Contract Admin Manual 2 Works May 2018

PUBLIC PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY
(PPA) ACCRA, GHANA
CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION MANUAL FOR

WORKS
MANUAL 2
PREPARED BY
GIMPA Consultancy Services

P.O. Box AH 50, Achimota
Greenhill
Accra.
FEBRUARY, 2018
Contract Administration Manual For Works – Manual 2
FOREWORD
On 31st December 2003, the Government of Ghana enacted the Public Procurement Act, 2003
(Act 663) which became operational in August, 2004. The Act provided a framework for the
conduct of procurement in the Public Sector to guarantee best value for money in the context
of poverty reduction, private sector development, good governance and anti-corruption. The
overriding aim of Act 663 is to ensure judicious, economic and efficient use of Public Funds
with procurement being carried out in a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory manner. The
Public Procurement Authority (PPA) considers sustainable training a critical component of its
efforts aimed at strengthening the public procurement systems and achieving value for
money.
The Public Procurement Authority, in 2007, developed twenty-five (25) Training Modules
and Manuals for training of various categories of Stakeholders on the provisions of the Public
Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663). Over 20,000 Public and Private Operatives have since
benefitted from various training programmes on Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663)
using these Modules. The Modules, however, were mainly on Procurement and did not cover
Contract Administration. To address this shortcoming, the PPA, in January 2015,
commissioned the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) with
funding from the African Development Bank under the Ghana Institutional Support Project
(GISP)to develop detailed Contract Administration Modules and to review the existing
Manuals on Goods, Works and Services. These documents are to be used for the PPA’s
capacity development activities. The Contract Administration Modules and Manuals for
Goods, Works, Consulting Services and Technical Services have come at an opportune time,
given that in Ghana and other developing countries the procurement regime in the public
sector has not been able to address most of the challenges of managing contracts in line with
international best practices and standards.
It is in the light of this that the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) of Ghana, with funds
from supporting Development Partners, has developed these important Contract
Administration Training Modules and Manuals which will go a long way to assist
Procurement Entities in the Public Sector to manage contracts after contract award. These
Training Modules and Manuals will also be useful for the Oversight Institutions like the
Judiciary, Police, EOCO, Media and other Anti-Corruption Agencies to monitor and manage
Public Sector Contracts. It will also serve as reference literature for Lecturers and Students
teaching and pursuing courses in Public Procurement Management and related courses.
These Modules and Manuals touch essentially on the following areas: Contract Principles;
Basics of Contract Administration; Forms of Standard Goods/Works/Technical/Consultancy
Contract; Contract Administration Processes Especially Post Award Preliminary Tasks;
Monitoring of Contract Performance and Reporting and Contract Modification. The
remaining areas are Payment and Cost Control using GIFMIS System; Claims and Settlement
of Disputes; Contract Termination; Contract Records Management; Contract Performance
Evaluation and Post-Implementation Tasks of Contract Administration.
i Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

Contract Administration Manual For Works –
The Authority, therefore, anticipates that with the proper adherence to the principles espoused
in these Manuals, procurement stakeholders will achieve value for money through the
avoidance of time and cost over-runs.
Public Procurement Authority

Accra, Ghana
January, 2018

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The Public Procurement Authority (PPA) extends profound gratitude and appreciation to the
Donors: Department for International Development (DFID), Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) who initially funded the preliminary development of
the Procurement Manuals and the Guidelines. Special appreciation goes to the African
Development Bank (AfDB) through its Ghana Institutional Support Project, which funded the
development of the current Contract Administration Training Modules and Manuals for
Goods, Works, Consulting Services and Technical Services together with the cost of
facilitation and logistics involved in the training of some Procurement Stakeholders across
the country.
Special acknowledgement goes to the PPA Technical Working Group (TWG) that reviewed
the initial Manuals and Guidelines which were prepared by Crown Agents, UK. Special
mention is made of A. B. Adjei Chief Executive of PPA, Eric V. Appiah, Director,
Benchmarking, Monitoring & Evaluation (BM & E) of PPA, Lesley Dodoo, Director Legal,
PPA, Carl Lokko, Director, Policy & Strategy (P&S), Emelia Nortey, Director, MIS, Vidal
Creppy, Director Capacity Development and the External Consultants namely Messrs.
Godfrey Ewool, Stephen Tackie, Nii Amasa Kotey and Jacqueline Angate.
Our special appreciation also goes to the PPA Team and the External Consultants that
reviewed the draft Contract Administration Manuals and Modules prepared by Ghana
Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), namely: Yvonne Quansah,
Minawara Adams, Andrew Baafi, Rhoda E. Appiah, Thomas K. Bondzi, Abraham Ablorh
Mensah, Joseph Kuruk, Faustina A. Okuadjo, Hilda A. Agyemang, Prince Agyemang-Badu,
Edwina Safee-Boafo and. Miriam Osei; and External Reviewer, John Benson. Additionally,
the Authority wishes to recognize the valuable contributions of participants of the Training of
Trainers/Validation Workshop which enhanced the final output of this document.
It is worthy to acknowledge the pioneering role of Hon. Samuel Sallas-Mensah, former Chief
Executive Officer of PPA and David Bennin, former Director, Capacity Development of PPA
in the development of these Manuals.
Finally, the Authority wishes to thank the GIMPA Consulting Team of Messrs. N.S.K.
Appiah, K .H Osei-Asante, Michael Kofi Quashie and Paul Nartey, who eventually
developed the final Contract Administration Manuals and the accompanying Training
Modules. Appreciation also goes to the following personnel of the GIMPA Consultancy
Services, who assisted in finalizing the Manuals: Dr. Kofi Fred Asiedu, former Managing
Consultant, Julius Hawkson-Aikins, Ag. Managing Consultant, Fred Appiah and Asafo
Adjei, both Consultants.
The Public Procurement Authority (PPA) wishes to record its appreciation for the time and
effort devoted by all the above-mentioned persons and organizations in the development of
these documents.
However, the ultimate responsibility for the form and content of the Manuals rest with PPA

and GIMPA.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD..............................................................................................................................i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.........................................................................................................iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................................iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS/ACRONYMS..........................................................................viii
GLOSSARY OF TERMS........................................................................................................xii
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................1
Background.............................................................................................................................1
Purpose of the Manuals..........................................................................................................1
Scope of Manual on Works-2................................................................................................1
Content/Structure of the Manual............................................................................................2
Exceptions to the Training Module........................................................................................2
Forms/Templates....................................................................................................................2
1.0 CONTRACT PRINCIPLES............................................................................................3
1.1 Contract –Definition....................................................................................................3
1.2 Essential Elements of a Valid Contract.......................................................................3
1.3 Formation of a Contract...............................................................................................3
1.4 The Law Applicable to a Contract...............................................................................4
1.5 The Nature of Works Contracts...................................................................................5
1.6 Challenges Posed by Works Contracts........................................................................5
1.7 End User involvement in the Management of Works Contracts.................................7
1.8 Types of Works Contracts...........................................................................................7
1.8.1 Basic Types of Works Contracts..........................................................................8
1.8.2 Characteristics, Merits and Demerits of Basic Types of Works Contracts........10
1.8.3 Factors Affecting the Choice of Contract Type.................................................11
1.8.4 Adaptations of the Basic Types of Works Contract...........................................12
1.8.5 Labour Intensive Contracts.................................................................................20
2.0 BASICS OF CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION.........................................................21
2.1 Introduction................................................................................................................21
2.2 Objectives of Contract Administration......................................................................22
2.3 The Role of Contract Administration.........................................................................22
2.4 The Benefits of Good Contract Administration.........................................................23
2.5 Poor and/or Fraudulent Contract Administration.......................................................23
2.6 Fraud and Corruption in Contract Implementation....................................................24
2.6.1 Possible Indicators of Corruption.......................................................................25
2.6.2 Remedial and Pro-Active Actions......................................................................25
2.6.3 Policy on Preventing, Detecting and Remediating Fraud and Corruption.........26
2.6.4 Conflicts of Interest.............................................................................................27
2.7 Summary of Main Tasks of Contract Administration.................................................27
2.8 Important Parties in a Works Contract......................................................................27
2.8.1 The Employer......................................................................................................28
2.8.2 The Engineer.......................................................................................................31
2.8.3 The Contractor....................................................................................................36
2.9 Organization for Contract Administration.................................................................38
2.9.1 Contract Administration Organization for Works..............................................41
2.10 Responsibilities of the Contract Administrator......................................................41
2.11 Contract Administrator Responsibilities................................................................46
2.12 Skills of the Contract Administrator......................................................................47
3.0 FORMS AND CONDITIONS OF STANDARD WORKS CONTRACTS.................48
3.1 Introduction................................................................................................................48
3.2 Basic Documentation for Works Contract.................................................................48
3.3 Standard Forms of Works Contracts/Standard Tender Documents Available and

v Public Procurement Authority (PPA),
Proposed...............................................................................................................................49
3.4 General Conditions of Contract.................................................................................49
3.5 Conditions of Particular Application (COPA)/Special Conditions of Contract
(SCC)/Contract Data............................................................................................................50
4.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION PROCESS: POST-AWARD PRELIMINARY
TASKS.....................................................................................................................................51
4.1 Introduction................................................................................................................51
4.2 Contract Administration Planning (Policies, Systems and Procedures)....................51
4.3 Initial Meeting(s).......................................................................................................51
4.4 Access to and Possession of Site...............................................................................53
4.5 Verification of Securities...........................................................................................53
4.6 Verification of Insurance Policies.............................................................................54
4.7 Interest-Free Advance Mobilization Loan.................................................................55
4.8 Development of Project Management Tools for Time and Cost Control..................56
5.0 MONITORING CONTRACT PERFORMANCE & REPORTING.............................58
5.1 Introduction................................................................................................................58
5.2 Time Control..............................................................................................................58
5.3 Quality Control and Assurance..................................................................................60
5.4 Quantity Control........................................................................................................60
5.5 Cost Control...............................................................................................................61
5.6 Performance Approvals.............................................................................................62
5.7 Performance Indicators and Resolution of Challenges..............................................62
5.8 Contract Remedies/Mitigation...................................................................................63
5.9 Internal and External Communications.....................................................................63
5.10 Contract Reporting.................................................................................................63
5.11 Site Visits and Regular Meetings...........................................................................63
5.12 Management of Securities and Insurance..............................................................64
6.0 CONTRACT MODIFICATION...................................................................................66
6.1 Introduction................................................................................................................66
6.2 Why Variation/Change Orders..................................................................................66
6.3 Types of Variations....................................................................................................66
6.4 Variation Analysis.....................................................................................................67
6.5 Contract Amendment.................................................................................................67
7.0 PAYMENT & COST CONTROLS..............................................................................69
7.1 Introduction................................................................................................................69
7.2 Review and Approval of Payment Applications/Invoices.........................................69
7.3 Cost Control System..................................................................................................69
7.4 The GIFMIS Payment System...................................................................................74
7.4.1 Introduction........................................................................................................74
7.4.2 GIFMIS Budget Reforms At MOF....................................................................77
7.4.3 GIFMIS Procure To Pay Process (P2P).............................................................77
7.4.4 GIFMIS Detailed Business Processes................................................................79
7.4.5 GIFMIS Implementation Status.........................................................................82
8.0 CLAIMS AND DISPUTES RESOLUTION.................................................................84
8.1 Introduction................................................................................................................84
8.2 Remedies Against Non-Performing Contractors.......................................................84
8.2.1 Performance Security.........................................................................................84
8.2.2 Delay or liquidated damages..............................................................................84
8.3 Relationship between Claims and Disputes Resolution............................................85
8.4 Resolution of Claims.................................................................................................86
8.4.1 Time for completion...........................................................................................87
8.4.2 Quality of workmanship.....................................................................................87
8.4.3 Payment..............................................................................................................88
8.4.4 Adequate contract documentation......................................................................89
8.4.5 Construction information....................................................................................90
8.4.6 Supervision.........................................................................................................90
8.5 Dispute Resolution.....................................................................................................91
9.0 TERMINATION OF CONTRACT................................................................................95
9.1 Introduction................................................................................................................95
9.2 Suspension of the works............................................................................................95
9.3 Termination by Employer/Contractor........................................................................95
9.4 Termination for Convenience.....................................................................................96
9.5 Payment upon Termination........................................................................................96
9.6 Termination Checklist................................................................................................97
9.7 Contingency Planning................................................................................................97
10.0 CONTRACT RECORDS MANAGEMENT..................................................................98
10.1 Introduction............................................................................................................98
10.1.1 What Is Records Management?...........................................................................98
10.1.2 Importance of Records.......................................................................................98
10.1.3 Procurement and Contract Records....................................................................98
10.1.4 Benefits of Good Records Management.............................................................99
10.1.5 Principles of Good Records Management..........................................................99
10.1.6 Consequences of Failure to Maintain Adequate Procurement Records...........100
10.1.7 The Records Life Cycle....................................................................................100
10.1.7 Opening a New File..........................................................................................101
10.1.8 Filing of Papers.................................................................................................101
10.1.9 File Movement Controls...................................................................................101
10.1.10 Closing a File................................................................................................102
10.1.11 Records Accommodation/Space....................................................................102
10.1.12 Equipment.....................................................................................................103
10.1.13 Records Personnel.........................................................................................103
10.2 Contract Administration File and Documentation...............................................103
10.2.1 Contracts Register.............................................................................................104
10.2.2 Separate Contract Files.....................................................................................104
10.2.3 Contract Sub-files.............................................................................................104
10.3 Automation of Records Management (Electronic Records Management)...........105
10.3.1 Benefits of Automation....................................................................................105
10.3.2 Records Management Functions That Can Be Automated..............................105
10.3.3 E-mail...............................................................................................................105
10.3.4 Digitization (Imaging/Scanning)......................................................................106
10.3.5 Challenges in the Management of Electronic Records.....................................106
11.0 EVALUATION OF CONTRACT PERFORMANCE..................................................108
11.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................108
11.2 Evaluation of Contractor Performance.................................................................108
11.3 Evaluation of Management/Supervision of Contract...........................................109
11.4 Evaluation Processes............................................................................................110
11.5 Evaluation checklist.............................................................................................111
11.6 Contract Review...................................................................................................111
12.0 POST IMPLEMENTATION TASKS.........................................................................113
12.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................113
12.2 Taking Over of the Works and Sections..............................................................113
12.3 Performance Certificate.........................................................................................114
12.4 Defects Notification Period..................................................................................114
12.5 Statement at Completion/Final Accounts.............................................................115
12.6 Discharge..............................................................................................................116
12.7 Contract Close-out...............................................................................................116

REFERENCES.......................................................................................................................118
APPENDIX 1.........................................................................................................................120
APPENDIX 2.........................................................................................................................126
APPENDIX 3 – METHOD STATEMENT............................................................................128
APPENDIX 4.........................................................................................................................129
APPENDIX 5.........................................................................................................................131
APPENDIX 6.........................................................................................................................133
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Layers of supervision in the administration of works contracts............................................28

Figure 2: Institutional Arrangements for Contract Administration in Ghana.......................................39
Figure 3: Organization of Principal Procurement Bodies/Structures for Contract Administration.......40
Figure 4: Contract Administration Organization for Works................................................................43
Figure 5: Contract Administration Responsibilities..............................................................................44
Figure 6: Procure To Pay Process.......................................................................................................78

LIST OF
AD Advance Payment
AGD Auditor-General’s Department
APS Advance Payment Security
AR Authorized representative
BOLF Build, Operate, Lease and Finance
BOQ Bills of Quantities
BOO Build, Operate and Own
BOOT Build, Operate, Own and Transfer
BOT Build Operate and Transfer
CA Contract Administrators
CC Commencement Certificate
CD Contract Data
CE Contracting Entity
CGGL Central Government General Ledger
CAGD Controller & Accountant –General’s Department
CM Contract Modification
CO Cost Over-runs
COI Conflicts of Interest
CAS Contract Agreement and Securities
CAM Contract Administration Manual
CAP Contract Administration Plan
CM Commencement Meetings
COPA Conditions of Particular Application
CP Cost Plus
CPM Critical Path Method
CRPF Cost Reimbursable Plus Fee
CT Contract Termination
DA Donor Agencies
DANIDA Danish International Development Agency
DBFO Design, Build, Finance, Operate
DBMF Design, Build, Maintain and Finance
DBOM Design, Build, Operate and Maintain
DBOMF Design, Build, Operate, Maintain and
Finance DB Design and Build
DC Design and Construct
DFID Department for International Development
DNP Defects Notification Period
DR Disputes Resolution
ECP Evaluation of Contract Performance
EMW Electrical and Mechanical Works
EOI Expression of Interest

ERMS Electronic Record Management Systems/Strategy

ERP Enterprise Resource Planning
ERW Employment Records of Workers
ETC Entity Tender Committees
EVM Earned Value Management
FA Force Account
FCA Fraudulent Contract Administration
FCCI Fraud and Corruption in Contract Implementation
FIDIC International Federation of Consulting Engineers
FP Fraudulent Practice
FTC Final Target Cost
GC Gantt Chart
GCC General Conditions of Contract
GoG Government of Ghana
HSS Health & Safety Specialists
IC International Contracts
ICT International Competitive Tendering
ICT Information & Communication Technology
IFAML Interest-Free Advance Mobilization Loan
IFIs International Financing Institutions
IPPD Integrated Personnel and Payroll Database
ISO International Organization for Standardization
ITC Initial Target Cost
ITT Instructions to Tenderers
IVMC Interface for Validation of Metadata Capture
JV Joint Ventures
LAP Law Applicable to a Contract
LC Lease contract
LCWC Large Civil Works Contract
LIC Labour Intensive Contracts
LOA Letter of Acceptance
LS Lump Sum
MA Manufacturers’ Authorization
MCC Management of Contract Changes
MCPR Monitoring Contract Performance and Reporting
MDBHE Multilateral Development Bank Harmonized Edition
MI Municipal Infrastructure
MIS Management Information System
MJAGD Ministry of Justice& Attorney-General’s Department
MoF Ministry of Finance
MWC Major Works Contracts
NGO Non-Governmental Organizations
NCT National Competitive Tendering
NITA National Information Technology Agency

OA Offer and Acceptance

OAP Oracle Accounts Payable
OCM Oracle Cash Management
OPO Oracle Purchase Ordering
OP Obstructive Practice
PAM Price Adjustment Mechanism
PAPT Post-Award Preliminary Task
PBB Programme Based Budgeting
PBQ Priced Bill of Quantities
PCC Particular Conditions of Contract
PE Procurement/Procuring Entity
PERT Program Evaluation and Review Technique
PIT Post Implementation Task
PM Project Manager
PMF Public Financial Management
PO Purchase Order
PP Prohibited Practice
PPA Public Procurement Authority
PPP Public-Private Partnership
PQT Pre-Qualified Tenderers
PRAAD Public Records and Archives Administration Department
PS Performance Security
PUFMARP Public Financial Management Reform Programme
PV Payment Voucher
QA Quality Assurance
RFQ Request for Quotations
RM Records Management
RMG Retention Money Guarantee
SCC Special Conditions of Contract
SD Securing Declaration
SD Dispute Resolution
SE Supply and Erect
SEWC Selection and Employment of Works Contractors
SFC Short Form of Contract
SI Supply and Installation
SR Schedule of Rates
SRA Stores Receipt Advice
STD Standard Tender Documents
SWC Smaller Works Contracts
TD Tender Documents
TE Tender Evaluation
TC Turnkey Contracting
TDPW Tender Document for Procurement of Works
TIN Tax Payer Identification Numbering
x Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

TFC Termination for Convenience

TO Time Over-runs
TOC Taking Over Certificate
TOPC Taking-Over and Performance Certificates
TP Tender Price
TRC Tender Review Committee
TS Technical Specifications
UD User Departments
UR Unit Rate
VC Valid Contract
VGF Viability Gap Funding
WB World Bank
WBS Work Breakdown Structure
WC Works Contracts

GLOSSARY OF TERMS
TERM DEFINITION
Acceptance Refers to the acceptance of goods, works or services by the
Purchaser/Employer/Client.
Assignment The Consultancy Services defined in a consultant's contract.
Back Stopping Technical and Administrative Support provided by the

Consultants Office to field staff.
Bank Guarantee An undertaking by a ‘Guarantor’ (usually a commercial bank) to

pay the employer or purchaser a specified sum in the event of
default of a tenderer or supplier or contractor.
Bill of Lading A document evidencing a contract of carriage, a receipt for the

goods and, if in negotiable form, constitute a document of title
to the goods; carrier acknowledges on Bill of Lading (B/L) that
goods have received on board in apparent good order and
condition; a clean bill of lading does not bear any clause
declaring a defective condition of the goods and/or packaging
and it is on board B/L because it bears an on board notation
signed and dated by the carrier.
Consultancy Services which are of intellectual and advisory nature provided

Services by firms or individuals using their professional skills to study,
design and organize specific projects, advise clients, conduct
training or transfer knowledge.
Contract An agreement, enforceable by law, between two or more

competent parties (legal entities) to perform or not to perform a
specific act or acts for a consideration.”
Contract An individual appointed by the head of entity to administer a

Administrator contract on behalf of the entity.
Court Court of competent jurisdiction
Contract package The logical assembly of items within a contract that takes into
consideration timeliness, economies of scale, geographic
distribution, etc.
Contractor’s Machinery, equipment and vehicles brought temporarily to the

Equipment site by the contractor to be used exclusively for the execution of
the works.
Economy Buying only what is needed for the project at the lowest
evaluated price.

TERM DEFINITION
Efficiency Buying timely only what is essential to implement a project;
e.g., do not buy a luxury automobile if all that is needed is
transportation.
Evaluation Procedure used to evaluate tenders or proposals in accordance

with pre-disclosed evaluation criteria.
Framework Agreement A long-term agreement with suppliers, contractors and providers

of non-consulting services (technical services) which sets out
terms and conditions under which specific procurements (call-
offs) can be made throughout the term of the agreement.
Framework agreements are generally based on prices that are
either pre-agreed, or determined at the call-off stage through
competition or a process allowing their revision without further
competition.
Force Majeure An event that interferes with the performance of a contract

which an experienced supplier or contractor or consultant could
not have foreseen nor reasonably made provision for, e.g., war,
riot, and earthquake.
Goods Objects of every kind and description including raw materials,

products and equipment and objects in solid, liquid or gaseous
form, and electricity, as well as services incidental to the supply
of the goods if the value of those incidental services does not
exceed that of the goods themselves.
Guidelines Policies, practices, and procedures that guide the procurement of

goods, works consulting services and non-consulting services.
INCOTERMS International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) definitions of

international commercial terms used in trade and universally
recognized and accepted.
Indefinite Delivery Framework Contract for on-call specialized services for which the
Contract extent and timing cannot be defined in advance.
Joint Financing Co-financier to participate in financing the project by providing

funds that are pooled with other financiers' funds to finance
contracts awarded under a project.
Long List List of Consulting Firms considered in preparing a short list.
Management In construction, a management contractor usually does not

Contractor perform the work directly but contracts out and manages the
work of other contractors, taking full responsibility and risk for
price, quality, and timely performance.

TERM DEFINITION
Methodology Work-plan, programme, schedule or method of operation to carry
out a particular assignment.
Overhead Consultant's Administrative and Business cost not directly related

to carrying out an assignment.
Parallel financing Co-financier agrees to finance specific contracts in a project and

its procurement procedures apply for the items it finances.
Perform To act on so as to accomplish or bring to completion; execute;

carry out (a task, process, etc.); meet the requirements
Performance The act of performing; execution, accomplishment, fulfillment,

etc.
Performance Contract A contract between the procurement entity and a supplier,

contractor or consultant resulting from procurement proceedings.
Plant Any integral part of the works that have a mechanical, electrical,
chemical, or biological function.
Post review A review by the funding agency of awarded contracts and related
procurement documentation below a stated contract threshold.
Procurement plan The document prepared by each procuring entity annually to

plan all procurement requirements necessary to perform the
activity plan of the procuring entity. The plan shall indicate:
(a) contract packages,
(b) estimated cost for each package,
(c) the procurement method, and
(d) processing steps and times.
Reimbursable Assignment specific expenses that are reimbursed by the Client

on the basis of the services performed.
Responsive tender A tender that has been determined to be substantially responsive

to the tender documents and has the lowest evaluated tender
price, provided that the tenderer has been determined to be
eligible and qualified.
Services “Service” means the furnishing of labour, time, or effort not

involving the delivery of a specific end product other than
reports, which are merely incidental to the required
performance; and includes consulting, professional and
technical services but does not include employment agreements
or collective bargaining agreements.
Technical Services Services which are tendered and contracted on the basis of
performance of a measurable physical output such as drilling,
xi Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

TERM DEFINITION
mapping, aerial photography, surveys, seismic investigations,
maintenance of facilities or plant and similar operations.
Tender An offer to supply goods or works conforming to particular

specifications.
Tenderer A person who puts in a bid or offer in a procurement contract.

Works Work associated with the construction, reconstruction,
demolition, repair or renovation of a building or structure or
surface and includes site preparation, excavation, erection,
assembly, installation of plant, fixing of equipment and laying
out of materials, decoration and finishing, and any incidental
activity under a procurement contract.

INTRODUCTIO
Background
Since the establishment of the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) as a result of the
promulgation of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) Amended, it has instituted a
number of pragmatic and far-reaching initiatives aimed at ensuring maximum returns for the tax-
payers’ money. Despite these laudable efforts, the annual procurement assessment conducted by
the PPA in the procurement entities reveal several challenges relating to the administration of
contracts awarded by most entities.
These challenges can be attributed to the absence of credible arrangements for contract
administration. The observation has been that contract administration in most public procurement
entities usually involve disjointed processes unfortunately resulting in poor supervision of
contracts and compliance as well as missed opportunities for achieving value for money.
As part of the means to address the above challenges, the PPA commissioned a firm to develop
separate contract administration manuals for Goods, Works, Consulting Services and Technical
Services.
Purpose of the Manuals

The purpose of the Contract Administration Manuals is to serve as reference material for Public
Entities, Contract Administrators and Procurement Personnel as well as students pursuing
courses in contract administration.
There are four Manuals on contract administration. Manual 1 is on Goods, Manual 2 is on Works,
Manual 3 is on Consulting Services and Manual 4 is on Technical Services. To have full
knowledge of contract administration in Public Procurement, one will need to read all the four
Manuals. It is hoped that the manuals will prove to be useful as a handbook or resource material
for practitioners, facilitators and students.
Scope of Manual on Works-2

The Manual covers contract administration for works for the post-award phase. The period
commences from signing of the contract agreement by both Employer and Contractor through
contract performance up to contract close-out. It has to be noted that pre-award activities like
determination of contract type and strategy, contract terms and conditions as well as contract
negotiations prior to contract signing are not the focus of this manual. These may be mentioned
briefly, where necessary, but will not form part of contract implementation activities.
1 Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

Content/Structure of the Manual

The Manual consists of an introduction and twelve (12) chapters as follows:
 Introduction
 1.0: Contract Principles
 2.0: Basics of Contract Administration
 3.0: Forms and Conditions of Standard Works Contracts
 4.0: Contract Administration Process: Post-Award Preliminary Tasks
 5.0: Monitoring Contract Performance & Reporting
 6.0: Contract Modification
 7.0: Payment & Cost Controls
 8.0: Claims and Disputes Resolution
 9.0: Termination of Contract
 10.0: Contract Records Management
 11.0: Evaluation of Contract Performance
 12.0: Post Implementation Tasks
Exceptions to the Training Module

The contract administration principles and procedures contained in this training module,
although cover best practices, do not replace contract administration policies and procedures
followed for contracts funded by Donor agencies or international financing institutions (IFIs),
unless specifically stated.
Forms/Templates
In some of the chapters, templates/formats deemed useful have been presented in the
Appendices.

1.0 CONTRACT PRINCIPLES

1.1 Contract –Definition
A Contract has been defined as “An agreement, enforceable by law, between two or more
competent parties (legal entities) to perform or not to perform a specific act or acts for a
consideration.”1
A contract may be oral or written. However, contracts financed with public funds are
generally made up in writing.
According to Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) as Amended, “a procurement contract
means a contract between the procurement entity and a supplier, contractor or consultant
resulting from procurement proceedings.”2
1.2 Essential Elements of a Valid Contract

For contracts to be valid to be legally enforceable, the following must be present:
a) Capacity to contract – The parties to the contract must have legal right and to enter
into the contract with respect to age, competency and corporate authority.
b) Certainty – The parties to the contract must be of the same mind about what is being
offered and accepted and thus the essential terms must be definite and agreed by them.
c) Consideration – The parties to a contract must each give something of legal value to
the other or a third party in return for the benefit he receives.
d) Legality of Purpose/Object – The object of the contract must not be one of which the
law disapproves. The law will not enforce an illegal contract, or when it is against
public policy.
e) Possibility of Performance – A contract must be possible to perform.
With certain exceptions, a contract need not be in writing. However, enforceability will
depend on being able to prove the existence and terms of a contract. It is therefore highly
recommended that all contracts be put into writing.
1.3 Formation of a Contract

A contract is formed on the basis of offer and acceptance. An offer is not always, in
international practice, the first move in the formation of a contract. In public procurement, the
Procurement Entity usually takes the first step by inviting offers. Interested contractors then
submit tenders or offers; in more simple forms of procurement they are called quotations.
In public procurement, when offers are to be submitted before a specific deadline, it is
normally permissible for the tenderer to withdraw his or her offer so long as the deadline for
tender submission has not arrived.
A Tenderer may withdraw, substitute or modify its Tender after it has been submitted by
giving notice in writing before the deadline for Tender submission as prescribed, duly signed
by an authorized representative and shall include a copy of the authorization in accordance
with the
1
Culled from Gosta Westring and George Jadoun (Rev.15th November 1996). Public Procurement Manual.
2
Refer to Section 98 of Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) as Amended.

relevant Clause of the Instructions. Each Tenderer’s withdrawal, substitution or modification
notice shall be prepared, sealed, marked and delivered, except that withdrawal notices do not
require copies), but appropriately marked. Tenders requested to be withdrawn shall be
returned unopened to the Tenderer. No Tender may be withdrawn, substituted or modified
after the deadline for submission of Tenders. Tenderers may only offer discounts to, or
otherwise modify the prices of their Tenders, by submitting Tender modifications or included
in the initial Tender.
Instructions to tenderers regularly require the tenderer to maintain the validity of his or her
offer for a specific number of days after the deadline for tender submission.
Normally, a Procurement Entity should be able to rely on the validity of an offer which is
made in writing. However, many contracting agencies demand as an extra precaution that
security in the form of a Guarantee, a Bond or a Securing Declaration is submitted along with
the offer in order to reinforce the tenderers’ promise to keep the offer binding for a specific
period of time.
Acceptance of an offer poses few legal problems so long as it is a “clean” acceptance,

meaning that no reservations are attached. Acceptance, thus, must be positive, unconditional,
unequivocal and unambiguous. The effect of attaching reservations to an acceptance is
generally to constitute a counter-offer. In most legal systems, a counter-offer counts as a
rejection of an offer.
1.4 The Law Applicable to a Contract

No contract exists in a void. There will always be one national law applicable to the
formation, interpretation and application of the contract. Under most legal systems, the
parties to international contracts are free to choose the law applicable to their relationship.
This rule, like many others, is not without exceptions. The laws of one particular country may
be of so-called stringent or mandatory character, meaning that those rules override any
provision to the contrary in the contract between the parties.
The importance of the applicable law, then, is first of all to regulate matters which the parties
have not addressed in their contract and, secondly, to hold the parties within limits drawn up
by the stringent provisions of the law. In addition, the applicable law is used by the judge or
arbitrator to interpret the contract and to fill in gaps in the contract where no contractual
provisions exist.
Under the various Standard Tender Documents of the Public Procurement Act, 2003, Act 663
as Amended, the Law Applicable to a Contract is that of Ghana.
The documents forming Works Contract are taken as mutually explanatory of one another
and for the purposes of interpretation, the composition and priority of the documents in many
conditions are to be in accordance with the following sequence:
 Contract Agreement (if any),
 Letter of Acceptance,
 Letter of Tender
 Particular Conditions,

 General Conditions,

 Specification,
 Drawings, and
 Schedules and any other documents forming part of the Contract.
If an ambiguity or discrepancy is found in the documents, the Engineer/Project Manager shall
issue any necessary clarification or instruction.
1.5 The Nature of Works Contracts

Works contracts are among the most complex contracts under Ghanaian projects, as they are
generally throughout the globe. They are therefore the most challenging in terms of contract
administration. To begin with, there is a very large variety of types of works with various
degrees of complexity and risks and even more various types of expertise required for their
administration.
Each project that has a works component deals with one general type of works – large
infrastructure projects (highways, bridges, roads, irrigation systems, dams etc.), smaller scale
municipal infrastructure projects (rehabilitation of buildings, roads, sewage, water or power
utilities), environmental rehabilitation projects (earthworks, planting, seeding, water
management etc.). Essentially, the Procurement Entities should have experience in those
types of works and possess the necessary in-house technical expertise.
Unfortunately, most Procurement Entities do not have the same level of experience or
expertise when it comes to the particular forms of contracts used in Standard Tender
Documents, particularly FIDIC Conditions of Contract and used for major works. While this
type of contract has been extensively used in the developed countries, its use in most of the
developing countries has been extremely limited. Experience and expertise in the use of these
Conditions of Contract are therefore not very easily available.
Technical expertise alone is rarely a success factor by itself and a thorough understanding of
the contract documents often proves more valuable than technical expertise.
1.6 Challenges Posed by Works Contracts

The challenges posed by large works contracts derive from many factors that have to do with:
a) The scope of the works itself:
i. Large scale of material movement e.g. massive excavations, earthworks;
ii. Wide variety of activities i.e. varied and interconnected activities of
excavations earthworks, concrete works, road works, bridges, large structures,
etc.;
iii. High technical complexity e.g. highly specialized equipment and/or
technologies incorporated in the works;
iv. Significant duration i.e. lengthier times for completion.
b) The variety of resources required:
i. Labour in terms of the deployment of workforce;
ii. Financial, works being capital intensive;
iii. Material, incorporation of complex plant, equipment, materials and massive
use of fuel;
c) The variety of expertise involved:
i. Technical (engineering);
ii. Financial (cost control, earned value management);
iii. Legal/Commercial/Contractual and use and understanding of the Conditions of
Contract, issues of claims/remedies;
d) The large number of various parties directly or indirectly involved:
i. Employer;
ii. Designer;
iii. Contractor;
iv. Subcontractors, nominated, approved, designated/assigned or otherwise;
v. Engineer for major/medium works and/or Project Manager in Micro/Small
Works contracts and Consultants;
vi. Statutory agencies with responsibilities in works inspection, environmental
protection, financial and technical audit etc.;
vii. Local communities and stakeholders;
viii. End-users/beneficiaries, other than the Employer or the local communities and
other stakeholders as mentioned above;
ix. Insurers;
x. Dispute Boards/Adjudicators/Arbitral Courts/Arbitration Centres;
xi. Manufacturers, Merchants and Suppliers of plant, equipment, material, labor
etc.
e) Potential impact:
i. Economic value to the economy - particularly in the case of major
infrastructure works and on locally for the labor market and the horizontal
industries of construction materials, related services etc.
ii. Social, especially direct and indirect benefits for the local communities,
particularly in the case of local infrastructure, employment opportunities and
also negative effects like involuntary resettlement;
iii. Technological, complex projects and transfer of technologies and know-how
to local contractors or subcontractors;
iv. Environmental, direct impact on the environment, hence the concerns
regarding the preparation and adherence to comprehensive Environmental,
Health, Social, Safety and Security and need for Management Plans;
v. Political, most works/projects are politically sensitive at various levels – local,
regional, national or even international.
Each and every one of these factors may and often have a direct impact on the successful
implementation of the works projects in terms of quality, timeliness, efficiency and
effectiveness of money spent etc.
All these are important reasons why the management of the works contracts is among the
most important challenges faced by the procurement entities, because proper management of
works contracts means not only an adequate contract administration, that is knowing and
enforcing contract conditions, clauses and remedies with supervisory roles over the contractor
and the consultant, with the assistance of the Engineer/Project Manager and more
importantly, managing the intricate relationships among all parties and stakeholders together
with a thorough understanding of risk management and their effect on project’s outcome and

delivery.

In the form of an equation with a multitude of variables this would translate as:
Management of
Management of = + relationships with
Contract
Works contracts contract parties, third
administration
parties and stakeholders
1.7 End User involvement in the Management of Works Contracts

Some of the most successful Works contracts in terms of the quality of the supervision are
those where the end users of the works are actively involved throughout the entire
procurement process. Among the best examples are the contracts for municipal infrastructure
where real representatives of the community - not only the politically appointed
representatives, but direct beneficiaries of the works i.e. people living along the streets that
are being asphalted or in the neighborhoods where a borehole is being sank. When they are
involved from the earliest stages of the procurement process, starting with feasibility and
needs identification and assessment, design and all the way through formal taking over of the
works.
The involvement of the community can be either formal or informal:
a) Formal involvement – representatives of the community co-sign the contract together
with the Employer, as the ultimate beneficiaries of the works; consequently the
community enjoys the same contractual rights as the Employer by checking the quality
and the progress of the works; endorsing Contractor’s monthly statements; taking over the
works etc.
b) Informal involvement – the community acts as a watchdog to the contract, but its role is
limited to signal to the Employer or the Engineer any delays and deviations in the scope
of the works or in the quality of the works.
Involving the community whenever this is possible and practical has many advantages:
a) Better control on the Contractor and on the outcome of the contract;
b) Reduces the possibility of fraud and corruption;
c) Increases community ownership and sustainability.
1.8 Types of Works Contracts

There are four (4) main types of Works contracts used under the Public Procurement Act,
2003 (Act 663) as amended, grouped according to their estimated value:
a) Major works contracts – estimated to cost above GHS5 million equivalent; contract
duration of over 18 months; these are the most complex contracts and are based on the
General Conditions of Contract of the 2010 Multilateral Development Bank
Harmonized Edition of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC)
Conditions of Contract. These are normally used only under International Competitive
Tendering (ICT) procedure, although some procurement entities have been using it
successfully for National Competitive Tendering (NCT) contracts as well;

b) Medium works contracts - estimated to cost between GHS50,000 and GHS5,000,000
equivalent, contract duration up to 18 months, and where the magnitude of the potential

risks involved is moderate for both the Employer and the Contractor and are based on
the General Conditions of Contract of the 2010 Multilateral Development Bank
Harmonized Edition of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC)
Conditions of Contract. These are normally used only for National Competitive
Tendering (NCT).
c) Minor works contracts - estimated to cost between GHS15,000 and GHS50,000),

short contract duration of less than 4 months and where the magnitude of the potential
risks involved is small for both the Employer and the Contractor, the General
Conditions of Contract based on the 1999 edition of the International Federation of
Consulting Engineers’ (FIDIC) “Conditions of Contract for Short Form of Contract”. A
particular feature of the Tender Document for Procurement of Works – Small Contracts
(TDW-SC) is the single form of Agreement containing Offer and Acceptance, which,
together with the documents listed in the accompanying Appendix, constitute the
Contract. These are normally used only for National Competitive Tendering (NCT) and
Request for Quotations (RFQs)
d) Micro works contracts – estimated to cost to GHS15,000, short contract duration (less
than 4 months), and where the magnitude of the potential risks involved is small for
both the Employer and the Contractor. The General Conditions of Contract are based on
the 1999 edition of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers’ (FIDIC)
“Conditions of Contract for Short Form of Contract”. These are normally used only for
Request for Quotations (RFQs)
1.8.1 Basic Types of Works Contracts

There are three basic and broad types of works contract, from which other variations have
been derived to suit particular circumstances. The circumstances under which the basic types
of contract and some of the common derivatives are used, the documentation required and the
advantages and disadvantages of the different types are explained.
The basic types of works contracts, broadly defined and classified in accordance with the
method of payment, are:
i. Lump Sum
ii. Unit Rate (Admeasurement or Re-measurement)
iii. Cost Reimbursable plus Fee.
a) Lump Sum (LS)
Lump sum contracts with Activity Schedules, more rarely used with the assumption that the
risk of variation in quantities is minimal. The contract is split in milestones or activity
schedules and payments are made on the basis of percentage completion of each activity.
Lump sum or all-inclusive price contracts are normally used for small, short duration of one
or two years, well defined, detailed works and building construction, which are not subject to
large quantity variations or conditions of high risk; in such cases, contract prices would
normally be fixed, except in conditions of high inflation. Smaller works contracts are used
whenever this option is chosen. Typical LS contracts are culverts and small bridges, rural
schools, health clinics, housing, bus shelters, etc.

Lump sum tenders may also be called for larger works of longer duration, such as industrial
process plants, normally following a two-step tendering procedures with designs prepared by
the successful tenderers; fixed price tenders could be requested if payment is in a
steady/stable currency.
Two adaptations of the fixed price LS contract to cope with these uncertainties during
implementation relate to:
 Quantity variations, where the quantities of a few work items are subject to variation
and can be estimated in advance by tenderers, including provisional quantities for
possible increases over the basic lump sum to be priced competitively by tenderers
and carried forward to the total amount of tender with the removal of the risk of
possible quantity increases, and
 Price adjustment, for long duration contracts or in conditions of high risk and
inflation, the price of inputs which may be difficult to predict at the time of tendering,
can be made the subject of a price adjustment mechanism to track future price
fluctuation and avoid further speculation in tendering.
b) Unit Rate (UR) – Admeasurement or Re-measurement

Unit Rate (UR) or Admeasurement or Re-measurement contracts with Bills of Quantities
and/or Price Schedules, which represent the vast majority of Works contracts. FIDIC
Conditions of Contract used for Major works contracts are prepared under the assumption of
admeasurement, i.e. a contract where progress is determined by measuring the quantities of
works actually performed; payments are based on these measured quantities multiplied by the
respective contract unit rates as quoted by the Contractor in the priced Bills of Quantities.
The Unit Rate (UR) type of contract is the most common in general use internationally in the
public sector for the construction of infrastructure projects, both large and small, under
conditions of moderate perceivable risk in sectors such as transportation, power, irrigation,
water supply and sewerage, etc. Tenderers are invited to quote unit rates for carrying out the
Employer’s estimated quantities of different classes of work to be performed. The unit rates
are inclusive of all related inputs of labour, materials, equipment usage and a proportion of
overheads and profit. The Tender Price comprises the summation of estimated quantities
multiplied by the respective unit rate for all items of work. During contract execution,
quantities of work completed satisfactorily are measured periodically as a basis for payment.
The unit rates may be fixed for short duration contracts of 18 months or adjustments for
variations in the indexed price of inputs over longer duration contracts.
c) Cost Reimbursable plus Fee

Commonly referred to as Cost Plus (CP), this type of contract provides for the periodic
reimbursement of the contractor’s actual costs for measurable inputs to the works, such as
labor, materials, equipment, spare parts, fuel, etc., together with a fee to cover associated
overheads, management and profit.
The fee may be either a:
i. Fixed fee, i.e. independent of total measured costs, or
ii. Percentage of measured costs, or
iii. Variable (incentive) fee, which increases when savings materialize in an agreed
estimate of total contract payments or which reduces with cost over-runs.

Cost reimbursable contracts are appropriate in:
i. Open-ended emergency situations such as structural collapse or damage,
ii. Circumstances where works are exposed to conditions of great uncertainty or
unquantifiable risks, such as unstable political situations, war, unknown ground
conditions (tunneling),
iii. Large unforeseeable price fluctuations,
iv. The private sector, usually on a negotiated basis with a selected contractor, and
v. Cases when an early start is required on projects which are not completely defined
or designed but are expected to be highly remunerative, such as hotels, casinos,
innovative technical processing and manufacturing plants, etc.
1.8.2 Characteristics, Merits and Demerits of Basic Types of Works Contracts

a) Lump Sum (LS)
The characteristics are reflected as the basic LS tender document for small works and
building normally consists of Instructions to Tenderers (ITT), Conditions of Contract,
Technical Specifications, well detailed drawings, and Forms of Tender, Contract Agreement
and Securities. Quantities are not normally given for micro works below GHS15,000, but
major quantities are sometimes indicated for the convenience of tenderers on major works.
The payment schedule is normally a pre-specified proportion of the contract price related to
progressive stages of completion as per Schedule of Activities.
Some of the advantages of LS contract from the Employer’s viewpoint are:

 Advance knowledge of the fixed contract amount for budget forecasting, with
relatively minimal variations due to quantities and price adjustment,
 Relatively easy to administer for payment purposes with no or little measurement of
works performed, and
 Requires less documentation, normally no detailed Bills of Quantities.
Some disadvantages are:
 Inflexible to design changes, major variations are difficult to price,
 Not suitable where potential future risks and changes are difficult to forecast
 Tenderers may inflate their prices to cover expected costs which do not materialize, and
 Designs for smaller works must normally be complete and drawings prepared in detail
by the Employer, as a basis for tendering.
b) Unit Rate (UR) – Admeasurement or Re-measurement
The characteristics of UR is reflected in tender documents which consist of ITT, General
Conditions of Contract (GCC) and Particular Conditions, Technical Specifications, a detailed
BOQ for different classes of work, Drawings in sufficient detail for quantities to be
estimated, Form of tender, Contract Agreement and Securities. This use of the FIDIC GCC
provides for the incorporation of custom-designed specialized plant in a major works contract
e.g., the ventilation and/or lighting systems in a tunnel contract, through nominated
subcontractors, while still maintaining the merit of a single responsibility contract under the
prime contractor. Some of the advantages of UR contract are:
 Tenderers are competing on the most equitable basis, against same quantities of work
and complete designs,

 The comparison and evaluation of tenders are straightforward and objective,
 The provision of flexibility for the contracting parties in handling variations and extra
works,
 Regular accurate cost payments for work completed assist the contractor’s cash flow,
 Reasonably accurate cost estimates can be made for planning purposes and, under
normal circumstances, the Employer can expect only minor discrepancies between the
estimated cost and the lowest tender, and between contract price and the final basic
cost; and
 A firm cost estimate is available in advance for determining the appropriate budget
amounts.
Some of the disadvantages of UR contract are:
 Tenders containing unbalanced unit rates and “front-end loading” create problems in
tender comparison and evaluation;
 Higher cost of documentation than LS in preparing the detailed BOQ;
 Higher supervisory costs, due mainly to the re-measurement of work performed.
 Known to encourage corruption in re-measurement
 Serious audits with adverse effects on beneficiary agency
c) Cost Reimbursable plus Fee
The characteristics of CP is reflected in the tender document which includes the normal basic
elements, tailored to the particular contract circumstances and method of payment. In cases
where special end-product is needed, specifications should prescribe functional and
performance requirements, in addition to technical requirements. A provision may also be
included for conversion to a more appropriate form of contract such as target cost or Unit
Rate, as the work progresses and uncertainties are resolved and designs completed.
The advantages of CP contracts are:

 Early mobilization of construction resources is possible in emergency situations, and
on works that are poorly defined, involve high risk or high returns, and
 The contractor is reimbursed all expenditures and assumes little or no risk.
The disadvantages of CP contracts are the:

 Circumstances favoring cost plus contracts are more conducive to sole source
negotiations with a selected contractor than to competitive tendering, which is
normally required in the public sector,
 Contractor has little incentive to produce quality or timely work if the CP fee is fixed,
 Contractor benefits from higher costs and consequently has limited incentive to be
cost effective with a CP percentage fee, and
 Employer needs additional supervisory staff to monitor and verify actual costs.
1.8.3 Factors Affecting the Choice of Contract Type

In the preliminary stages of procurement, procurement entities may have a choice of
procurement method and/or the type of works contract to be used, depending on prevailing
circumstances. The type of contract chosen will affect the subsequent stages of procurement,
also the content of the tender documents and, to some extent, the degree of influence which
the
Employer can exert during contract implementation. It is important, therefore, at an early
stage in the planning process, to consider carefully the types of contract that might be suitable
for use, and the factors affecting the choice of type.
Some of the general factors which may affect or influence the choice of contract type by an
Employer or Procurement Entity are the:
a) Nature and complexity of the works e.g. building, highway, industrial plant, etc.,
b) size and duration of the contract e.g. minor health clinic or major hospital,
feeder/trunk road or Highway, urban water supply, etc.,
c) Degree of definition of the works and the element of risk/uncertainty,
d) Status of design for both preliminary or final,
e) Technical capacity, design and supervisory resources of the Employer,
f) Financial resources available and/or budget constraints,
g) Previous experience of the Employer in a particular type of contract, and
h) Practices and procedures of the associated funding agencies and the degree of
compliance required with their Standard Tender Documents (STDs).
1.8.4 Adaptations of the Basic Types of Works Contract

The three (3) basic types of works contract of LS, UR and CP, can be adapted or combined to
suit particular contracting requirements and payment provisions. A few of the more common
adaptations and their particular uses are:
a) Supply and Erect/Install

b) Design and Build/Construct
c) Turnkey
d) Target Cost
e) Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
a) Supply and Erect/Install

This type of contract provides for the supply of major items of manufactured or prefabricated
plant/equipment/goods such as turbines, pumps, generators, transmission towers, pipelines,
boilers, etc., including relatively minor works involved in their erection and/or installation
and commissioning at a site or various sites. The plant/equipment/goods would be the subject
of performance specifications or fabricated to the design of the Employer/Purchaser on a LS
basis. Minor/Micro works might be quoted on LS based on the design of the supplier, but
major works should be undertaken to the design of the Employer/Purchaser on a UR basis.
Commissioning or testing of the completed project is a requirement before acceptance.
The tender documents and subsequent contract should emphasize a single responsibility for
the supply of plant/equipment/goods and the execution of related works in order to avoid
conflicts and delays in the event of non-compatibility. According to the relative
predominance of goods or works, the tender documents for minor/micro projects e.g. the
fabrication and erection of bus shelters, small grain silos, etc. For major projects with a
predominance of installed plant and equipment, the documents should incorporate the FIDIC
GCC for “Electrical and Mechanical Works including Erection on Site” 1999, the Yellow
Book or the World Bank’s trial STD, 1999 for the Supply and Installation of Plant and
Equipment.

b) Design and Build/Construct

This type of contract is used for important buildings, major works and other infrastructure
when an Employer wishes to explore, on a competitive basis, the most innovative designs and
the special expertise and technology of individual contractors, which may not be available to
the Employer’s own Engineer/Architect, such as works superstructures and buildings might
using a variety of configurations in steel, reinforced or pre-stressed concrete, etc., to provide
a common structural equivalence, while substructures using wells,, caissons, conventional or
proprietary piling, etc. might equally provide foundations. Expression of Interest for
consulting services and Prequalification for works contractors are essential features of the
tender process in order to select qualified combinations of engineer/architect/contractor.
A comprehensive site and subsoil survey is provided by the Employer as part of the tender
documentation which should also include the parameters of structural design and loading.
Competitive designs and lump sum tenders are called from qualified tenderers who provide
comprehensive design calculations, quantities and drawings. Tender evaluation includes:
 Design checks and quantification of design errors,
 Times of completions,
 Payment schedules, and
 Assessment of the aesthetics of the different proposals.
Tenderers and Applicants are sometimes compensated, on a sliding scale according to merit,
for the preparation of responsive proposals.
c) Turnkey
Turnkey contracting is used for the procurement of complex industrial process facilities and
plants such as steel mills, food processing, petroleum refineries, etc. when alternative systems
and processes could not provide satisfactory end product requirements, and it would therefore
be undesirable or impractical to prepare definitive designs and complete technical
specifications in advance. A two-step tender procedure is normally followed, first inviting
unpriced technical proposals and outline designs which are subject to clarification and
adjustment by the Employer, followed by the submission of detailed technical proposals and
priced tender in the second step.
The turnkey contractor undertakes to provide detailed designs, production process plant and
equipment, manufacturers’ authorization, related construction, procurement licenses,
guarantees, recruitment and training of operating staff, commissioning, start-up, initial
operation and maintenance and final handover of the “key” to the Employer for him to “turn”.
The contract price is normally quoted LS with periodic payments against specified stages of
partial completion. Price adjustment clauses may be provided for contracts of longer duration
than about two years and contractors may be encouraged to tender on a fixed price basis and
absorb the risk of future price fluctuation with payment in a hard foreign currency. FIDIC has
prepared GCCs (1999) for Design-Build and Turnkey Contracts.
d) Target Cost
This type of contract may be used in conditions of high uncertainty and unquantifiable risk
which make it difficult to define the value and scope of the works precisely before inviting
tenders. It is essentially a cost reimbursable plus incentive fee type of contract, where the
initial fee is adjusted with a bonus or penalty according to whether the final contract cost is
less or greater than an agreed Target Cost.
This form of contracting is more suited to single source procurement, where an Initial Target
Cost (ITC) can be the subject of competitive tender on a UR basis against provisionally
estimated quantities of work, with overheads and fee priced separately but competitively. As
the work progresses, the scope of the project and the target cost can be more precisely
defined. The ITC is updated periodically to include agreed variations, extra works, actual and
estimated quantities of work and price adjustment, if any, which becomes the Final Target
Cost (FTC) upon completion. Payment to the Contractor is made on a cost reimbursable basis
against actual inputs to the contract and upon completion, total payments are compared with
the FTC to determine the amount of final fee.
e) Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)

A Public Private Partnership is a partnership between the public sector and the private sector
for the purpose of delivering a project or a service traditionally provided by the public sector.
PPPs come in a variety of different forms, but at the heart of every successful project is the
concept that better value for money may be achieved through the exploitation of private
sector competencies and the allocation of risk to the party best able to manage it. It is
important to note that PPPs acknowledge the constraints to investment in physical
infrastructure and make efforts to promote effective public sector spending and private sector
investment and to interpret investment trends.
In effect, PPPs therefore have long term, contractual partnerships between the public and
private sector agencies, specially targeted towards financing, designing, implementing, and
operating infrastructure facilities and services that were traditionally provided by the
Government and/or its agencies.
These collaborative ventures are built around the expertise and capacity of the project
partners and are based on a contractual agreement, which ensures appropriate and mutually
agreed allocation of resources, risks, and returns. PPP is the approach of developing and
operating public utilities and infrastructure by the private sector under terms and conditions
agreeable to both the government and the private sector.
PPP Models
i. Service Contract
 Government/public authority hires a private company or entity to carry out one or
more specified tasks or services for a period, typically 1–3 years,
 Public authority remains the primary provider of the infrastructure service and only
contracts out portions of its operation to the private partner,
 Private partner must perform the service at the agreed cost and must typically meet
performance standards set by the public sector, and

 Government/public authority pays the private partner a predetermined fee for the
service, which may be a one-time fee, based on unit cost or some other basis.
ii. Management Contract

 Management contract expands the services to be contracted out to include some or all
of the management and operation of the public service i.e. utility, hospital, port
authority, telecommunication etc.,
 Daily management control and authority is assigned to the private partner or

contractor, even though ultimate obligation for service provision remains in the public
sector and in most cases, the private partner provides working capital but no financing
for investment,
 Private contractor is paid a predetermined rate for labour and other anticipated
operating costs, and
 Management contract variants include supply and service contract, maintenance

management and operational management.
iii. Lease Contract

Private partner is responsible for the service in its entirety and undertakes obligations
relating to quality and service standards,
 New and replacement investments remain the responsibility of the public authority
and the operator provides the service at his expense and risk,
 Duration of the leasing contract is typically for 10 years and may be renewed for up to
20 years.
 Responsibility for service provision is transferred from the public sector to the private
sector and the financial risk for operation and maintenance is borne entirely by the
private sector operator.
 The operator is particularly responsible for losses and for unpaid consumers' debts, and
 Leases do not involve any sale of assets to the private sector.
iv. Joint Ventures (JVs) and Partnerships

 Alternatives to full privatization in which the infrastructure is co-owned and operated
by the public sector and private operators,
 Public and private sector partners can either form a new company (SPV) or assume
joint ownership of an existing company through a sale of shares to one or several
private investors,
 Good corporate governance is a key requirement of this structure and in particular the
ability of the company to maintain independence from the government, because the
Government is both part owner and regulator,
 Government from its position as shareholder has an interest in the profitability and
sustainability of the company and can work to smoothen political hurdles,

 Involves the common sharing of risks, responsibilities and rewards of providing a
public service by a private sector entity and government,
 Entails a sharing of expenditures as well, on a pro-rata basis as specified in either the
joint venture or partnership agreement,
 No typical duration as it would depend upon the objective of the joint venture or
partnership,
 Not common and in some cases only one out of about one hundred,
 For the refurbishment, maintenance and operation of generating plants, and
 Generates revenues through the sale, profit from such sale becomes the source of
revenue to reimburse both parties, in accordance with the joint venture agreement.
v. Concessions and BOT

 Concession makes the private sector operator (concessionaire) responsible for the full
delivery of services in a specified area, including operation, maintenance, collection,
Management and construction and rehabilitation of the system,
 Operator is responsible for all capital investment and for providing the assets, and
such assets are publicly-owned even during the concession period,
 Public sector is responsible for establishing performance standards and ensuring that
the concessionaire meets them and in essence, the public sector’s role shifts from
being the service provider to regulating the price and quality of service,
 Concessionaire collects the tariff directly from the system users,
 Tariff is typically established by the concession contract, which also includes
provisions on how it may be changed over time,
 Government may choose to provide financing support to help the concessionaire fund
its capital expenditures in some cases,
 Concessionaire is responsible for any capital investments required to build, upgrade or
expand the system and for financing those investments out of its resources and from
the tariffs paid by the system users,
 Concession contract is typically valid for 25–30 years so that the operator has
sufficient time to recover the capital invested and earn an appropriate return over the
life of the concession,
 Government may contribute to the capital investment cost by way of subsidy under
Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to enhance commercial viability of the concession, and
 Concessions are effective contracts to provide investment for creation of new
facilities or rehabilitation facilities.
A BOT type of contract may be considered when an Employer/Owner has limited budget
and/or borrowing capacity, or otherwise wishes to involve the private sector in financing a
typical public sector project. It is essentially a concessionary turnkey type of contract, which
includes financing in addition to the design, construction, operation and maintenance of
public and private revenue earning projects such as power generation and distribution, toll
roads and bridges, water supply, etc. Total costs and risks are borne by the private BOT
investors over the concession period, which may be some 20-30 years.
The BOT type of contract is one of a growing family of concessionary contracts involving
private sector financial participation, each of different features.

The drafting of the Concession Agreement by the responsible public authority is an important
element in this type of contracting and should cover amongst others:
 Use of land, existing property and utilities,
 Design and performance standards,
 Environmental requirements,
 Risk sharing by the contracting parties,
 Regulation of tariffs,
 Subsidies, if any, and other public-sector financing,
 Operating and maintenance requirements,
 Conditions of facilities at transfer and transfer price, and
 Provisions for possible extension of concession period.
vi. BOO and Divestiture

 Arrangements are similar to concessions and BOTs,
 Transfers responsibility for operations, maintenance and capital investment to the
private sector and link the operator’s remuneration with the tariff or user fee,
 Key difference is that BOOs and divestiture do not have any limits on their duration,
whereas concessions and BOTs last between twenty to thirty years,
 BOOs and divestiture are what are termed privatization, with a distinct difference
between a PPP and privatization,
 Analogy of steering versus rowing,
 Privatization entails the disposal of the services infrastructure to the private sector,
and with it, the responsibility for service provision.
 Ownership and the responsibility for providing services reside with the private sector,
 Private sector service provider owns the facility, pays property taxes and levies,
another source of revenue to government,
 Many governments around the world have their own definitions for PPP to include
privatization or divestiture, and
 Permanent sale of shares in or the assets of infrastructure companies.
Types of Partnerships
a) Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT)

 Arrangements are a kind of specialized concession in which a private operator or
consortium finances and develops a new infrastructure project or a major component
according to performance standards set by the government,
 The private partner provides the capital required to Build the new facility, Operate &
Maintain (O&M) for the contract period and then return the facility to Government as
per agreed terms,
 Private operator now owns the assets for a period set by contract—sufficient to allow
the developer time to recover investment costs through user charges,
 Require complicated financing packages to achieve the large financing amounts and
long repayment periods required, and

 Public sector assumes ownership but can opt to assume operating responsibility,
contract out the operations responsibility to the private operator or award a new
contract to a new partner.
b) Build, Operate and Own (BOO)

 Contractual arrangement whereby a private operator is authorized to finance,
construct, own, operate and maintain an Infrastructure or Development facility from
which the private operator is allowed to recover his total investment by collecting user
levies from facility users.
 Private operator owns the assets of the facility and may choose to assign its operation
and maintenance to a facility operator,
 Transfer of the facility to the Government, Government Agency or the Local
Authority is not envisaged in this structure, and
 Government, may terminate its obligations after specified time period.
c) Build, Operate, Own and Transfer (BOOT)

 Contractual arrangement whereby a private operator is authorized to finance,
construct, own, operate and maintain an Infrastructure or Development facility from
which the private operator is allowed to recover his total investment by collecting user
levies from facility users.
 Private operator owns the assets of the facility and may choose to assign its operation
and maintenance to a facility operator,
 Transfer of the facility to the Government, Government Agency or the Local
Authority is envisaged in this structure, and
 Government, may terminate its obligations after specified time period.
d) Design, Build, Finance, Operate (DBFO)

 Responsibilities for designing, building, financing, and operating & maintaining, are
bundled together and transferred to private sector partners
 Arrangements vary greatly in terms of the degree of financial responsibility that is
transferred to the private partner
e) Design, Build, Operate and Maintain (DBOM)

 Integrated partnership that combines the design and construction responsibilities of
design-build procurements with operations and maintenance,
 Project components are procured from the private sector in a single contract with
financing secured by the public sector, and
 Public agency maintains ownership and retains a significant level of oversight of the
operations through terms defined in the contract.
f) Design, Build, Maintain and Finance (DBMF)

 Responsibilities for designing, building, financing and maintaining are bundled
together and transferred to private sector partners,

 Great deal of variety in DBMF arrangements in the United States,
 Degree to which financial responsibilities are actually transferred to the private sector,
 One commonality that cuts across is either partly or wholly financed by debt
leveraging revenue streams dedicated to the project,
 Direct user fees (tolls) are the most common revenue source,
 Others range from lease payments to shadow tolls and vehicle registration fees,
 Future revenues are leveraged to issue of bonds or other debts that provide funds for
capital and project development costs,
 Supplemented by public sector grants in the form of money or contributions in kind,
such as right-of-way,
 Private partners may be required to make equity investments, and
 Value for money can be attained through life-cycle costing.
g) Design, Build, Operate, Maintain and Finance (DBOMF)

 Responsibilities for designing, building, operating, financing and maintaining are
bundled together and transferred to private sector partners,
 Great deal of variety in DBOMF arrangements in the United States,
 Degree to which financial responsibilities are actually transferred to the private sector,
 Partly or wholly financed by debt leveraging revenue streams dedicated to the project,
 Direct user fees (tolls) are the most common revenue source,
 Others range from lease payments to shadow tolls and vehicle registration fees,
 Future revenues are leveraged to issue of bonds or other debts that provide funds for
capital and project development costs,
 Supplemented by public sector grants in the form of money or contributions in kind,
such as right-of-way,
 Private partners may be required to make equity investments, and
 Value for money can be attained through life-cycle costing.
h) Build, Operate, Lease and Finance (BOLF)

 Private party leases or buys an existing facility from a public agency,
 Invests its own capital to renovate, modernize, and/or expand the facility,
 Operates it under a contract with the public agency, and
 Different types of municipal transit facilities could be leased and developed under
such arrangements.
The method of procurement and type of contract chosen will affect the degree of influence to
which the Employer or Owner can exert on:
 Initial project design,
 Variations during implementation, and
 Financing arrangements,
 Consequent implications on risk sharing with the Contractor.
The highest influence can be exerted with force-account (direct labor) procurement, where all
aspects of design, construction, supervision and financing are normally borne by the public
authority, which then has full exposure to all risks. The lowest influence/risk results from

BOT

procurement (presuming a sound concession agreement) where design, construction,
financing, operation and maintenance are normally the responsibility of the private investor
group.
In summary, the degree of influence and risk sharing by the Employer/Owner will generally
decrease in relation to the method of procurement and type of contract, as follows:
High
 Force Account (Direct Labour)

 Cost Reimbursable
 Admeasurement
 Supply and Install
 Design and Construct
 Turnkey
 BOT
Low
1.8.5 Labour Intensive Contracts

A contract that requires a large amount of labour to produce its goods and/or services. The
degree of labour intensity is typically measured in proportion to the amount of capital
required to execute the contract with the production of goods and/or services.
The higher the proportion of labour costs required, the more labour intensive the business.
Construction activities in Ghana are by their very nature labour intensive and support a large
reservoir of skilled and unskilled labour that produce to contribute to the gross domestic
product.
Labour intensive contracts are very common with the Road Sector in Ghana, where there are
clear Guidelines for the Implementation of Labour Intensive Projects. International and local
experiences have shown that with well-trained supervisory staff and an appropriate
employment framework, labour intensive methods can be used successfully for infrastructure
projects involving low-volume roads and sidewalks, storm water drains and trenches. On the
basis of this experience and in the context of high levels of unemployment, the government
has decided to require that these infrastructure projects must be carried out in a labor-
intensive manner.

2.0 BASICS OF CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

2.1 Introduction
Contract administration is the management of contracts made with suppliers, contractors,
consultants or technical service providers to assure that all the parties comply with and
fulfil the terms and conditions of the contract.
It includes all dealings between parties to a contract from the time a contract is awarded until
the task has been completed and accepted or the contract terminated, payment has been made,
disputes have been resolved and the contract closed.
Contract Administration is the responsibility of the Procurement Entity and is distinguished

from physical performance of the contract which is the responsibility of the Supplier,
contractor, consultant or technical service provider.
Contract Administration is similar to project management. Each contract is a mini-project. It

has a unique goal, consumes resources, has a beginning and end date, and requires
coordination and planning of relevant activities, as well as documentation in a contract file
throughout the process.
The stages of Contract Administration are intended to ensure that the parties work together to
achieve the objectives of the contract. Contract Administration is based on the idea that the
contract is an agreement, a partnership with rights and obligations that must be met by both
sides to achieve the goal. Contract Administration is aimed not at finding fault, but rather at
identifying problems and finding solutions together with all contracting parties involved.
2.1.1 Nature of Contract Management and Administration

“Contract Management is commonly understood as a broader and more strategic concept that
covers the whole procurement cycle including planning, formation, execution, administration
and close out of a contract and goes beyond the day to day “administrative” activities in the
procurement cycle”3.
Although the actual planning begins during the selection process, Contract Administration
actually starts upon the signing of the contract, which is the point at which the parties to the
contract are bound by its terms and conditions. As with contract management, contract
administration ensures that each party adheres to the contract and performs at or above the
levels specified in the contract.
If we compare the nature or characteristics of the activities associated with both contract
management and contract administration (see below) then we can see that the differences are
fundamental, yet without efficient contract administration, then effective contract
management becomes very difficult, if not impossible.
3
UN Handbook on Procurement, 2006

Contract Management Contract Administration
Relationship focus Operational focus

Strategic Tactical
Process development Process compliance
Longer term time frame Short-term/transactional
Holistic view Narrow focus
Driven by added value Driven by key performance indicators
In the light of the above, most organizations/institutions use the two interchangeably.
However, in this Module, the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) has decided to use the
term ‘Contract Administration’.
2.2 Objectives of Contract Administration

The main objectives of Contract Administration are:
 the successful execution of the contract in a timely and economic manner; and
 to ensure performance by all parties in accordance with the requirements of the contract.
For Contract Administration to be effective, it is necessary to develop control procedures of

contract performance which will enable the Procurement Entity to obtain value for money
from the contract within the framework of the applicable law. Effective Contract
Administration seeks to obtain the goods, construction works and services of the required
quantity and standards of quality within the time frame and cost parameters stipulated in the
contract in order to satisfy the needs of the end-user on a sustainable basis and also minimize
disputes.
2.3 The Role of Contract Administration

The need for the Contract Administration function stems from the fact that a contract brings
into existence a relationship over a period of time between the parties to the contract shaped
by the necessity of mutual compliance with its terms and conditions. Contracts may not be
perfect because of the difficulty of foreseeing all possible developments with absolute
accuracy, and therefore the role of Contract Administration is to steer this relationship as
governed by the contract document. Contract Administration therefore involves:
 Planning for the relationship;
 Monitoring its development as the contract proceeds;
 Measuring its achievement; and, if necessary,
 Taking corrective action to safeguard the interests of the Procurement Entity to ensure
successful execution of the contract.
Contract Administration requires multi-disciplinary skills which must be adequately

coordinated and discharged to have a positive and progressive effect on the outcome of an
impeccable tendering process. A flawed Contract Administration process will undoubtedly
lead to increased costs and delay in contract completion and may also expose the contracting
authority and entity to legal complications with unpredictable results.

2.4 The Benefits of Good Contract Administration

Effective contract administration will provide the following benefits:
a) Effective control, ensuring that both parties know their obligations and
implementing a contract controls system that reflects the performance requirements
of the contract and provides mechanisms of the coordination and dissemination of
information,
b) Performance to the required standard with the full use made of contractor’s own
management information and performance measurement systems and the contractor
reporting progress through agreed procedures.
c) Compliance with contract terms and conditions in managing them to help ensure
that they are met and when not provide remedies to be applied properly and
promptly,
d) Clear and documented records which are essential in the event of invoking default
procedures for seeking correction of failures to perform,
e) Management of change as it is the contract administrator’s responsibility to define
appropriate change control procedures which enable him/her to anticipate, manage
and control changes to requirements and/or costs, and
f) Value for Money as a balance of cost, risk, delivery and quality which should be
managed in a sustainable manner to:
i. Record costs;
ii. Ensure no change in the balance of risks;
iii. Ensure timely delivery; and
iv. Ensure quality.
g) Performance rating: the performance of the Contractor would be evaluated and
rated at the end of the contract by the Contract Administrator. The Contractor would
be informed of the result and this will help him/her to improve upon future
performance
2.5 Poor and/or Fraudulent Contract Administration

A badly managed contract occurs when the contract administration team fails to act
proactively or reactively in order to keep a firm control on the contract implementation. This
usually results in at least one of the following:
a) Scope of contract is not achieved, where the end product is either not delivered or is
of a very poor quality,
b) Delays or time over-runs, or
c) Cost over-runs.
The worst case scenario is a situation where all these three situations described above are met
the contract does not achieve its objective and ends up with time and cost overruns.
The most frequent causes of badly managed contracts are often linked to:
i. The capacity of the contract administration team;
ii. Its willingness to act according to its mission and purpose, and/or
iii. delays in payment

Poor capacity is dangerous for the contract implementation but can be remedied through:

 Continuous and intensive training, both formal and on-the-job,
 Hiring staff with the appropriate expertise and experience, and
 Close supervision.
The negative effect of lack of capacity can be successfully mitigated, especially if the issue of
capacity is addressed at an early stage during contract implementation.
Lack of willingness to act in the best interest of the contract can have two major causes,
different from an ethical perspective, but can be equally damaging to the success of contract
implementation:
 lack of motivation of the staff, more benign and potentially less harmful due to
amongst others:
 Dissatisfaction with the level of remuneration,
 Lack of professional challenges,
 Eroding routine,
 Lack of recognition from the superiors, and
 Sense of futility
These symptoms must be identified early in the implementation stage and properly addressed
through appropriate administrative and relationship decisions such as incentives, motivation,
correct allocation of tasks and responsibilities, correlation between responsibilities and
rewards, increased ownership of the process etc.
 Staff inactivity has its roots in fraud and corruption and is the most dangerous risk
during contract implementation and connotes a high degree of certainty that the
proper execution of the contract is compromised.
Delays in payment most often can be attributed to lack of funds from central government or
improper cash flow planning by the Procurement Entity. It is only in rare instances that it
can be due to deliberate unwillingness of the contract administration team to act.
2.6 Fraud and Corruption in Contract Implementation

Contract implementation stage is the most prone to fraudulent and corrupt practices. It is a
common-sense conclusion because at the implementation phase, money enters into the
equation of relations between the two parties – Employer and contractor. Fraud and
corruption undermine the very foundation of contractual relations, which should be based on
responsibility in achieving the scope of the contract efficiently and accountability for every
action. Irrespective of the measures taken by international and public agencies, the extent of
corruption is staggering.
The most frequent cases of fraud and corruption involve:
 Scope of the contract is not achieved as works are not completed, goods and services
are not delivered, although the money has been spent,
 Unjustified variations and change requests granted by the Employer,
 Contract specifications are not met with poor quality of the works, goods or services
delivered,
 Products are substituted by inferior, less expensive and lower quality products than
specified in the contracts, and

 The Employer is billed for work done by senior consultants or non-existing
consultants, while the actual services are delivered by a limited number of less
qualified staff.
2.6.1 Possible Indicators of Corruption

Often these are clues that something may go wrong in the future and therefore requires
attention now. Literally, it is a warning of danger.
 Front-loading – the contractor performs more expensive activities at the beginning of
the contract, thus putting the contract at risk of incompletion as a significant part of
the contract amount will be disbursed at early stage,
 Frequent issue of change /variation orders especially with regard to items with high
rates and prices,
 Requests for subcontracting, especially to firms that took part in the tendering process
and were rejected or those who offered higher prices at that stage,
 Deliberate use of unqualified supervisors by the Engineer or Project Manager as the
case may be,
 Failure to report any deviations from the contract,
 Substitution of consultants by less qualified and inexperienced replacements,
 Failure to use proper project management tools – Project Managers might avoid using
standard and modern project management tools and technology-based approaches in
order to hide cost over-runs, time over-runs and make actual progress of works
impossible to determine,
 Poor filing and record keeping, missing invoices, timesheets, logs, deliverables,
supporting documents etc.
2.6.2 Remedial and Pro-Active Actions

 Maintain close control on the Project Manager/Engineer with permanent contact, spot
checks, site visits, issues log, inspection and control of logbook etc.,
 Enforce a relevant and comprehensive reporting system monthly, quarterly, by
milestone etc. to monitor closely all aspects that are important for contract
management actual versus planned progress, both quantity and quality, timeliness of
deliverables, quality of inputs and outputs etc.,
 Enforce internal audit procedures, based on accepted principles particularly with
regard to the actual verification of invoices and supporting documents,
 The person approving the payment should not be involved in the verification of
payment documents,
 Penalize promptly any failure to report delays, cost over-runs, time over-runs,
variation orders, use of substandard materials and workmanship, deviations from the
technical specifications and any leniency towards the contractors, and
 Enforce all applicable and reasonable contract remedies including liquidated damages
for delays or for non-compliance, remedies against the insurance policies and
performance securities, etc.
All these precautionary measures should not be interpreted as instigations to abuse the
contract mechanisms and remedies against the contractors. Overzealous and abusive
contract

administration is equally dangerous in terms of perceived fraud and corruption because any
obvious tendency to abuse the discretionary powers could be interpreted as an attempt to
force the contractor into agreeing to kickbacks or other kinds of informal payments.
2.6.3 Policy on Preventing, Detecting and Remediating Fraud and Corruption

Employer, suppliers, contractors, consultants and sub-consultants must observe the highest
standards of ethics during the execution of works contracts. A Policy on Preventing,
Detecting and Remediating Fraud and Corruption in works contracts needs to be put in place.
In pursuance of this policy, the following provisions will apply and for the purposes of these
provisions, the terms set forth below are defined as follows:
a) “Coercive practice” means impairing or harming, or threatening to impair or harm,
directly or indirectly, any party or the property of any party, to influence the actions
of a party in connection with the implementation of any contract supported, in whole
or in part, including such actions taken in connection with the execution of a contract,
b) “Collusive practice” means a tacit or explicit agreement between two or more parties
to perform a coercive, corrupt, fraudulent, obstructive or prohibited practice,
including any such agreement designed to establish prices at artificial, noncompetitive
levels or to otherwise deprive the Employer of the benefits of free and open
competition,
c) “Corrupt practice” means the offering, giving, receiving or soliciting, directly or
indirectly, of anything of value to influence the actions of a public official, Employer
staff, consultants or employees of other entities engaged in work supported in whole
or in part, including otherwise advancing the contract execution or the making of any
payment to any third party in connection with or in furtherance of a contract,
d) “Fraudulent practice” means any act or omission, including any misrepresentation,
that misleads or attempts to mislead a party in order to obtain a financial or other
benefit in connection with the implementation of any contract supported, in whole or
in part, including any act or omission designed to influence or attempt to influence the
execution of a contract, or to avoid or attempt to avoid an obligation;
e) “Obstructive practice” means any act taken in connection with the implementation
of any contract supported, in whole or in part:
i. That results in the destroying, falsifying, altering or concealing of evidence or
making false statement(s) to investigators or any official in order to impede an
investigation into allegations of a coercive, collusive, corrupt, fraudulent or
prohibited practice,
ii. That threatens, harasses or intimidates any party to prevent him or her from either
disclosing his or her knowledge of matters relevant to an investigation or from
pursuing the investigation and/or
iii. Intended to impede the conduct of an inspection and/or the exercise of audit rights
provided under Act 663 as amended and related regulations, manual agreements
and standard tender documents, and
f) “Prohibited practice” means any action that violates Compliance with Anti-
Corruption, Anti-Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Trafficking in Persons
Statutes and Other Restrictions of the United Nations.

2.6.4 Conflicts of Interest
The Contractor shall not have a conflict of interest. All Contractors found to have a conflict
of interest shall be disqualified, unless the conflict of interest has been mitigated and the
mitigation is approved by the Public Procurement Authority or the Employer. The Employer
requires that Contractors hold the Employer’s interests paramount at all times, strictly avoid
conflicts of interest, including conflicts with other assignments or their own corporate
interests and act without any consideration for future work.
Without limitation on the generality of the foregoing, a Contractor, including all parties
constituting the Contractor and any subcontractors and suppliers for any part of the Contract,
including related services, and their respective personnel and affiliates may be considered to
have a conflict of interest in terms Conflicting activities, Conflicting assignments and
Conflicting relationships and in the case of a Contractor, the Contract may be terminated.
A Contractor has an obligation to disclose any situation of actual or potential conflict that
impacts their capacity to serve the best interest of the Employer, or that may be reasonably
perceived as having this effect. Failure to disclose said situations may lead to the termination
of the Contract.
2.7 Summary of Main Tasks of Contract Administration

 Contract Administration Planning (Policies, Systems and Procedures),
 Monitoring Contract Performance and Reporting,
 Management of Contract Changes/Variations,
 Processing Payments,
 Resolution of Claims and Dispute Resolution,
 Contract Termination,
 Managing Contract Records
 Evaluation of Contract Performance, and
 Contract Close-out.
2.8 Important Parties in a Works Contract

The FIDIC Conditions unite in one single document the roles and responsibilities of the three
most important parties in a works contract, namely the:
a) Employer,
b) Engineer. and
c) Contractor.
Given the very sensitive nature of works contracts, which are inherently prone to variations
more than any other types of contracts, the Engineer/Project Manager is the central figure of
the contract and the main party to which contract administration is formally assigned. This
derives from the fact that the Engineer/Project Manager is invested with the authority to act
on behalf of the Employer in making sure that the works would be completed successfully in
terms of quality, time and cost.
One of the biggest mistakes in the administration of works contracts is the belief that once
you hire a competent Engineer all your troubles are over. But this is only true in exceptionally
rare
cases because an effective contract administration requires a high degree of involvement from
the implementing agency/entity and there can never be a full and complete outsourcing of
contract administration, since the implementing agency/entity must retain critical key
functions within the process, at least final verification of documents and payment.
In large works contracts as well as in projects with many contracts with a wide geographical
spread the implementing agency/entity might also benefit from the expertise and experience
of third party technical auditors. These can be hired as an additional layer of supervision
responsible with checking how the contract parties, Contractor and Employer, including the
Engineer, are fulfilling their duties and responsibilities toward the successful completion of
the contract.
The Layers of supervision in the administration of works contracts below shows the different
layers of oversight responsibilities that should be interpreted as complementary to each other.
The presence of an additional layer of supervision represented by an outer circle should by no
means be interpreted as a superior hierarchical position of a subordination nature; it merely
indicates a greater scope of the supervision function.
In simpler words the:
(i) Engineer supervises the Contractor,

(ii) Employer supervises the Engineer and the Contractor, and
(iii) Auditor supervises the Employer, the Engineer and the Contractor.
Figure 1: Layers of supervision in the administration of works

contracts
Engineer’s
supervision
Employer’s
supervision
Third party
The involvement of so many layers of supervision in the case of major works contracts is by
no means an exaggeration or a whim. It must be fully understood that the administration of
these types of contracts is not a part time job and not a task to be entrusted to one single
party. Now the purpose, roles and responsibilities of each of these layers could suffice.
2.8.1 The Employer

What does the Employer do?
As mentioned throughout this section, a proper and thorough management of a works contract
should not in any way be limited to the roles and responsibilities of the Engineer. The
Employer

must retain very specific responsibilities throughout the implementation of the contract. In
other words, there are two key aspects of Employer’s involvement in contract management:
(a) Knowing what to request from the Engineer, and

(b) Knowing what to do by itself.
We have briefly seen what the Engineer should do. It’s more important however to see what
are the specific responsibilities that should be retained by the Employer throughout the
implementation of a works contract.
Some of these attributes derive from limitations to Engineer’s authority expressly mentioned
in the contract documents; others (most of them, in fact) are unwritten rules that must be
followed for successful contract implementation.
Specific contractual responsibilities of the Employer

Apparently, Employer’s actions in the FIDIC Contract are rather few, since the day-to-day
aspects of the contract supervision are delegated to the Engineer. Employer’s rights and
responsibilities as stipulated in the General Conditions of Contract are limited to the
following:
 Gives the Contractor right of access to and possession of the Site (Sub-Clause 2.1).
 Facilitates obtaining of approvals and permits (Sub-Clause 2.2.).
 Ensures that its own staff or other Contractors comply with the contractual safety and
environmental rules (Sub-Clause 2.3).
 Submits to the Contractor reasonable evidence of the financial arrangements that
would enable the Employer to pay for the works (Sub-Clause 2.4).
 Approves the Performance Security (Sub-Clause 14.6).
 Pays to the Contractor the Advance Payment (Sub-Clause 14.2), all subsequent
Interim Payment Certificates (Sub-Clause 14.7), Retention Money (Sub-Clause 14.9)
and Final Payment (Sub-Clause 14.13).
 Pays penalties for delayed payment (Sub-Clause 14.8).
 Takes over the works (Clause 10).
 Terminates the Contract (Clause 15).
In addition to these, the Employer may and in some circumstances should retain specific
contract administration responsibilities through the Particular Conditions of Contract (PCC):
 The Employer establishes if the scope of the works would be divided in Sections
(PCC 1.1.5.6) that would enable separate taking over of parts of the Works. This is
important when the:
a) Employer has a direct interest, financial or operational, to have certain
sections of the works completed in a sequential manner i.e. sections of
highways/trunk/feeder roads, units of buildings, sections of utilities etc.;
b) Employer wishes to exert a closer time control on the intermediate milestones,
instead of having one Time for Completion for the whole of works, the
Employer sets separate Times for Completion of Sections.
 The Employer can put a limit on the authority of the Engineer (PCC 3.1):
a) By setting a maximum level of authority to approve variations, or
b) When approving any extensions of the Time for Completion, or
c) When approving of any subcontractor.
This is often done whenever the Employer wants to maintain a close control on the time and
costs.
 In order to prevent the dilution of responsibility for the execution of the works, the
Employer can set maximum thresholds for subcontracting (PCC 4.4.) or limit the
possibility to subcontract only to specific, non-essential activities.
 FIDIC Conditions of Contract allow the Engineer to approve payment of plant and
materials brought on site prior to their incorporation in the Works. This is advisable
whenever the Contractor should deliver expensive Plant, equipment or materials on
site, that are to be later incorporated in the Works and for which the Contractor could
normally seek reimbursement only in the first Interim Payment Certificate after their
incorporation in the works. PCC 14.5 can limit this practice by specifying the exact
nature of plant or materials for which the payment on delivery would be acceptable or
by denying this altogether.
 The Employer may also set high thresholds for the minimum amount of Interim
Payment Certificates (PCC 14.6), with a double purpose:
a) To avoid situations when it would be flooded with Interim Payment
Certificates of small amounts, where and when the Employer need to manage
a large portfolio of contracts with limited payment processing capacity, and
b) To stimulate the Contractor to speed up the progress of works, so its monthly
statements would exceed the minimum threshold, noting that excessive
thresholds could backfire by forcing the Contractor to seek payment for
inexistent works.
Actions and responsibilities to be assumed at the contract administration stage

Regardless of the level of outsourcing of the contract supervision, the Employer must retain
high degrees of involvement and ownership in the contract administration process.
The following summarizes the main stages and events in the contract administration cycle
where the Employer should be present and steer the process towards successful
implementation:
Internal arrangements:
The Employer must first of all ensure that the proper internal arrangements are made in its
own organization. This mainly refers to people and processes:
 Assigning detailed tasks to the individual or the team responsible with the specific
duties during the contract administration process. This would be equivalent to
creating job descriptions for everyone involved. The tasks assigned to each individual
should be precise and realistic, taking into account the specific experience, expertise
and workload of each staff, i.e. the procurement specialist should be responsible for
keeping track of the main contract milestones of commencement date, possession of
site, submission of securities, bank guarantees and insurance policies, advance
payment, time for completion etc., with the technical expert responsible for the
tracking of the conditions of contract and accurate recordkeeping of volumes of
work, main technical milestones etc.,

 Establishing internal procedures of hierarchy, communication, level of authority,
flow of documents, verification and acceptance procedures, payment procedures,
internal audit etc.,
 Evaluation of main risks associated with the implementation of the contract and
identification of the main remedies or mitigation measures, as well as the parties
responsible with their enforcement,
 Coordination arrangements with third parties including other agencies, contractors,
end users, beneficiaries etc. The implementation of large works contracts requires
close cooperation, collaboration and co-ordination with many other parties with
responsibilities or interests in the project. The proper agreements and arrangements
should be put in place at the very outset of the project including:
 Which agency would be involved at which stage of the works with state
inspection in construction, environmental agency, labour inspection, end users
of the works etc.,
 Who are the contact persons on both sides,
 Which are the reporting or notification obligations, and
 Are there any fees to be paid and by whom, Contractor, Employer etc.
2.8.2 The Engineer

Who is the Engineer?
In the very strict understanding of the Conditions of Contract, the Engineer is a person.
However, “person” should not be automatically deemed to designate an individual, a physical
person but rather a party. This means that the Engineer may be and frequently is a company
invested by the Employer with the roles and responsibilities of the Engineer.
There are rather few, statistically FIDIC Contracts where all the responsibilities of the
Engineer are entrusted to one single individual. This should only happen in the case of
simpler contracts with straightforward bills of quantities where variations are very unlikely.
Usually the Engineer is a specialized consulting company that can mobilize various technical
expertise where there are many different skills that are required in the implementation of a
large works contract. Consequently, more than one single individual would be exercising
various supervision functions at any given time – quantity surveyors, land
surveyors/topographical engineers, structural engineers, roads/bridges engineers, electronic
and electro-mechanical engineers, hydrogeological and hydrological engineers,
environmental specialists, health & safety specialists, Quality Assurance/Control specialists
etc.
The Engineer may designate a number of staff some of them full time, others part time
experts, depending on the size, complexity or geographical spread of the works.
In the case of these supervising companies, the contractual term “Engineer” designates the
single individual person that has been delegated with the ultimate authority of supervision,
the team leader, leading engineer, site engineer, resident engineer, coordinating engineer or
whatever job title the respective person might have. All other personnel involved in the

supervision of works are assistants for the purposes of the Contract and specific tasks are
usually delegated to them, according to their particular area of expertise.
Why do we need an independent Engineer?

The immediate inclination of most Employers would be to entrust the contract supervision to
someone, individual or department from their own organizations. This usually happens for
the following reasons:
 Money factor with a false sense of saving money, usually with the refrain of why pay
A Consultant to do the work that can be done free by us,
 Ownership factor with the assumption that internal people are the most interested to
get a positive outcome, usually with the refrain of who else would guard our interests
better than ourselves, and
 Pride factor with the belief that the internal people know better what to do with the
refrain of who knows what we want to get done better than ourselves.
While this may be true for most minor and micro works supervision, it is definitely counter-
productive in the case of major works supervision because of the reasons mentioned above:
 Manpower and workload, where proper and adequate contract administration is not a
part- time job,
 Expertise, where hard skills like technical or financial background, contractual
literacy, managerial skills, administrative skills, fluency in the language of the
contract or of the contractor are of particular importance,
 Adequacy, where the right number of available and qualified people do possess the
requisite soft skills needed for a smooth and successful contract administration like
people skills, communication abilities, team spirit, cooperation, leadership,
facilitation, conflict mitigation, planning, coaching, motivation, innovative drive,
perseverance etc.,
 Experience where many similar contracts of comparable scale have been successfully
managed or supervised.
In addressing these issues raised usually lead to the conclusion that the most effective and
efficient use of resources of money, time and people would be the selection and employment
of external persons to assist in the form of a Consultant/Consulting firm.
With all these arguments, the ultimate evidence is for the Employer to appoint a third party as
the Engineer to confirm the very spirit of the FIDIC Conditions of Contract, which is that the
Engineer should act impartially when exercising its duties and authority.
Who should act as Engineer?

It should be noted that an Employer’s staff should not act as an Engineer to works contracts
and everything presented up to this point indicates that a consulting company should be
selected to act as Engineer on behalf of the Employer. While this is certainly the case for
most large works projects, it does not however limit the potential searching area to consulting
engineers only. As much as FIDIC, which is the professional body of consulting engineers,
would like to see its members enjoying a de facto monopoly on this specific activity, practice
has proven that other kinds of parties could also play the role of Engineer.

The specific functions of these parties vary greatly in Ghana and similar organizations may or
may not be adequate or appropriate, so this should be read on an applicable-only basis:
(i) Departments of technical universities or research institutes,
(ii) Specialized departments or Government agencies, but only those without a
potential conflict of interest, with state control or works inspection of any kind,
and
(iii) Non-governmental organizations.
Since cases where these kinds of Engineers are employed instead of actual consulting firms
are and should be fairly rare, this manual focuses on the practice that represents the rule
rather than the exception, i.e. a consulting company being selected to act as Engineer.
Should the Engineer have done the design/engineering?

Another very important issue, once it is established who the Engineer should be, is whether it
is recommended or not that the Engineer be the same as the designer of the works. Many
financial institutions or professional bodies, FIDIC included, have consistently recommended
that engineering and detailed designs should go hand in hand with the supervision of the
works and there are many positive arguments to have the same consulting engineer
responsible with all these activities because of:
(i) Knowledge, the party responsible with the engineering and detailed designs of the
works would naturally be the most knowledgeable to do the supervision, and
(ii) Accountability so as to avoid any doubts about the responsibility for the
engineering and detailed designs.
These are two very powerful and valid arguments particularly in countries where professional
liability in works as well as professional prestige are very serious matters, as well as in
countries with very well-developed body of knowledge and experience in engineering.
In the real world of less-than-perfect engineering or weaker professional liability records, it
may prove damaging to have the same consulting engineer to do the designs and the
supervision of the works. There are many situations where the designer/engineer is more
preoccupied to hide or to mitigate the effects of its own potential design errors than to enforce
an adequate and cost-effective contract administration for its Employer, which happens for
two reasons, the:
(i) Engineer is not willing to admit any design errors, including grossly mistaken
quantities, unreasonable technological requirements etc. for fear of professional
liability/remedies from the Employer, or
(ii) Engineer is so dedicated to its own design that it rules out any alternative solutions
that would actually bring more value for money to the Employer.
Drawing a line and making a decision whether the Employer should consider an integrated
engineering/supervision solution or separate activities are not easy to decide.
Some countries have solved this dilemma by explicitly forbidding that the design and the
supervision be done by the same party, for fear of potential conflict of interest. Other
countries like Ghana has left this matter in a grey area by ruling that representatives of the
designer and the Engineer should sign off the works, but without specifically stipulating that
the two must actually be different parties. Most of the developed world does not impose
any restrictions,

explicit or implicit and it is up to the Employer to decide which option better suits the nature
of the project.
How should the Engineer be selected?

It is now established that, at least in the case of large CW contracts, the Engineer should be a
consulting firm and this means that the Engineer should be selected using the appropriate
method for the selection and employment of consultants. It is common sense that this
selection process is one of the most important decisions that an Employer would make
because the professional quality of the Engineer would greatly impact on the successful
implementation of the project.
For the selection of the Engineer, the issue then becomes which type of selection would be
the most appropriate, whether the focus should be only on price - least cost selection, only on
quality - quality-based selection, or should be a quality and cost-based selection. There is no
obvious or universal answer to this and it greatly depends on the scale and on the specific
nature of the assignment. Where large scale contracts that involve relatively simple activities
of the nature of earthworks with minimal highly specialized expertise, least cost selection
may be prudent. Whenever more specialized technical skills are required, the professional
quality of the Consultant should be the most important, if not the only factor for selection.
The tendency of the Employers to place a heavier weight on cost, as a premise for efficient
use of funds, is understandable. But it should borne in mind that any compromise in the
quality of the Engineer for the sake of savings may result in much higher costs for the
Employer, coming out of costly delays, unjustified variations, higher operation and
maintenance costs due to poor quality of materials or workmanship etc.
FIDIC always advocates the prevalence of quality over price in the selection of the Engineer
as a first premise of a successful implementation of a works project. It is recommended that
the Employer should be guided by the following principles when selecting the Engineer:
1. Professional competence,
2. Managerial ability,
3. Availability of resources,
4. Impartiality,
5. Fairness of fee structure,
6. Professional integrity, and
7. Quality assurance system.
Independence of the Engineer

There are many important virtues that the Engineer should possess, but from both Employer’s
and Contractor’s perspective, few are more critical than his independence, impartiality and
integrity. The Employer can more or less easily assess areas like the professional quality,
resources or experience of an Engineer, but it is virtually impossible to have any sort of
assurances that the selected Engineer would act impartially and would maintain its integrity.
It is obvious how these two closely inter-related conditions affect the contract administration.
Most Employers think that the success of the project resides in having the Engineer acting

indiscriminately in the Employer’s favor and thus being unjust towards the Contractor. This
is rarely a good solution in itself because an antagonized Contractor would try and succeed to
identify alternative means to mitigate Engineer’s hostility through kickbacks and informal
payments or to cut corners with regard to the quality of works.
The reverse of having the Engineer biased towards the Contractor is so obviously
catastrophic for the administration of the contract that it does not need further explanations.
Most Employers seem to disregard the issue that the Contractor is always at least one step
ahead when it comes to finding ways to make the most profit out of any situation or
circumstance. Instead of trying to beat the Contractors at their own game the Employers
should ensure that the right safeguards are put in place that would avoid an unbalanced
contract implementation.
Most Employers must note that Contractor’s first moves with regard to the Engineer usually
start at tender preparation stage. This does not mean that the Contractor would plainly load its
rates so as to leave room for later kickbacks. This is too unrefined and dangerous as the
Contractor cannot afford to have a high tender for the sake of later kickbacks, but an
experienced Contractor would include in his price calculation an adjustment factor for the
way he expects the Engineer to act. The actual weight of this factor is determined by a
number of considerations like how an Engineer maintains a strict cost and time control, how
efficiently he/she deals with monthly payments, what is his/her attitude towards variations
and how fast it processes variations etc.
What does the Engineer do?

The Engineer has a multitude of roles and responsibilities in the FIDIC Conditions of
Contract, virtually every contractual sub-clause refers to the Engineer in one way or another.
However, out of the many contract supervision responsibilities, the most important would be
the following:
 The Engineer must notify the Commencement date (Sub-Clause 8.1).
 The Engineer may reject any program submitted by the Contractor (Sub-clause 8.3).
 The Engineer participates at the tests and is allowed to reject any Plant, Materials or
workmanship (Sub-Clause 7.5).
 The Engineer inspects the Works (Sub-Clause 7.3).
 The Engineers measures the Works (Sub-Clause 12.1).
 The Engineer determines new rates (Sub-Clause 12.3).
 The Engineer evaluates and determines variations (Sub-Clause 13.3).
 The Engineer determines extensions of Time for Completion (Sub-Clause 8.4).
 The Engineer certifies payments (Clause 14).
 The Engineer approves or disapproves and determines claims (Sub-Clause 3.5).
 The Engineer gives instructions (Sub-Clause 3.1, 1.5, 13.1).
 The Engineer issues the Taking-Over and Performance Certificates (Sub-clauses 10.1,
11.9).
Since all the above as well as other responsibilities of the Engineer can easily be inferred
from the actual contract clauses, we would focus on those contract administration
responsibilities

that are not expressly stipulated in any standard documents, conditions of contract or
procurement guidelines.
Administration of Small Works Contracts

Micro/Minor Works Contracts, estimated to cost less than GHS15,000 equivalent raise some
paradoxical contract administration issues: while they should be simpler contracts and
presumably simpler to manage, the lack of very detailed Conditions of Contract, as may be
the case for major works contracts, often makes them actually harder to manage.
This dichotomy stems from the fact that simpler Conditions of Contract do not go into the
level of detail as the FIDIC Conditions of Contract presented above.
The Project Manager

In Micro/Minor Works contracts, the Engineer is replaced by a Project Manager who usually
is appointed from the technical staff of the Employer. The major difference is that the Project
Manager does not work under the same assumptions of independence and impartiality as the
Engineer in the FIDIC contract, which may automatically place the Project Manager in an
apparent conflicting position versus the Contractor.
A second, and more important shortcoming of this type of contract, is that the Project
Manager does not seem to have the same level of authority or leverage in the relations with
the Contractor, because the conditions of contract are less generous in giving specific
particulars of its roles and responsibilities.
Consequently, the Employer’s own role in managing Micro/Minor Works contracts may
become more complicated than in the case of major works under FIDIC contracts.
The Project Manager should retain most, if not all roles and responsibilities assigned to the
Engineer in the FIDIC contract, while the Employer should continue to exercise its contract
supervision role exactly along the same lines as described above.
2.8.3 The Contractor

A contractor as the main or prime contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a
construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to
involved parties throughout the course of a project.
The contractor is a manager and possibly a tradesman, employed by the Employer as an
outcome of a tender process or on the advice of the architect, engineer or the quantity
surveyor or by the Employer him/herself.
A contractor is responsible for the overall coordination of a project and must first assess the
project-specific documents, referred to as tender. Depending on the project delivery method,
the contractor will submit a fixed price tender, cost plus price or an estimate with unit rates.
The contractor must consider the cost of home office overhead, general and special
conditions, specifications for materials and equipment as well as the cost of labour to provide
the employer with a price for the project.
Contract documents include drawings, project manual including general, supplementary
and/or special conditions and specifications, addendum or modifications issued prior to
tender and prepared by a design professional.

Responsibilities
A contractor is responsible for providing all of the material, labour, equipment and services
necessary for the construction of the project. The contractor may hire specialist contractors
and specialized subcontractors to perform all or portions of the construction work.
Responsibilities may include applying for permits, securing the property, providing
temporary utilities on site, managing personnel on site, providing site surveying and
engineering, disposing or recycling of construction waste, monitoring schedules and cash
flows, and maintaining accurate records.
Licensing Requirements and Qualifications
Licensing requirements to work legally on construction projects must be observed for all
businesses or individuals who work on any building, highway, road, parking facility, railroad,
excavation or other structure in Ghana and must be licensed by the Ministry of Water
Resources, Works and Housing and the Ministry of Roads and Highways with categories and
classifications thresholds set based on costs.
There are no set educational qualifications to become a contractor, though many employers
now prefer contractors who are educated. However, requisite technical qualifications are
needed for the personnel of the Contractor.
Experience in the construction industry as well as references from Employers, business

partners or former employers are demanded. In the Ghanaian jurisdiction, it is a requirement
that the contractor provides proof of financing to own their own contracting firm. Contractors
often run their own business by hiring subcontractors to complete specialized construction
work and may manage a team of tradesmen and other specialists.
However, out of the many contract responsibilities, the most important would be the following:
Sub-Clause 4.1 Contractor’s General

Obligations Sub-Clause 4.2 Performance Security
Sub-Clause 4.3 Contractor’s Representative
Sub-Clause 4.4 Subcontractors
Sub-Clause 4.8 Safety Procedures
Sub-Clause 4.18 Protection of the Environment
Sub-Clause 4.21 Progress Reports
Sub-Clause 5.2 Objections to Nomination
Sub-Clause 6.7 Health and Safety
Sub-Clause 6.8 Contractor’s Superintendence
Sub-Clause 6.10 Records of Contractor’s Personnel and Equipment
Sub-Clause 6.12 Foreign Personnel
Sub-Clause 6.13 Prohibition of Harmful Child
Labor Sub-Clause 6.14 Employment Records of
Workers

2.9 Organization for Contract Administration
a) Legal and Institutional Arrangements for Contract Administration in Ghana
The Figure below illustrates the current legal and institutional arrangements for Contract
Administration in Ghana. The figure displays the coordination and reporting obligations of
the Procurement Entity on the national and international levels (depending on whether
foreign financing is involved). The Procurement Entity has to conform to the set procedures
of the national and international parties involved in its activities and has to correspondingly
develop its reporting and operational procedures to comply with the requirements of the
relevant parties.
For Government of Ghana funding, where there is no foreign financing, it is only the right
side of the figure that is applicable. The institutions involved in public contract administration
include the following:
 The Contracting Entity
 The Line Ministry and other Sector Ministries
 The Ministry of Finance (MoF)
 The Auditor-General’s Department
 The Controller & Accountant –General’s Department(CAGD)
 The Ministry of Justice & Attorney-General’s Department
 The Public Procurement Authority (PPA)
 The Courts

Figure 2: Institutional Arrangements for Contract Administration in Ghana
[Reporting & Coordination Obligations of the Procurement Entity]
INTERNATIONAL LEVEL NATIONAL LEVEL
Line Ministry and other

Sector Ministries
Ministry of Finance
Funding Agency 2 Court
Ministry of Justice/AGD
Public Procurement Authority
Funding Agency 1
Auditor-General
Controller &
Accountant General
Sources of Information
PROCUREMENT
ENTITY Sources of Information
The procurement structures for post contract activities are outlined below although the
involvement of the Entity Tender Committees and the Tender Review Committees is minimal.

Figure 3: Organization of Principal Procurement Bodies/Structures for Contract

Administration
Head of Procurement Entity
Tender Review Committees (TRC)

Procurement Entities (to transact procurement for all i
Public Procurement Authority Reports
Regulations)
(to regulate, control and monitor public procurement, set standards and formulate public procurement policy)
Reports Submissions
Appoints
Request and queries
Reports Entity Tender Head of Procurement Unit
Committee (ETC) Submissions

Procurement Units
TRC & ETC to ensure compliance with the Public Procurement Act, 2003
Liaises Reports
(Act 663) Amended and Regulations on a transaction basis within their defined thresholds.
Originating Departments, Project or User Unit
Contract Administrator
The roles and responsibilities of the bodies that are involved in post contract activities are:
The Public Procurement Authority

The primary role of the PPA is to regulate, control and monitor public procurement and set
standards and formulate procurement policy.
The Tender Review Committees and the Entity Tender Committees

The role of the Tender Review Committees and the Entity Tender Committees is to ensure
compliance with the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663) Amended and Regulations at the
transaction level by reviewing and accepting or rejecting submissions received from or via the
Procurement Entity’s Procurement Unit. The Tender Review Committees and the Entity Tender
Committees are primarily active during the tendering stage but can be required to review matters
of a post contract nature where amendments to contract are necessary.
The Entity Tender Committees are responsible for the facilitation of Contract Administration.
The Procurement Entity

The Procurement Entity is any entity conducting public procurement and is responsible for
carrying out its own procurement in accordance with the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act
663) Amended and Regulations.
The Procurement Unit

The Procurement Unit is the person or unit within the Procurement Entity that is dedicated to
providing technical procurement services for the tender committee.

The Originating Departments, Projects or User Departments

The Originating Departments, Projects or User Departments are the various departments that
raise the requirements for procurement that are approved by the Procurement Entity and
budgeted for.
The Contract Administrator

The role of the Contract Administrator is to manage, coordinate and control each Contract and
the Consultant’s performance of that contract in accordance with the terms and conditions of the
Contract placed and in accordance with existing legislation. The Contract Administrator is
appointed by the Procurement Entity.
Finance/Accounts Department
The Department within the Procurement Entity responsible for the financial affairs of the Entity
and the control of the Entity’s budget.
2.9.1 Contract Administration Organization for Works

There must be one person who will serve as the primary contact in the Procurement Entity for
administering works contracts, and that person is called the Contract Administrator or Engineer
or Project Manager. It is important that the Contractor gets direction or instructions from only
one person for day-to-day matters involving execution of the contract, so as to avoid conflicting
directions/instructions and to establish the authority of that one person. It is equally important
that this person be accountable for and have the authority to administer the day-to-day activities
in order to develop a sense of ownership of the assignment and to make sure that the person
closest to the assignment is able to directly see that the contract requirements are met.
The number of participants or staff in the contract administration process will vary in number
from one to many depending on the size, level of risk and complexity of the contract. Early in
the procurement process, there is the need to identify the contract administrator and those who
are to assist him/her; this will allow for roles and responsibilities to be assigned.
It is worth noting that in most simple works contracts, the Engineer or Project Manager, acting
as the Contract Administrator can handle all responsibilities with the support of a few
Assistants. The full organizational structure for large works contracts is shown in Figure 5.
2.10 Responsibilities of the Contract Administrator

The primary responsibilities of the contract administrator include:
 Participating, as necessary, in developing the solicitation and writing the draft
documents. Contract administration must be considered during this process.
 Monitoring the Contractor’s performance to ensure that delivery conforms to the
contract requirements.
 Authorizing payments consistent with the contract terms.
 Exercising remedies, as appropriate, where a Contractor’s performance is deficient.
 Resolving disputes in a timely manner.
 Meeting with the Contractor when the need arises so as to review progress, discuss
problems and consider necessary changes.

 Establishing control of correspondence, data and reports.

 Identifying potential problems and solutions.
 Managing any public property used in contract performance.
 Documenting significant events.
 Maintaining appropriate records.
The Tender Review Committees and the Entity Tender Committees

compliance with the Public Procurement Act and Regulations at the transaction level by
reviewing and accepting or rejecting submissions received from or via the Procurement Entity’s
Procurement Unit. Tender Review Committees and the Entity Tender Committees are primarily
active during the tendering stage but can be required to review matters of a post contract nature
where amendments to contract are necessary.
The Entity Tender Committees are responsible for the facilitation of Contract Administration.
The Procurement Entity

The Procurement Entity is any entity conducting public procurement and is responsible for
carrying out its own procurement in accordance with the Public Procurement Act and
Regulations.
The Procurement Unit

The Procurement Unit is the person or unit within the Procurement Entity that is dedicated to
providing technical procurement services for the tender committee. .
The Originating Departments, Projects or User Departments

The Originating Departments, Projects or User Departments are the various departments that
raise the requirements for procurement that are approved by the Procurement Entity and
budgeted for.
The Contract Administrator
The role of the Contract Administrator is to manage, coordinate and control each Contract and
the Consultant’s performance of that contract in accordance with the terms and conditions of the
Contract placed and in accordance with existing legislation. The Contract Administrator is
appointed by the Procurement Entity.
Finance/Accounts Department
The Department within the Procurement Entity responsible for the financial affairs of the Entity
and the control of the Entity’s budget.
Section 2 of the Public Procurement Act 2003, Act 663 as amended and the Public procurement
Regulations define the Structures and organizations that govern all public procurements in
Ghana. The role of the Public Procurement Authority is to monitor, control and regulate public
procurement conducted by Procurement Entities, set standards and formulate public
procurement policy.
procurement transactions conducted by the Procurement Entities are in compliance with the
legislation. The responsibility of the Procurement Entities, Procurement Units, Tender
Evaluation Panels and the Originating Departments, Projects or User Departments is to
conduct that

procurement in accordance with the legislation. These relationships and responsibilities are
summarized below:
Figure 4: Contract Administration Organization for Works
Procurement Entity
Head of Procurement Entity
Project Manager
(Employer’s Representative)
Contract Contract InstructionsReporting

Accounts & Finance Dept Processing Ministry of Finance
Contractor Processing
Managing Contract Public Procurement Authority

Contract Administrator
ReportingProcurement Unit Reporting
Managing Contract
Contractor Advising & Informing
Stores Dept
Advising & informing
Project Consultants

Procurement Entity
Procurement Entity is the term used in this module to refer to a central, local and regional
government authority and other bodies governed by public law and delegated with the task of
discharging Contract Administration functions.
The overall size and structure of the Procurement Entity is governed by the mandate of its
establishment.
Contract Administration is an element of project management and both will significantly

overlap or even coincide in the context of a Procurement Entity administering a project. In this
case, the term Contract Administrator (CA) or Project Manager may become equivalent if the
whole project involves one major contract. On the other hand, it is more usual that the
Procurement Entity is entrusted with many contracts whereby one or more contracts are
allocated to each Contract Administrator (CA) and all of the latter will report to the Head of the
Procurement Entity. It is worthwhile mentioning here that not every Procurement Entity
necessarily needs to have all these disciplines but the schematic serves to highlight what sort of
set skills may be called upon for effective Contract Administration.
The diagram below displays the Contract Administration disciplines involved in complex
contracts:
Figure 5: Contract Administration Responsibilities
CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION (CA)

Legal Counsel
Document Control Office
Procurement Administration Operations Engineering & Design
Preparation of tender documents Payment to contractors Monitoring actual progress Technical support to the operations unit
Tender opening and evaluation Controlling cost overruns Technical assessment of new procurement o
Budget control on contract by contract basis Design services for the implementation of cu
Purchasing and Logistics operations Measurement of periodic work accomplishment;
Personnel issues and trainingSupervision
and staff development
of compliance
plans
with quality standards
Supplier and price database Cost accounting for key operations
Operation of management information system (MIS)

The volume and repetitive nature of activities and the corresponding annual procurement
turnover determine the optimum size of the Procurement Entity’s operational staff levels and
skills.
The Contract Administration function is entrusted to the Contract Administrator (CA) who
assumes the ultimate responsibility for all Contract Administration tasks and is in charge of
mobilizing the Contract Administration team.
Depending on the mandate of the Procurement Entity, the CA may be in charge of one or more
contracts thus necessitating the presence of an efficient document control set-up.
The broad lines of responsibility for each of the disciplines of Contract Administration may be
summarized as follows:
I. Procurement
This discipline primarily deals with:
a) Preparation of the invitation to tender documents, inclusive of determining the contract
type and the general and particular conditions of contract in consultation with concerned
end-users, consultants and other disciplines within the Entity,
b) Tender opening and evaluation,
c) Purchasing and logistics operations for the requirements of the Procurement Entity on
assignments directly implemented by the Entity, and
d) Maintaining databases on market prices and sources of supply/vendors.
I. Administration
a) Payment to contractors,
b) Budget control on contract by contract basis,
c) Personnel issues and implementation of training and staff development plans, and
d) Cost accounting for key operations.
II. Operations
This discipline supervises the physical implementation of each contract:
a) Monitoring actual progress versus contract work plan/schedule,
b) Controlling cost overruns due to increased volume of operations or costs growth due to
variation orders,
c) Measurement of periodic work accomplishment,
d) Supervision of compliance with quality standards of inspection, testing, etc., and
e) Operation of management information system (MIS) for optimum coordination and
access to information amongst all disciplines.
III. Engineering and design

a) Providing technical support to the operations unit,
b) Technical assessment of new procurement operations, and
c) Provision of design services as needed for the implementation of current and future
operations.

IV. Document control office

This office is in charge of:
a) Orderly operation of the Procurement Entity’s filing set-up i.e. maintains
chronologically sorted originals of all external correspondence on contract by
contract basis plus records of relevant internal correspondence and minutes of
meetings, and
b) Registry operations i.e. receipt, filing and distribution of correspondence to all
concerned disciplines.
The responsibilities of the document control office are developed within the internal operational
procedure of the Procurement Entity.
2.11 Contract Administrator Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of the contract administrator are:
 Participating, as necessary, in developing the solicitation and writing the draft
documents. Contract administration must be considered during this process.
 Monitoring the contractor’s progress and performance to ensure goods and services
conform to the contract requirements.
 Managing any state property used in contract performance.
 Authorizing payments consistent with the contract terms.
 Exercising state remedies, as appropriate, where a contractor’s performance is deficient.
 Resolving disputes in a timely manner.
 Documenting significant events.
 Maintaining appropriate records.
The number of participants in the contract administration process will vary in number from one
to many depending on the size, level of risk and complexity of the contract. Early in the
procurement process, identify staff to participate in contract administration. Identify a single
Contract Administrator and others to assist him/her. Assign roles and responsibilities which may
include:
 Determining the sequence of activities, dependencies, required or desired outcomes, and
acceptable performance levels.
 Developing a timetable and start and end date for each performance component. Include
milestones with accompanying timeframes, and monitoring and reporting requirements.
 Monitoring contractor activity on a specified frequency to identify problem areas.
 Meeting with the contractor on a regular basis to review progress, discuss problems and
consider necessary changes.
 Providing access to state facilities, equipment, data, staff, materials and information.
 Contacting other staff as necessary to provide equipment and data.
 Establishing scope of authority, clear lines of communication and reporting and specific
individuals who will interact directly with the contractor.
 Establishing control of correspondence, data and reports.
 Identifying potential problems and solutions.
 Defining terms or conditions of default.

 Establishing a procedure, identifying a responsible person and establishing a timeframe

for handling noncompliance.
 Establishing a procedure, identifying a responsible person and establishing a timeline for
making necessary contract decisions or modifications.
2.12 Skills of the Contract Administrator

Contract administration is not a clerical activity. The Contract Administrator must be proactive
both with the control and with his/her own organization and ideally needs to have the following
competencies:
 A basic understanding of procurement policies, procedures and practice,
 An understanding of organizational goal,
 An ability to communicate well both internally and with private sector contractor,
 An ability to operate in a team and as a team leader,
 An understanding of the terms and conditions of the contract being managed and of their
significance,
 An understanding of project planning methods,
 The ability to organize and manage effective business meetings, and
 The ability to motivate contractors to meet tough targets.

3.0 FORMS AND CONDITIONS OF STANDARD

WORKS CONTRACTS
3.1 Introduction
The FIDIC Conditions of Contract for Construction have become the prevailing international
standard for works contracts because they present a multitude of advantages over other forms
and conditions of contract to:
 Cover in a clear and precise manner a lot of circumstances and events that may and
often occur during the implementation of a works contract, and
 Provide a clear image on the roles and responsibilities of each party.
This is why Employers may favour the use of this type of contract even for Micro/Minor
works that would not normally qualify for this.
3.2 Basic Documentation for Works Contract

The ultimate responsibility for the method of procurement and the choice of contract types
rests with the Employer and in some cases subject to the agreement of funding institutions.
The types of contract most commonly financed give an indication of their suitability and
acceptability for the range of circumstances confronting Employers in the implementation of
their infrastructure development Programmes. No detailed analysis of different contract types
is currently available in Ghana, but the consensus of procurement entities is that for both
International Competitive Tendering (ICT) and National Competitive Tendering (NCT), the
UR (Admeasurement) contract is the most popular and widely used in almost all sectors for
Major, Micro and Minor works of moderate and/or complexity and risk
The LS turnkey contract is ranked second in importance for ICT projects, particularly in the
industry, power/energy/petroleum and telecommunications sectors where projects are usually
large although few in number. Supply and Install contracts are also frequently used in these
sectors for projects involving the installation of major items of permanent plant, machinery,
equipment or apparatus and the like with relatively minor amounts of works involved.
Micro/Minor LS works contracts are common for NCT procurement in sectors of rural
development, education, water supply, populations, health and nutrition, etc.
The Cost Plus and Target Cost types of contract are rarely used in Ghanaian projects,
primarily because the conditions for which they are most suited of poor initial project
definition and design and the lack of firm cost estimates do not provide a proper basis for
appraisal at that preliminary stage of the project cycle. Further design and cost estimation is
normally recommended with a view to adopting a more acceptable type of contract at a later
stage.
BOT contracting is a relatively new field for the public sector in Ghana and raises questions
regarding priorities in financing applications, acceptable prequalification and competitive
tendering procedures, tender and tariff evaluation, risk allocation and guarantees.
The conditions of contract spell out in detail the legally enforceable contractual obligations of
the parties, the law applicable to the contract, the mode and the forum for setting disputes,

and the procedures for inspection, measurement, insurance, payment, bonding (securities),
and

alterations. In a competitive tender situation, all participants must tender on the basis of
identical terms in order to make their tender prices comparable. For this reason, conditions of
contract form part of the tender documents.
The contract documents usually comprise:
 The Letter of Acceptance (and any minutes of final contract negotiations, if any
and/or clarifications),
 The Tender,
 The Agreement (Form of contract)
 The Particular Conditions of Contract (Special conditions),
 The General Conditions of contract,
 The Drawings,
 The Priced Bill of Quantities and the Day work schedule included therein,
 The Schedule of Rates and process (if any), and
 Other relevant documents or reference materials forming part of the Contract.
All the above-mentioned documents should be physically incorporated and bound into one
original contract version (or two originals, each party taking his own copy) in which the
parties have initialed each constituent page. The only exception might be that General
Conditions of Contract are incorporated by reference to a well-known and easily accessible
set of General Conditions of Contract.
3.3 Standard Forms of Works Contracts/Standard Tender Documents

Available and Proposed
The frequency of use of the UR type of works contract in Ghana encouraged the PPA to
redesign its Standard Tender Documents (STDs) for Works in 2014 for the guidance of
Employers. A simpler Standard Tender Documents intended for use on Micro and Minor
works contracts was also prepared.
A Standard Prequalification Document (SPD) has been also
prepared. A list of STDs already issued by the PPA include those for:
i. Procurement of Micro Contracts
ii. Procurement of Minor Contracts
iii. Procurement of Medium Contracts-Ad-measurement
iv. Procurement of Medium Contracts - Lump Sum
v. Procurement of Major Contract
3.4 General Conditions of Contract

The Form of Contract to be entered into by Procurement Entities for the construction of
Works which are the General Conditions of Contract that are used with the Standard Tender
Documents (STDs) are the FIDIC Conditions of Contract (GCC) of various Editions and
dates prepared and copyrighted by the International Federation of Consulting Engineers
(Fédération Internationale des Ingénieurs-Conseils, or “FIDIC”) and licensed to the Public
Procurement Authority for its exclusive use and adoption into its various STDs.

Consequently, no part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, adapted, stored in a

retrieval system or communicated, in any form or by any means, whether mechanical,
electronic, magnetic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing
from FIDIC, except by PPA and the Employer and only for the exclusive purpose of
preparing these Tender Documents. Copies of these FIDIC Conditions of Contract for
Construction can be obtained from the Employer.
The text of the Clauses in the GCC are not to be modified but are only subject to the
variations and additions set out under Conditions of Particular Application. The General
Conditions of Contract shall be provided to Pre-Qualified Tenderers as part of the Tender
Documents to be made available by the Employer.
3.5 Conditions of Particular Application (COPA)/Special Conditions of

Contract (SCC)/Contract Data
These particular/special conditions of contract that have been developed by the Employer to
supplement the GCC and that shall be used in contracting for Works and includes provisions
that are a part of the Government’s and Procurement Entity’s obligations and policies.
Whenever there is a conflict, the provisions in the COPA/SCC/Contract Data shall prevail
over the General Conditions of Contract.
There is usually an Annex to the Conditions of Particular Application which contain the
Contract Forms, which once completed, become part of the Contract. The forms for Letter of
Acceptance, Contract Agreement, Performance Security, Advance Payment Security and
Retention Money Guarantee, when required, shall be completed only by the successful
Tenderer after Contract award.

4.0 CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION PROCESS:

POST- AWARD PRELIMINARY TASKS
4.1 Introduction
Post contract-Award Preliminary Tasks are essential for the eventual success of contract
performance monitoring and any follow-up actions. These involve all the preparatory
activities necessary to enable commencement of contract implementation. The chapter
discusses formation of the contract administration team and assigning roles and
responsibilities; setting up administrative, financial/payment, time control and inspection and
quality assurance procedures; determining communications and reporting requirements;
preparation of contract administration plan, including contract milestones; determining
meeting procedures; and devising verification procedures of securities and insurance policies.
4.2 Contract Administration Planning (Policies, Systems and Procedures)

Contract Administration Plan should be established within the schedules of the Contract, with
details negotiated and agreed with the contractor prior to contract execution. This Contract
Administration Plan should be developed of and approved with reference to the Contract.
The Contract Administration Plan is to be implemented and used throughout the contract as
agreed. It should be reviewed as required at least annually.
Anyone involved in a procurement project should sign a declaration of interest statement and
a non-disclosure agreement.
In dealing with Contract Administration Planning therefore, policies, systems and procedures
must concentrate on the following amongst others:
 Assignment of individual/team responsibility for contract administration process.
 Establishment of internal procedures (hierarchy, communication, level of authority,
flow of documents, verification and acceptance procedures, payment procedures,
internal audit etc.);
 Evaluation of main risks and identification of mitigation measures.
 Coordination of arrangements with third parties (other agencies, contractors, end
users, beneficiaries etc.).
 Development of contract administration plan and milestones
 Development of procedure for keeping track of the contract’s price adjustment
mechanism
4.3 Initial Meeting(s)

A kick-off meeting with the Contractor is absolutely necessary at the start of the project. The
Engineer should also be present, since it would take over much of Employer’s contract
supervision responsibilities.
In particular issues associated with Commencement Certificate, agenda for Pre-
Commencement and Commencement Meetings, establish the need for Initial Meeting(s),
Timings and Critical Issues to be established.

It is also recommended to hold separate meetings with all other stakeholders – the parties
responsible with the design and engineering (if different from the Engineer); local authorities;
state agencies (works inspection, environmental, labor etc.); end users and beneficiaries etc.
The kick-off meeting between the Employer, Engineer and Contractor should normally take
place as soon as the Letter of Acceptance is issued and should also include a site visit, if
practicable.
Critical issues to be established during the kick-off meeting(s):
 Introducing the parties, their roles and responsibilities - this applies equally to
Contractor’s representatives and key staff; Employer’s staff in charge with the
contract management; and the Engineer and the staff of the supervising consultant;
 Establishing the communication procedures - (mechanisms, frequency etc.). The
parties should agree at the start of the project on the communication mechanisms
between the Contractor and the Engineer and the Employer (where applicable) as
well as on the frequency of the formal site meetings between the Contractor’s and
Engineer’s representatives (e.g. site representatives of the Engineer and the
Contractor should have at least weekly progress meetings and the minutes of these
meetings should be promptly shared with the Employer);
 Review of contract documents - priority and inter-correlation of contract documents;
conditions of contract; technical specifications; payment schedules and covenants;
implementation milestones, etc.;
 Review of applicable legislation and any obligations deriving in connection to the
execution of the contract in the Employer’s country (e.g. contract registration; fiscal
registration of Contractor in the Employer’s country; applicable tax regime, reporting
obligations to other Government agencies; permits and licenses etc.);
 Establish a comprehensive reporting system between the parties (level, frequency,
templates for reports for each party involved);
 Define escalation procedures to unblock critical situations or bottlenecks (delays in
performance or in obtaining permits and approvals; abuses of power from the
Engineer; non-performance of Contractor’s staff etc.);
 Ensuring that all parties involved in the contract implementation share the same
understanding of their rights, roles and responsibilities derived from the contract
documents; of each other’s expectations; of the timeframe; of any particular
constraints in the implementation.
 Setting the circumstances of the Employer giving the Contractor right of access to
and possession of the Site;
 Establishing a tentative Commencement Date, by which all conditions required by
the Contract would be met (signing of Contract Agreement, submission of
performance security and advance payment guarantee, payment of advance etc.)

4.4 Access to and Possession of Site

As soon as practicable and usually after
 Signing of the Contract Agreement; and
 Submission by the Contractor of the performance security and advance payment
guarantee,
The Employer, the Contractor and the Engineer shall have another formal meeting (on Site)
by which the Employer gives the Contractor access to and possession of the Site.
All conditions precedent fulfilled and depending on the status of the Site (property of the
Employer, of the local community or of third parties), the protocol for the hand-over of the
Site should be signed by the relevant parties as well (if the owners had not already transferred
the appropriate rights to the Employer).
4.5 Verification of Securities

Practice has shown that many Employers are mere depositories of securities submitted by the
Contractor and no actual verification is done. There have been sufficient incidents involving
forged or unenforceable securities (due to unacceptable conditions or improper wording)
where the Employers did not properly protect their own interests.
Some of these incidents occurred when bonds issued by insurance companies, rather than
securities issued by banks, were involved. Agreeing that bonds are acceptable instruments
should happen if the Employer has the capacity to actually verify the issuers of the respective
bonds)
An often forgotten issue is the extension of the performance security whenever an extension
of time is awarded and/or the Contract Price is increased. The performance security should
always cover the stated percentage of the Contract Price (and its subsequent increases) and
the period of time stipulated in the Contract (usually 28 days after the issuance of Taking
Over Certificate).
Tips for verifying bank securities and deciding which deviations/conditions are acceptable
may include:
 The guarantee contains a condition that any claims should be accompanied by a
written confirmation of the authenticity of Employer’s signatures – acceptable
deviation as it is actually a safeguard measure for the bank to avoid fraudulent claims
on the guarantee,
 The guarantee contains a condition that any claims should be forwarded through a
corresponding bank of the issuer – acceptable deviation and a rather normal and
implicit condition - we need to make sure that the claim actually reaches the issuer, so
we should instruct our bank to make sure that the correct channels are used to forward
the claim,
 The guarantee contains a condition that all payments due to the Contractor should be
made to Contractor’s account at the bank that issued the guarantee – not acceptable
because the guarantee must be enforceable regardless of any payment arrangement
between parties,

 The guarantee contains a condition that the Employer should notify the Bank
whenever a variation is approved or whenever there is any modification to the
contract clauses and provisions – not acceptable as the guarantee should be
enforceable without the Employer having the burden of notifying any modifications
of the contract to the bank.
4.6 Verification of Insurance Policies

The importance of insurance policies is very often overlooked by Employers because they
seem like just another item to tick off a checklist. However, insurance policies become
important only when an incident happens and this is why Employers should pay extra
attention to them.
Like in the case of securities, insurance policies need to be checked because they are even
more prone to deviations and conditions that can render them useless.
Consequently, the Employers should carefully check the following:
 Issuing company – is the issuer of the policies a properly established and reputable
insurer in the Employer’s country or abroad? Even for foreign insurance companies
information is usually available through the insurance market regulators in the home
country.
 Amount – does the insured amount properly cover the whole of the Works as
requested by the conditions of contract?
 Coverage – does the policy fully cover all general and specific risks that may occur on
the site?
 Validity – is the policy valid for the entire period requested by the conditions of contract
i.e. including Defects notification period? Did the Contractor submit the proof of
actually paying the premiums to the insurance company?
 Insured parties – does the policy expressly name both the Employer and the
Contractor as jointly insured? Policies where only the Contractor is insured are not
acceptable as they transfer the entire risk on the Employer.
 Exclusions – maybe the most subtle and overlooked issue in an insurance policy.
Exclusions are basically events (risks) that are not insured i.e. if the works are
destroyed following the occurrence of an excluded event, the insurer does not pay for
the damage. There are many cases when the Contractor gets very cheap insurance
precisely because most events are excluded (usually trough addenda to the insurance
policy). This is why the Employer should always check the exclusions of the policies
and should request directly from the insurance company confirmation about the exact
list of exclusions and their applicability.
 Deductibles – these represent the amounts that the insured party has to cover from its
own funds when an insured event occurs (e.g. for an insured value of $100 with a
deductible of $10, the insured party recovers $90 from the insurance company).
Higher deductibles translate in cheaper insurance but also in higher risks, because the
Contractor /Employer would need to cover more of the damage. The Employer should
therefore check the adequacy of the deductibles and set a ceiling that the Contractor
could reasonably cover from its own resources.

 Terms and conditions that may render the policies invalid under certain circumstances
or events – the Employer should check any conditions attached to the insurance
policies such as prior notification requirements and any other clauses that may affect
its rights under the terms of the policy. Special attention should be paid in the case of
contract variations because most of the insurers would require to be notified whenever
changes to the scope of works occur. The same applies to extensions of time for
completion – the Employer should make sure that the policies are properly extended
to cover the new reality of the contract.
In effect, note should be taken of Coverage, Validity, Amounts, Text and Format, Jointly
insured parties (when applicable), Exclusions, Deductibles, Unacceptable Deviations and
Conditions, Notification Requirements and Insurance Premiums.
4.7 Interest-Free Advance Mobilization Loan

It goes without saying that no payment should be made to the Contractor until valid and duly
verified performance security and advance payment guarantee have been submitted. Then the
Engineer should issue the appropriate Interim Payment Certificate certifying that all
conditions for the advance payment have been met.
The Employer should supervise Contractor’s mobilization on site and use of the advance
payment, because usually this is a fairly good indication on Contractor’s later performance.
Any delays or deviations in site mobilization should be promptly notified to and remedied by
the Contractor.
Contractor’s mobilization should be seen as comprising at least the following key aspects:
 Financial resources - if advance has been paid, than the Contractor should be able to
timely complete the appropriate mobilization arrangements; or if advance has not
been requested or paid, that means that the Contractor should have its own financing
arrangements in place that would allow an adequate mobilization;
 Manpower - both in terms of Contractor’s key staff and sufficient labour to ensure
proper and timely execution of the works;
 Plant, equipment, materials;
 Site facilities – starting with proper fencing and securing the site; adequate site
accommodation facilities for the Contractor’s personnel and for Engineer’s staff (if
requested under the Contract); acceptable sanitary and hygienic conditions for all
personnel; proper storage facilities for the sensitive plant, equipment and materials
brought on site etc.
There may be cases where the Contractor receives the advance payment but fails to mobilize
up to the value of the advance payment or according to its own Mobilization Schedule, which
should have been part of its tender. If it is obvious that the Contractor does not have the
intention of making the adequate start up arrangements or uses the advance payment for other
purposes than the mobilization costs, then the Employer would be entitled and should not
hesitate to forfeit the advance payment guarantee, after due consultation with the Engineer,
who should be in the best position to determine Contractor’s capacity or intentions.

If everything goes according to the contract and the advance payment is properly used, the
next task of Employer’s staff, particularly financial specialists, is to ensure that repayment of
the advance is done correctly by the Engineer through the Interim Payment Certificates that
follow certification. It should be noted that Key Mobilization Considerations of Financial
resources, Manpower, Plant, equipment, materials, Site facilities and Mobilization Schedule
must be fully appreciated.
4.8 Development of Project Management Tools for Time and Cost Control
Day-to-day supervision and follow-up on the progress of works are essential attributes of the
Engineer, who should employ appropriate project management tools to ensure that critical
issues such as time, actual progress of works against planned and money, how much has been
paid versus how much has been done.
Many projects are badly managed simply because the supervisors are not familiar with basic
project management tools and techniques that would allow them to hold a firm grip on the
contract implementation. Employer’s technical staff should equally be conversant with these
tools. The following are the most widely used such instruments and have evolved in industry
standards throughout the years:
 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS);
 Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT);
 Critical Path Method (CPM);
 Gantt Chart;
 Earned Value Management (EVM).
Engineer’s records should always be reflected in these monitoring instruments which if
correctly maintained would constitute a “mirror” of the project that can show at any given
time the actual progress achieved as compared with the planned schedule (both in terms of
physical output and money spent).
Another important aspect would be the desk control of Engineer’s documents. The Engineer
should maintain very accurate records of everything that happens on the Site.
The following documents should be the minimum required:
 Measurement logs – the cornerstone of FIDIC Contract is that all quantities should be
re-measured by the Engineer and payment to the Contractor should be made only for
the quantities actually measured, that often differ from the quantities in the Contract,
 Activity reports – daily, weekly, monthly; showing in tabular format quantities of
work done, number of staff and equipment involved, consumption of materials,
testing and samples etc. The reports should also mention any specific events,
incidents, weather conditions etc.
 Issues Log – a record of all issues that occurred during the execution of works, with
appropriate description and indication of the date, cause, remedial measures to be
taken, responsible party, status of remediation etc.
 Variation Orders – critical documents that justify changes in quantities, prices and
time for completion.
 Requests to Contractor.

 Correspondence with the Contractor and third parties (Government agencies, local
authorities, controlling bodies, end users, beneficiaries etc.)
 Inspection and Control Logbook – a record of all inspections, audits and controls
performed by any party starting with the Employer, but also any third party
(environmental agency, financial control, local authorities etc.)

5.0 MONITORING CONTRACT PERFORMANCE

& REPORTING
5.1 Introduction
The objective of monitoring contract performance is to ensure that the works are completed
in terms of cost, time and in accordance with the drawings and specifications under the
Contract. Where the Engineer exercises the desired supervision and control of the works, the
Employer’s investment is protected with a durable project obtained and prevents any resort to
claims by the Contractor.
An effective contract supervision and control can be achieved if all the parties involved aim
to work together. Co-operation, collaboration and coordination irrespective of any differences
of opinion and personality are essential. The supervision organization must be provided with
offices, laboratories, equipment and transport facilities to be operational. Supervision is the
responsibility of the Engineer and his/her primary duties are to direct the execution,
completion and maintenance of the Works and to test and examine materials and
workmanship.
5.2 Time Control

The Programme is the basis for the time control for the works. Within the time stated in the
COPA/SCC/Contract Data, after the date of the Letter of Acceptance, the Contractor shall
submit to the Engineer/Project Manager for approval a program showing the general
methods, arrangements, order, and timing for all the activities in the Works.
An update of the Programme shall be a Programme showing the actual progress achieved on
each activity and the effect of the progress achieved on the timing of the remaining work,
including any changes to the sequence of the activities.
The Contractor shall submit to the Engineer/Project Manager for approval an updated
Programme at intervals as shall be prescribed. If the Contractor does not submit an updated
Programme within this period, the Engineer/Project Manager may withhold the amount from
the next Payment Certificate and continue to withhold this amount until the next payment
after the date on which the overdue Program has been submitted and approved by the Project
Manager.
The Engineer/Project Manager’s approval of the Programme shall not alter the Contractor’s
obligations. The Contractor may revise the Programme and submit it to the Engineer/Project
Manager for approval again at any time. A revised Program shall show the effect of any
Variation and Compensation Events.
The Engineer/Project Manager shall extend the Intended Completion Date if a Compensation
Event occurs or a Variation is issued which makes it impossible for completion to be
achieved by the Intended Completion Date without the Contractor taking steps to accelerate
the remaining work in a manner that would cause the Contractor to incur additional cost.
The
Engineer/Project Manager shall also extend the Intended Completion Date if it determines an
event of Force Majeure has occurred.
The Engineer/Project Manager shall decide whether and by how much to extend the Intended
Completion Date within 21 days of (a) the Contractor asking him/her for a decision upon the
effect of a Compensation Event or Variation or (b) the Contractor or the Employer asking the
Engineer/Project Manager for a decision on the occurrence of an event of Force Majeure. In
each case, such request is to be in writing and shall be supplemented by full supporting
information. If the Contractor has failed to give early warning of a delay or has failed to
cooperate in dealing with a delay, the delay by this failure shall not be considered in
assessing the new Intended Completion Date.
When the Employer wants the Contractor to finish before the Intended Completion Date, the
Engineer/Project Manager shall obtain priced proposals for achieving the necessary
acceleration from the Contractor. If the Employer accepts these proposals, the Intended
Completion Date shall be adjusted accordingly and confirmed by both the Employer and the
Contractor. If the Contractor’s priced proposals for an acceleration are accepted by the
Employer, they are incorporated in the Contract Price and treated as a Variation.
The Engineer/Project Manager may instruct the Contractor to delay the start or progress of
any activity within the Works. Either the Engineer/Project Manager or the Contractor may
require the other to attend a management meeting. The business of a management meeting
shall be to review the plans for remaining work and to deal with matters raised in accordance
with the early warning procedure.
The Engineer/Project Manager shall record the business of management meetings and
provide copies of the record to those attending the meeting and to the Employer. The
responsibility of the parties for actions to be taken shall be decided by the Project Manager
either at the management meeting or after the management meeting and stated in writing to
all who attended the meeting.
The Contractor shall warn the Engineer/Project Manager at the earliest opportunity of
specific likely future events or circumstances that may adversely affect the quality of the
work, increase the Contract Price, or delay the execution of the Works. The Project Manager
may require the Contractor to provide an estimate of the expected effect of the future event or
circumstance on the Contract Price and Completion Date. The estimate shall be provided by
the Contractor as soon as reasonably possible.
The Contractor shall cooperate with the Engineer/Project Manager in making and considering
proposals for how the effect of such an event or circumstance can be avoided or reduced by
anyone involved in the work and in carrying out any resulting instruction of the
Engineer/Project Manager.
The Contractor shall request the Engineer/Project Manager to issue a Certificate of
Completion of the Works, and the Engineer/Project Manager shall do so upon deciding that
the work is completed. Engineer/Project Manager shall take over the Site and the Works
within seven days of the Engineer/Project Manager’s issuing a Certificate of Completion.

5.3 Quality Control and Assurance

The Engineer/Project Manager shall check the Contractor’s work and notify the Contractor of
any Defects that are found. Such checking shall not affect the Contractor’s responsibilities.
The Engineer/Project Manager may instruct the Contractor to search for a Defect and to
uncover and test any work that the Engineer/Project Manager considers may have a Defect.
If the Project Manager instructs the Contractor to carry out a test not specified in the
Specifications to check whether any work has a Defect and the test shows that it does, the
Contractor shall pay for the test and any samples. If there is no Defect, the test shall be a
Compensation Event.
The Engineer/Project Manager shall give notice to the Contractor of any Defects before the
end of the Defects notification period, which begins at Completion. The Defects notification
period shall be extended for as long as Defects remain to be corrected.
Every time notice of a Defect is given, the Contractor shall correct the notified Defect within
the length of time specified by the Engineer/Project Manager’s notice of Defect.
If the Contractor has not corrected a Defect within the time specified in the Engineer/Project
Manager’s notice of Defect, the Engineer/Project Manager shall assess the cost of having the
Defect corrected, and the Contractor shall pay this amount.
5.4 Quantity Control

The quantities given in the Bills of Quantities (BOQs) are estimates only.
For payment purposes it is necessary to measure the works actually carried out. Quantity
Control consists of the following the two activities of Measurement and Variations.
Measurement or Re-measurement is carried out to ensure that the quantities set out in the
Bills of Quantities (BOQ) are always monitored item by item. They are the theoretical
quantities for the Works and considered provisional, derived from the drawings and not to be
taken as the actual quantities of the Works executed by the Contractor.
Variations are directed by the Engineer/Project Manager and the Employer. The
Engineer/Project Manager shall make any variation of the form, quality or quantity of the
Works. There may be variations arising out of measurement and those arising out
instructions. The Engineer/Project Manager shall have the authority to instruct the Contractor
in writing to carry out, and the Contractor shall do so for any of the following:
a) Increase or decrease the quantity of any work included in the Contract,
b) Omit any such work,
c) Change the character or quality or kind of any such work,
d) Change the levels, lines, position and dimensions of any part of the works.
e) Execute additional work of any kind necessary for the completion of the Works, and
f) Change any specified sequence or timing of construction of any part of the Works.
Therefore, the SO should instruct the Quantity Surveyor to ensure that he should monitor all
works executed by the Contractor and treat any variation instructed by the Engineer with all
seriousness.

The Engineer/Project Manager could also instruct the Quantity Surveyor to carry out the
following duties:
a) Keep up to date quantity records including field measurements,
b) Assist to review and comment on drawings for quantity estimates,
c) Carry out quantity measurement at field,
d) Assist in completing weekly and monthly reports,
e) Evaluate variations and rates submitted by the Contractor,
f) Evaluate monthly statement and claims, and
g) Prepare the forecast of final construction cost and revise it from time to time.
5.5 Cost Control

Bills of Quantities are the basis for cost control mechanisms for works contracts.
The Bills of Quantities shall contain items for the construction, installation, testing, and
commissioning work to be done by the Contractor. The Bills of Quantities are used to
calculate the Contract Price. The Contractor is paid for the quantity of the work done at the
rate in the Bills of Quantities for each item. If the final quantity of the work done differs
from the quantity in the Bills of Quantities for the particular item by more than 25 percent,
provided the change exceeds one percent of the Initial Contract Price, the Engineer/Project
Manager shall adjust the rate to allow for the change.
The Engineer/Project Manager shall not adjust rates from changes in quantities if thereby the
Initial Contract Price is exceeded by more than 15 percent, except with the prior approval of
the Employer. If requested by the Engineer/Project Manager, the Contractor shall provide the
Project Manager with a detailed cost breakdown of any rate in the Bills of Quantities.
All Variations shall be included in updated Programmes produced by the Contractor. The
Contractor shall provide the Engineer/Project Manager with a quotation for carrying out the
Variation when requested to do so by the Engineer/Project Manager. The Engineer/Project
Manager shall assess the quotation, which shall be given within seven days of the request or
within any longer period stated by the Engineer/Project Manager and before the Variation is
ordered.
If the work in the Variation corresponds with an item description in the Bills of Quantities
and if, in the opinion of the Engineer/Project Manager, the quantity of work above the limit
stated or the timing of its execution do not cause the cost per unit of quantity to change, the
rate in the Bills of Quantities shall be used to calculate the value of the Variation. If the cost
per unit of quantity changes, or if the nature or timing of the work in the Variation does not
correspond with items in the Bills of Quantities, the quotation by the Contractor shall be in
the form of new rates for the relevant items of work.
If the Contractor’s quotation is unreasonable, the Engineer/Project Manager may order the
Variation and make a change to the Contract Price, which shall be based on the
Engineer/Project Manager’s own forecast of the effects of the Variation on the Contractor’s
costs.

If the Engineer/Project Manager decides that the urgency of varying the work would prevent
a quotation from being given and considered without delaying the work, no quotation shall be
given and the Variation shall be treated as a Compensation Event. The Contractor shall not be
entitled to additional payment for costs that could have been avoided by giving early warning.
When the Programme is updated, the Contractor shall provide the Engineer/Project Manager
with an updated cash flow forecast. The cash flow forecast shall include different currencies,
as defined in this Contract, converted as necessary using the exchange rates provided for in
this Contract.
5.6 Performance Approvals

Performance Approval schemes are used in Monitoring to ensure that the quality of
measurements meet a pre-defined standard which is acceptable to regulators. The
requirements of these schemes converged with the adoption of the same performance
standard. The focus of these performance standards is an independent assessment of the
accuracy and reliability of the instrument in a typical application in the field trial and a
separate set of laboratory tests. An expert committee approves the instrument according to the
standard for a specified certification range and set of application conditions. In general, the
lower the certification range the better the instrument performance since performance criteria
are specified as a percentage of the certification range.
5.7 Performance Indicators and Resolution of Challenges

Performance measurement indicates what a project is accomplishing and whether results are
being achieved. It helps contract administrators by providing them information on how
resources and efforts should be allocated to ensure effectiveness and programme partners
focused on the key goals of a programme. It supports development and justification of budget
proposals by indicating how taxpayers and others benefit.
Performance measurement must often be coupled with evaluation data to increase the
understanding of why results occur and what value a program adds. Performance
measurement cannot replace data on programme costs, political judgments about priorities,
creativity about solutions or common sense. A major purpose of performance measurement is
to raise fundamental questions; the measures seldom, by themselves, provide definitive
answers. Performance measurement keeps a focus on results.
Key Definitions and Concepts involve:
 Strategic goals
 Performance goals
 Performance measures
 Targets and timeframes
Characteristics of such goals/measures include:
 Quality over quantity
 Importance to budget decisions
 Public clarity
 Feasibility
 Collaboration

5.8 Contract Remedies/Mitigation

The standard practice, rule and indeed the law is that recovery is lessened by the amount of
damages that could be mitigated with reasonable efforts. If you did not expend the extra
effort to find others, then your recovery would be limited to those damages which you could
not mitigate by reasonable efforts. Automatic forfeiture would be unenforceable as a penalty.
5.9 Internal and External Communications

Internal communications (IC) is the function responsible for effective communications
among participants within an organization. Many practitioners highlight that they are not
responsible for the day to day intercourse between colleagues but rather in helping an
organization achieve its goals by building understanding and engagement. Modern
understanding of internal communications is a field of its own and draws on the theory and
practice of related professions.
External communications, typically includes email, brochures, newsletters, posters,
advertisements and other forms of multimedia marketing designed to attract customers,
partners and Contractors to conduct profitable business transactions.
Unlike internal communications, directed at employees to explain policies and procedures,

external communication devices promote sales and publicity, generate sponsorship, announce
events, products or services and support branding. Marketing professionals use persuasive
techniques to influence others in their external communication strategies.
5.10 Contract Reporting

In Contract Reporting, a lot dwells on:
 Role or Knowledge of the Project
 Satisfaction with the Quality of Service
 Contractor's Ability to Control Costs
 Timeliness of Contract Performance
 Quality of Relations with the Contractor during contract performance
 Contractor-met Customer Satisfaction
 Contractor's effectiveness of Key Personnel
 Subcontractors’ Attitude
5.11 Site Visits and Regular Meetings

One of the key responsibilities of the Employer throughout the implementation of the
contract is to maintain a close control on what actually happens on site. This cannot
effectively be done without inspecting the Site as often as necessary. Employer’s technical
experts should be actively involved in the site visits that would facilitate better understanding
of the progress of works.
Whenever visiting the Site, Employer’s staff should bear in mind the following minimum
aspects that relate to visual or physical inspection:
 Progress of works against planned; how much of the work has been done, compared to
the planned progress?

 Quality of works; do all works comply with the quality requirements in the technical
specifications?
 Deployment of staff/labour; is the number of people actually working on site
sufficient to have the works completed on time?
 Contractor’s mobilization of materials and equipment; does the Contractor have all
necessary equipment and construction materials to complete the works according to
the specifications and on time?
 Health and safety with regard not only to the Contractor’s personnel, but also to the
public safety; have all necessary health and safety measures been implemented?
 Environmental issues; is the Environmental Management Plan being enforced
appropriately?
5.12 Management of Securities and Insurance

In the management of securities, the Employer should take these two main steps:
 Check the securities (performance security, advance payment guarantee) for the correct
(i) amount; (ii) validity; (iii) text/format and wording and issuing authority. The text
of the security should not contain any significant deviation from the sample forms
included in the tender documents. The Employer should reject any additional texts
introducing conditions that would render the security invalid or make it harder to
forfeit constituting Unacceptable Deviations/Conditions. Safe Custody of verified
securities must be respected.
 Submit the securities to its own bank (commercial bank) and request verification of
the authenticity of the signatures of the issuing bank. This process should not
normally exceed a few business days and the cost of this service is usually negligible,
so the Employers should always request this verification. This is especially important
in the case of (i) unknown contractors; and (ii) securities issued in questionable
jurisdictions (e.g. offshore fiscal havens).
In the management of insurance, the Employer should note the following tips for verifying
insurance policies out of some real life experiences concerning problems:
 In some countries there is a practice among certain contractors and insurance
companies to have the insurance policy cancelled immediately after its signing. The
policy is obviously no longer valid and the Contractor gets back most of the money
paid as premium (the insurance company holds a percentage for agreeing to this
scheme). This way the Contractor still has a policy to show to the Employer, but there
is no real coverage, because the policy has been cancelled. The Employer should
check the existence of proofs of payment of insurance premiums and officially
request confirmation from time to time from the insurance company, at least twice a
year that the respective policies are still valid.
A variation of this scheme involves the insurer and the Contractor agreeing to an
amendment to the original policy, waiving most risks. The Employer is thus unaware
that the policy is worthless.
 A similar mechanism applies to the payment of insurance premiums. The policy is
issued and requires payment in monthly or quarterly installments. The Contractor

submits the policy to the Employer but does not make any subsequent payments.
Consequently the policy is no longer valid. The same safety measure should be
applied by requesting the Contractor to submit proof of paying the premiums and
check with the insurer if the policy is still valid.
 Accepting a conditional insurance policy – similar to above with regard to conditional
bank guarantees, most insurance companies request to be notified about any changes
in the scope of works. Unlike the bank guarantee, this is usually a legitimate request
and should be granted because, unlike the bank the insurer assumes a risk that is
directly linked to the very nature of the works, not a general financial risk linked to
the performance of the contract. If the scope of the contract changes, the insurer’s
risks may increase.

6.0 CONTRACT MODIFICATION

6.1 Introduction
Contract modifications are only normal in a works contract and very necessary to correct
shortcomings in the design, to improve the proposed technologies, to allow for the use of
newer or better materials etc. As long as they are carefully analyzed and duly justified from a
technical and economical perspective, variations should not be regarded as attempts of the
Contractor to get money in dubious ways.
6.2 Why Variation/Change Orders

Changes in quantities of works occur in virtually any works contracts for a variety of reasons
- quantities could not be accurately measured at the time of design, modifications of the
conditions on site etc.
Variations are therefore not only normal in a works contract, but also necessary to correct
shortcomings in the design, to improve the proposed technologies, to allow for the use of
newer or better materials etc. As long as they are carefully analyzed and duly justified from a
technical and economical perspective, variations should not be regarded as attempts of the
Contractor to get money in dubious ways.
The Engineer is again the most important player in this equation because it is the Engineer’s
duty to make sure that the variations requested by the Contractor are (i) necessary; and (ii)
make technical and economic sense. The next step would be to evaluate the financial impact
of the respective variations and duly inform the Employer about it. Depending on the limits
of Engineer’s authority established in the Particular Conditions, the Employer should approve
the variations that exceed the respective threshold.
6.3 Types of Variations

A variation (sometimes referred to as a variation instruction, variation order or change order)
is an alteration to the scope of works in a construction contract in the form of an addition,
substitution or omission from the original scope of works.
Almost all construction projects vary from the original design, scope and definition. Whether
small or large, construction projects will have inevitably depart from the original tender
design, specifications and drawings prepared by the design team. This can be because of
technological advancement, statutory changes or enforcement, change in conditions,
geological anomalies, non-availability of specified materials, or simply because of the
continued development of the design after the contract has been awarded. In large
engineering projects variations can be very significant, whereas on small building contracts
they may be relatively minor.
Variations may include:

 Alterations to the design.
 Alterations to quantities.
 Alterations to quality.
 Alterations to working conditions.
 Alterations to the sequence of work.

Variations may also be deemed to occur if the contract documents do not properly describe
the works actually required.
Variations may not (without the contractors consent):

 Change the fundamental nature of the works.
 Omit work so that it can be carried out by another contractor.
 Be instructed after practical completion.
 Require the contractor to carry out work that was the subject of a prime cost sum.
In legal terms, a variation is an agreement supported by consideration to alter some terms of

the contract. No power to order variation is implied. Hence there should be express terms in
contracts which give the power to instruct variations. In the absence of express terms in the
contract the contractor may reject instructions for variations without giving rise to any legal
consequences.
Standard forms of contract generally make express provisions for the contract administrator,
generally the architect or engineer, to instruct variations. Such provisions enable the
continued, smooth administration of the works without the need for another contract.
Variation instructions must be clear as to what is and is not included, and may propose the
method of valuation.
6.4 Variation Analysis

The following main issues should be considered when analyzing a variation:
 Check if it is a variation or a mere change in quantities following re-measurement;

according to FIDIC, changes in quantities are not necessarily variations,
 Verification of supporting documents; how appropriate or necessary are the proposed
variations,
 Check how the variation was valued; existing contract rates were correctly used; new
rates were correctly constructed based on fair market prices etc.,
 Check if a change in unit rates would be appropriate or required according to the
Contract,
 Check if the time impact, extension of time for completion, was correctly assessed
and is duly justified,
 Check the level of approval by Engineer or Employer),
 Check if the variation does not require an appropriate amendment to the Contract; all
variations that determine changes in unit rates, bill items or in the scope of works
should be included in contract amendments.
All the above represent a minimum checklist for Employer’s technical and procurement staff.
6.5 Contract Amendment

A contract amendment is any change made to an active contract that alters the fundamental
obligations and entitlements of the contract; that is, you are changing or adding to the
contract, values that you specified in the Contract Entry component.


7.0 PAYMENT & COST CONTROLS
7.1 Introduction
Payment of the Interim Payment Certificates issued by the Engineer based on Contractor’s
monthly statements is one of Employer’s key responsibilities and also the moment with the
maximum involvement of its technical, procurement and financial staff. This chapter analyses
the payment and cost control systems under contracts. Two modes of payment are discussed
in this Session. The first is the traditional method of reviewing invoices for payment and the
second is the new electronic system of payment in the public service called GIFMIS.
7.2 Review and Approval of Payment Applications/Invoices

The review and approval of payment applications should imply the following:
 Existence of a well-established mechanism for the verification and approval

of payment documents – internal audit, four eyes principle etc.
 Verification of unit rates, prices and quantities;
 Verification of supporting documents (invoices; interim payment certificates; monthly
statements; actual re-measurement; timesheets; proofs of actually incurred
expenditures etc. as applicable);
 Existence of required approvals (duly certified monthly statements and
interim payment certificates; signed timesheets; Engineer’s approvals etc.);
 Price adjustment – applicability; verification of indexes (base values, correct
reference to applicable indexes) and weightings (for materials, labor,
equipment);
 Use of Provisional Sums and contingencies - check if their use was appropriate or
necessary (requests and/or approval from the Engineer);
 Check if the requested amounts have not been already paid;
 Verification of invoices (correct name, address, identification information and
bank account of the payee);
 Check if the payee’s information in the invoice is the same as in the contract and
previous payments;
 Check if the payment request fits the payment schedule/milestones in the contract;
 Check if the appropriate percentage recovery of the advance payment has
been deducted;
 Availability of funds and applicable payment method (payment from
Special Account; Direct Payment etc.)
7.3 Cost Control System

Cost control system or mechanism is put in place where the Contractor shall submit to the
Engineer/Project Manager monthly statements of the estimated value of the work executed
less the cumulative amount certified previously.
The Engineer/Project Manager shall check the Contractor’s monthly statement and certify the
amount to be paid to the Contractor which certified amount shall be set forth in a Payment
Certificate issued by the Engineer/Project Manager.

The value of work executed shall be determined by the Engineer/Project Manager. The value
of work executed shall comprise the value of the quantities of the items in the Bills of
Quantities completed. The value of work executed shall include the valuation of Variations
and Compensation Events. The Project Manager may exclude any item certified in a previous
certificate or reduce the proportion of any item previously certified in any certificate in the
light of later information.
Payments shall be adjusted for deductions for advance payments and retention, if any. The
Employer shall pay, or cause to be paid to, the Contractor the amounts certified by the
Engineer/Project Manager within 28 days of the date of each Payment Certificate. If the
Employer makes a late payment, the Contractor shall be paid interest on the late payment in
the next payment. Interest shall be calculated from the date by which the payment should
have been made up to the date when the late payment is made at the rate of interest for each
of the relevant currencies of payment.
If an amount certified is increased in a later Payment Certificate or as a result of an award by

the Adjudicator or in arbitration, the Contractor shall be paid interest on the delayed payment.
Such interest shall be calculated from the date on which the increased amount would have
been paid in the absence of dispute at the rate provided for under the contract.
Unless otherwise stated, all payments and deductions shall be paid or charged in the
proportions of currencies comprising the Contract Price.
Items of the Works for which no rate or price has been entered in shall not be paid for by the
Employer and shall be deemed covered by other rates and prices in the Contract.
The following are considered Compensation Events:
 The Employer does not give access to a part of the Site by the Site Possession Date.
 The Employer modifies the Schedule of Other Contractors in a way that affects
the work of the Contractor under this Contract.
 The Engineer/Project Manager orders a delay or does not issue Drawings,
Specifications, or instructions required for execution of the Works on
time.
 The Engineer/Project Manager instructs the Contractor to uncover or to carry
out additional tests upon work, which is then found to have no Defects.
 The Engineer/Project Manager unreasonably does not approve a sub-contract to be let.
 Ground conditions are substantially more adverse than could reasonably have been
assumed before issuance of the Letter of Acceptance from the information issued to
tenderers including the Site Investigation Reports, from information available publicly
and from a visual inspection of the Site.
 The Engineer/Project Manager gives an instruction for dealing with an
unforeseen condition, caused by the Employer, or additional work required for
safety or other reasons.
 Other contractors other than Subcontractors, public authorities, utilities, or the
Employer does not work within the dates and other constraints stated in this
Contract, and they cause delay or extra cost to the Contractor.
 The advance payment, if any, is delayed.
 The effects on the Contractor of any of the Employer’s Risks.
 The Project Manager unreasonably delays issuing a Certificate of Completion.
If a Compensation Event would cause additional cost or would prevent the work being
completed before the Intended Completion Date, the Contract Price shall be increased and/or
the Intended Completion Date shall be extended. The Engineer/Project Manager shall decide
whether and by how much the Contract Price shall be increased and whether and by how
much the Intended Completion Date shall be extended.
As soon as information demonstrating the effect of each Compensation Event upon the
Contractor’s forecast cost has been provided by the Contractor, it shall be assessed by the
Engineer/Project Manager, and the Contract Price shall be adjusted accordingly. If the
Contractor’s forecast is deemed unreasonable, the Engineer/Project Manager shall adjust the
Contract Price based on the Project Manager’s own forecast. The Engineer/Project Manager
shall assume that the Contractor shall react competently and promptly to the event.
The Contractor shall not be entitled to compensation to the extent that the Employer’s
interests are adversely affected by the Contractor’s not having given early warning or not
having cooperated with the Engineer/Project Manager.
The Contractor, any Subcontractor and their respective personnel, and their eligible
dependents, shall follow the usual customs procedures of the Employer’s country
in importing property into the Employer’s country.
If the Contractor, any Subcontractor or any of their respective personnel, or any of their
eligible dependents, do not withdraw but dispose of any property in the Employer’s country
upon which customs duties or other Taxes have been exempted, the Contractor, the
Subcontractor or such personnel or eligible dependents, as the case may be, (a) shall bear
such customs duties and other Taxes in conformity with Applicable Law, or (b) shall
reimburse such customs duties and Taxes to the Employer if such customs duties and Taxes
were paid by the Employer at the time the property in question was brought into the
Employer’s country.
Without prejudice to the rights of the Contractor under the contract, the Contractor, any
Subcontractor and their respective Personnel will take reasonable steps as requested by the
Employer or the Government with respect to the determination of the Tax status described in
the contract.
If the Contractor, any Subcontractor, or any of their respective personnel, is required to pay
Taxes that are exempt under the contract or a related agreement, the Contractor shall
promptly notify the Employer (or such agent or representative designated by the Employer)
of any such Taxes paid, and the Contractor shall cooperate with, and take such actions as may
be requested by the Employer or their agents or representatives, in seeking the prompt and
proper reimbursement of such Taxes.
The Employer shall use reasonable efforts to ensure that the Government provides the
Contractor, any Subcontractor, and their respective personnel, the exemptions from taxation
applicable to such persons or entities, in accordance with the terms of the contract or related
agreement.
Where payments are made in currencies other than the currency of the Employer’s country,
the exchange rates used for calculating the amounts to be paid shall be the exchange rates
stated in the Contractor’s Tender.
Prices shall be adjusted for fluctuations in the cost of inputs only if provided for in the
COPA/SCC/Contract Data. If so provided, the amounts certified in each Payment Certificate,
before deducting for the advance payment, if any, shall be adjusted by applying the respective
price adjustment factor to the payment amounts due in each currency. A separate formula of
the type indicated below applies to each Contract currency:
Adjustment shall be made for the first time during the term of this Contract at the time
specified in the COPA/SCC/Contract Data.
If the value of the index is changed after it has been used in a calculation, the calculation
shall be corrected and an adjustment made in the next Payment Certificate. The index value
shall be deemed to take account of all changes in cost due to fluctuations in costs.
The Employer shall retain from each payment due to the Contractor the proportion stated in
the COPA/SCC/Contract Data until completion of the whole of the Works.
On completion of the whole of the Works, half the total amount retained shall be repaid to the
Contractor and half when the Defects notification period has passed and the Project Manager
has certified that all Defects notified by the Engineer/Project Manager to the Contractor
before the end of the Defects notification period have been corrected.
On completion of the whole Works, the Contractor may substitute retention money with an
“on demand” bank guarantee in a form and issued by a bank acceptable to the Employer.
The Contractor shall pay liquidated damages to the Employer at the rate per day stated in the
COPA/SCC/Contract Data for each day that the Completion Date is later than the Intended
Completion Date. The total amount of liquidated damages shall not exceed the amount
defined in the COPA/SCC/Contract Data. The Employer may deduct liquidated damages
from payments due to the Contractor. Payment of liquidated damages shall not affect the
Contractor’s liabilities.
If the Intended Completion Date is extended after liquidated damages have been paid, the
Engineer/Project Manager shall correct any overpayment of liquidated damages by the
Contractor by adjusting the next Payment Certificate. The Contractor shall be paid interest on
the overpayment, calculated from the date of payment to the date of repayment, at the rates
specified.
The Employer shall make an advance payment to the Contractor of the amounts stated in the
COPA/SCC/Contract Data by the date stated in the COPA/SCC/Contract Data, against
provision by the Contractor of an unconditional bank guarantee in a form and by a bank
acceptable to the Employer in amounts and currencies equal to the advance payment. Such
unconditional bank guarantee shall remain effective until the advance payment has been
repaid, but the amount of such guarantee shall be progressively reduced by the amounts
repaid by the Contractor. Interest shall not be charged on the advance payment.

The Contractor is to use the advance payment only to pay for Equipment, Plant, Materials,
and mobilization expenses required specifically for execution of this Contract. The
Contractor shall demonstrate that the advance payment has been used in this way by
supplying copies of invoices or other documents to the Engineer/Project Manager in form and
substance acceptable to the Engineer/Project Manager.
The advance payment shall be repaid by deducting amounts stated in the

COPA/SCC/Contract Data from payments otherwise due to the Contractor, following the
schedule of completed percentages of the Works on a payment basis. No account shall be
taken of the advance payment or its repayment in assessing valuations of work done,
Variations, price adjustments, Compensation Events, bonuses, if any, or liquidated damages.
The Performance Security shall be provided to the Employer no later than the date specified
in the Letter of Acceptance and shall be issued in the amount specified in the
COPA/SCC/Contract Data, in a form and by a bank acceptable to the Employer, and
denominated in the types and proportions of the currencies in which the Contract Price is
payable. The Performance Security shall be valid until a date 28 days from the date of issue
of the Certificate of Completion.
If applicable, the Day work rates in the Contractor’s Tender shall be used for small additional
amounts of work only when the Engineer/Project Manager has given written instructions in
advance for additional work to be paid for in that way.
All work to be paid for as Day work shall be recorded by the Contractor on forms approved
by the Engineer/Project Manager. Each completed form shall be verified and signed by the
Engineer/Project Manager within two days of the work being done.
The Contractor shall be paid for Day work subject to obtaining signed Day work forms.
Loss or damage to the Works or Materials to be incorporated in the Works between the Start
Date and the end of the Defects notification periods shall be remedied by the Contractor at
the Contractor’s cost if the loss or damage arises from the Contractor’s acts or omissions.
The Contractor shall supply the Engineer/Project Manager with a detailed account of the total
amount that the Contractor considers payable under this Contract before the end of the
Defects notification period. The Engineer/Project Manager shall issue a Defects Liability
Certificate and certify any final payment that is due to the Contractor within 56 days of
receiving the Contractor’s account if it is correct and complete. If it is not, the
Engineer/Project Manager shall issue within 56 days a schedule that states the scope of the
corrections or additions that are necessary. If the final account is still unsatisfactory after it
has been resubmitted, the Engineer/Project Manager shall decide on the amount payable to
the Contractor and issue a Payment Certificate.

7.4 The GIFMIS Payment System
7.4.1 Introduction
It is Government decision to deploy GIFMIS for the management of all public funds
(Consolidated Funds (CF), Internally-Generated Funds (IGF), Statutory Funds (SF) and
Donor Funds (DF)) across MDAs and MMDAs in the country, as part of the broader PFM
reforms programme. The use of GIFMIS for processing financial transactions at MDAs and
MMDAs started in 2012. It is a legal requirement to use GIFMIS for processing public
financial transactions under section 25(6) of the new PFM Act, 2016 (Act 921). The objective
is to improve efficiency, comprehensiveness and transparency in Public Financial
Management through the GIFMIS platform (Objective II of the PFM Strategy, 2015- 2018).
GIFMIS is jointly funded by four development partners- the (i). World Bank (ii). DFID of
UK (iii). European Commission-EU (iv). Danish International Development Agency-
DANIDA.
Implementation of GIFMIS and Government Directive

As of April, 2014, the GIFMIS System of budgeting and payment was been piloted in 33
MDAs and 10 Regional Treasuries. The implementation would be extended to cover all
MDAs. In December, 2013, the Government of Ghana issued a Public Announcement on the
GIFMIS System, which read as follows:
‘’The Ministry of Finance has observed with concern the indiscriminate award of contract
by Ministries, Departments and Agencies without due regard to their budgetary allocation.
With effect from 1st January, 2014, the Ministry is determined to safeguard the integrity of
the budget by ensuring that all contract awards are informed by the budgetary allocation
and cash ceiling.
Thus, beginning from January, 2014, the general public is being informed that this
Ministry will recognize contracts as valid if only they are duly authorized by PURCHASE
ORDER(PO)generated from the GIFMIS SYSTEM. (Please refer to paragraph 937 of
2014 Budget Statement and Economic Policy.)
By this announcement the general public especially contractors and suppliers should take
note and ensure their contracts follow the due process to be assured of prompt payment’’.
From the above announcement, it can be concluded that procurement planning, budget
approval, purchase order/contract award and contract administration (in terms of payments
and reporting) must all be linked to the GIFMIS platform.
It means that if the particulars of a Contractor, Supplier, Consultant or any other identified
procurement service provider are not linked to the GIFMIS Platform from the time of
contract award and subsequent approval on GIFMIS, the service provider will not be
recognized for payment during contract administration.

What is PFM System?

Public Financial Management (PFM) System refers to a framework of three Ps…
 Policies (including rules, regulations, procedures),
 Processes & technology
 People
…put together in a coordinated fashion to ensure effective and efficient use of public funds to
meet the needs of a Nation (M.K. Adadey, 2014)
What Is GIFMIS?
The Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) is an integrated
computerized financial management system used in:
 Budget preparation
 Budget Execution
 Accounting and Financial Reporting
 Cash Management.
 Assets management
 Human resource and payroll management
 Among others
PFM Definition of GIFMIS (PFM Act 2016, (Act921) Section102)

“Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS)” means the electronic
platform used by the Government to:
a.
manage commitments made against appropriation,
b.
process payment
c.
record revenue and expenditure transactions
d.
produce monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports
Aims of GIFMIS
To establish an INTEGRATED ICT-based PFM Information Systems in Ghana at the
MDAs located at National, Regional and District levels and MMDAs to improve efficiency
in public financial management including Consolidated Fund, IGF, Statutory Funds and
Donor Funds.
Why GIFMIS?
 Lack of timely, accurate and current information on budgetary allocations,
commitments and actual revenue and expenditures
 Publish Annual Financial Reporting and reduce delays in the payment processing
 Poor feedback mechanism for assessing Budgetary Performance
 Lack of uniform chart of accounts (COA) which make the comparison of the
performance of various budgets difficult.
 Strengthen Internal Controls and Auditing Capabilities.
 Modernize the Technical Infrastructure
 Interface Data from Existing Data Stores

 Empower Local Government Units
 Enhance and Modernize Revenue Collection Processes
 Performance
 Lack of uniform chart of accounts (COA) which make the comparison of the
performance of various budgets difficult.
 Strengthen Internal Controls and Auditing Capabilities
Expected Outcome of GIFMIS

With the introduction of GIFMIS we expect to achieve the following:
 Improved budgetary, financial management and reporting processes
 Provide accurate, timely and reliable financial information to Central Government and
Decentralized Institutions and Organizations
 Uniformity in accounting and reporting with the introduction of a common Chart of
Account and Database.
 Improvement in accountability, control, monitoring and auditing of Governmental
finances.
 Ensure that, Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDA’s/MMDA’s) spend within
their budgetary allocations
GIFMIS Financial Modules

Purchasing - for Purchase Requisition, PO, SRA
 Accounts Payable - for preparing PVs, accounting (i.e. Dr. & Cr. ) and tracking
liabilities.
 Cash Management- for making Payments, Bank Reconciliation, cash forecasting,
etc.
 Accounts Receivable- for recording & tracking of revenues
 Fixed Assets Module- for managing fixed assets register through recording,
tracking and accounting for fixed assets
 General Ledger- repository of all accounts which holds the budget and facilitates
financial reporting.
Key PFM Problems Being Addressed By GIFMIS

1. Lack of interface/integration of various PFM Systems
2. Inadequate budgetary controls over public expenditure
3. Lack of transparency in budget execution
4. Poor record keeping on public financial transactions
5. Undue delays in processing transactions due to cumbersome manual processes
6. Lack of reliable data for effective fiscal planning due to weak accounting and fiscal
reporting system
7. Delays in financial reporting, especially at the National level
Key Users of GIFMIS

1. Vote controllers
2. Spending Officers
3. Budget Officers
4. Accountants

5. Procurement officers
6. Store officers
7. Treasury officers
8. Administrators and HR Managers
9. Internal Auditors
10. 10.External auditors
7.4.2 GIFMIS Budget Reforms At MOF

The key budget reform initiatives under the GIFMIS include:
1. Switch from Activity Based Budgeting (ABB) to Program- Based-
Budgeting (PBB) to directly link planned expenditures to clearly
determined results
2. Installation of a new budget software to seamlessly integrate the
Budget Preparation software with the Financial Accounting System
Budget Preparation
The budget preparation steps include:
1. Budget circular and instructions issued by MoF to all MDAs/MMDAs (FAR 152
& 153)
2. MDAs/MMDAs prepare and submit their budget proposals/estimates to MoF
(FAR 156)
3. MoF holds budget hearing with MDAs/MMDAs (FAR 161)
4. MoF consolidates MDAs/MMDAs budgets into a National Budget Estimates and
submits/presents it to Parliament for approval
5. Parliament debates the Budget and approves it for execution
7.4.3 GIFMIS Procure To Pay Process (P2P)

The flow process of the GIFMIS Procure To Pay Process (P2P) is illustrated in a graphical
form below:

Figure 6: Procure To Pay Process
Demand
Source
Purchase Request for quote Supplier Quotation

Requisition (RFQ)
Order Receive Enter Pay
Purchase order Receipts Invoice
78 Public Procurement Authority (PPA), Ghana

Summary of GIFMIS Business Processes (P2P)

The Standard Processes are:
1. The approved Budget (by Parliament or local Assembly) for the year is first loaded and
activated on the GIFMIS at the beginning of each year.
2. Requests are made on GIFMIS by end-users for release of Budget.
3. Budgets are released through Warrants that are issued on the GIFMIS
• NB: The Budget is controlled by the issuance of warrants. Expenditure cannot be
processed on GIFMIS without budget.
4. When warrants are issued on the GIFMIS, users (at MDA/MMDAs) are then able to
process expenditure on the system.
The expenditure processes include:
 Purchase Requisition (for expenditure initiation)
 Purchase Order (when Contractor is selected)
 Stores Receive Advice (when goods/services are taken on charge)
 Payment Voucher/Invoice (to pay for the transaction)
5. Run Cash requirement report to establish total bills due for payment
6. Run cash pooling report to establish total cash available on the bank accounts, as set-up
on the GIFMIS.
This is not used at the moment due to some few issues like ABR that needs to be resolved.
7. Effect payments on the system
•Electronic Funds Transfer for 3rd party’s transactions
•System Cheques for moneys required for internal payments
7.4.4 GIFMIS Detailed Business Processes

Step-by-Step Business Processes (P2P)-For Procurable Items (T &T etc.)
1. User Department Submit a Memo through their head to the Chief Director
(CD) for approval (Manual)
2. Upon approval of the Memo, Warrant is prepared and approved on the GIFMIS. For
Goods and Services warrants will now be done in bulk. No more specific warrants per
Memo. The release for May was done on GIFMIS successfully.
3. Once the Warrant is approved a Requisition is then booked on GIFMIS
by the User Department.
4. Route the Requisition through an approval hierarchy for approval by
the Spending Officer based on the limit for approval
5. Select Supplier (manual) – Tendering Process.
6. Once a Contractor is selected, the Procurement Department prepare PO
7. The PO is routed for Approval on GIFMIS once its approved budget
is encumbered.
8. Print PO on GIFMIS

9. Give a copy of printed PO to the supplier
(manual) 10.Supplier delivery (manual)
11.Goods inspected and taken on charge (manual) by Internal Auditors and Stores.
12.Enter results/details on the system (i.e. create SRA). Stores will enter the results to be
delivered by Internal Auditor
13. Collect and book invoice on the system
14. Match invoice to SRA/PO
15. Invoice Approval
16. Payment for the transaction
Expenditure Process (P2P)

Type of Purchase Orders on GIFMIS
a. Standard Purchase Order
b. Contract Purchase Order
c. Planned Purchase Order
d. Blanket Agreement
1. Standard Purchase Orders: You generally create standard purchase orders for one-time purchase
of various items. You create standard purchase orders when you know the details of the goods
or services you require, estimated costs, quantities, delivery schedules, and accounting
distributions. If you use encumbrance accounting, the purchase order may be encumbered
since the required information is known.
2. Contract Purchase Orders: You create contract purchase agreements with your
suppliers to agree on specific terms and conditions without indicating the goods and
services that you will be purchasing. You can later issue standard purchase orders
referencing your contracts, and you can encumber these purchase orders if you use
encumbrance accounting.
3. Planned Purchase Order

a) A planned purchase order is a long-term agreement committing to buy items or services
from a single source. You must specify tentative delivery schedules and all details for
goods or services that you want to buy, including charge account, quantities, and
estimated cost.
b) You can issue scheduled releases against a planned purchase order to place the actual orders.
If you use encumbranceaccounting, you can use the planned purchase order to reserve
funds for long term agreements.
You can also change the accounting distributions on each release and the system will reverse
the encumbrance for the planned purchase order and create a new encumbrance for the
release.
4. Blanket Purchase Agreements

a. You create blanket purchase agreements when you know the detail of the goods or
services you plan to buy from a specific Contractor in a period, but you do not yet know
the detail of your delivery schedules. You can use blanket purchase agreements to
specify negotiated

prices for your items before actually purchasing them. Blanket purchase agreements can
be created for a single organization or to be shared by different business units of your
organization.
b. You can issue a blanket release against a blanket purchase agreement to place the actual
order as long as the release is within the blanket agreement effectivity dates). If you use
encumbrance accounting, you can encumber each release.
Preparation of Store Receipt Advice (SRA) on GIFMIS

 Receive: -Stores Keeper Receives.
 Inspection: - Goods and Services are inspected physically by stores and internal auditors
and recorded on GIFMIS by storekeeper
 Delivery: -This is done by Internal Auditors to acknowledge the inspection results captured.
Setting up of Contractors
Supplier details to be submitted on Company Letter Head to the MDAs/MMDAs to be

forwarded to the GIFMIS Secretariat for setup, are as follows:
Company details
1. Supplier Name (Company Name)
2. Tax Identification Number (TIN) – Attach Certificate of Registration
3. VAT Registration Number (for VAT registered companies)
4. Complete Address (Including P.O. Box, City/Town, Country)
5. Telephone Numbers
6. E-mail Address
Supplier Bank Details:

1. Bank Name
2. Branch Number
3. Account Number
4. Account Name
NB.
1. Without Certificate of Registration suppliers will not be registered.
2. Going forward TIN numbers will be verified via a portal from GRA before setting
them up.
Definition and Scope of Fixed Assets for MDAs/MMDAs

Fixed assets are those assets with a long life (a life that generally extends beyond the fiscal year
of acquisition) held by an MDA/MMDA for either generating revenue or providing services and
are not primarily held for resale or for conversion into cash. Any expenditure on an asset with
these qualities therefore qualifies as a fixed asset
The GIFMIS Fixed Assets Module

 This module is useful for managing and tracking MDAs and GoG Fixed Assets.

 It provides a comprehensive database on the location, condition, movement and value
of Fixed Assets belonging to respective MDAs.
 It will also help in assigning responsibilities for protection and care and in addition
serve as a Fixed Assets Register to determine the Ownership, Cost, Value, Existence
and Condition of Fixed Assets in the MDAs.
Implementation Strategy
 Categorization of Fixed Assets in 3 Categories
 Main (Transport Equipment)
 Major (Motor Vehicles)
 Minor (Salon Cars)
 Mapping of Fixed Assets Categories to Natural Accounts which are used to prepare
Appropriation Budget.
 FA has been deployed to the following MDAs

CAGD, MOF, MOH, MWRWH, MTR
7.4.5 GIFMIS Implementation Status

1. Systems Set-ups
Hardware and software have been procured, installed and operational for:
 Budget component
 Financial Accounting(FA) component
 HR Management component
 Payroll component
Additional hardware and software are being installed for enhancement
2. System Rollout
The Financial Accounting Modules (Oracle EBS) have been rolled-out as follows:
 All MDAs subsisting on consolidated fund resources since 2012
 250 national Spending Units (SUs) covered
 350 Regional SUs covered
 7 MMDAs out 216
 49 IGF Institutions out of 59 are live as at end of April, 2016
 Fixed Assets module at 5 headquarters MDAs
 The Budget Modules was rolled-out to all MDAs since 2014
 HRMIS Modules rolled-out to 3 MDAs (PSC, GSS, GFS) as at Feb. 2016.
 Payroll module has been operational since the 1990s
3. System Maintenance
 Business Continuity strategy was developed

 Disaster recovery site operational and being upgraded
 Tools have been installed for system security monitoring, service desk, messaging and
collaboration
 Capacity building for GoG staff is on-going for enhanced system and user support
Next Steps
1. Bringing on board other public funds
 IGFs
 Donor funds
 Statutory funds
2. Extend financial modules to the remaining 209 MMDAs
3. Extend PBB and budget module to all MMDAs
4. Extend HRMIS module to all MDAs.
5. Complete interface with all key PFM Systems under the new PFM Strategy
6. Complete implementation of fixed assets module.
Some Challenges
 Inadequate ICT infrastructure in the public sector of Ghana, especially Network
connectivity. NITA must be supported for this.
 Relatively low computer literacy in the public sector
 Change management- expectation by end-users that the system should support old ways
instead of current best practices.
 People having the Mentality that the system has failed before and will still fail when
enough progress has been made.

8.0CLAIMS AND DISPUTES RESOLUTION
8.1 Introduction
Disputes arise out of works contracts due to the complexity of operations on site with wide and
divergent views leading to claims that might lead to disputes. This chapter analyzes resolution of
claims, settlement of deputes and draws up their relationship.
8.2 Remedies Against Non-Performing Contractors

8.2.1 Performance Security
The performance security is perhaps the most important and powerful contractual tool available
in works and goods contracts (there is no performance security in consulting contracts). Despite
having access to this powerful instrument, practice shows that the contract administration teams
are rather hesitant when deciding to enforce remedies against the performance security. This
happens because of two main reasons:
(i) The forfeiture of the performance security is (rightfully) perceived as an extreme

remedy (almost as drastic as the termination of contract);
(ii) The conditions of contract provide very little guidance on the exact situations and
mechanisms to enforce a claim on the security.
The FIDIC Conditions of Contract only state that “The Employer shall not make a claim under
the Performance Security, except for amounts to which the Employer is entitled under the
Contract”, which leaves the Employer to discern and make a judgment.
Since no other specific details are provided, we should look at other contract clauses to find clues
and information on the situations when the Employer is entitled to make a claim under
the performance security. These situations are:
 Failure of the Contractor to remedy a default after receiving the Employer’s

notice requiring the default to be remedied,
 Failure of the Contractor to pay an amount due to, claimed by, or determined in
the favour of the Employer, following Employer’s claims, arbitration etc.,
 Failure of the Contractor to adequately extend the validity or increase the amount
of the security as may be requested under the Contract as in the case of
amendments,
 Occurrence of an event that entitles the Employer to terminate the Contract.
8.2.2 Delay or liquidated damages

Another important instrument that the contract administration team has access to are the delay
damages or liquidated damages for delay. These are penalties that are much easier to enforce
because they are strictly quantifiable - all contracts provide a percentage or an amount to be
deducted from the payments due to the Contractor if it fails to deliver the works within the
stipulated time. The Employer should just multiply the number of days/weeks of delay by the
said percentage or amount and deduct the product of this multiplication from the next payment
due to the Contractor. There is usually a limit on this amount mostly at 10% of the Contract
Price, and sometimes there is also a contract termination condition once the penalty has reached
this limit.
It is important therefore to have a payment schedule that would allow this deduction of
penalties. Claim on the performance security or delay damages – which one to use?
Which one of these two contractual tools should the contract administration team use in the case
of delays in the contract implementation delays in the completion of the works?
Most contracts have an explicit or implied provision stating that you cannot impose two different
penalties for the same breach of Contractor’s obligations. Consequently, only one of these
penalties should apply. But which one?
Normally the employer prefers quite correctly to use the delay damages because they are the
obvious and most straightforward choice particularly when it comes to justifying and calculating
the actual damage/loss.
However, situations may occur when we should also apply for remedies under the performance
security. One of these situations is described supra, when most of the contract price has already
been paid and the outstanding payments are less than the amount of the delay damages, the delay
damages have reached the 10% limit, but we only have 5% left to pay to the Contractor. In this
situation, we are entitled to claim the difference of 5% from the proceeds of the performance
security without breaching in any way the contract provisions.
Another situation is when the delay is linked or has been caused by some other breach of
contract on the part of the Contractor, as listed above. In such cases, the employer is entitled to
apply both types of remedies, delay damages and claim under the performance security, if it can
adequately prove and justify the respective damages.
Even if the Government agrees to an extension of the contract, it may still recommend the
Procurement Entity to impose delay damages or forfeiture of the performance security, if the said
extension was not 100% caused by the Employer of Force Majeure. Consequently, agreeing to an
extension of time for various reasons on the extension does not prejudice Employer’s rights to
impose remedies.
8.3 Relationship between Claims and Disputes Resolution

The Problem is that the subject of “Claims” is often so emotive issue which stigmatizes and
tends to polarize the two sides. Contracts prepared in haste affects cash flow with outstanding
Claims, which can best be resolved with better understanding of basis and principles of
Contracts. Professional representatives should understand the business side of industry and rather
appreciate the circumstances of tendering by Contractors, their attitudes and tactics referred to as
“Loophole Engineering”

Disputes in Contract Administration are categorized into three (3):

 What is to be done?
 The time in which it is, or has had to be done,
 What is to be paid?
“Claims” is used in connection with “what is to be paid” and what constitutes a claim can be a
matter of a pointless dispute. The simplest course is to accept that claim is anything not agreed
upon between the Contractor and the Project Manager and additional payments as entitlements
and/or considerations.
The key issue is to understand and establish the nature of Claims because it determines:
 Where to look for grounds
 Whether the Project Manager has powers to deal with it
 Basis of evaluation
There are three (3) Categories of Claims:
 Contractual, where there is a provision in the Contract within the Project Manager’s
powers.
 Extra-Contractual, where the Contract does not make express provision – resort to
Common Law - Project Manager has no powers except authority is given by the
Employer to examine and make recommendations.
 Ex-gratia, basically an award since such claims have no grounds and either party cannot
successfully sue; an “act of grace” and acknowledgement of moral obligation.
Disputes on the other hand arise when negotiation fails, over variations in scope of works,
unforeseen physical conditions and delay and disruption of the works. There is a Breach of
Contract when one party fails to fulfill his part or one party states that he will not perform the
Contract or alternately puts himself in such a position that he will be unable to perform.
Breach by Employer when he/she fails to pay appropriate consideration, delays payment beyond
the stipulated period and fails and/or delays in executing work he is bound.
Breach by Contractor when he/she fails to perform and delays beyond agreed period
Disputes Caused by Employer include:
 Failure to give early possession of Site,
 Delays in payment,
 Failure to execute work to supplement completion
 Disagreement over payment and compensation for direct loss and/or expense -
Disputes caused by Contractor:

 suspension or abandonment of work,
 Delay in Completion,
 Defective Work
8.4 Resolution of Claims

8.4.1 Time for completion
Project completion time is normally specified by the Employer, but where it is made an object of
completion, it is specified by a Contractor. In either case, it is expected that a contractor will
complete the whole of the works within the agreed time. However, at times, Contractors fail to
complete projects on time and deny Employers early use of their developments.
A defaulting Contractor may attribute overrun on the contract Programme to:

a) Failure of Employer to give possession of site timely as specified and/or agreed,
b) Lack of construction information from the architect/engineer at the appropriate time,
c) Late issue of construction information and /or variations by the architect/engineer,
d) Disruption of construction Programme by either numerous variations or artisans
employed directly by the Employer, and
e) Inequitable extension of time for project completion by architect/engineer.
In the case of architect’s/engineer’s failure to grant extension of time when a delay has been
caused by the Employer, a Contractor may, sometimes, argue defensively that time is at large
which, in simple terms, means that completion date is no longer applicable and, therefore, his/her
contractual obligation is reduced to completion of the project within a reasonable time. A
Contractor may also put forward the above defense either to avoid payment of penalty for non-
completion and/or claim for reimbursement for loss and expense.
To prevent conflict under this heading, construction information, instructions and variations should
be adequate and made available in good time. Extension of time, when necessary, should be
granted equitably to enable Contractors to completion the works.
8.4.2 Quality of workmanship

In construction contracts, Contractors covenant to undertake and complete construction works to
a standard of quality specified at a price Employers expected to pay. Therefore, a Contractor will
only have a satisfied Employer if he/she is able to provide a finished product of good quality on
time. It is, therefore, incumbent on a contractor to execute the works diligently and exhibit good
workmanship at all times. However, there are occasions when contractors have achieved speed
of construction at the expense of quality. On such occasions, quantity of output is regarded more
important than quality and when substandard work is challenged, in defense; a contractor may
put forward the following:
a) Standard of required quality lacks clarity in contract documentation,

b) Inadequate communication at site level on issues concerning quality standards,
c) Design details do not promote billability on which quality depends, and
d) Standard of quality envisaged by the Employer is not included in contract documentation.
The above conflicts may be avoided if the design and detailing facilitate buildability, reflect the
skill of readily available operatives, and ensure good selection of materials and components,
standard of quality required clearly shown in contract documentation, work inspected constantly
for quality and communication on quality issues improved on site.

8.4.3 Payment
Contractors expect to be paid for work done, and in construction contracts, contractors are
entitled to payment for work properly executed. Depending on the size and duration of contract,
payment may be made either at the end of contract (e.g., jobbing works) or intermittently through
interim valuation certificates (e.g., large projects).
Generally, a contractor, who operates a systematic planning and cost control, is able to compare
at any point in time, what is happening in relation to what was budgeted to happen and can
reconcile cost and value. Moreover, a contractor’s own internal valuation enables him/her to
determine interim valuation levels – an important data for planning cash flow requirements.
While it is recognized that maintenance of good cash flow is the life-blood of a contractors’
business, a contractor may experience the following process of payment which disrupts his/her
efforts to maintain good cash flow:-
a) Interim certificates which do not reflect the true value of work properly executed,
b) Interim certificates issue at irregular periods,
c) Failure of Employer to honour interim certificates on time, and
d) Late settlements of final account and contractual claims for loss and/or expense.
Factors contributing to the foregoing domain of conflict are many and may include the following:
a) Interim valuation prepared by over-cautious Quantity Surveyor or Engineer who is in fear
of over payment a contractor,
b) Extent of works under-measured by the Quantity Surveyor or Engineer in the contract
bills of quantities,
c) Quantity Surveyor or Engineer failing to prepare an interim valuation statement in good
time to enable the architect to issue an interim certificate,
d) Architect’s failure to process the interim certificate in good time,
e) Failure of Quantity Surveyor and the contractor to value and agree on variation s
executed for inclusion in the current interim valuation,
f) Quantity Surveyor failure to prepare and settle final account in good time,
g) Delays by the contractor in submitting contractual claims for loss and /or expense,
h) Delays by the contractor in submitting details of claim for fluctuations of wages and
materials,
i) Poor performances by contractor employing an unplanned or unspecified method,
untrained or incompetent operatives or planning with inaccurate data, and
j) Under-priced items in bills of quantities by the contractor – estimating error.
The foregoing shows that care and attention are required if conflicts under this heading are to be
avoided. Employer’s professional advisers should ensure that accuracy of the bills of quantities,
reasonably accurate interim valuation s and prompt payment of interim certificates, prompt
settlement of final accounts and contractual claims. Also, adequate time should be given to
contractors for tender action to effect preparation of reasonable accurate estimates and/or tenders.

Contractors, on the other hand, should ensure reasonably accurate estimate, proved timely
information for interim variations, final accounts and contractual claims and improve
productively on site.
8.4.4 Adequate contract documentation

Contract documentation is the recording in formal documents the content, terms and conditions
of the contract. In construction contracts it embodies the entire written and drawn construction
information, and contract conditions constitute the core of the agreement between Employer and
contractor.
In construction projects, contract documentation comprises articles of agreement, conditions of

contract, drawings, and bills of quantities and/or specification. To safeguard Employer’s interest,
the contract documentation should explain the full bargain between Employer and contractor,
adequately describe the scope, quantity, quality and position of the work and define rights and
obligations of parties. Moreover, a carefully-drafted contract documentation promotes the
smooth running and successful completion of projects. However, despite their important legal
significance, a common source of complaints and disputes is the inability of contract
documentation to treat project information requirements adequately. There is a generally
widespread misunderstanding of the contractor’s information needs; hence contract
documentation is issued in various states, including the following:
a) Drawn or written project information inadequate to convey clearly what is

required and/or incapable of realization,
b) Construction method, specification and the required quality standard to not
reflect the materials/components plant and Labour readily available,
c) Contract documentation failing to disclose complex nature of project or obligations
and restriction s imposed on contractor such as:
i) Accessibility, position and use of site,
ii) Limitation of working space and working hours,
iii) Maintenance of existing services, and
iv) Order or phases of completion works.
d) Discrepancy between contract documents, e.g., between drawings and
specifications, and between standard conditions and specially – written statements
in the preliminaries section of the bills of quantities,
e) Inappropriate insertion or alteration of clauses in standard forms of contract
without due consideration of the effects on other contract clauses,
f) Inclusion of specific items in bills of quantities aimed at opting out of the current
standard method of measurement,
g) Bills of quantities prepared in rush and on inadequate pre-tender information,
hence lacking clarity of description and accuracy of quantities,
h) Large items of work covered by either prime cost sums, provisional sums or
provisional quantities, and
i) Inclusion of clauses in bills of quantities to override those contained in the form
of contract in use.
To prevent such disputes from arising, contract documentation should be carefully, adequately
and accurately prepared and be consistent throughout. This is important as post-contract project
information should not impose any additional obligations beyond those contained within the
contract conditions, rather, it should clarify or supplement existing project information.
8.4.5 Construction information

On commencement of site operations, further construction information is issued to clarify or
supplement that which was made available at the pre-contract stage. Also, project
architect/engineer may consider varying sections of work to suit Employer’s requirement or to
rectify
design error and may present this information in various forms (e.g., architect’s/engineer’s
instructions, descriptive schedules and additional revised drawings and details) to clarify those
already supplied.
Conflicts, however, arise from the issue of this information caused by the following:
a) Architect’s/Engineer’s instruction lacking preciseness in wording,
b) Architect’s/Engineer’s instructions do not indicate its purpose (i.e., whether new work is
being ordered, alteration is required to work already executed or clearance of
discrepancy),
c) Architect’s/Engineer’s instruction effected merely by issue of revised drawings without
any explaining of the nature and extent of variations on the drawings, and
d) Architect’s /Engineer’s instruction sand/or information issued late (e.g., after an item of
work for which the variation is intended has been executed).
The above practices do not promote smooth running of projects. Rather, they create difficult
working conditions, complicate purchasing and administration and upset financial arrangements.
Timely, clear add adequately worded instruction or information have a positive effect on site
operations and productively.
8.4.6 Supervision
Close supervision on site is essential to achieve the specified standard relating to quality of work.
Those in charge of day-to-day supervision on site are the contractor’s site supervision team (i.e.,
site agent and trade foremen). The clerk of works, who acts for the Employer, is responsible for
inspecting the quality of materials and workmanship and ensuring that a good working practice is
adopted.
On construction projects, conflicts arise where contractors fail to supervise the works properly.
A bad working practice, if not corrected, may create the following complications:
a) Production of sub-standard work,

b) Condemnation and non-payment for defective work and additional remedial costs,
and

c) Failure of clerk of works and /or project architect /engineer to pass comment on
sub-standard work until completed.
Conflicts may be reduced, if quality levels are clearly specified, contractors are made aware of
them and works are supervised properly and regularly inspected for quality.
8.5 Dispute Resolution

Methods of Dispute Resolution and Settlement in Ghana include:
 Arbitration
Arbitration is a proceeding in which a dispute is resolved by an impartial arbitrator or panel
whose decision the parties to the dispute have agreed, or legislation has decreed, will be final and
binding with limited rights of review and appeal of arbitration awards.
 Mediation
Mediation refers to any instance in which a third party helps others reach agreement. More
specifically, mediation has a structure, timetable and dynamics that ordinary negotiation lacks.
The process is private and confidential, enforced by law in Ghana with participation typically
voluntary. The mediator acts as a neutral third party and facilitates rather than directs the process.
 Dispute Review Board

Dispute Review Board (DRB) in the construction industry works with an aim at assisting
construction project managers predict and handle potential problems and challenges before they
occur. The Board provides advisory opinions on questionable or disputed matters and provide an
alternate dispute resolution process to settle any disputes that cannot be settled between the
parties to the construction contract.
 Mini trial
The mini trial is an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedure that is used by businesses to
resolve legal issues without incurring the expense and delay associated with court litigation. The
mini-trial does not result in a formal adjudication but is a vehicle for the parties to arrive at a
solution through a structured settlement process. It is used most effectively when complex issues
are at stake and the parties need or wish to maintain an amicable relationship.
 Negotiation
Negotiation is a method by which people settle differences and a process by which compromise
or agreement is reached while avoiding argument and dispute. In any disagreement, individuals
or organisations understandably aim to achieve the best possible outcome for their position with
principles of fairness, seeking mutual benefit and maintaining a relationship as keys to a
successful outcome.
 Litigation
A lawsuit may involve dispute resolution of private law issues between individuals, business
entities or non-profit organizations. A lawsuit may also enable the state to be treated as if it were

a private party in a civil case as plaintiff or defendant regarding an injury or may provide the
state with a civil cause of action to enforce certain laws. The conduct of a lawsuit is called
litigation. The plaintiffs and defendants are called litigants and the attorneys representing them
are called litigators. The term litigation may also refer to criminal trial.
 Other dispute resolution methods as follows:

 Adjudication
Adjudication is a process by which an adjudicator reviews evidence and argumentation,
including legal reasoning set forth by opposing parties to come to a decision which determines
rights and obligations between the parties involved.
 Conciliation
Conciliation is an ADR process whereby the parties to a dispute use a conciliator, who meets
with the parties both separately and together in an attempt to resolve their differences. They do
this by lowering tensions, improving communications, interpreting issues, encouraging parties to
explore potential solutions and assisting parties in finding a mutually acceptable outcome.
 Dispute resolution advisor

An innovative dispute resolution system that has been designed and used in Hong Kong to meet
the challenge of resolving disputes speedily at construction site level with rigid response time
requirements, involvement of nominated subcontractors and good faith negotiation.
 Expert resolution
Expert resolution is a flexible alternative procedure for the resolution of disputes based upon the
decision of an independent third party, the expert. The participants agree beforehand to be bound
by the decisions of an independent expert. It is often the quickest and most effective way of
resolving disputes which are relatively simple in content or are essentially technical in nature.
 Third party neutrals

Impartial third-party that has no financial, official or personal interest in a controversy, dispute or
issue in which it is requested to mediate. If it has or develops during proceedings any such
interest, it is duty bound to fully disclose it to the involved parties.
 Med/Arb
This is a combination of mediation and arbitration. A form of arbitration in which the arbitrators
starts as a mediator but in the event of a failure of mediation, the arbitrator imposes a binding
decision.
 Court appointed Masters

Masters are a unique brand of dispute-resolver relatively unknown to many mediators,
facilitators and public officials. A master is appointed by a judge to oversee one or more aspects
of litigation at pre-trial, during trial or post-trial. Despite their relative anonymity, such
masters have been

credited with some of the most creative and innovative conflict resolution within the history of
the US legal system.
 Ombudsman
An ombudsman, or public advocate is an official who is charged with representing the interests
of the public by investigating and addressing complaints of maladministration or a violation of
rights. The ombudsman is usually appointed by the government or by parliament but with a
significant degree of independence.
 Diwan Al-Madhalim
Diwan al-Madhalim as the Ombudsman's Office set up in keeping with the cultural values of
solidarity of some Moslem societies with the administrative courts and institutions which receive
and resolve complaints from individuals and groups about violations of any kind in principle and
assists many poor families and a number of vulnerable groups.
 Executive tribunal
Executive Tribunals operate formal processes to adjudicate disputes in a similar way to courts of
law, but have different rules and procedures; and only operate in a specialized area. In theory,
their procedures may be better suited for particular types of disputes, cheaper to administer and
require less-qualified officials.
 Shadow Mediation
In this type of ADR, the parties have a negotiation or arbitration or even litigation and a mediator
is present but does not participate. At some juncture, the mediator then works with the parties to
attempt to move toward settlement. It operates similar to Arb-Med in that the parties get to move
well into the case and then have a neutral, who has also seen and heard everything step in.
In mediation that occurs as a part of the litigation process the attorneys for the parties and the
parties themselves must appear. At times, however, resolution may be hard to reach if there is
someone else upon whom an individual relies for support or decision making. These individuals
are referred to as “shadow parties.”
 Rent-a-judge/Private judge
Rent-a-judge blossomed early in Los Angeles where a sitting judge, for example, would assign
lengthy debates over accounting to a retired judge and then incorporate his report into the final
decision. The broader application spread rapidly when the law enabled a retired judge to handle
an entire case. They got the approval of the court's presiding judge and created the modern rent-
a- judge system. The descriptive term "rent-a-judge," which caught on with lawyers and litigants,
was originally disdained by the retired judges. But the tag has now won even the judges'
grudging acceptance.
Limitation of the Public Procurement Law, Act 663 as amended in the Procurement Cycle of
Ghana

With the coming into force of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act 2010, Act 798, that wholly
repeals and replaces the Act 38 of 1961,
A legal framework to govern the commencement and conduct of ADR proceedings in Ghana and
enforcement of both domestic and foreign awards and decisions has been born.

9.0TERMINATION OF CONTRACT
9.1 Introduction
This chapter seeks to draw readers’ attention to those matters that could lead to termination of
contract by the parties to a contract. When either party to the Contract gives notice of a breach of
Contract to the Project Manager for a cause other than those listed under the contract, the Project
Manager shall decide whether the breach is fundamental or not, which upon his/her
determination could lead to termination on either way.
9.2 Suspension of the works

The Contracting Officer may order the Contractor, in writing, to suspend, delay or interrupt all or
any part of the work of this contract for the period of time that the Contracting Officer
determines appropriate for the convenience of the Government and if the performance of all or
any part of the work is, for an unreasonable period of time, suspended, delayed, or interrupted
by:
a) An act of the Contracting Officer in the administration of this contract, or
b) The Contracting Officer’s failure to act within the time specified in the contract, or
within a reasonable time if not specified, then an adjustment shall be made for any
increase in the cost of performance of the contract, excluding profit necessarily caused by
the unreasonable suspension, delay, or interruption and the contract modified in writing
accordingly. However, no adjustment shall be made under this clause for any suspension,
delay, or interruption to the extent that performance would have been so suspended,
delayed, or interrupted by any other cause, including the fault or negligence of the
Contractor or for which an equitable adjustment is provided for or excluded under any
other term or condition of the contract.
9.3 Termination by Employer/Contractor

The Employer or the Contractor may terminate the Contract if the other party causes a
fundamental breach of the Contract. Fundamental breaches of Contract shall include, but shall
not be limited to, the following:
a) The Contractor stops work for 28 days when no stoppage of work is shown on the
current Programme and the stoppage has not been authorized by the Project Manager,
b) The Project Manager instructs the Contractor to delay the progress of the Works, and
the instruction is not withdrawn within 28 days,
c) The Employer or the Contractor is made bankrupt or goes into liquidation other than
for a reconstruction or amalgamation,
d) A payment certified by the Project Manager is not paid by the Employer to the
Contractor within 84 days of the date of the Project Manager’s certificate,
e) The Project Manager gives Notice that failure to correct a particular Defect is a
fundamental breach of Contract and the Contractor fails to correct it within a
reasonable period of time determined by the Project Manager,
f) The Contractor does not maintain a Security, which is required, and
g) The Contractor has delayed the completion of the Works by the number of days for
which the maximum amount of liquidated damages can be paid, as defined in the
Special Conditions of Contract,
h) If the Contractor, in the judgment of the Employer has engaged in corrupt or
fraudulent practices in competing for or in executing the Contract, for which it is
understood as:
i) “Corrupt practice” means the offering, giving, receiving or soliciting of anything of

value to influence the action of a public official in the procurement process or in
contract execution and includes inter alia, bribery and extortion or coercion which
involves threats of injury to person, property or reputation, and.
ii) “Fraudulent practice” means a misrepresentation of facts in order to influence a

procurement process or the execution of a contract to the detriment of the
Employer, and includes collusive practice among Tenderers (prior to or after
tender submission) designed to establish tender prices at artificial non-
competitive levels and to deprive the Employer of the benefits of free and open
competition.
When either party to the Contract gives notice of a breach of Contract to the Project Manager
for a cause other than those listed as above, the Project Manager shall decide whether the breach
is fundamental or not.
9.4 Termination for Convenience

Notwithstanding 10.2, the Employer may terminate the Contract for convenience. If the Contract
is terminated, the Contractor shall stop work immediately, make the Site safe and secure, and
leave the Site as soon as reasonably possible.
9.5 Payment upon Termination

If the Contract is terminated because of a fundamental breach of Contract by the Contractor, the
Project Manager shall issue a certificate for the value of the work done and Materials ordered
less advance payments received up to the date of the issue of the certificate and less the
percentage to apply to the value of the work not completed, as indicated in the Special
Conditions of Contract. Additional Liquidated Damages shall not apply. If the total amount due
to the Employer exceeds any payment due to the Contractor, the difference shall be a debt
payable to the Employer.
If the Contract is terminated for the Employer’s convenience or because of a fundamental breach
of Contract by the Employer, the Project Manager shall issue a certificate for the value of the
work done, Materials ordered, the reasonable cost of removal of Equipment, repatriation of the
Contractor’s personnel employed solely on the Works and the Contractor’s costs of protecting
and securing the Works and less advance payments received up to the date of the certificate.
All Materials on the Site, Plant, Equipment, Temporary Works, and Works shall be deemed to be
the property of the Employer if the Contract is terminated because of the Contractor’s default.

9.6 Termination Checklist
Check the exact provisions of the Contract with regard to the Termination by the Employer;
 Assess Contractor’s claims and remedies;
 Ensure that all Contractor’s reasonable claims have been properly addressed and all due
amounts have been paid;
 Contingency planning.
 Claims and Dispute Resolution
 Check the exact provisions of the Contract with regard to the Dispute Resolution and
costs incurred (in terms of time, money and resources);
 Check if the contract management team has consistently and correctly enforced the
conditions of contract;
 Duly document any deviations from the specifications and conditions of contract.
9.7 Contingency Planning

Activity undertaken to ensure that proper and immediate follow-up steps will be taken by a
management and employees in an emergency. Its major objectives are to ensure:
a) Containment of damage or injury to, or loss of, personnel and property, and
b) Continuity of the key operations of the organization.

10.0 CONTRACT RECORDS MANAGEMENT
10.1 Introduction
The Public Procurement Act, 2003(Act 663) as amended in Section 28, statutorily requires all
procurement entities to keep records of procurement proceedings in a structured and systematic
manner and in accordance with national and international standards. The annual procurement
assessment conducted in the Procurement entities by the Public Procurement Authority (PPA)
reveal challenges relating to the management of procurement and contract management
documentation by most entities thus contravening the Public Procurement Act, 2003(Act 663) as
amended. The observation has been that procurement and contract records management in most
procurement entities usually involve disjointed processes which result in loss of vital
procurement and contract information, thus undermining accountability, transparency and good
corporate governance. Good records management is therefore essential for any corporate body to
function effectively.
10.1.1 What Is Records Management?

Records management involves designing and directing a programme for achieving economy and
efficiency in the creation, use, maintenance, and disposal of records. This promotes efficiency
through improved access to information.
10.1.2 Importance of Records

An organization’s ability to function effectively and give account of its actions will be
undermined if sound records management principles are not applied. Procurement records play a
significant role as evidence of purchases of goods and services. Unorganized or otherwise poorly
managed records mean that an organization does not have ready access to authoritative
information, to support sound decision making or delivery of programmes and services. This
factor contributes to difficulties in retrieval and use of procurement records efficiently and
therefore inability to carry out the audit process.
10.1.3 Procurement and Contract Records

Procurement and contract records include all documents relevant to the pre-tendering, tendering
and contract administration phases. Every event in the procurement process must be recorded
and all records filed in such a manner that, if necessary the entire procurement and contract
administration process can be reconstructed from these records. Procurement and contract
records are also important for maintaining an audit trail of the requirement from the initial receipt
of the procurement requisition up to the closing out of the contract.
The procurement entity is responsible for maintaining the procurement and contract records of
each requirement. Although all records are maintained by the procurement entity, the entity
department or unit responsible for contract administration should also retain working copies of
relevant documents, while sending pertinent documents to the procurement entity and other
entities (such as finance) as determined in the contract administration plan.

Depending on national and organizational policies, the public should have controlled access to
these files. However, the confidentiality of proprietary information of suppliers, contractors,
consultants and other service providers must be safeguarded.
A Procurement and Contract Records system promotes the efficient and systematic control of the
creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposal of public procurement records.
10.1.4 Benefits of Good Records Management

Sound records management is a critical component for good governance, effective and efficient
administration, transparency, accountability and delivery of quality services to the citizens. Good
recordkeeping practices contribute, in general, to the following:
 Creation and maintenance of accurate and reliable information
 Easy accessibility to information
 Transparency and accountability
 Procurement Units and Procuring Entities performing their functions efficiently
 Availability of authentic, reliable and tangible records to fight corruption; and
 Resources being matched to objectives.
10.1.5 Principles of Good Records Management

The guiding principle of records management is to ensure that information is available when and
where it is needed, in an organized and efficient manner, and in a well-maintained environment.
Organizations must ensure that their records are:
 Authentic
It must be possible to prove that records are what they purport to be and who created
them, by keeping a record of their management through time. Where information is later
added to an existing document within a record, the added information must be signed and
dated. With electronic records, changes and additions must be identifiable through audit
trail.
 Accurate
Records must accurately reflect the transactions that they document.
 Accessible
Records must be readily available when needed.
 Complete
Records must be sufficient in content, context and structure to reconstruct the relevant
activities and transactions that they document.
 Comprehensive
Records must document the complete range of an organization’s business.

 Compliant
Records must comply with any record keeping requirements resulting from legislation,
audit rules and other relevant regulations.
 Effective
Records must be maintained for specific purposes and the information contained in them
must meet those purposes. Records will be identified and linked to the business process
to which they are related.
 Secure
Records must be securely maintained to prevent unauthorized access, alteration, damage
or removal. They must be stored in a secure environment, the degree of security
reflecting the sensitivity and importance of the contents. Where records are migrated
across changes in technology, the evidence preserved must remain authentic and
accurate.
10.1.6 Consequences of Failure to Maintain Adequate Procurement Records

Failure to effectively manage procurement records means:
 Decisions are taken on ad hoc basis without the benefit of records;
 Fraud cannot be proven and meaningful reporting and audits cannot be carried out;
 Government actions are not transparent;
 Citizens cannot protect or claim their rights;
 Citizens cannot make an informed contribution to the governance process; and
 A Procurement Entity’s (PE’s) or even a country’s memory is impaired.
10.1.7 The Records Life Cycle

Records should be managed throughout their life. A record goes through a life cycle consisting
of three phases: active or current, semi-current and inactive or non-current phases.
Current or active records are the open files that are in use for conducting the current business
of the organization. Current records and documents are constantly in use and should therefore be
maintained close to the users. They should be maintained and managed within a logical filing
system that facilitates their access. Current records are usually maintained in records offices (or
registries)
Semi-current records consist of the recently closed files. They are only infrequently used. They
should be entered in a closed record register and systematically transferred and organized in a
departmental records centre. The register acts as a retrieval tool.
Non-current or inactive records

These are documents that are hardly ever referred to for the conduct of business operations. Non-
current records should be reviewed and appraised in order to make judgment on their further
retention. Those that are selected as valuable records should be preserved in a departmental

records

centre or with prior arrangements transferred to the National Archives for long term preservation
as archival records. Note that procurement records must be kept for at least six (6) years from the
date the contract started.
10.1.7 Opening a New File

A file is a folder containing papers relating to a specific subject or activity. The following
information must appear on the file cover:
 Name of the entity;
 File reference number;
 File title;
 A specific subject or activity
 Date on which the file was opened;
 Related files;
 Security classification - open or confidential.
 Disposal information.
The disposal information indicates what is to be done with the file when it is closed. On the
“related files” space are indicted the titles and reference numbers of other files that are closely
related with the file.
A file is opened when an existing one matures for closing and the next volume is opened, when a
new subject or activity arises which cannot be accommodated in the existing files, or when an
existing file subdivides into new subjects. A file should be opened after adequate consultation
with the unit or officer responsible for records management. Consultation and care in file
opening is necessary to avoid opening files when similar or the same files are in existence, and
which leads to needless duplication of files.
This leads to uncertainty in filing of papers. The papers in the file should be neatly arranged in
chronological order, and on a specific subject.
10.1.8 Filing of Papers

Papers in the file should be filed in date order with the earliest ones at bottom and the latest
documents at the top. The papers in the file will be folio numbered, that is serially numbered.
This helps to maintain the order of the papers and facilitates early detection if the papers are
removed or tampered with.
10.1.9 File Movement Controls

The records office controls and monitors the movement and use of a file or a document within the
department. The purpose of controlling and monitoring of file movement is:
 To monitor access to records by users
 To ensure a particular matter is dealt with by the responsible officer
 To ensure that the location of a file is known at all times

 Files are returned promptly to the registry once they have been seen by the indicated
officers
 Files do not go missing; and
 Officers do not overstay with files issued to them.
The principal file movement control tool is the file movement register, where the file name,
reference number, name of the officer to whom the file is issued, and date of issue and return are
recorded.
A file movement register should have the following format:
 Date out;
 File title;
 File reference number;
 To whom issued and signature;
 Date in; and
 Signature of officer receiving file in registry.
The file’s return to the records office will be marked on the “date in” column. By regularly
checking the column the registry officers will be able to tell cases where files are overdue for
return and therefore to take necessary steps to have the files returned.
There should be an administrative guideline stipulating how long an officer should hold a file -
usually no officer should possess a file for more than four days. Borrowed files should be
promptly returned to the records office once an officer has completed consulting it.
The records staff must ensure that a requested file is promptly provided. Speedy provision of
requested documents and files is one way of cultivating and maintaining confidence in the users
of the registry services.
10.1.10 Closing a File

A file should be closed when it gets full, or when the fastener cannot take any more papers. The
next volume will then be opened. A case file such as procurement action file can be closed once
the procurement activity is concluded. A file should not be permitted to become too thick and
unwieldy. The file closure date should be clearly indicated on the cover. Closed files should be
entered in the closed files register and removed from among the current files for storage in the
closed records room or centre.
Closed files should be reviewed after every six (6) years to determine whether they warrant
further retention.
10.1.11 Records Accommodation/Space

Adequate accommodation or space is essential for the proper functioning of the records service.

10.1.12 Equipment
The right equipment and materials for the maintenance and storage of records need to be provided.
These will include
 File folders of the right quality;
 Good quality shelving including both secure file cabinets and mobile bulk filing units;
 Computers and related equipment;
 Relevant software programmes;
 Office furniture; and
 Boxes-archival boxes.
10.1.13 Records Personnel

Deployment of the right people to be in charge of records is a key step in the management of
records. Officers in charge of records should be people of integrity. Qualified and competent
people should be deployed to manage the records of a Procurement Entity. They should be
clearly assigned their duties in writing. Additionally, they should be given professional training.
10.2 Contract Administration File and Documentation

In the execution of a contract, record keeping is a key function particularly with regard to
documenting the progress and performance of the contract including contract variations. This is
to ensure that the contract is implemented in accordance with the terms and conditions of the
contract agreement.
A contract file or folder should be opened by the Contract Administrator and the contract should
be carefully analyzed, taking note of the rights and obligations of each party. Any issues
requiring clarification or change of the contract should be fully documented in this file.
Although practice may vary among organizations, the following documents normally are part of
the contract administration file/folder:
Contract Management File/Folder

 Bid Evaluation Report and Recommendation for Contract Award
 Notification of Contract Award
 Copy of Advance Payment Guarantee, if required.
 Copy of Performance Security or Performance Bond
 Copy of Signed Contract
 Contract Administration Plan,
 Minutes of Kick-off/Commencement Meeting
 Copies of Guarantees
 Payment Certificates and supporting documents
 Claims and Disputes
 Inspection certificates-Goods only

 Delivery Certificates- Goods only
 Copies of all Correspondence between Purchaser and Supplier- Goods only
 Minutes of all Site Meetings-Works only
 Contract Supervision Reports-Works only
 Copies of all Correspondence between Employer and Contractor- Works only
 Change Orders- Works only
 Completion certificates (“provisional” and “final” acceptance)- Works only
 Minutes of Inception Meeting and any other meetings- Consultancy & Technical
Services only
 Copies of all Correspondence between Client and Consultant- Consultancy only
 Consultant Reports-Inception Report, Draft Report/Draft Final Report, Final Report,
Overall Assignment Report, if requested-Consultancy only
 Copies of all correspondence between Employer and Service Provider-Technical
Services only
 Copies of all Service Provider’s Reports - Technical Services only
 Pictures, Video Films
 Contract Performance Evaluation Report
 Contract Close out Report
 Electronic copies of all the above documents
10.2.1 Contracts Register

A contracts register should be maintained that contains the following details:
 Contract name;
 Date of contract award;
 Contractor’s name;
 Account charged;
 Total cost; and
 Payment dates and completion dates.
10.2.2 Separate Contract Files

It is good practice to maintain separate contract files for each assignment, where there are
multiple assignments for a project or programme.
10.2.3 Contract Sub-files

It is also recommended that for each assignment, separate sub-files can be opened, so that
payment documents can be separated from correspondences as well as bulky deliverables. The
contract identification numbers will remain the same but the sub-files will have their separate
titles and volume numbers.

10.3 Automation of Records Management (Electronic Records Management)
The records management principles and policies applied to paper records must also govern the
management of electronic records. The paper-based records management system must be fully
functional before attempting automation. It will defeat the objectives of automation if a
dysfunctional and inefficient paper-based records keeping system is automated. Planning and
proper analysis of the manual system must be done before computerization.
It has to be noted that electronic records management is the modern method of managing
contract records. Every effort must therefore be made to go electronic because of the immense
benefits to be gained.
10.3.1 Benefits of Automation

There is widespread reliance on computer and information technology for most activities in the
public and private sector because of the demand for speedy access to information. There are
immense benefits that arise as a result of computerization. These include:
 Speedy access and retrieval of information;
 Ability to manipulate data;
 Greater accuracy and consistency in performance of routine tasks;
 Great capacity for storage of information, which translates to huge space and equipment
 savings;
 Sharing and simultaneous access to information;
 Automatic updating of file classification scheme and indexes; and
 Controlling the movement of files.
10.3.2 Records Management Functions That Can Be Automated

The following areas of records management can be automated:
 Classification and listing of files;
 Correspondence;
 Preparation of file labels;
 Identification of records that are due for transfer to the Archives or disposal;
 Location and tracking file movements;
 Information about authorized users of records; and
 Production of management information reports.
10.3.3 E-mail
E-mails that are evidence of business transactions are official records and should be managed
and kept for as long as is required for functional purposes.
E-mails that approve or authorize an action, contain guidance, advice or direction, relate to
project activities or contain policy decisions should be managed as records and should be filed in
a file plan.

10.3.4 Digitization (Imaging/Scanning)
After the acquisition and installation of the records management software and hardware, it may
be necessary to migrate some or all the existing paper files and documents into the automated
system. This can be achieved through the process of digitization. The two main objectives of
digitizing paper records are access and preservation.
Digitization means conversion of information from analogue to digital media to facilitate
preservation, and sharing by use of IT. A digital image can be edited, manipulated, emailed
across the world, deleted, copied and inserted into other files including the www pages.
The other benefits of digitization include:
 Wide access and sharing of information;
 Preservation of the original while the digital surrogate is made available for
consultation, and therefore reducing the possibility of further deterioration;
 Digital forms a backup;
 Ease of access and sharing of digital information; and
 Minimized storage requirements - digitized information takes much less storage space
than information on paper.
The documents to be digitized must be analyzed to determine their suitability for scanning. The
documents must be well organized and indexed. Priority for digitization should be accorded to
documents or files that are heavily consulted and whose digitization will facilitate multiple and
simultaneous access. Important documents and files in poor physical form and whose frequent
use may lead to their further physical deterioration can also be a priority for digitization.
It is important to select the right scanner, and this will depend on the volume of materials to be
scanned and the compatibility of the scanner with the existing hardware and software. The
digitized images should be stored in an appropriate and secure media such as hard drives, optical
disks and magnetic tapes.
A functional network will be necessary for staff to access the digitized images. The software
used should be able to handle multiple simultaneous access and permit only authorized staff to
access the digital images.
10.3.5 Challenges in the Management of Electronic Records

Some of the challenges of managing electronic records include:
 Impermanence of the storage media and technological obsolescence. Electronic
storage media is fragile and changes with time;
 Changes in technology means that records that were generated in computer seven
years ago may not be accessible today. This calls for regular migrating of the records
to new computer systems to ensure they remain accessible;
 Security and integrity of the information can be compromised through inadvertent or
intentional alterations and unauthorized deletions. An electronic file can easily be
altered without leaving any evidence that alteration has been done;
 High risk of wholesale loss or destruction of business records, and

 Evidential status of electronic records is unreliable and legal admissibility of
electronic records in Ghana has to be ascertained.
In spite of the challenges highlighted here automated records management and information has
immense benefits as observed elsewhere in this document. What is recommended is a hybrid or
dual system, meaning maintenance of paper records system parallel to the automated system.

11.0 EVALUATION OF CONTRACT PERFORMANCE
11.1 Introduction
Contract evaluation should encompass the overall performance of the contract and of the
Contracting Entity’s administration of the contract. The evaluation of the operation of the
contract and of contract outcomes can be very useful in understanding and improving overall
contract administration, improving contractor performance and can assist in future stakeholder
decision- making.
An evaluation should be undertaken at the end of all contracts and should be planned for in
advance. When a transition from one contract to another is to occur, it is better practice for an
evaluation to be undertaken before the contract ends so that any problems that have occurred
with aspects of the contractual arrangement are identified and, where appropriate, improvements
made in the future contractual arrangements.
11.2 Evaluation of Contractor Performance

Contractor performance evaluation is important for two reasons. First, it provides a means of
monitoring the quality of work done on a specific assignment or project. Second, the cumulative
record of performance on previous projects is a key element in evaluation of the contractor’s
qualifications for future work.
Performance evaluation of contractors can be done in two ways:

 In stages as the assignment progresses
 At the end of the assignment.
If done in stages as the assignment/project progresses, performance evaluations can result in a

better product than if the evaluation is done only at the end of the project.
Factors or criteria to evaluate contractor’s performance will, among others, include time
management,management and suitability of project personnel, standard of service and
co-operative relationships.
Time management
In assessing the contractor’s time management performance the following should be considered:
 Ability to meet programmed milestones;
 Timely allocation of appropriate resources to critical activities;
 Updating of the work program to account for delays;
 Overall progress of the work;
 Timely submission of progress reports; and
 Delays by the contracting entity or other parties, outside the contractor’s control.

Management and suitability of project personnel

The contractor’s ability to assign appropriate staff to the project and then to ensure cooperative
and effective performance including:
 appropriateness of skills and experience of personnel assigned to the work;
 adequacy of the number of personnel assigned to the work;
 comparability of skills and experience of the staff assigned to the project with those
nominated in the tender for the work; and
 suitability of staff
Standard of service
Standard of service will generally be measured against the technical, financial and reporting
requirements set out in the conditions of engagement. In particular:
 Compliance with brief/scope of work;
 Quality of work including conformance with specified performance criteria, if applicable;
 Adherence to budget;
 Achievement of expected value for money;
 Reviews and reports delivered in accordance with the brief;
 Amount of rework required from the contractor;
 Need to engage another contractor to undertake additional or remedial work; and
 Extent of involvement required from the contracting entity to achieve the desired
standard of work.
Co-operative relationships
Assessment items include:
 Commitment and implementation of management approach that fosters continuous
improvement, self-assessment and general industry monitoring;
 Adoption and commitment to a cooperative contracting approach with Employers, ; and
 Commitment to resolving issues through open and effective communication with a non-
adversarial approach.
11.3 Evaluation of Management/Supervision of Contract

Evaluation of management performance will involve assessment of professional conduct and
timely discharge of the tasks allocated to delegated officer(s) of the contracting entity.
Ineffective management/supervision of a contract by the Contracting Entity or Contract
Administrator can obviously result in poor performance of the contractor. Therefore, it is
important for the Contract Administrator to put in place measures to monitor the performance of
the contractor as the assignment progresses. This should then be complemented by interviews
with representatives of the beneficiary institution(s) and other key stakeholders at the end of the
assignment.

Factors for evaluating management/supervision of a contract will include the following:
 Discharging Employer’s obligations in accordance with the terms and conditions of the
contract.
 Collaborative relationship.
 Providing Employer’s inputs, for instance data, as and when required.
 Reviewing Contractor’s deliverables and providing feedback on time.
 Maintaining regular contacts with Contractor to keep track of progress and any
challenges in executing the assignment.
 Facilitating payments when due.
11.4 Evaluation Processes

Evaluations can be conducted in-house by the acquiring entity or a third party can be contracted
to undertake the evaluation. This latter approach has advantages in providing an independent
view of the contracting arrangement. Whatever the approach used, there are some principles that
can assist to make the evaluation relevant and useful. These include having:
 An evaluation plan that sets out clear terms of reference, methods and sources of data
collection and analysis, budget, clear timeframes and reporting arrangements;
 Relevant skills to manage and conduct the evaluation (either in-house or through
contracted personnel);
 Senior management support;
 An evaluation report in which conclusions are supported by the data; and
 Recommendations that provide an indication of their likely benefits.
For big contracts, the evaluation should be a thorough and independent review that is informed
by those involved in establishing and managing the contract.
The evaluation will need to be tailored to the particular circumstances but should consider both
the effectiveness and efficiency of the arrangement. To get the best out of the evaluation, entities
should:
 Review all aspects of contract performance and its management;
 Provide feedback to the contractor; this should not be done as part of another
procurement process;
 Report to stakeholders; and
 Identify lessons learned.
Potential sources of information that can be used to inform the evaluation include: notes from
meetings; performance data; interviews with management and the contractor; Employer and end-
user feedback; quality assurance reports; complaints data; and reports of any disputes.
Feedback to the contractor

Where a contractor may have a continuing or future relationship with the contracting entity,
relevant findings from the evaluation should be discussed with the contractor. This can assist the

parties to better understand what is required and give the contractor an opportunity to comment
on the findings.
Lessons learned
It is better practice that the findings of any evaluation be analyzed to provide lessons learned to
underpin both continuing and future contracting activity. Lessons learned should be documented
and provided to the appropriate parties. Any manuals, plans or policies should be reviewed and
updated as necessary.
Report to stakeholders.
An evaluation report should be provided to relevant stakeholders, for example, senior
management of the contracting entity. The approach used to inform stakeholders about the
evaluation findings should be tailored to suit their particular role in the contract and may include
both written and oral briefings. This enables particular attention to be given to significant matters
that need to be considered by decision-makers.
11.5 Evaluation checklist

The checklist listed below provides a basis for conducting an evaluation of the contract.
 Has the contract facilitated the performance of the tasks under the scope of works and
achievement of the objectives of the assignment?
Review the requirements set out in the original business case and tender. Assess how these
requirements have developed during the life of the contract, then analyze the effectiveness of
the contract in achieving the stated requirements. This should involve a comparison of
planned and actual milestones and activities carried out under the contract.
 Did the contract achieve its objectives?
 Were stakeholders’ requirements met?
 Did the contract deliver quality outcomes?
 How well did the performance regime work?
Review performance against all the standards and indicators set in the contract. Assess
whether the contractor provided all the required works in line with agreed timeframes.
Examine the monitoring and assessment arrangements, including the performance regime
established in the contract to ensure that they assisted with achieving contract outcomes.
 Did the management arrangements established by the contracting entity facilitate
achievement of contract outcomes?
Examine how the relationship was managed and whether the level of resources and/or skills was
sufficient to achieve the contract outcomes.
11.6 Contract Review

Evaluation of contract performance is sometimes referred to as contract review and is conducted
just before the contract is closed. The process is the same as explained above.

In large procurement contracts it is good practice after the contract is completed to conduct a
contract close-out review. This should be done by the contract management team. The review
should consider the following:
(a) The timeliness of contract performance.
(b) Cost and quality performance.
(c) Risks analysis.
(d) Organizational and operational effectiveness.
(e) Appropriateness of the procedures.
(f) Suppliers performance.
After the review a report should be prepared and distributed as necessary. The report shall
provide good lessons for management of future contracts. Where there is need for action
resulting from the report the management of the contracting entity shall decide. Where the team
has performed well it should be commended and where it has not done very well it shall note for
future improvement.

12.0 POST IMPLEMENTATION TASKS
12.1 Introduction
This chapter describes post implementation tasks and provide requisite contractual procedures
towards contract close-out.
12.2 Taking Over of the Works and Sections

Except failure to Pass Tests on Completion, the Works shall be taken over by the Employer when
(i) the Works have been completed in accordance with the Contract, including the matters
connected with Time for Completion and except as allowed, and (ii) a Taking-Over Certificate
for the Works has been issued or is deemed to have been issued.
The Contractor may apply by notice to the Engineer for a Taking-over Certificate not earlier than
14 days before the Works will, in the Contractor’s opinion, be complete and ready for taking
over. If the Works are divided into Sections, the Contractor may similarly apply for Taking-Over
Certificate for each Section. The Engineer shall, within 28 days after receiving the Contractor’s
application:
a) Issue the Taking-Over Certificate to the Contractor, stating the date on which the Works
or Section were completed in accordance with the Contract, except for any minor
outstanding work and defects which will not substantially affect the use of the Works or
Section for their intended purpose (either until or whilst this work is completed and these
defects are remedied); or
b) Reject the application, giving reasons and specifying the work required to be done by the
Contractor to enable the Taking-Over Certificate to be issued. The Contractor shall then
complete this work before issuing a further notice.
If the Engineer fails either to issue the Taking-Over Certificate or to reject the Contractor’s
application within the period of 28 days, and if the Works or Section, as the case may be, are
substantially in accordance with the Contract, the Taking-Over Certificate shall be deemed to
have been issued on the last day of that period.
The Engineer may, at the sole discretion of the Employer, issue a Taking-Over Certificate for
any part of the Permanent Works.
The Employer shall not use any part of the Works, other than as a temporary measure which is
either specified in the Contract or agreed by both Parties unless and until the Engineer has issued
A Taking–Over Certificate for this part. However, if the Employer does use any part of the
Works before the Taking-Over Certificate is issued:
a) The part which is used shall be deemed to have been taken over as from the date on
which it is used,
b) The Contractor shall cease to be liable for the care of such part as from this date, when
responsibility shall pass to the Employer, and

c) If requested by the Contractor, the Engineer shall issue a Taking-Over Certificate for this
part.
After the Engineer has issued a Taking-Over Certificate for a part of the Works, the Contractor
shall be given the earlier opportunity to take such steps as may be necessary to carry out any
outstanding Tests on Completion. The Contractor shall carry out these Tests on Completion
as soon as practicable before the expiry date of the relevant Defects Notification Period.
If the Contractor incurs Cost as a result of the Employer taking over and/or using a part of the
Works, other than such use as is specified in the Contract or agreed by the Contractor, the
Contractor shall (i) give notice to the Engineer and (ii) been titled subject to Contractor’s Claims
to payment of any such Cost plus reasonable profit, which shall be included in the Contract
Price. After receiving this notice, the Engineer shall proceed in accordance with Determinations
to agree or determine this Cost and profit.
If a Taking-Over Certificate has been issued for a part of the Works other than a Section, the
delay damages thereafter for completion of the remainder of the Works shall be reduced.
Similarly, the delay damages for the remainder of the Section if any in which this part is included
shall also be reduced. For any period of delay after the date stated in this Taking-Over
Certificate, the proportional reduction in these delay damages shall be calculated as the
proportion which the value of the part so certified bears to the value of the Works or Section as
the case may be as a whole. The Engineer shall proceed in accordance with Determinations agree
to or determine these proportions. These provisions shall only apply to the daily rate of delay
damages under Delay Damaged, and shall not affect the maximum amount of these damages.
12.3 Performance Certificate

Performance of the Contractor’s obligations shall not be considered to have been completed until
the Engineer has issued the Performance Certificate to the Contractor, stating the date on which
the Contractor completed his obligations under the Contract.
The Engineer shall issue the Performance Certificate within 28 days after the latest of the expiry
dates of the Defects Notification Periods, or as soon thereafter as the Contractor has supplied all
the Contractor’s Documents and completed and tested all the Works, including remedying any
defects. A copy of the Performance Certificate shall be issued to the Employer.
Only the Performance Certificate shall be deemed to constitute acceptance of the Works.
12.4 Defects Notification Period

This means the period for notifying defects in the Works or a Section, as the case may be under
Completion of Outstanding Work and Remedying Defects, as stated in the Appendix to Tender
with any extension under Extension of Defects Notification Period, calculated from the date on
which the Works or Section is completed as certified under Taking Over of the Works and
Sections.

If the Employer considers himself to be entitled to any payment under any Clause of the
Conditions or otherwise in connection with the Contract, and/or to any extension of the
Defects Notification Period, the Employer or the Engineer shall give notice and particulars to
the Contractor. However, notice is not required for payments due under Electricity, Water and
Gas, under Employer’s Equipment and Free-Issue Material, or for other services requested by the
Contractor.
The notice shall be given as soon as practicable after the Employer became aware of the event or
circumstances giving rise to the claim. A notice relating to any extension of the Defects
Notification Period shall be given before the expiry of such period.
The particulars shall specify the Clause or other basis of the claim, and shall include
substantiation of the amount and/or extension to which the Employer considers himself to be
entitled in connection with the Contract. The Engineer shall then proceed in accordance with
Determinations to agree or determine (i) the amount, if any, which the Employer is entitled to be
paid by the Contractor, and/or (ii) the extension, if any, of the Defects Notification Period in
accordance Extension of Defects Notification Period.
12.5 Statement at Completion/Final Accounts

Within 84 days after receiving the Taking-Over the Engineer six copies of a Statement at
completion with supporting documents, in accordance with Application for Interim Payment
Certificates], showing:
a) The value of all work done in accordance with the Contract up to the date stated in
the Taking-Over Certificate for the Works,
b) Any further sums which the Contractor considers to be due, and
c) An estimate of any other amounts which the Contractor considers will become due to
him under the Contract, Estimated amounts shall be shown separately in this
Statement at completion. The Engineer shall then certify in accordance with Issue of
Interim Payment Certificates.
Application for Final Payment Certificate must be done within 56 days after receiving the
Performance Certificate, the Contractor shall submit, to the Engineer, six copies of a draft final
statement with supporting documents showing in detail in a form approved by the Engineer.
a) The value of all work done in accordance with the Contract, and
b) Any further sums which the Contractor considers to be due to him under the Contract
or otherwise.
If the Engineer disagrees with or cannot verify any part of the draft final statement, the
Contractor shall submit such further information as the Engineer may reasonably require and
shall make such changes in the draft as may be agreed between them. The Contractor shall then
prepare and submit to the Engineer the final statement as agreed. This agreed statement is
referred to in these Conditions as the “Final Statement”.

However if, following discussions between the Engineer and the Contractor and any changes to
the draft final statement which are agreed, it becomes evident that a dispute exists, the Engineer
shall deliver to the Employer with a copy to the Contractor and Interim Payment Certificate for
the agreed parts of the draft final statement. Thereafter, if the dispute is finally resolved under
Obtaining Dispute Adjudication Board’s Decision or Amicable Settlement, the Contractor shall
then prepare and submit to the Employer with a copy to the Employer a Final Statement.
12.6 Discharge
When submitting the Final Statement, the Contractor shall submit a written discharge which
confirms that the total of the Final Statement represents full and final settlement of all moneys
due to the Contractor under or in connection with the Contract. This discharge may state that it
becomes effective when the Contractor has received the Performance Security and the
outstanding balance of this total, in which event the discharge shall be effective on such date.
These tests shall be carried out in accordance with the terms applicable to the previous tests,
except that they shall be carried out at the risk and cost of the Party liable, under Sub-Clause 11.2
[Cost of Remedying Defects], for the cost of the remedial work.
12.7 Contract Close-out

Close out procedures are usually in five parts as follows:
PART ONE – BASIC PROCEDURES
Step 1: Determining who is Responsible for Contract Closeout

Step 2: Building a Closeout File
Step 3: Determining Physical Completion and Quick Closeout Procedures
Step 4: Payment Histories and Funding Resolution
Step 5: Applicable Clauses and Provisions
Step 6: Determining Security Classification
Step 7: Letter to the Contractor
Step 8: Letter to the Technical Group
Step 9: Request for Audit
Step 10: Negotiation and Invoice Payment
Step 11: Final Closeout Documents and Amendment of Solicitation/Modification of Contract.
Step 12: Management and Legal Review
Step 13: Completion of Closeout Actions
PART TWO – PROBLEM CONTRACT CLOSEOUT
1. Contractor No Longer in Business

2. Contractor in Bankruptcy
3. Contractor Fails to Submit Indirect Cost Data
4. Contractor is Unable to Submit Supporting Indirect Cost Data
5. Contractor Fails to Submit Final Invoice

PART THREE – CONTRACT QUICK CLOSEOUT PROCEDURES
PART FOUR – PROCEDURES FOR SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITIONS
PART FIVE – CONTRACT RETENTION, STAGING AND RETRIEVAL PROCEDURES
PART SIX – BLANKET PURCHASE AGREEMENT (BPA) AND BASIC ORDERING

AGREEMENT (BOA) PROCEDURES

REFERENCES
1. Jorge A. Lynch T. Public Procurement & Contract Administration: A Brief

Introduction. (2017). Procurement Class Room Series, Volume No.1
2. International Training Centre (ILO), (1999). Training of Trainers in Public
Procurement, Module III: Tendering for Goods.
Procurement, Module IV: Tendering for Works.
Procurement, Module V: Tendering for Services.
5. International Training Centre (ILO), (November 2014). Selection and Employment of
Consultants in World Bank –Financed Projects: Code of Conduct, Module 4.
6. Goats Westring (1985) International Procurement- A Training Manual.
7. The World Bank (2006) Consulting Services Manual 2006-A Comprehensive Guide to
the Selection of Consultants.
8. Gosta Westring and George Jadoun (Rev.15th November 1996). Public Procurement
Manual.
9. The World Bank (2011). Manual for Contract Management Procedures in World Bank-
Financed Projects in Europe and Central Asia Region.
10. Manual of Procedures for the Procurement of Consulting Services-Module 4.
11. Public Procurement Oversight Authority, Kenya (December 2008).Procurement
Records Management Procedures Manual.
12. International Training Centre (ILO) and World Bank, (July 2010). Equipment and
Works Procurement Management –Procurement Environment in World Bank –Financed
Projects: Module 1.
13. International Training Centre (ILO) and World Bank, (September 2009). Equipment
Procurement Management –The Standard Tenderer Documents in World Bank –Financed
Projects: EPM Module 2.
14. International Training Centre (ILO) and World Bank, (September 2009). Equipment
Procurement Management –The Standard Tender Evaluation, Contract Award and
Management: EPM Module 3.
15. International Training Centre (ILO) and World Bank, (May 2000). Works
Procurement Management –Tender Opening and Tender Evaluation: WPM Module 4.
16. International Training Centre (ILO) and World Bank, (April 2000). Works
Procurement Management –Tender Document: Types of Works Contract: WPM Module
2.
17. International Training Centre (ILO) and World Bank, (May 2000). Works
Procurement Management –The Tenderer Process: Standard Tenderer Documents:
WPModule 3/1.
Procurement Management –The Tenderer Process: Standard Tenderer Documents:
WPModule 3/2.

Procurement Management – Contract Implementation and Management: WPM Module.
20. Public Procurement Authority Accra, Ghana (Rev, January, 2015)
Standard and Sample Contract for Consultant’s Services -Small
Assignments, Time-Based Payments.
22. Standard Tender Document for Selection of Technical Service Providers.
Standard and Sample Contract for Consultant’s Services -Small
Assignments, Lump-Sum Payments.
24. Public Procurement Act (Act 663 as amended).
26. Standard Document for Request of Expression of Interest.
27. UN Handbook on Procurement, 2006

APPENDIX 1
CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION SCHEDULE AND PLAN

Contract Administration Schedule
1. Contract Summary
Start date / / Term

Background
History
Objectives
Key deliverables
2. Contacts
2.1 Procurement Entity (PE) contacts
Name Role
2.2 Contractor contacts
Name Role
2.3 Map of relationships
Functional links between PE & Contractor team members
3. Communication
Detail how parties are to communicate about the contract both internally, across PE and
publicly. If contractor and/or PE is to promote the contract within PE what are the
protocols for doing this.
4. Disclosure

Detail contract disclosure requirements and responsibilities (i.e. at execution and any significant
variations).
5. Payment processes
How will contracts be placed?
6. Performance
Reference Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Measures
7. Consequences
What will happen if KPIs are not met, e.g. Contractor must explain issue and actions in place to
remedy, actions to be monitored. What are the penalties for under performance?
8. Reporting
What reports are required, when are they required and who are they sent to?
9. Meetings and reviews
Insert meeting and review requirements (based on whether this is an operational, tactical or
strategic arrangement). Indicate meeting type, timing, required attendees and expected protocols
10. Disputes

Detail how day to day operational issues are to be handled and how and when these should
escalate. Reference contract clause for more formal/legal process.
11. Variations
Detail how variation requests are to be administered.
12. Risk management
Develop a risk management plan and establish a process for raising, recording and monitoring.
13. Document sign off
PE sign off
Name Position
Signature Date / /
Contractor sign off
Name Position
Signature Date / /
Version Date / /
Contract Administration Plan-Milestones

Target
Actual Completion
ID Tasks CA’s Start Date Completion
Date
Date
1. CONTRACT PERIOD - 12
MONTHS
2. Contract Effectiveness Mon 11.04.15 Mon 11.04.15
3. Contract Commencement Tues 26.04.15 Tues 03.05.15
4. Planning Wed 27.04.15 Wed 04.05.15
5. Review Contractor drawings Mon 9.05.15 Mon 16.05.15
6. Ordering materials by
Check Contractor action Mon 23.05.15
Contractor
7. Possession of site Mon 16.05.15 Thurs 26.05.15
8. Milestone I - Mobilization
Check Contractor action Wed 01.06.15
completed
9. Milestone II – Preparation.
Rights of way granted and
Mon 23.05.15 Thurs 02.06.15
all affected residents
informed
10. Milestone III – All trenches

Mon 27.06.15 Fri 08.07.15
marked out and excavated
11. Milestone IV – All pipes and

other materials arrived at Check Contractor action Wed 31.08.15
store.
12. Milestone V – All pipes laid Check Contractor action Fri 16.09.15
13. Milestone VI – All pipes

connected and blanked off Check Contractor action Tues 03.01.16
for testing
14. Milestone VII – All pipes

passed pressure testing and Wed 04.01.16 Mon 06.02.16
witnessed by employer
15. Milestone VIII – Replaced Mon 05.03.16 Mon 12.03.16

and compacted all removed

Target
Actual Completion
ID Tasks CA’s Start Date Completion
Date
Date
material and site made good

and cleaned
16. Milestone VI – Handover Mon 30.04.16

PROGRAMME
APPENDIX 2


APPENDIX 3 – METHOD STATEMENT
Plan for executing the Works and brief details of Proposed Programme.
The Works will be carried out and undertaken in a manner as broadly detailed in the
Proposed Programme attached.
Highlights of the Elements of Work, the Human Resources and Plant and Equipment to
be employed on the Works as required have been assessed and reflected in the attached
Proposed Programme for ease of reference and evaluation.
Materials as specified in the Preambles and Bills of Quantities will be followed unless
otherwise varied.
Materials Requisition/Orders and Stock Levels will be done with due diligence to ensure
scheduled deliveries for early completion of works as programmed.
Generally, the project will be under the overall supervision of a Project Engineer with three
(3) Supervisors as Assistants heading the three (3) Teams to carry out the Works
concurrently – for the Executive Wing, Main Office and the Greenfield/3rd Floor
Remedial. Trades Supervisors for the various sections will enhance direct artisanry and
labourer/helper supervision. Tasks will be allotted and workmen will be organized into
trade gangs to facilitate and quicken operations.
The Project will commence from the Executive Wing with the dismantling/demolition
and re-fixing/alteration.
Due to the urgency of the Works, we shall work on day and night basis up to 8pm and on
Saturdays and Sundays.
From details as provided, the volume of works have been assessed and we propose to
engage upon the works the best of specialist artisans for a standard finish as expected by
the Drawings and Specifications to ensure a good blend with existing
structures/infrastructure.
We have examined the Drawings and visited the site and are fully aware of the extent of
Plant and Equipment, including the use of Generating set, needed for the works.
We shall bring our cherished experience on other and similar Projects to bear on this
particular Project.

APPENDIX 4
PROGRESS REPORT
Format for Monthly Progress Reports
1. Summary
1.1 Introduction [≈3 short paragraphs - Source of Funds, Location, Scope of Works
e.g. Spot Improvement]
1.2 Contract Details [Tabular Format update monthly]
- Contract Title
- Reporting Period
- Employer
- Contractor
- Supervising Consultants
- Contract Start Date
- Initial Contract Period
- Initial Time for Completion
- Extensions of Time Granted
- Extended Time for Completion
- Percentage Time Elapsed
- Estimated Completion Date
1.3 Financial Summary [Tabular Format update monthly]
- Original Contract Price
- Agreed Adjustments to Contract Price (Breakdown and
Summary)
- Summary of Claims and Valuations Outstanding
- Estimated Final Value
1.4 Summary of Physical Progress [Bar Chart Format]
- Current Programme
- Estimate of Overall Progress Against Current Programme
- Summary of Progress of Major Work Items
2. Details of Physical Progress

[SHORT narratives ≈ 1-2 paragraphs for each section]
2.1 Weather
2.2 Assessment of Validity of Current Programme
2.3 Progress against Programme, Difficulties and their Resolution
- Clearance
- Earthworks – Shaping
- Culvert, Drainage and Protection Works
- Earthworks – Embankment Construction
- Gravel Wearing Course
- Sub-base

- Base Course
- Surfacing Works
- Borrow Areas and Reinstatement
2.4 Contractor’s Equipment - Arrivals, Departures and Daily Status
(working, standing or broken down) [Tabular Format]
2.5 Contractor’s Labour [Tabular Format] and Problems [Short narrative]
2.6 Procurement of Materials and Problems [Short narrative]
2.7 Workmanship and Problems [Short narrative]
2.8 Contractor’s Organisation On Site and Problems [Short narrative]
3. Financial and Contractual Progress

3.1 Summary Table - Certificates Issued to Date
3.2 Summary Table - Variation Orders Issued
3.3 Summary Table – Site Instructions Issued
3.4 Summary Table – Provisional Sum Orders Issued
3.5 Summary Table – Daywork Orders Issued
3.6 Claims for Additional Payment and Progress Towards Their
Resolution [Short narrative]
3.7 Claims for Extension of Time and Progress Towards Their
Resolution [Short narrative]
4. Administration
[SHORT narratives ≈ 1-2 paragraphs for each section]
4.1 Site Safety and Accidents
4.2 The Contractor’s Site Staff
4.3 The Project Manager’s Representative’s Site Staff
4.4 Visitors to Site
5. Appendices
5.1 Progress Photographs
5.2 Minutes of Progress Meetings

APPENDIX 5
EXTENSION OF TIME
Letterhead)
(The Contractor’s Name)

(The Contractor’s Address)
(Reference)
(Date)
(Contract Title)
ORDER №SR/ [enter sequential №]
Extension of Time
Dear Sirs,
We refer to your application dated [insert date] reference [insert reference] made for an extension to
the period of performance of the contract to which you consider yourself entitled pursuant to
Clause xxx of the Conditions of Contract.
In consultation with the Employer, we have carefully considered your application for an
extension to the period of performance and all the circumstances affecting the works outlined
therein. I now confirm at the behest of the employer that we are able/unable to grant any
extension to the period of performance.
Any delays [beyond those for which an extension of the period of completion was previously
granted] are considered wholly attributable to circumstances or default for which you as
Contractor are held solely responsible under the terms of the contract.
This notice is given pursuant to Clause xxx of the Conditions of Contract.
Yours faithfully,
C.C.

(Letterhead)
(Reference)
(Date)
(Contract Title)
Notification of Extension of the Intended Completion Date
Dear Sirs,
We refer to your application dated [insert date] reference [insert reference] made for an extension of
the Intended Completion Date to which you consider yourself entitled pursuant to Sub-Clause
28.2 of the Conditions of Contract.
In consultation with the employer, we have carefully considered your application for an
extension of the Intended Completion Date and all the circumstances affecting the Works
outlined therein. I now confirm at the behest of employer that at this time it is considered that
you are entitled to an [interim/overall] extension of the Intended Completion Date amounting to
[insert number] days.
The said [interim/overall] extension is awarded pursuant to the Sub-Clauses of the Conditions of
Contract and the grounds tabled below: [delete lines and complete table as appropriate]
Sub- Compensation Event Days

Clause №
44.1(a) Delay owing to Employer’s failure to give Possession of Site
44.1(b) Contractor’s work delayed or disrupted by Employer’s modification of Schedule
of Other Contractors
44.1(c) Project Manager orders a delay or fails to issue Drawings, Specifications or
Instructions required for timely execution of the works
44.1(d) Project Manager orders additional testing or uncovering of non-defective Work
44.1(e) Project Manager unreasonably does not approve a subcontract to be let
44.1(f) Unforeseen adverse ground conditions
44.1(g) Project Manager’s instruction for additional work, etc.
44.1(h) Delay caused by the Employer or other agency outside the control of the Contractor
44.1(i) Delayed Advance Payment

44.1(j) Delays caused by any of the Employer’s Risks
44.1(k) Project Manager unreasonably delays issuing a completion certificate
44.1(l) Compensation Events as determined by the Project Manager
Total
This notice is given pursuant to Sub-Clause 28.2 of the Conditions of Contract.
Yours faithfully,
C.C.

APPENDIX 6
CERTIFICATE OF SUBSTANTIAL/PRACTICAL COMPLETION
(Letterhead)

(Reference)
(Date)
(Contract Title)
Certificate of Substantial/practical Completion
Dear Sirs,
Pursuant to Clause xxx of the Conditions of Contract we hereby certify that the works were
substantially completed in accordance with the contract and ready for acceptance on [insert date]
and, in accordance with the provisions of Clause xxx, the maintenance period commenced on
that date.
Yours faithfully,
C.C.
133 Public Procurement Authority (PPA), Ghana

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PUBLIC PROCUREMENT AUTHORITY

(PPA) ACCRA, GHANA

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION MANUAL FOR

GIMPA Consultancy Services

i Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

Public Procurement Authority

i Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

i Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

i Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

3.3 Standard Forms of Works Contracts/Standard Tender Documents Available and

12.7 Contract Close-out...............................................................................................116

Figure 1: Layers of supervision in the administration of works contracts............................................28

v Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

v Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

ERMS Electronic Record Management Systems/Strategy

i Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

OA Offer and Acceptance

x Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

TFC Termination for Convenience

x Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

Assignment The Consultancy Services defined in a consultant's contract.

Back Stopping Technical and Administrative Support provided by the

Bank Guarantee An undertaking by a ‘Guarantor’ (usually a commercial bank) to

Bill of Lading A document evidencing a contract of carriage, a receipt for the

Consultancy Services which are of intellectual and advisory nature provided

Contract An agreement, enforceable by law, between two or more

Contract An individual appointed by the head of entity to administer a

Court Court of competent jurisdiction

Contractor’s Machinery, equipment and vehicles brought temporarily to the

x Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

Evaluation Procedure used to evaluate tenders or proposals in accordance

Framework Agreement A long-term agreement with suppliers, contractors and providers

Force Majeure An event that interferes with the performance of a contract

Goods Objects of every kind and description including raw materials,

Guidelines Policies, practices, and procedures that guide the procurement of

INCOTERMS International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) definitions of

Joint Financing Co-financier to participate in financing the project by providing

Long List List of Consulting Firms considered in preparing a short list.

Management In construction, a management contractor usually does not

x Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

Overhead Consultant's Administrative and Business cost not directly related

Parallel financing Co-financier agrees to finance specific contracts in a project and

Perform To act on so as to accomplish or bring to completion; execute;

Performance The act of performing; execution, accomplishment, fulfillment,

Performance Contract A contract between the procurement entity and a supplier,

Procurement plan The document prepared by each procuring entity annually to

Reimbursable Assignment specific expenses that are reimbursed by the Client

Responsive tender A tender that has been determined to be substantially responsive

Services “Service” means the furnishing of labour, time, or effort not

xi Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

Tender An offer to supply goods or works conforming to particular

Tenderer A person who puts in a bid or offer in a procurement contract.

x Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

Purpose of the Manuals

Scope of Manual on Works-2

1 Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

Content/Structure of the Manual

Exceptions to the Training Module

2 Public Procurement Authority (PPA),

1.0 CONTRACT PRINCIPLES