Contract management includes tracking and monitoring delivery and costs, managing risks and relationships, conducting reviews and resolving problems.
Extra information on managing contract and provider relationships is in Managing social services contracts section of our website.
Significant service contracts must be managed according to the Significant Service Contracts Framework.
A contract management plan or outcome agreement management plan tracks the management of the contract and the relationship with the supplier or provider. The content and amount of detail in the plan can be tailored to the individual contract.
Maintain a robust relationship with suppliers and providers by:
At a high level, you should plan for relationship management, and be aware of what avenues are available for resolving any conflicts that arise.
Planning relationship management and resolving conflict
A toolkit for managing supplier relationships is available, with resources to help manage performance, run meetings, generate case studies and track innovation.
Managing service delivery involves monitoring and reporting on progress, health and safety and risks, and managing performance problems to ensure services are delivered on time and on budget.
Monitoring includes:
Contract administration includes:
More about financial management, record-keeping and contract variations
As well as a post-implementation review (called a PIR), you might want to hold a review:
Reviews help you formulate coherent, useful and supportable recommendations about what works, what doesn't, and what might need to change next time. Recommendations must be robust enough for the agency to be able to act on them — this may involve realigning policy or changing business processes.
Planning to wind up or transition a contract to a new supplier, and things to consider if you're terminating a contract early, either because of a dispute or breach, or by notice or mutual agreement.