OPERATIONAL CONTRACT RISK & CLAIMS MANAGEMENT: The Complete Series: Parts One through Five

Most contract disputes are not lost during the work. They are lost at the start, in the contract no one read closely.

Operational Contract Risk & Claims Management: The Complete Series brings all five parts of Dondi M. Day’s practical contract management system into one volume. It follows an agreement from the signature to the settlement: how contracts are formed so they bind, how risk is allocated in the terms and conditions, how contracts fail during execution, how claims are recognized and preserved, and how disputes are won or lost on proof.

Written for project managers, contract and commercial managers, procurement leaders, project executives and business owners who carry the risk without carrying a law degree. No legal training is required. This is a working reference for people who have to live with the contract once the project starts.

Built on four working models:

• Formation, Definition, Allocation: does the contract bind, is the scope clear, and who carries which risk?
• Documentation, Notice, Escalation: how to keep risk visible and preserve your position during execution
• Entitlement, Causation, Quantum: how claims are proven and recovered once they become disputes
• Identify, Mitigate, Govern: how to manage contract risk across the whole lifecycle

Inside the five parts:
Part One, Before the Work Begins: contract formation, authority and privity, flow-down clauses, scope and specifications, clear drafting, terms and conditions, bonds, insurance and subcontracts.
Part Two, Operational Contract Risk: financial risk terms, time, change and authority, liability and risk transfer, indemnification, and managing the contract in real life.
Part Three, Claims Management in the Real World: issues vs. claims vs. disputes, silence and informal agreements, notice and documentation as evidence, and how claims harden when control is lost.
Part Four, When Claims Become Disputes: entitlement, causation and quantum, building a defensible claim file, negotiation, mediation, arbitration and litigation.
Part Five, Navigating Uncertainty: defining contract risk management, finding and ranking risk, deciding what risk you keep, monitoring after award, what contract software can and can’t catch, and where the law actually binds.

You will learn how to:

• Spot an ambiguous scope before it becomes a claim
• Read terms and conditions for the risk they quietly shift to you
• Manage change orders, delays and notice requirements before rights are lost
• Build documentation that holds up as evidence, not just paperwork
• Prove entitlement, causation and quantum when a dispute is unavoidable
• Resolve claims through negotiation before positions harden

Every part ends with practical tools: readiness checklists, red flag checklists, health checks, field worksheets, glossaries and a consolidated Master Glossary. It covers both commercial and federal contracts and applies to construction, engineering, technology and professional services work.

Free training included. Every copy includes free access to the complete Operational Contract Risk & Claims Management online training program at dondimday.com, with worked scenarios and ready-to-use templates.

About the author
Dondi M. Day, DBA, PMP, CPCM, CCCM, CUSECO, has spent more than 20 years managing commercial and federal contracts, claims and disputes on complex projects. He serves as a vice president of risk management and contract operations and holds a Doctor of Business Administration.

This book is for professional and educational purposes and is not legal advice.