5.1 Post Award Meeting

The period immediately following contract award is important to getting the contract off to an efficient and productive start. Behaviours exhibited by the owner and contractor during this period often set the precedents for the life of the contract. A post award meeting is a good method to get a contract off on the right manner.

A post-award meeting should be held with the successful supplier as soon as possible after contract awarded. The meeting is used to discuss the contract implementation phase and to ensure the agreed roles, responsibilities, activities and timescales negotiated in the contract are clear. It is important to keep in regular contact with the supplier following this meeting as required.

A good practice is to ensure that there are documented 30/60/90 day plans in place for the owner and contractor to follow during the immediate post-award period. Some items to consider during this period can include:

• Audited financial statements received for the main contractors and all key sub-contractors;
• Letter of credit and insurance certificates put in place;
• All management plans finalized with specific emphasis on: quality, project management, procurement, safety, staffing/resourcing and engineering;
• Schedule provided that detailed all submittals that the contractor team would be requesting input from the owner (to allow for planning of owner resources);
• A list of, expected cost, and procurement strategy for all long lead materials;
• A level 2 master schedule for the planning phase of the project;
• Steering committee made up of executives from the owner and contractor teams established;
• First status report issued and reviewed together with senior execuitves from both organizations. This can continue as a regular (e.g. quarterly) oversight meeting.