Creating a contract management plan

A contract management plan or Outcome Agreement Management Plan tracks the management of the contract and the relationship with the provider.

Using a plan is optional, particularly for low risk, low value, short engagements (less than NZ$50,000 in value and less than six months in duration). But we strongly encourage using a plan as part of good contract management practice.

Make sure you tailor your plan to the individual contract - the content and amount of detail will depend on the nature of the services, the clients and the contract.

The plan sets out:

who will be responsible for managing the delivery of the contract
the nature and extent of engagement with the supplier or provider
how issues and disputes will be resolved
potential risks, how they'll be mitigated and managed and by whom
a methodology and plan for evaluating the quality of delivery and the benefits achieved
key stakeholders (internal and external) and how these relationships will be managed
an exit strategy to be applied at the end of the contract.

If you are managing social services contracts, the Outcome Agreement Management Plan supports effective contract management.

Having a contract management plan ensures a smooth transition in case of a change in contract managers.

Templates

What to include in the plan

The plan is a living document - you should keep it updated throughout the contract.

If you decide you don't need a formal plan, we recommend you still complete and record the details below.

Administering the contract and managing the relationship

identification and contact details for each party’s contract/relationship manager
the contract/relationship managers’ key responsibilities
meeting requirements (chair, location and standard agenda items)
the process for agreeing and controlling variations and changes to the contract
a contract management risk plan.

Service delivery requirements

a timeline of key actions, deliverables, milestones and payment dates
the process for achieving and checking key deliverables
the quality and standards expected and their measuring process (such as KPIs)
monitoring and reporting requirements (frequency, type, content and distribution)
guidance on any agency policies or procedures that apply to the supplier (if appropriate).

Financial details