Effective Contract Administration Basic E-Course
Designed for those who aren't yet contract experts... Understand the principles of construction contract management and administration through easy to follow video tutorials.
$195 for 6 months unlimited access
Contractual Awareness for Project Teams
Projects don’t always go as planned. Issues such as not being paid on time or spiralling costs can be frustrating and can quickly erode profitability. Misunderstandings or failure to meet contractual obligations can often lead to costly, time-consuming disputes that strain both budgets and relationships.
This course is designed to help project personnel gain a clear understanding of contract administration and management. You’ll learn key provisions, the risks of not meeting contractual obligations, and see what good practice looks like in action. With these tools, you’ll be better equipped to manage efficiently and avoid disputes before they arise.
Learn to Manage Construction Contracts Efficiently with a World-Class Expert
What you will learn
- Handover from tender team: Learn why it is important to handover the tender team’s knowledge to the project execution team, allowing you to proactively identify and manage risks early.
- Contract Documents: Contract documents need to be compiled correctly to ensure clarity, enforceability, and to minimise the risk of disputes. We’ll show you how to ensure they should accurately reflect tender-period changes and, critically, how to prevent ambiguities or conflicts that can be costly down the line.
- Basis of the Contract. All contract frameworks carry inherent risks. Understand the different contracts you may be working with (lump sum, remeasurable, build only, design and build, turnkey) and what you must consider for each type.
- Key Clauses to Understand. Not everyone needs to be a contracts expert, but there are some important clauses that, in principle, need to be understood by the whole team to prevent misinterpretation or costly mistakes. This module covers those clauses and explains why they’re so critical when it comes to contract management.
- Communications. Discover why effective communication isn’t just good practice, it’s vital for project success. We’ll show you how to master clear and impactful communication to avoid misunderstandings and keep your project on track.
- The engineer’s responsibilities and obligations. Explore the crucial role of the party administering the contract. Understand their obligations and, importantly, what steps to take if the engineer is not complying, because their adherence ensures fair contract administration and protects the project’s best interests.
- Design. Learn why it is important to clearly understand the scope of the design and how to ensure you are compliant with the employer’s requirements, mitigating risks and costly re-work.
- Programmes. A well-defined programme provides the essential roadmap for your project, enabling effective planning and progress monitoring. We examine programmes including their purpose, when they should be produced and what they should contain.
- Records. Comprehensive documentation is your ultimate safeguard. Discover why meticulous record-keeping is your best defence in any claim or dispute. We cover what records to keep and the necessary level of detail for demonstrating compliance and justifying actions.
- The importance of progress reports. Reports aren’t just paperwork; they’re a powerful tool for informed decision-making and can bolster your position in discussions or claims. Understand the importance of progress reports and learn how to use them to your advantage.
- Notices. Properly issued notices protect your contractual rights and ensure timely communication of key project events. Learn how to compose them in a non-confrontational way.
- Extensions of time. Recognizing legitimate grounds for delay is crucial for fair contract administration. If certain types of delays occur, the contractor will be entitled to more time. Learn about the most common types of events that can trigger extensions of time.
- The contract price. A clear understanding of pricing mechanisms prevents financial surprises and ensures accurate payment. It is important for project personnel to understand what the contract price is and how it is going to be Is it remeasureable or fixed price? How will the final price be calculated? What may be included? We answer those questions here.
- Variations. Master the art of managing instructed variations, requests for proposals, and unacknowledged variations. This is essential because effective variation management prevents cost overruns, minimises disputes, and keeps the project aligned with evolving requirements.
- Certification and payment. Securing timely and accurate payments is fundamental to cash flow and protecting your financial stability. Understand what should be certified in interim payment applications and what the contractor should do in case of under-certification or non-payment.
- Claims. Well-prepared claims protect your legitimate entitlements and maximise your chances of a fair resolution. Learn how to identify claim situations and how to prepare claims for success.
- Disputes. On any project, there will be times when people don’t see eye to eye. Understand why disputes occur on construction projects and, critically, how to resolve them effectively to minimise project disruption.
- Dispute avoidance. Avoiding disputes saves significant time, cost, and stress for all parties. Learn what you can do to proactively avoid disputes right from the beginning of the project.
- Dispute Boards. Learn about dispute boards and why they’re so important. Understanding their role is key because Dispute Boards provide an accessible and expert-led pathway to early dispute resolution, keeping projects moving forward.
Note: Whilst this course is not based on a particular form of construction or building contract, we refer to FIDIC in given examples.
Key Learning Outcomes
- Master your contract position
- Know the obligations of the other project participants
- Avoid contention and disputes
- Understand your contractual rights
- Know the contractual rights of the other project participants
- Prevent misinterpretation or misunderstanding of contracts across your team
- Ensure you obtain adequate compensation when appropriate
- Maximise profitability
Who it's for?
Anyone who is involved the management of construction projects, including:
- Contractors
- Clients / employers
- Consultants
- Project managers
- Engineers
- Quantity surveyors
- Project controls
- Planners
- Construction managers
- Design managers
- Contract administrators
Common Questions
There are no assessments with this course and no pressure of pass or fail; you will simply have access to a series of video tutorials.
The course developer, Andy Hewitt, presents the course. Andy has over 45 years’ experience in the construction industry and is the author of various industry publications on contracts, claims, FIDIC and notices.
From the day you sign up, you will have 6-months access to the course content.
Registration is easy. Just go to the course page on the student website and follow the instructions. Registration is online and payment is via all major credit cards. As soon as you have registered, you’ll receive a welcome email with all the information you need to get started.
Need more help?
Call us to discuss your questions or write to us with your questions and we’ll get back to you within 24-hours. We’re here to help and want to help you find the right course for you.
What our students have to say
I would recommend this course to any construction contracts management and administration professionals who want to understand how to prepare and present a successful claim.”
Jose Covas from India
One-on-one mentorship from exceptional industry expert, Andy Hewitt.
Learn from a construction contracts and claims specialist with over four decades of expertise. Andy is also a published author. He has written five industry books, including best-sellers: Construction Claims & Responses: effective writing & presentation and The FIDIC Contracts: Obligations of the Parties.