Project success through excellence in procurement and contract management

Dr Jon Broome, Chair of the APM’s Contracts and Procurement SIG, gave a thought-provoking presentation on 29 June 2017 at the Novotel Hotel York  to a captive audience, challenging the approach to contract management and procurement.  Promoting the SIG’s newly published “APM Guide to Contracts and Procurement for Project, Programme and Portfolio Managers”, Dr Broome discussed the key elements of ensuring project success through good contract management.

• Contracts play a major part in how projects are managed. Project Managers therefore should have the knowledge and skills in contracts and procurement to be effective. Poor contract management can lead to devaluation and project failure.
• Increased complexity in projects has led to developments in contracts and procurement and the need for collaboration.
• The use of a seven-stage model for procurement and contract management (as found in the “APM Guide to Contracts and Procurement for project, programme and portfolio managers”) for improving focus and leading to effective delivery of cost, time and performance.

This was an interesting and informative event presented to an audience of over 30 professionals from a wide number of industry sectors. The event is highly recommended, with a high feedback score for both the speaker and the overall event. One attendee commented ‘The content was extremely useful; Great opportunity to network; I will be looking to attend future sessions’. A copy of the new guide to contracts and procurement was kindly donated to the YNL by Dr Broome and was used as a raffle prize at the end of the event.

David Burton, Branch Chair