Contract Manager

1- MISSION

The Contract Manager is responsible for the effective administration of contracts, ensuring the fair, impartial, and contractually compliant execution of all contractual obligations. The role manages claims, variations, contractual correspondence, and dispute-related matters, provides strategic contractual and commercial advice to project leadership and proactively mitigates commercial risk to support successful

project delivery.

2- LINE AND STAFF RELATIONS

The Contract Manager will report to the Project Director.

3- KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Contract Administration

• Administer FIDIC suite contracts (including the Red Book and Yellow Book) in direct support of the Consultant who is acting as the Engineer under the Construction Contract, ensuring the independent and impartial discharge of all Engineer's functions in accordance with the applicable conditions of contract.

• Review, assess and issue formal Engineer's determinations and responses to contractual correspondence submitted by the Contractor, ensuring all responses are issued within the contractually prescribed time limits and are contractually precise and well-reasoned.

• Prepare and issue Engineer's Instructions, Variation Orders, Payment Certificates, and all other formal Engineer's communications in a form that is contractually compliant and defensible.

• Support the preparation and negotiation of contract agreements.

• Monitor and record the Contractor's compliance with its contractual obligations, including programme obligations, submission obligations, notice obligations and performance obligations, and advise the Project Director promptly of any material non-compliance.

Claims and Dispute Management

• Maintain records for Employer’s claims, including those related to delay damages.

• Review, analyse and formally respond to all Extension of Time claims submitted by the Contractor, assessing entitlement against the contractual conditions’ precedent, the contemporaneous programme, delay analysis methodology and supporting substantiation.

• Assess Contractor prolongation cost claims and loss and expense submissions, verifying the accuracy, completeness and legitimacy of cost substantiations, calculation methodologies, and causation arguments against the applicable contract provisions.

• Prepare comprehensive Engineer's determinations and Employer defence position papers in response to unmeritorious or overstated Contractor claims, setting out the factual, programme and contractual basis for the Employer's position with precision and authority.

• Maintain a live claims risk register identifying all pending and potential Contractor claims, their financial exposure, the current Employer position and the recommended mitigation strategy.

• Proactively identify and seek to resolve commercial differences and emerging disputes through early engagement, structured commercial negotiation and agreement, with a view to avoiding formal dispute escalation and minimising project disruption.

• Where disputes proceed to formal resolution, prepare and co-ordinate the production of Engineer's records, position papers, and statements in support of the Employer's case before formal dispute proceedings and arbitral tribunals, as required.

Variations and Change Management

• Evaluate and assess all proposed Variations, instructed changes and Contractor-initiated Value Engineering proposals, providing a clear contractual and commercial recommendation to the Project Director in each case.

• Value Variation Orders by reference to the applicable contract rates, bill of quantities, schedule of rates, fair valuation principles or daywork as appropriate, ensuring all valuations represent good value for the Employer and are supportable under the contract.

• Prepare and administer Variation Order forms through to full execution, maintaining a complete Variation register showing instructed, valued and certified status for each Variation.

• Assess the programme and cost implications of all instructed and anticipated Variations, advising the Project Director of the impact on the project budget and completion date before instructions are issued.

Commercial Management and Cost Control

• Review and assess Contractor interim payment applications, certifying the amount properly due in accordance with the contract and issuing independent Payment Certificates within the contractually prescribed certification periods.

• Monitor and report on project cash flow, contingency spend and cost commitment against approved budget, providing the Project Director with regular and accurate Cost-to-Complete forecasts and early warning of budget pressure.

• Provide cost estimates and order-of-magnitude assessments for budgeting, change management and value engineering purposes as required by the Project Director.

• Review contractor’s monthly reports and provide recommendations.

Risk Management and Contractual Advisory

• Provide the Project Director and Employer's senior management with clear, contract-based guidance on risk allocation, Contractor obligations, and Employer entitlements under the applicable contract, translating complex contractual positions into actionable commercial

advice.

• Maintain and update the project's commercial risk register on a regular basis, translating identified contractual and programme risks into quantified financial metrics and advising on appropriate mitigation measures.

Records and Document Control

• Maintain a comprehensive and auditable Engineer's contemporary records system, capturing daily site records, resource deployment, weather conditions, delay events, and disruption occurrences in a manner suitable for use in formal dispute proceedings.

• Manage and maintain comprehensive registers for all incoming and outgoing contractual correspondence, Contractor notices, claims, Variation requests, and instructions, ensuring all items are tracked through to formal resolution.

Procurement and Tendering Support

• Prepare Requests for Proposals, Invitations to Tender, pricing schedules and Bills of Quantities for new procurement packages as and when required.

Leadership and Stakeholder Management

• Manage, direct and mentor the site-based commercial team, including Quantity Surveyors and Contract Administrators, establishing clear task allocation, quality standards and output deadlines.

• Conduct regular commercial team meetings, reviewing workload, output quality and progress against key commercial milestones, and escalating resource or performance issues to the Project Director as appropriate.

• Liaise and engage professionally with the Employer's commercial/contract team, the Contractor's commercial representatives and third-party stakeholders, maintaining constructive working relationships.

• Chair and lead the weekly contract and commercial meetings with the Contractor and Employer’s representative, ensuring robust and correct minutes of meeting are captured and issued to the relevant parties.

4- MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in quantity surveying, Commercial Management or a closely related discipline from a recognised university is required. A postgraduate qualification in Construction Law, Dispute Resolution or Project Management would be an advantage.

• Chartered Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) is required.

• A minimum of ten (10) years of post-qualification experience in contract and commercial management on major infrastructure projects is a must.

• Demonstrable experience in the administration of FIDIC suite contracts (Red Book and Yellow Book, 1999 or 2017).

• Proven experience on projects valued at not less than USD 500 million (AED 1.8 billion), with direct responsibility for the contract/commercial management of one or more major contracts within such projects.

• Established track record in airport or aviation infrastructure, including experience on terminal buildings, airside civil works (runways, taxiways and aprons), cargo facilities, MRO facilities or complex aviation systems.

• Direct experience in the preparation, assessment and formal response to Extension of Time and prolongation cost claims, including experience with delay analysis methodologies.

• Solid working knowledge of the UAE and GCC construction market, including familiarity with UAE construction law, standard procurement practices, local regulatory requirements and relevant statutory frameworks.