The issues associated with contracting in projects, complex or otherwise, have been hotly debated topics for many, many years.  From a project management perspective we often treat the commercial or contracting function as external to the project team, something that the project manager has to comply with, or even as a handbrake or obstacle to be overcome.  From the commercial or contracting perspective the project manager is often seen as a risk that must be tightly controlled – as a source of legal or contracting trouble for the organisation – whether with a stroke of a pen or through casual conversation.

 

Successful project outcomes depend on the right forms of contract and supportive contract management.  Too often, those in Project Management and those in Contract / Commercial Management experience similar challenges, yet do not combine their efforts or resources to drive improvement.

 

This initiative seeks to bring together the collective wisdom of the participants to focus on the topic,confirm the issues that currently prevent contract and project alignment, and to create specific and practical steps that will drive major improvement, with the principal outcome being a clear definition of further action required.

 

The Discussion Paper provides a perspective on Contracting for Success in Complex Projects and identifies some key questions that will guide the roundtable discussions.