Contracts and Procurement Interest Network

About this SIG

Contract An agreement made between two or more parties that creates legally binding obligations between them. The contract sets out those obligations and the actions that can be taken if they are not met.

Procurement strategy The high level approach for securing the goods and services required from external suppliers to satisfy project, programme and portfolio needs.

Definition from APM Body of Knowledge 7^th edition

The C&P SIG exists to promote and disseminate knowledge, understanding and best practice of contracts and procurement in a project environment. It aims to become a lively and constructive debating forum which takes existing best practice and helps make it better. The SIG wants to disseminate this knowledge, understanding and better-than-best practice through a variety of accessible means. 

It has a long term aspiration to become recognised as an international forum at the leading edge of excellence in contracts and procurement for projects. The SIG believes that procurement is the process by which the benefits, enhanced capability, functions/performance or resources (goods and services) required from or by a project or programme are acquired.

It includes deciding the package structure and, for each package, the development and implementation of the: 

• contracting strategy;
• contract documents, including the specific scope/requirement;
• process and evaluation criteria for selection and award leading to the effective management of the contracts once entered into.