Contract Management.

Managing contracts is often seen as a sideline. A project manager or a service manager does it in addition to their job. It is an unusual to meet someone who introduces themselves as the contract manager.

The person who thinks a contract is ‘just something you have to sign’ does not see contract management as a vocation. When thinking of contracts, you might think of a lawyer or administrator, or is a Contract Manager rather someone who is integrally responsible for the result of a contract which pleases all parties?

The role of contract manager is crucial, in particular for agreements with delivery commitment: you have to deliver this, it can cost so much and must produce that. Managing this type of contract is a job for a jack-of-all-trades.

The contract manager, must manage five “trades”, or aspects:
– the provision of service (resources and services)
– the client relationship
– the risks
– the finances
– the obligations and the expectations.

Fortunately, more and more organisations are seeing the added value of contract management as profession. Do you also see Contract Management as a vocation? And why does the project manager or service manager just do it as well?