Contracts Manager

Job overview

As a Contracts Manager, the post holder will work as part of a dynamic team responsible for effective procurement and contract management, in accordance with national and local strategies, policies and procedures, for the Trust contract portfolio including Mental Health and Community Services.

The role supports the Trust in driving transformation as well as securing value for money in planning and service delivery and improvement. The role is designed to build a combination of contract management expertise and technical skills.

Main duties of the job

The Contracts and Procurement Team is responsible for a broad range of activities including supporting the Senior Contracts and Procurement Manager in:

• Supporting the function of the Senior Contracts Manager(s) and team.
• Effectively managing a portfolio of contracts which shall be defined upon appointment.

Developing effective working relationships between internal functional support and business partnering teams and colleagues:

Appropriately reflected in contracts and agreements and that the performance and contract management of such agreements is robust and cohesive.

• Support in the provision of professional expertise to the outcome of the business processes for direct commissioning. The post holder will define current processes, facilitate discussions and advise colleagues as to how best practice might be adopted.
• Contribute to the development of Trust wide service specifications (clinical and non-clinical) and contribute to the development and redesign of care pathways to ensure services commissioned provide quality and value for money.
• Work with contract leads/budget holders to ensure value for money and efficiency opportunities are appropriately managed through contract management.
• Manage and proactively promote relationships with key clinical and non-clinical stakeholders.

Working flexibly to support the wider contracts team as required.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Contract Management (income and expenditure):

• Assist in the administration of the contract management process for the Trust, developing and implementing robust controls for all contracting matters
• Update and manage the contract tracker, ensuring relevant documentation is agreed, accessible, up to date and in line with the NHS contracting rules and regulations
• Support in the management of all contract documentation necessary and work with senior managers to support the Executive approval process (including contract variations)
• Lead negotiations for risk appropriate contracts to ensure Trust objectives are achieved and negotiate variations to existing contracts when necessary
• Represent the organisation at contract performance review meetings and establish effective contract monitoring processes to ensure commissioning requests are addressed and documentation is prepared and authorised as required.
• Work with colleagues to promptly resolve contract disputes when necessary including remedial action plans to deliver against the contract where there is under performance
• Undertake contracting projects and tasks on an ad-hoc basis and liaise with costing and planning colleagues regarding service development proposals and new initiatives including providing advice regarding contractual matter relating to tenders
• Develop and maintain appropriate tools to routinely report on contract status including contract queries, information requests, performance notices, remedial action plans and their resolutions against key deadlines.
• Maintain up to date expert knowledge of the full suite of NHS Standard Contracts in use and apply any new national contract requirements as they emerge including annual updates
• Liaise with the costing team to ensure queries are responded to promptly.
• Build and maintain good working relationships with the broad range of commissioners on all matters to do with contract management
• Ensures the Trust Standing Financial Instructions are interpreted and followed through in the purchasing process
• Maintain up to date expert knowledge of NHS, Government and EU Purchasing rules for the public sector (PSR and PA23) and ensure Trust compliance
• Provide contract management advice to budget holders of the correct purchasing procedures for all purchasing issues, including negotiation, contract extensions or contract tendering or retendering options, and contract law using key purchasing skills (data gathering, analysis, and interpretation, negotiation) to provide advice and direction.
• Responsible for maintaining the NHSE Atamis contract database on behalf of GHC, in line with national procurement legislation compliance.
• Support the active management of contracts to ensure contract compliance e.g. - terms, levers, incentives and penalties are utilised effectively – including claims management
• Develop and maintain bespoke supporting contract management databases, for accurate recording of supplier performance and compliance in line with national procurement legislation.

• Work with budget holders, operational finance colleagues and the Costing Team to ensure, through contract management, value for money and efficiency opportunities are identified.
• Ensure the purchasing systems in place are applied appropriately to improve controls and reduce risk (both fraud and commercial) by ensuring only safe and appropriate products are used and registered suppliers appointed
• Lead regular periodic audits of contracts and purchasing, using formal methods to plan, collate and interpret results to enable optimum decision making and to take swift action where issues are identified.
• Participate in the development of contracting tools, models and processes and keep up-to-date with innovations and trends in contract management.
• Manage the ad hoc, unplanned projects with confidence to positively support budget holders.
• Work with confidential data to plan for contract renewals/retendering of category spend, analysing highly complex facts and figures to compare a range of possible options where there may not be straightforward solutions and then make judgements regarding procurement options.
• Support the development of clinical and non-clinical service specifications to ensure an accurate representation of requirements.
• Support the Trust tendering process.
• Working collaboratively and delegating work to the Procurement Share Service colleagues to ensure Trust needs and procurement compliance are met.
• Managing the Non EU overseas visitors financial and charging process, linking with Government Agencies (Home Office) and NHS England.
• Working flexibly to support the wider contracts and planning team as required.
• Effective delegation of work to wider team colleagues, through appropriate detailed interpretation and description of actions supporting where necessary.
• Support the new supplier due diligence process to ensure the appropriateness of new supplier requests and undertake an audit if required.
• Contribute to performance improvement, taking a lead for identified areas.
• Provide coordination of and participate in relevant working groups and provide project advice, expertise and support where requested.
• Work with members of the Team to investigate the causes of any variance from plan and proactively contribute to the implementation of solutions.
• Devise and provide improvements to current management information, analysing, reporting and suggesting procedures to enhance decision making processes

• Support the escalation and intervention, responsible for alerting the Senior Contracts Manager to issues of concern and making recommendations for the actions the Trust should take