After a contract has been awarded there are a number of matters that should be addressed to provide the foundation for successful contract management. An early step is to ensure that sufficient resources and senior management support are available to manage the contract. It is equally important to understand both the contract provisions and contractual relationships at the outset. In the case where the contract manager has been involved in earlier procurement phases, the manager will already have knowledge of issues relevant to implementation. For example, if the manager has been involved in drafting the contract they are likely to have an understanding of its provisions. A checklist to assist with Understanding the contract is at the end of this part. Where the manager's or team's involvement is commencing at the contract start up phase there are a number of activities that will need to be undertaken. In order to implement the contract, and to manage it, the contract manager or team must ensure that appropriate delegations and authorisations exist in line with legislative or agency requirements. To determine whether authorisations and delegations are appropriate: • identify the roles and responsibilities of contract management staff, particularly those actions that are undertaken on behalf of the acquiring entity • identify the source of the authority or delegation required in legislation or agency instructions • determine the scope of the authority needed and whether existing arrangements are sufficient, and • establish arrangements to vary authorisations and delegations when circumstances change. |
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