls for an international construction project.

  • Project delivery models: design-bid-build, design-build, EPC and construction management
  • Client, engineer, contractor and lender roles within project governance structures
  • Project execution plan sections: scope, interfaces, controls and decision authorities
  • RACI matrix for approvals, reporting routes and package accountabilities
  • Stage-gate reviews from feasibility, mobilisation and construction through handover
  • Cross-border factors: permits, labour rules, customs, tax and currency exposure

Participants can translate contract scope and technical information into controlled work packages.

  • Scope baseline drawn from employer requirements, specifications, drawings and exclusions
  • Work breakdown structure aligned with deliverables, zones, systems and packages
  • Control accounts linking responsible managers, budgets and measurable work
  • Interface register identifying boundaries between civil, mechanical, electrical and commissioning works
  • Design deliverable schedule matched to construction release dates
  • Constructability reviews identifying access, sequencing, temporary works and installation constraints

Participants can develop, assess and update a construction programme using critical path controls.

  • Critical Path Method network logic, dependencies, constraints and calendar assumptions
  • Baseline programme approval criteria: logic quality, resources, milestones and float
  • Three-week look-ahead plans tied to work fronts and constraints
  • Progress measurement rules for quantities, milestones, installed value and earned hours
  • Schedule updates using actual dates, remaining durations and forecast completion dates
  • Time-impact analysis for delay events, resequencing proposals and extension requests

Participants can control construction costs through budgets, commitments, forecasts and earned value data.

  • Cost breakdown structure aligned with work packages, codes and payment items
  • Original budget, approved changes, commitments and estimate-at-completion reconciliation
  • Earned Value Management using planned value, earned value and actual cost
  • Cost performance index and schedule performance index interpretation
  • 13-week rolling cash forecast built from receipts, payroll and supplier data
  • Forecasting final cost through productivity trends, escalation and risk allowances

Participants can plan procurement packages and control supplier performance against project requirements.

  • Procurement strategy based on long-lead items, market capacity and package risk
  • Bidder prequalification using financial capacity, technical capability and delivery history
  • Technical and commercial bid evaluation using weighted scoring matrices
  • Procurement schedule connecting requisitions, bids, awards, manufacture and delivery
  • Expediting plans for vendor data, inspections, factory acceptance and shipment milestones
  • Materials tracking from purchase order through customs clearance, storage and installation

Participants can administer notices, instructions, changes and records under common international contract principles.

  • FIDIC contract roles, determinations, notices and employer-engineer-contractor communications
  • NEC4 early warning process, risk reduction meetings and compensation events
  • Change control register recording instruction, valuation, approval and programme effects
  • Contemporaneous records: daily reports, photographs, correspondence and signed site instructions
  • Variation valuation using rates, quotations, dayworks and defined cost records
  • Claims avoidance through timely notices, cause-and-effect analysis and meeting minutes

Participants can establish quality controls that verify work meets contractual and technical requirements.

  • Inspection and test plans defining hold points, witnesses and acceptance criteria
  • Method statements linking sequence, resources, hazards and quality checks
  • Material submittals managed through approvals, samples, certificates and traceability
  • Non-conformance reports identifying defects, root causes, corrective and preventive actions
  • Quality audits sampling records, installations, calibration status and inspection compliance
  • Punch list management from substantial completion through final defect rectification

Participants can manage construction health, safety and environmental controls through planned site systems.

  • ISO 45001 principles applied to construction safety management arrangements
  • Task risk assessments addressing lifting, excavation, work at height and energy isolation
  • Permit-to-work systems controlling confined spaces, hot work and electrical activities
  • Incident investigation using the five whys and corrective action tracking
  • Environmental management plans covering waste, dust, water, noise and spill response
  • Leading indicators: inspections, observations, training completion and corrective action closure

Participants can maintain risk and stakeholder controls that support timely project decisions.

  • Risk register structure: cause, event, consequence, owner and response action
  • Probability-impact matrix calibrated against cost, time, safety and reputation thresholds
  • Quantitative contingency assessment using expected monetary value calculations
  • Stakeholder mapping by influence, interest, expectations and communication requirements
  • Monthly project dashboard integrating schedule, cost, risk, quality and procurement status
  • Escalation protocols defining decision thresholds, response times and accountable authorities

Participants can plan orderly handover, close-out and application of course methods to active projects.

  • Commissioning plans linking system completion, testing, training and acceptance evidence
  • Handover dossiers containing as-built drawings, warranties, manuals and certificates
  • Final account preparation using agreed changes, outstanding claims and release documentation
  • Lessons learned reviews separating technical, commercial, planning and management findings
  • Post-project review measures for cost variance, schedule variance and defect performance
  • Personal application plan prioritising controls, owners, dates and project-specific actions

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Project execution plan template
  2. Work breakdown structure and control account model
  3. Baseline schedule review checklist
  4. Cost, cash flow and earned value reporting template
  5. Contract change and notice register
  6. International construction risk register

Who should attend

  • Construction Managers — responsible for coordinating site delivery, contractors and project controls
  • Project Managers — accountable for international project scope, programme, cost and client reporting
  • Site Managers — managing daily work fronts, subcontractors, safety and field productivity
  • Project Engineers — translating technical packages into controlled construction activities
  • Quantity Surveyors — administering commercial records, variations, payments and cost forecasts
  • Consultant Engineers — supervising contractor performance and advising clients on delivery decisions

Skills and tools covered

Project execution planningSchedule controlCost and cash controlContract administrationConstruction risk managementProgress reporting

Tools and standards

FIDIC Conditions of Contract, NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract, ISO 45001, Earned Value Management

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings, worked construction cases, document reviews, group analysis and facilitated simulations. Participants examine schedules, cost reports, risk registers, procurement trackers, change records and contractor correspondence typical of international projects. Small groups test management responses to delayed materials, design changes, payment disputes and site performance issues. Each module links a practical method to a usable project document. The final sessions support individual application planning against participants' current or anticipated projects.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand basic construction project terminology, including drawings, specifications, contractors, subcontractors, programmes and payment applications. At least one year of experience in construction, engineering, project delivery, quantity surveying, site supervision or procurement is recommended. Participants should be comfortable reading simple schedules, budgets and progress reports. Prior knowledge of FIDIC, NEC4, Primavera P6 or earned value management is helpful but not required. This course does not require engineering design qualifications, legal training, advanced financial modelling or prior international assignment experience.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should have basic familiarity with construction projects, drawings, contractors and project documentation. The course explains FIDIC, NEC4, earned value and formal control methods from an applied management perspective, so prior specialist knowledge is not required.

Participants may bring non-confidential examples of schedules, reports, risk registers or project issues they want to improve. A laptop is useful for live online delivery and optional document review, but it is not required for classroom attendance.

The course suits construction managers, project managers, engineers, site managers, quantity surveyors and consultant representatives. It is particularly relevant for professionals coordinating contractors or packages on cross-border projects.

This course connects planning, cost, procurement, site delivery, quality, risk and contract administration into one construction management system. Specialist planning or contract courses examine those subjects in greater technical depth.

Participants can use the templates and control models to review an active project's execution plan, programme, cost forecast, risk register and change records. The application plan helps identify immediate actions, owners and reporting improvements.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. Time is divided between instructor input, case analysis, group work, simulations, document reviews and application planning across ten modules.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

Related courses in Construction Management