One of the themes of this guidance is that core Contract Management Teams need to be flexible in size and composition, by drawing in extra resource at the right time, to reflect the heterogeneous nature and unpredictable timing of the issues that can arise in the post close period. The Contract Manager should make sure that, whilst not hoarding resource during quiet times (s)he is able to access additional and/or specialist resources quickly when needed. The first place to look for such resource should always be in house. This may mean having clear agreements with, for example, the head of the Legal Department and the head of the Finance Department to provide additional input when needed for specific tasks. An arrangement for sharing resource with other teams managing complex PFI/PPP contracts is another option for increasing flexibility that should be explored.
In addition the contract management function might be able to benefit from a review by the Authority's own internal quality assurance processes.