The Contract Manager should recognise that knowledge can be built much more quickly and efficiently if arrangements are in place to share the benefit of lessons learned both within the team and from outside the team and from source outside the team.
In relating to internal sharing of lessons learned it is necessary to consider the time dimension as well i.e. how can the Contract Manager in year 20 of the Contract draw on lesson learned by the Contract Manager in Year 1? It has been said that "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it54" and there is no doubt this statement applies to contract management. A robust system for recording and utilising lessons learned is an essential aspect of a comprehensive knowledge management system.
A key aspect of knowledge sharing in the Transition period is the need to share knowledge gained by the team responsible for negotiating the Contract in the final stages of the procurement with the team assembled to manage the Contract. As the procurement team typically disperses fairly soon after financial close it is important that the Contract Manager ensures that this knowledge sharing exercise is completed as son s possible after close.
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Example The Contract Management Team for the Cambridgeshire PFI project is able to refer to a list of schedules to the Contract which briefly summarises the purposes of each schedule and highlights key points to note in relation to the Schedule. This helps the Contract Management Team locate the relevant provisions in the Contract and understand their purpose. This list was produced immediately following agreement of the terms of the Contract which allowed input from the individuals involved in the procurement period. |
The Contract Manager should also ensure a Log is maintained of all lessons learned by the Contract Management Team from day one of the Contract. After any significant task is undertaken for the first time there should be planned "after action" review to ensure some time is spent evaluating the outcome and reviewing the scope for learning from the experience.
External communities available to the Contract Management Team to use for sharing and learning about best practice in contract management include:
• other contract management teams within the Authority;
• other departments in the Authority - particularly Legal and Finance;
• WIDP Network Groups (See Section 1.4.4);
• Operational Taskforce (See Section 1.5.3); and
• online communities.
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54 George Santayana, philosopher 1863-1952