Public and private clients across Africa invest heavily in roads, buildings, energy and water works that are procured under internationally recognised standard forms. These forms are balanced instruments, but they place strict obligations on all parties, including time limits for notices and claims. Missing a deadline or giving an instruction in the wrong form can change who carries a cost, and many disputes begin with administration errors rather than genuine disagreements.

The Fundamentals of Contract Management & Administration (FIDIC) Training Course introduces participants to the logic of the conditions rather than asking them to memorise clauses. They start with the contract documents and the responsibilities of each party, then follow a project from award through execution to completion. Each stage is linked to the relevant mechanisms: the Engineer's determinations, variations and valuation, payment applications and certificates, extensions of time, additional cost, suspension, termination and the dispute avoidance and adjudication procedure.

Teaching uses extracts from the standard conditions, sample correspondence and short project scenarios. Participants prepare notices, review records, assess a small claim and complete a contract administration checklist. The aim is to leave with habits and tools that reduce risk on live projects.

On completing the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the structure of the main FIDIC forms and when each is used.
• Explain the roles, duties and limits of authority of the Employer, Engineer and Contractor.
• Identify the contract documents and apply the order of precedence.
• Prepare and respond to notices, instructions and variations within contractual time limits.
• Value variations and process interim payment certificates, retention and final accounts.
• Evaluate basic claims for extension of time and additional cost using contemporaneous records.
• Manage taking-over, defects notification and performance security.
• Use the dispute avoidance and adjudication mechanism before matters escalate.

This programme is designed for people new to FIDIC or to formal contract administration, such as:

• Contract administrators and contracts managers
• Quantity surveyors and cost engineers
• Site engineers and resident engineers
• Project managers in public agencies and utilities
• Procurement officers moving into contract management
• Legal officers and advisers supporting infrastructure projects
• Contractor commercial and planning staff
• Representatives of development partners monitoring funded works

Participants complete the week with:

• A contract notice register and calendar of time-barred obligations.
• Sample notice, instruction and variation formats to adapt for their projects.
• A step-by-step payment certificate checklist.
• A simple method for building a claim from records, programme and cost data.
• A contract administration file structure covering correspondence and site records.
• A clear picture of the clauses where disputes most often start and how to avoid them.

Learning stays close to day-to-day contract administration through:

• Guided reading of standard clauses with plain-language explanations
• Correspondence drafting practice, with review of tone and content
• Short project scenarios that run through the week
• Payment and claim worksheets using simple numbers
• Questions and answers on live contracts that participants bring with them

Vision Reach Global Consultancy awards a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion to participants who attend all sessions and complete the notice, payment and claim exercises. It confirms participation in training and is not a legal qualification.