1. Project Manager’s Forum: Contracts Administration.
Project Manager’s Forum:
Contracts Administration

2. Contract administration
Let’s start with a Warm-Up
6 True/False Questions about managing Contracts
(Discuss in pairs)
A contract always requires two signatures to be valid.
If a position is not Key Personnel, then no approval is necessary to bill them to the contract.
Once a budget is approved, you cannot exceed line items.
If a FAR clause is not incorporated into the contract, it doesn’t apply to this contract.
Subcontractors always need to be approved by the Client.
The prime is responsible for initiating an increase in obligations.

3. Objectives
Goal: Initiate a process for strengthening project manager capacity in contracts administration
Objectives:
Define contracts administration and how its different from project management.
Clarify the role of a PM in contracts administration
Provide an overview of current efforts to improve CA
Solicit input on CA needs and what could be done to address these needs

4. Contracts Administration - Defined
The act of managing the contractual, legal, and regulatory aspects of a government contract’s implementation in order to assist with meeting the technical, deliverable, and financial goals of a project.

5. Concept of compliance
The monitoring of contract requirements, deliverables, regulations, and policies to make sure that we are meeting our contractual obligations and are staying within the law.

6. CONTRACT MANAGEMENT v. PROJECT MANAGEMENT
In the context of compliance, what is the difference between?
Managing the Contract
Versus
Managing the Project

7. Types of contracts Types of include:
Prime-level contracts with Client (CPFF, T&M., IQC, Cooperative Agreements, Blanket Purchase Agreements, etc.)
Subcontracts
Consulting Agreements
Purchase Orders/Delivery Orders/Vendor Contracts
Teaming Agreements
Legal Agreements (NDAs, Non-Competes, U.S. Government forms, etc.)
Modifications and Amendments

8. Contract Director Roles and Responsibilities In CA
Contract Director’s role in contracts
Drafting and writing contracts
Review of contracts received
Negotiations of differences
Execution of contracts
Monitoring of need for modification

9. Pm role in contracts administration
Reviewing and adhering to technical requirements for project completion.
Managing project cost and expenditures.
Meeting deliverables and project’s goals/objectives.
Understanding and meeting compliance requirements
Project Start-Up and Close-Out
Any others?

10. Policies and procedures
Our Clients, especially the U.S. Government is constantly changing its rules. Keeping up with them and making sure we are in compliance is an important part of government contract work.
Question:
If the government changes a regulation (such as something in the FAR), but it is not incorporated into our existing Government Contracts, does it apply to us?

11. Policies and procedures
Some examples of the Policies we’ve implemented or are actively working on to date:
Compliance with Anti-Terrorism Financing, Anti-Trafficking, and working with Excluded Parties
Guidance for Purchase of Meals
Guidance on using Purchase Orders
Updated Travel Policy
Project Start-Up
Project Close-Out
Overall Project Management and Compliance Manual

12. Group activity At your tables
Identify 4-5 needs in Contracts Administration
Suggest ways these needs might be addressed.
You have 20 minutes

13. Takeaways and Next Steps
CONCLUSION
Takeaways and Next Steps