Why Attend
The overall aim of this course is to provide participants with the necessary key skills needed to successfully manage their contracts including communication skills, negotiation skills and conflict management skills.
Participants in this interactive course will learn all the critical techniques required to perform their role as contract managers and contract administrators such as evaluating contractor’s performance as well as issues and risk management.
Course Methodology
This course relies on the use of individual and group exercises aimed at helping participants learn all key contract management activities. The course also features the use of a number of case studies and presentations by participants followed by discussions. In addition, this course incorporates pre and post testing.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Identify the major skills that are critical for contract professionals
- Demonstrate the importance of communication in contract management including written, verbal and non-verbal
- Prepare for negotiating contracts and conduct contract related negotiations in a formal structured manner
- Outline the key issues and risks that can affect the contract and determine the appropriate responses for the identified risks
- Develop project plans and mechanisms for monitoring and controlling contractors’ performances including Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for these criteria
Target Audience
Personnel who are seeking improvement of essential skills necessary for all contract professionals. The course is designed to provide concepts and techniques that will enable contract professionals to work collaboratively and efficiently with contractors. Meirc is assigned as a Registered Educational Provider (REP) with the Project Management Institute (PMI®). This course is worth 30 Professional Development Units (PDUs).
Target Competencies
- Contract management
- Project management
- Planning and scheduling
- Risk management
- Performance measurement
- Communication skills
- Negotiation skills
Course Outline
- Overview/principles of contracts
- Definition of a contract
- Purpose of contracting
- Knowing your contract
- Scope of work
- Terms and conditions
- Stages of contracting
- What makes a good contract professional
- Communication and writing skills
- Communication model
- Barriers to communication
- Active listening
- Verbal and non-verbal communication
- Written communication
- Drafting fundamentals
- Managing conflicts
- Negotiation skills
- Concept of negotiation
- Principled negotiation
- Separating people from problem
- Focusing on interests not positions
- Inventing options for mutual gains
- Using objective criteria
- Negotiation’s structured approach
- Planning the negotiation
- Zone of a Possible Agreement (ZOPA)
- Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA)
- Conducting the negotiation
- Issues and Risk Management
- Issues management
- Techniques Used in Issues Management
- Contract management and risks
- Identifying risks
- Evaluating risks
- Risk response planning
- Decision making
- Managing performance of contractors
- Project/contract relationship
- Project diagram
- Developing Gantt chart
- Milestone Chart
- Measuring and reporting contractor’s performance
- Schedule control
- Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Benchmarking
- Target Setting
