6.18 I therefore recommend that:

1. Departmental project sponsors should have sufficient expertise to fulfil their role effectively. Their training should be reviewed, in conjunction with appropriate industry and private client experts, to ensure that it gives them full and practical guidance on the workings of the industry

2. Before deciding upon their contract strategy, clients should assess if they need a separate Project Manager as well as an internal project sponsor, or whether another procurement route should be followed such as design and construct or the use of a lead manager who also acts in a design and /or supervisory role. There must be a separate adjudicator.

3. If a separate Project Manager is necessary, it should first be considered whether the expertise is available "in house" or whether someone with the necessary expertise might be seconded into the client's organisation.

4. If it is decided to retain an external Project Manager:

a. The terms of appointment and duties should be clearly defined. A list of duties for Project Managers should be devised.

b. Clear evidence should be available that the applicants have the necessary practical experience of the industry and specific management skills to carry: out their duties on behalf of the client.

c. Once appointed, the PM should be given necessary authority to ensure the; work is carried satisfactorily through to completion.

d. It is not necessary for the PM to be responsible for selecting and employing the other professional consultants. But if given that role, the PM should be required to follow the quality/price route recommended in the CSCP. The PM's fee bid must also allow for proper remuneration of those other consultants. Clients should seek written assurances from consultants who have been retained by a PM that the fee for which they have been retained is sufficient for them to give a full service in accordance with the terms of their appointment.

e. Whether or not the PM has been responsible for the selection of the other consultants and/or for their employment, all terms of engagements for consultants should be fully interlocked with each other and the main contract.

f. Appointment documents for all consultants should contain details of the duties of the retained consultants, specific time scales in which those duties are to be performed, and an arrangement that they should "sign off" their work as properly completed at appropriate stages.

PMs employed by public sector clients should not be required to prepare their own prequalification documents for prospective tenderers. They should draw upon firms which are qualified under the DOE's Contractor Management Information System (CMIS) or ConReg procedures, and invite tenders, following EU requirements where necessary.

Many of these recommendations should also be covered by the CSCP.