Contract Management Research Articles

Competency Mapping of Key Stakeholders in Procurement and Contracting of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program Goods and Services in an Eastern Indian State

Abstract Background: The National Tuberculosis Elimination Program is a complex program, and the program officers are involved in the procurement and contracting of goods and services under it. A competency mapping was conducted to highlight the current capacity gaps in contract management at state and district levels under the program. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted with 15 participants involved in procurement and contracting in two districts of the state using a semi-structured questionnaire, and results were presented using the descriptive statistical analysis. Results: A total of 15 different stakeholders from the National Health Mission, State and District Tuberculosis (TB) Cell, State TB Training and Demonstration Centre, and State Medical Corporation participated in the study. The participants had an average of 10.3 years of experience in contracting, and 20% of them had received some training on contracting. The capacity of these respondents varied based on their involvement, previous training (s) received, and technical background. It was further observed that most of the respondents suggested an in-person physical training instead of virtual training. Most of the respondents requested to issue training certificate. Some of the topics that the participants requested for further training include Digital Signature Certification, Government e-Marketplace, General Financial Rule, Public Financial Management System, monitoring of performance indicators, and bid evaluation techniques. Moreover, 92% of the respondents felt that there is a training need on procurement and contracting. Conclusions: Many a time, the program officers come from a technical background not relevant to the contracting and procurement of goods and services and require regular on-the-job support and training to aid in effective program delivery.

Contract Cost Management and Supply Chain Performance of County Referral Hospitals in Kenya

A large body of literature underscores the impact of contract management on supply chain performance from diverse contexts. Although the concept of contract cost management and supply chain performance has extensively been researched from the Kenyan context, most of the studies have zeroed in on manufacturing supply chains. Therefore, the study seeks to establish the relationship between contract cost management and supply chain performance of county referral hospitals in Kenya. The study is anchored on transactional cost economies theory. The study employed a descriptive research design and mainly concentrated on the forty-seven county referral hospitals in Kenya. In order to meet the research objective, the respondents were chosen based on the sample frame. The heads of department in each of these departments: procurement, finance, and stores were employed as a unit of observation across the referral hospitals. The pilot study targeted 10 respondents which is 10% of the final study sample size of who were randomly selected in each of the firms. The primary data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire that had both open and closed ended questions, designed to obtain definite responses. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 28) was used to analyze the data and present the variables through coding and summarizing the responses of all the respondents and the analyzed data was presented in form of tables. The Cronbach’s Alpha value was greater than 0.7 which indicated that the questionnaire met the minimum acceptable threshold. The study findings showed that contract cost management significantly influence the supply chain performance of county referral hospitals in Kenya. The study concluded that performance was predicted to improve for every unit increase in these practices. The study further recommends that county referral hospitals should implement electronic document management systems for contract documentation, streamlining processes, and improving overall efficiency. Some recommendations included through choosing right software, systems configuration, document importation, user training, and need identification.

Research on Influencing Factors of Cost Control of Centralized Photovoltaic Power Generation Project Based on DEMATEL-ISM

The high cost of centralized photovoltaic power generation projects is an important problem affecting industrial development, which needs to be solved urgently. It is particularly important to explore the influencing factors of cost control and the interaction between them. This paper takes a centralized photovoltaic power generation project as the research object, and determines the index system of influencing factors of cost control from the perspective of the life cycle. Secondly, the logical relationship between influencing factors is judged by the method of combining DEMATEL (decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory) and ISM (interpretive structural modelling). Finally, the multi-order recursive interpretation structure model is obtained, and the action mechanism between various factors is obtained. The results show that national policies and standards are the most profound influencing factors, and their cause degree reaches 2.155; the reason degree of market changes is the second, which is 1.586; bidding and contract management are the factors with the highest centrality, which is 7.120; and transmission and the storage of electricity and equipment repair and maintenance are the most direct factors affecting cost control. Finally, some suggestions are put forward for different types of influencing factors. The research results can better help photovoltaic power generation enterprises solve the problem of cost control.

Some Issues Developing a Set of Criteria for Selection of IT Solutions for Automating Contract Management

Some Issues Developing a Set of Criteria for Selection of IT Solutions for Automating Contract Management

Public-Private Partnerships in Zimbabwe’s Education Sector

This article interrogates the forms, roles, challenges and strategies for enhancing the sustainability of PPPs in the education sector in Zimbabwe. Through desktop-qualitative research grounded on secondary and thematic analyses, this study revealed that, globally, the use of the PPPs in the provision of education is on the increase and they exist in the form of service contracts, lease, design build operate and transfer, management contract and concessions. In terms of roles, PPPs provide resources and technical expertise, technology in schools, renovate infrastructure and assist in increased teacher and pupil turnout. Observed challenges to the sustainability of PPPs in the education sector include embracing non- competitive bidding frameworks, lack of community engagement in PPP projects, limited financial capacity to compensate private players in the event of losses, and poor cost management. To enhance sustainability of PPPs in the education sector, the study proposed inter alia, ensuring a competitive, transparent, multi-stage process in private partner selection; stakeholder engagement in PPP projects; proper cost management throughout PPP project lifespan; and establishment of institutional and regulatory frameworks.

Convexity in Real-time Bidding and Related Problems

We study problems arising in real-time auction markets, common in e-commerce and computational advertising, where bidders face the problem of calculating optimal bids. We focus upon a contract management problem where a demand aggregator is subject to multiple contractual obligations requiring them to acquire items of heterogeneous types at a specified rate and where they will seek to fulfill these obligations at minimum cost. Our main results show that, through a transformation of variables, this problem can be formulated as a convex optimization problem, for both first and second price auctions. The resulting duality theory admits rich structure and interpretations. Additionally, we show that the transformation of variables can be used to guarantee the convexity of optimal bidding problems studied by other authors, who did not leverage convexity in their analysis. The main point of our work is to emphasize that the natural convexity properties arising in first and second price auctions are not being fully exploited. Finally, we show direct analogies to problems in financial markets: the expected cost of bidding in second price auctions is formally identical to certain transaction costs when submitting market orders, and that a related conjugate function arises in dark pool financial markets.

Project Contract Management and Performance of Water Project in Baringo County, Kenya

Project Contract Management and Performance of Water Project in Baringo County, Kenya

Social health organizations: an analysis of the specialties and exams contracted by the State of São Paulo, Brazil.

Social Health Organizations (SHOs) are private entities that receive resources from governments for the management of public healthcare services. With the history of market interest in public health and the high volume of resources transferred to SHOs, one must question if the market logic continues to be inserted in this management model. The understanding of the dynamics of providing healthcare services to the population in the different contracts may help to understand how possible changes in the contracted services may have an influence. This is a descriptive-exploratory study using quantitative and qualitative approaches. Documental research was conducted through the collection of data from management contracts and amendments. The State of São Paulo was chosen because of its economic representativeness and for being the pioneer state in the implementation of SUS services managed by SHO. Medical specialties were included in 184 renegotiations (6.14%) and excluded in 187 (6.24%), whereas non-medical services were included in 26 renegotiations (2.97%) and excluded in 144 (16.44%). Regarding examinations, 101 renegotiations (18.07%) had their goals increased and 60 (10.73%) reduced, while 6 renegotiations (1.07%) included exams and 12 (2.14%) excluded them.

Organizações sociais de saúde: análise sobre as especialidades e exames contratados pelo Estado de São Paulo, Brasil

Abstract Social Health Organizations (SHOs) are private entities that receive resources from governments for the management of public healthcare services. With the history of market interest in public health and the high volume of resources transferred to SHOs, one must question if the market logic continues to be inserted in this management model. The understanding of the dynamics of providing healthcare services to the population in the different contracts may help to understand how possible changes in the contracted services may have an influence. This is a descriptive-exploratory study using quantitative and qualitative approaches. Documental research was conducted through the collection of data from management contracts and amendments. The State of São Paulo was chosen because of its economic representativeness and for being the pioneer state in the implementation of SUS services managed by SHO. Medical specialties were included in 184 renegotiations (6.14%) and excluded in 187 (6.24%), whereas non-medical services were included in 26 renegotiations (2.97%) and excluded in 144 (16.44%). Regarding examinations, 101 renegotiations (18.07%) had their goals increased and 60 (10.73%) reduced, while 6 renegotiations (1.07%) included exams and 12 (2.14%) excluded them.

INTEGRATION OF APPLIED IPD MODULES INTO THE COMPOSITION OF ORGANISATIONAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL TOOLS FOR CONSTRUCTION

Modern construction projects are characterised by complex multifunctional relationships that require processing a large amount of information. The main task of innovative development of construction development is to create competitive advantages in the strategic perspective, which form a safe and comfortable environment for human life that meets high international quality standards, ensuring sustainable socio-economic development of the country's construction industry. Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is a completely new idea based on Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology. The main idea is to work closely with the investor, designer and executors of a construction project. Achievement of competitive advantages should be based on innovative re-equipment of the construction industry, development of innovative competences, engineering schemes for life cycle management of construction projects, application of information technologies to increase productivity, reduce energy intensity, material consumption and cost of construction products. The article analyses the benefits of using information modelling and the integrated project implementation method in construction. A mathematical model for choosing the optimal network organisational structure of a project is developed. The main factors affecting the synergistic effect of the construction project implementation (costs of making changes to the project, increasing the implementation time, transaction and operating costs) are identified. An economic and mathematical model for assessing the synergistic effect of the joint implementation of integrated construction project implementation and information modelling has been built and tested in practice. A simulation model has been developed for a comprehensive study and optimisation of the communication network of participants in the implementation of a construction project. The results obtained will allow the top management of contractors to effectively monitor, structure and manoeuvre assets in their operations, substantiate the economic strategy and parameters of the production and business portfolio of construction companies.

Dualny charakter zatrudnienia dyrektora instytutu Sieci Badawczej Łukasiewicz

The directors of Łukasiewicz Research Network institutes and their deputies are both the employees of a Network institute and individuals hired under management contracts. The legislator has selected this dual employment model involving two legal relationships. One is a relationship of employment based on appointment, the other a civil relationship of employment based on a contract of Network institute management. The employment model of a Network institute director is opposed to the view, established in the doctrine and judicial decisions, which treats as unacceptable using two grounds for work of the same type. The directors of Network institutes discharge their duties under their appointment, which involve management in the sense prescribed by not only labour legislation but also management sciences. As a result, it should be recognised there are no activities that could form the object of a civil contract to manage a Łukasiewicz Research Network institute. This suggests a need to amend the Łukasiewicz Research Network Act in such a way as to repeal the provisions stipulating institute management contracts.

Prioritising SCADA (Supervisory et al.) Integration at key points Using Fuzzy AHP and TOPSIS Methods (Study Case at PLN UP2D Makassar)

PLN UP2D Makassar regulates the 20 kV electrical distribution network in South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, and West Sulawesi. PLN UP2D Makassar holds a management contract, which is SCADA integration. Based on the Network Database Book, in 2023, there were 128 key points (LBS and reclosers) that were not yet integrated with SCADA or not online with the Master SCADA. The current issue identified in making decisions on SCADA integration to critical points in PLN UP2D Makassar is using the crucial point ratio Value per PLN UP3 criteria. The weakness of this method is that SCADA integration at key points does not consider the benefits and impacts of SCADA integration, such as the improvement of SAIDI and ENS. This study aims to create guidelines for decision-making on SCADA integration at critical points. This research involves five experts in PLN UP2D Makassar. A total of 6 criteria were established and processed using the Fuzzy AHP TOPSIS method to rank the 128 key points that will be integrated with SCADA. The Fuzzy AHP TOPSIS calculation results have been validated with a consistency ratio of -0.008 (consistent) and sensitivity analysis (10% increase/decrease in criteria weight). This means that the proposed six criteria can be used to rank alternative vital points that will be integrated with SCADA.

Sustainable Lean Procurement and Contract Management in Oil and Gas Industry

Sustainable Lean Procurement and Contract Management in Oil and Gas Industry

Exploring preferences for contractual terms in a scenario of ecological transition for the agri-food sector: a latent class approach

Governance mechanisms along the agri-food supply chains are increasingly important in a scenario of ecological transition. Under the conceptual and analytical lens of the Transaction Cost Economics, we explored farmers’ preferences towards a variety of clauses usually adopted in production contracts. To this purpose, a discrete choice experiment among 190 durum wheat producers in Italy was conducted. Results from a latent class model showed that producers were mainly interested in fixed prices formula and to join shared rules of production but revealed little or no interest for compelling sustainable cultivation techniques and the provision of technical assistance. However, these preferences are heterogeneous across farmers and vary depending on their level of education and previous use of contractual arrangements, with relevant implications for contract design and management. Governance mechanisms along the agri-food supply chains are increasingly important in a scenario of ecological transition. Under the conceptual and analytical lens of the Neo Institutional Economics, we explored farmers’ preferences towards a variety of clauses usually adopted in production contracts. To this purpose, a discrete choice experiment among 190 durum wheat producers in Italy was conducted. Results from a latent class model showed that that producers were mainly interested in fixed prices formula and to join shared rules of production but revealed little or no interest for compelling sustainable cultivation techniques and the provision of technical assistance. However, these preferences are heterogenous across farmers and vary depending on their level of education and previous use of contractual arrangements, with relevant implications for contract design and management.

Decommissioning and restoration: early planning is critical to an efficient and risk-minimised process

Over the next 7 years, according to Wood Mackenzie, it is estimated that as many as 380 fields oil and gas facilities will be decommissioned across Asia–Pacific (Wood Mackenzie 2018). Many companies leave Decommissioning and Restoration (D&R) up to the respective project groups using their normal project management and control systems. However, managing D&R requires a different approach and mindset, as the value drivers and risk profiles for D&R projects are different compared to conventional construction projects. For D&R to be efficient – from operational, sustainability, regulatory compliance, environmental and financial perspectives – delivery must not be limited to an isolated project group. Rather, it must leverage corporate and operational knowledge, lessons learned from other decommissioning projects and industry best-practice to support the identification and management of the decommissioning risk profile and successful delivery thereof. Planning for D&R is essential at every stage of the life of an asset and should start as early as possible. Ideally, facilities are designed with D&R in mind at the project conception stage as the scope of D&R is often broader and more complex than operators realise, contributing to D&R projects often exceeding original cost estimates and timelines. Decommissioning and restoration opportunities may be missed or associated risks increased without timely recognition and management. In this paper, dss+ will provide companies with pragmatic guidance on how to plan and implement a D&R process that is managed well from an operational, risk, financial, contractor management and importantly, a stakeholder management point of view.

Identification, and Assessment of Reasons for delay in Metro projects in India

Transport solutions such as metro rail projects in cities are needed to cope with India's rapidly growing urbanisation. However, a number of issues that affect the performance in terms of deadlines, project costs and construction quality are faced by several metro projects currently under way in Indian cities. Based on the likely severity of these delays, this research prioritised time overrun parameters via expert questionnaire. Relative importance index (RII) of collected responses were computed and analysed. The result show that for time overrun the top three critical factors are Existing Utility Shifting, Land Acquisition for the Project and Poor Management / Incompetency of Contractor. It would facilitate the timely completion of metro projects with reasonable value for money to government, by mitigating this time overrun through proper life cycle contract management and risk allocation. Keywords: Urban Metro Rail Projects, Time Overrun, Relative Importance Index (RII)

Effect of Contract Management Practices on Organizational Performance of Rwanda Development Board (2017-2022)

The general objective of this research project was to assess the effect of contract management on organizational performance. The following were specific objectives of the study: to analyze the effect of contract planning on performance of Rwanda Development Board, find out the effect of contract negotiation on performance of Rwanda Development Board, assess the effect of contract implementation on performance of Rwanda Development Board and assess the effect of contract monitoring on performance of Rwanda Development Board. To achieve these objectives, literature was reviewed on the subject matter, and then data was collected from 156 employees of RDB and they were chosen by using census sampling technique. Questionnaire, observation, interview guide and documentation were used as tools of data collection. Data was analyzed by using both quantitative data and qualitative data by presenting the findings of respondents through the mean and standard deviation. Findings indicated that there is positive link between contract management and organizational performance whereas it was found that the effect of all contract management on organizational performance will be 1.462 percent; a unit increase in the use of contract planning would lead to an increase in RDB's performance by 19.2%; a one percent increase in the use of contract implementation would lead to an increase in RDB's performance by 3.8%; a one percent increase in the use of contract monitoring would lead to an increase in RDB's performance by 11.5%; and lastly, a one percent increase in the use of contract monitoring would lead to a 35% increase in RDB’s performance. Overall, contract monitoring had the greatest effect on RDB’s performance, followed by contract implementation, while contract planning took third place, and lastly, contract negotiation. At a 5% level of significance and a 95% level of confidence, contract planning varies at a 0.010 level of significance; contract negotiation had a 0.048 level of significance; contract implementation had a 0.031 level of significance; and contract monitoring had a 0.029 level of significance. All the variables were significant (p<0.05). The study also concludes that the main objective of contract management is to ensure that the borrower's contractors, suppliers, or consultants meet agreed project specifications and completion dates.

Sustainable Human Resources Management and Psychological Contracts: Exploring Theoretical Anchors to Solve Relational Tensions in Employment Relationships

A core aspect of Sustainable Human Resource Management (S-HRM) has been its focus on developing high-quality employment relationships. This endeavor, however, has become increasingly complex, because the employee-employer relationship has undergone a profound transformation in recent years. This problem is further exacerbated by inherent tensions that surface when organizations aim to develop high-quality employment relationships in concert with sustainability-related goals. In this article, we intend to align theory and practice toward a more sustainable HRM by explaining how the psychological contract (PC) literature can provide new insights and perspectives to understand these tensions. We begin by delving into the nature and drivers of these sustainability-related tensions that arise when organizations strive to develop high-quality employment relationships. Next, we recount previous PC research that can inform the S-HRM literature to better understand how those tensions unfold. Finally, we identify concrete avenues for future research and discuss why integrating the PC and S-HRM literature could be an important path to expand our understanding of how to create more sustainable employment relationships.

Transaction Security and Management of Blockchain-Based Smart Contracts in E-Banking-Employing Microsegmentation and Yellow Saddle Goatfish

The process security of money transactions is considered an important issue in e-banking. Additionally, it is an enormous problem if never controlled. particular, security should be a combination of fast and sturdy characteristics, which is the subject of previous studies suffered from. Our research attempts to improve the system in which banks deal with the security of financial transactions. This research leverages the idea of microsegmenting the entire system into designated zones to concentrate on security, where each zone has its own rules and limitations. These rules are managed by a smart contract, which decides whether they have been observed to verify the legitimacy of the customer. First, the two-phase commit algorithm (2PC) was used to specify the type of e-banking request. After this, the microsegmentation principle was applied to isolate each type of e-transaction process alone in a separate segment. Then, the yellow saddle goatfish algorithm (YSGA) was used to determine whether the smart contract conditions were optimized. Finally, if the customer is authorized, then the entire transaction process is saved in the blockchain's main ledger and secured by a unique hash. The blockchain application makes our system capable of dealing with large numbers of users in a decentralized manner. In addition, using a hash with each block prevents fraudulent transactions by adversaries. Our system has been examined against several recent well-known assaults/attacks, such as falsification, advanced persistent threat, bribery, spoofing, double spending, chosen text, race, and transaction replay attacks, and has proven to overcome them. In terms of the performance evaluation, we obtained an execution time of approximately 0.0056 nanoseconds, 3.75% complexity, and 1500 KB of memory and disk drive, which is considered low compared to that of state-of-the-art research. Thus, our proposed system is highly acceptable for banking sector applications.

Systematic technical analysis: Enhancing AI deployment in procurement for optimal transparency and accountability

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in procurement processes holds significant promise for improving transparency and accountability. This systematic technical analysis explores the implications of AI deployment in procurement and its potential to enhance transparency and accountability within organizations. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to gather comprehensive data on the use of AI in procurement, legal and ethical challenges faced by organizations, and the effectiveness of current legal and ethical frameworks. Quantitative surveys are distributed to a diverse sample of organizations to assess the extent of AI use in procurement, perceived impacts on legal and ethical frameworks, and overall satisfaction with AI deployment. Qualitative interviews with key stakeholders, including procurement managers and legal advisors, provide deeper insights into the nuances of AI deployment and its implications for transparency and accountability. The analysis of quantitative data reveals the prevalence of AI use in procurement processes and its perceived impact on legal and ethical frameworks. Organizations report improvements in contract management, risk reduction, and compliance with regulations due to AI deployment. However, concerns remain regarding the legal implications of AI decision-making and the need for robust ethical frameworks to ensure accountability. Qualitative interviews shed light on the practical challenges and opportunities associated with AI deployment in procurement. Stakeholders highlight the importance of transparency, fairness, and human oversight in AI-driven processes. They emphasize the need for clear ethical guidelines and oversight mechanisms to address potential biases and ensure accountability. Overall, this systematic technical analysis provides valuable insights into the implications of AI deployment in procurement for transparency and accountability. The findings underscore the importance of integrating AI-related training and education into procurement processes and developing robust legal and ethical frameworks to mitigate risks and ensure responsible AI deployment.