Guidance

Contract Management - Commercial Practitioner

Published 8 July 2024

Job Pillar Role Component	CONTRACT AND SUPPLIER MANAGEMENT Contract Management
Commercial Professional Level	Commercial Practitioner (Higher Executive Officer equivalent)
Role Summary	In this role you will be expected to undertake contract management activity for one (or more) of the organisation’s key contracts of low to medium complexity/value. The role includes supporting activity relating to: mobilising contracts, managing the delivery and performance of the contract, carrying out contract changes, managing risk within the contract and managing contract transition and exit. You will work as part of a larger team, but will be expected to work independently by prioritising and managing your own workload to deliver to deadlines and to respond to changing operational demands.
Key Responsibilities	Typically, the key responsibilities in this role will include (but are not limited to): ● Managing one or more of the organisation’s key contracts of low to medium complexity/value, ensuring effective governance, performance management frameworks, escalation, risk management, issues resolution, financial management, change control and compliance ● Developing business cases to justify the initiation and continuation of projects in terms of benefits, ‘value for money’ and risk ● Preparing for contract commencement, including the development, delivery and implementation of contract management plans ● Utilising contract information systems to analyse contract performance ● Monitoring progress against objectives specified in the business case and delivery against contractual and security obligations ● Applying understanding of contractual risk, to identify risks and raise them with senior colleagues ● Monitoring progress against business objectives specified in the business case, adapting to changing circumstances without losing sight of business objectives ● Ensuring effective change control, justifying, controlling and recording changes to ensure requirements continue to meet business needs ● Evaluating suppliers’ performance against specific terms and conditions to ensure delivery of strategic outcomes and high contract performance ● Identifying and addressing issues before escalation without creating unnecessary bureaucracy and escalating supply issues to the appropriate level for resolution when necessary ● Managing a number of requirements concurrently ● Developing commercial strategies ● Leading on and assisting with the development of outputs, contract sourcing and commercial strategies ● Maintaining quality and concurrency of systems, reporting and management information ● Working in a secure environment upon sensitive projects as required
Essential Criteria	Contract Management: ● Has some practical experience in carrying out contract management for low value, low complexity contracts ● Has good knowledge of all aspects of contract management and understands how it fits in the commercial lifecycle Commercial Focus: ● Has an understanding of elementary economics factors that may determine a market shape, dynamics and models, the changes in the business needs of an organisation and is familiar with key commercial tools Risk and Assurance Management: ● Demonstrates the ability to identify and communicate cyber, personnel and physical risks and gain agreement on how they should be managed/mitigated Commercial Ethics: ● Demonstrates the ability to apply standards to eliminate corruption, fraud and unethical behaviour in supply chains, taking appropriate actions in the event of any alleged breach of standards Team Focus: ● Demonstrates the ability to work as part of a team to support their performance, manage setbacks and resolve issues internally Build Relationships: ● Demonstrates the ability to communicate with stakeholders at all levels using different communication styles to articulate the benefits that have been achieved and to establish governance and relationship arrangements
Civil Service Behaviours	Ability to show examples across the following behaviours for level 3 of the Success Profiles Framework: Seeing the Big Picture: ● Understand the strategic drivers for your area of work. Align activities to contribute to wider organisational priorities. Remain alert to emerging issues and trends which might impact your work area. Seek out and share experiences to develop knowledge of the team’s business area. Understand how the strategies and activities of the team create value and meet the diverse needs of all stakeholders Changing and Improving: ● Work with others to identify areas for improvement and simplify processes to use fewer resources. Use technology where possible to increase efficiency. Encourage ideas for change from a wide range of sources. Clearly explain the reasons for change to colleagues and how to implement them, supporting individuals with different needs to adapt to change. Encourage an environment where colleagues know that they can challenge decisions and issues safely. Take managed risks by fully considering the varied impacts changes could have on the diverse range of end users Making Effective Decisions: ● Understand own level of responsibility and empower others to make decisions where appropriate. Analyse and use a range of relevant, credible information from internal and external sources to support decisions. Invite challenge and where appropriate involve others in decision making. Display confidence when making difficult decisions, even if they prove to be unpopular. Consult with others to ensure the potential impacts on end users have been considered. Present strong recommendations in a timely manner outlining the consideration of other options, costs, benefits and risks Leadership: ● Ensure colleagues and stakeholders have a clear understanding of objectives, activities and time-frames. Take into account different individual needs, views, and ideas, championing inclusion and equality of opportunity for all. Consider the impacts of own and team’s activities on stakeholders and end users. Role-model commitment and satisfaction with role. Recognise and praise the achievements of others to drive positivity within the team. Effectively manage conflict, misconduct and non-inclusive behaviour, raising with senior managers where appropriate Communicating and Influencing: ● Communicate in a straightforward, honest and engaging manner, choosing appropriate styles to maximise understanding and impact. Encourage the use of different communication methods, including digital resources and highlight the benefits, including ensuring cost effectiveness. Ensure communication has a clear purpose and takes into account people’s individual needs. Share information as appropriate and check understanding. Show positivity and enthusiasm towards work, encouraging others to do the same. Ensure that important messages are communicated with colleagues and stakeholders respectfully, taking into consideration the diversity of interests Working Together: ● Encourage joined up team work within own team and across other groups. Establish professional relationships with a range of stakeholders. Collaborate with these to share information, resources and support. Invest time to develop a common focus and genuine positive team spirit where colleagues feel valued and respect one another. Put in place support for the wellbeing of individuals within the team, including consideration of your own needs. Make it clear to all team members that bullying, harassment and discrimination are unacceptable. Actively seek and consider input of people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives Developing Self and Others: ● Identify capability gaps for self and team. Ensure development objectives are set and achieved to address any gaps and enable delivery of current and future work. Take time to coach, mentor and develop other colleagues to support succession planning. Promote inclusiveness by respecting different personal needs in the team and use these to develop others. Reflect on own work, continuously seek and act on feedback to improve own and team’s performance Managing a Quality Service: ● Develop, implement, maintain and review systems and services to ensure delivery of professional excellence. Work with stakeholders to set priorities, objectives and timescales. Successfully deliver high quality outcomes that meet the customers’ needs and gives ‘value for money’. Identify risks and resolve issues efficiently. Involve a diverse range of colleagues, stakeholders and delivery partners in developing suggestions for improvements. Establish ways to find and respond to feedback from customers about the services provided Delivering at Pace: ● Show a positive approach to keeping the whole team’s efforts focused on the top priorities. Promote a culture of following the appropriate procedures to ensure results are achieved on time whilst still enabling innovation. Ensure the most appropriate resources are available for colleagues to use to do their job effectively. Regularly monitor your own and team’s work against milestones ensuring individual needs are considered when setting tasks. Act promptly to reassess workloads and priorities when there are conflicting demands to maintain performance. Allow individuals the space and authority to meet objectives, providing additional support where necessary, whilst keeping overall responsibility
Department Context	To enhance the generic commercial role profile, additional information can be added by a department to outline the specific nature of the role. This may include: ● An additional short paragraph in the role summary ● Additional key responsibilities based on the department context ● Bespoke essential skills/experience required for the role