Contract Management and Administration
Administration is where risk lives
Once awarded, the contract must be managed: kickoff, performance monitoring, deliverable acceptance, invoice review, and documentation of every change. Candidates should know the change-order and amendment process, the difference between a bilateral modification (signed by both parties) and a unilateral change issued under a changes clause, and the requirement that changes stay within the contract's scope. A cardinal change exceeds scope and requires a new procurement.
Understand remedies: cure notices, corrective action plans, withholding payment, and termination for cause versus convenience. Termination for convenience compensates the contractor for work performed and reasonable settlement costs; termination for default carries risk of excess reprocurement costs. Know the role of inspection and acceptance, warranty periods, and records retention.
Traps
A frequent trap is approving additional work by email or verbal direction without a modification; unauthorized commitments may not be enforceable and can create personal liability. Another is confusing acceptance with payment (acceptance triggers the payment clock; it does not equal payment). Questions also test whether a contractor's delay excuses the agency's obligation to document; it does not. Finally, watch for termination scenarios where the facts show the agency's own interference; that weakens a default termination.
Rule of thumb
"No modification, no obligation." Before approving any change in scope, schedule, or price, confirm a written modification exists and is within scope. If the requested change alters the fundamental purpose of the contract, treat it as a new procurement.