Most contract administrators understand their obligations. They know what notices are required, what timescales apply, and what the contract expects of them.
The difficulty is rarely knowledge. It is what happens when that role is being performed under pressure.
When programmes are tight and relationships matter, the instinct is often to manage informally. To have a conversation rather than issue a notice. To note something rather than record it formally.
That instinct is understandable. It is also where positions begin to erode.
When process bends to pressure
The contract does not distinguish between a decision made under pressure and one made in good time. It records what was done, and when.
Where the formal record does not reflect what was actually managed, the gap becomes the problem. Not because anyone acted in bad faith. But because the process was not followed consistently enough to rely on later.
The last line of discipline
The contract administrator is often the last line of discipline on a project. When that function bends to operational pressure, the contractual position bends with it.
That is rarely visible at the time. It almost always becomes visible later — when positions are tested, accounts are prepared, or disputes begin to form.
Supporting the contract administration function properly, and early, is one of the most cost-effective things a project team can do.
Greg O'Connell MCIOB is Managing Director of Vinovius, a specialist consultancy providing commercial and planning expertise to the construction industry.
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