5.4  Information collection and analysis 

Planning, information collection and analysis are also ongoing processes. Throughout the lifecycle of a Partnerships Victoria project, the risk profile of the project will change. Sources of change in the risk profile include:

•  the natural progression of the project through its lifecycle stages, such as construction, commissioning, service delivery and contract termination or expiry;

•  internal factors such as changes in the relationship between the parties, State-initiated modifications or a change in law specific to the project; and

•  external factors, such as technological change, a fundamental change in financial markets or a change in law of general application.

As changes occur, the government party will need to: 

•  gather and analyse further information on the impact of the changes on the project's risk profile and contract management strategies; and 

•  if appropriate, revise or develop new contract management strategies.

Collecting and analysing information plays a central role in developing and maintaining contract management tools and processes, as illustrated in Figure 5.1.

Figure 5.1: The role of information collection and analysis in contract management