When initially collecting information during the procurement phase, major sources of information for contract management purposes will include:
• the business case for the project;
• the project risk analysis conducted by the procurement team for the purpose of developing the contractual allocation of project risk between the parties. Note that this will not necessarily identify all risks to government during subsequent stages of the project, and it will not necessarily reflect the risk allocation agreed in the final project deed;
• the project contract documents (typical contracts in a Partnerships Victoria project are listed in Appendix A), including the output specification, the services specification, returnable schedules and draft contract;
• interviews with the procurement team and their advisers; and
• existing risk management tools within the government party.
During the construction phase, additional sources include:
• final project deed (and associated project contracts);
• the published project summary (to be released by government within 60 days of financial close);
• associated financial, structural and organisational details of the private party;
• notes and minutes from regular meetings with the private party under the contractual governance arrangements; and
• materials prepared by the procurement team during the construction phase.
Throughout the project lifecycle, the government party will collect further information relevant to the contract management strategy.
It is important to treat the information gathered in relation to the project as a whole. Information collected to establish a performance reporting regime for the project during the service delivery phase, for instance, may also influence contract administration generally and affect other specific contract management issues such as contingency planning.