Stage 3: In-life Management & Governance

Protecting margin, performance and relationships

Once a contract is live, commercial control becomes the difference between delivery and dispute.

We help organisations maintain commercial control during live delivery through effective governance, change management, supplier oversight and contract administration.

See how we protect value during contract delivery Explore common In-Life contract challenges and how we support clients

How do we stop value leaking out of this contract?

This includes

Maintaining control of contract obligations, governance and compliance
Managing change, risk and issues before they escalate
Protecting margin through structured commercial oversight and intervention
Improving supplier performance and maintaining effective commercial relationships
Reducing disputes through proactive governance and early intervention

Our Services

Contract Administration

Day-to-day contract administration
Delegated authority approvals and cost reporting
Records, notices and compliance
Audit trail management
Obligation management and reporting

Change Management

Compensation event management (NEC)
Drafting Compensation Event Notices
Variation management systems
Change register and change board
Commercial impact assessments and quotations
Programme delay impacts and entitlement to time
Change management model and process / system implementation

Early Warning & Risk Management

Early warning systems
Drafting early warning notices
Risk reduction meetings
Risk register management
Mitigation planning
Commercial contingency planning and business continuity support

Payment, Valuations & Cashflow

Application and valuation management
Cashflow forecasting and cost-value reconciliation
Payment dispute resolution
Financial compliance reviews

Performance, KPIs & Margin Protection

KPI and incentive management
Service level agreement and service credit reconciliation
Margin leakage diagnostics
Performance reporting
Recovery programmes and remedial plans

Claims Avoidance & Dispute Prevention

Issue resolution frameworks
Dispute avoidance strategies
Escalation reporting and intervention
Commercial mediation support
Forensic chronology analysis and preparation of claims
Relationship recovery programmes
Formal dispute and arbitration support
Forensic planning and delay analysis

Embedded Commercial Leadership

Negotiation strategy and board reports (best, worst, settle)
Settlement strategy and agreement support
Interim commercial managers and embedded governance teams
Programme commercial leadership, planning and project controls support
Re-baseline and reset strategy and leadership
Recovery taskforces, turnaround teams and delay analysis
Contract health checks

How We Deliver at This Stage

We provide hands-on commercial contract management support, from structured governance through to embedded leadership and recovery intervention:

Commercial Contract Management – End-to-End
Contract Administration & Governance
Commercial Assurance & Recovery
Advisory, Negotiation & Dispute Support
Interim & Embedded Commercial Support
Building Capability, Not Dependency

Trusted across transport and major infrastructure, public sector and government, technology and digital, defence and security, and other complex, regulated environments.

See how we deliver in more detail Speak to our team about your contract

How we deliver in practice

See all case studies

Improving Contract Administration Consistency Across NEC and JCT Project Teams

Are our project teams applying contract administration inconsistently?

Cabinet Office – Building Contract Management Capability Across Public Sector Teams

Do our contract managers have the skills and judgement to manage complex supplier relationships?

Strengthening Contract Governance for a Major Housing Association

Are inconsistent contract governance and supplier disputes affecting our repairs and maintenance contracts?

Thales – Improving Commercial Oversight Across a Defence Technology Programme

Are we in control of change, claims and contract performance?

Commercial Change Control Across a Major NEC Infrastructure Project

Are we struggling to maintain commercial control and contractual compliance on a complex NEC3 project?

Social Housing – Protecting Commercial Performance Through NEC Contract Management and Change Control

Are escalating compensation events and weak change management putting our programme at risk?

NHS England – Creating Commercial Contract Management Control Across a National Supplier Portfolio

Is our organisation exposed because contract obligations, changes and decisions are not consistently documented?

Is there a risk of losing control of change, value and contractual compliance on a complex NEC programme?

Backlogs, joint governance issues and inconsistent processes lead to lost value, disputes and reduced commercial control.

See how Clear stabilised contract administration, recovered value and restored control

Are escalating compensation events and weak change control putting our project at risk?

Poorly managed change processes lead to disputes, cost overruns and loss of profitability.

See how Clear implemented disciplined change management and restored commercial performance

Do we have visibility and control over our contracts or are risks and obligations being missed?

Lack of central governance leads to inconsistent processes, unmanaged obligations and increased commercial risk.

See how Clear established tiered contract management governance and improved financial and operational control at NHS England

Are change, delay and claims eroding value across our contract without us realising?

Without active contract management, value leakage, disputes and performance issues can escalate quickly.

See how Clear protected contract value and strengthened commercial control for Thales

Are limited contract governance and supplier disputes impacting performance and compliance?

Poor oversight and inconsistent processes lead to disputes, value leakage and regulatory risk.

See how Clear undertook a Contract Maturity Assessment for strategic supplier contracts to improve supplier performance and compliance

Are our teams applying contract terms inconsistently, exposing us to risk and missed value?

Inconsistent contract administration leads to missed notices, unmanaged risks and reduced commercial outcomes.

See how Clear strengthened contract administration and improved commercial performance

Do our contract managers have the capability to manage complex supplier relationships effectively?

Capability gaps lead to poor decision-making, weak governance and increased commercial risk.

See how Clear assessed and strengthened contract management capability across government

In-life Management & Governance