Contract Management: Building Relationships in Business - University of Southampton

Contracts are fundamental to all business activities and relationships are fundamental to all contracts.

This free online course will help you understand contract management processes; give you the confidence to develop new contracts; and help you build successful relationships to implement contracts effectively.

The course has been developed by the University of Southampton, in association with the Crown Commercial Service, UK Cabinet Office, Civil Service Learning and the International Association of Contract & Commercial Management (IACCM).

Over three weeks, you will realise the importance, complexity and challenges of designing and delivering good contracts. You will learn how your objectives and those of your customer/client can be achieved in an effective way, to minimise possible threats or failures.

Relationship fundamentals: we will explore what can go right or wrong in relationships; examine the rules that govern public and private sector procurement; and ask how you can make sure what you buy (or sell) is what you and your customer/client really needs.

Relationship complexities: we will look at the complex supply chains and networks that are a feature of many contracts, learning how to manage interdependencies and the needs of multiple stakeholders.

What does this mean to you? The final part of the course will bring the above ideas together, using an example scenario (the challenge of building your own house) to put theory into practice.

Your guides for the course are Douglas Macbeth, Professor of Purchasing and Supply Chain Management at the University of Southampton; and Tim Cummins, CEO of IACCM who has wide and senior management experience in the field.

Each week, you’ll get the chance to hear guest lectures from, and discuss your own ideas with, practitioners from public and private sector organisations around the world.

(Course image: derivative work based on silhouettes © Nevena Radonja/Shutterstock.)