Contract Management Capability Improvement – The City of Coffs Harbour Council

The City of Coffs Harbour Council identified an opportunity to build on its existing contract management foundations to further strengthen consistency, governance, and performance visibility across the organisation. With a draft Contract Management Policy and a suite of supporting templates already in place, the Council was well-positioned to enhance its approach and embed more proactive and structured contract management practices. 

To support this capability uplift, the Council engaged Local Government Procurement (LGP) to undertake a review of current practices and develop a practical, scalable roadmap for improvement. The project was led by Hadi Vandchali, ESG and Procurement Services Consultant at LGP.

Opportunity 

The engagement focused on enhancing the Council’s established practices and unlocking additional value from its contract management activities. Key areas of opportunity included: 

• Strengthening consistency in how contract management practices are applied across departments 
• Enhancing visibility over supplier performance and contract outcomes 
• Further embedding structured processes across the full contract lifecycle 
• Clarifying governance arrangements to support accountability and alignment 

With foundational elements already in place, the Council had a strong platform to progress toward a more integrated and organisation-wide approach to contract management.

Approach 

LGP undertook a structured and evidence-based review of the Council’s contract management practices. This included a detailed desktop assessment of existing documentation, such as policies, procedures, templates, tender documentation, and contract administration records. 

Current practices were benchmarked against recognised public sector contract management frameworks and maturity principles. This enabled a clear understanding of the Council’s current capability and highlighted practical opportunities to further strengthen consistency, governance, and lifecycle management. 

Insights from the review informed the development of targeted, actionable recommendations across key areas, including contract implementation, performance monitoring, governance, record management, and contract close-out processes. 

To support practical implementation, these recommendations were translated into a staged Contract Management Journey Roadmap, outlining short-, medium-, and long-term initiatives. Each recommendation was supported by implementation guidance and risk mitigation considerations, alongside a visual roadmap tool to assist with planning and prioritisation.

Value 

The project provided the Council with a clear, structured, and achievable pathway to enhance its contract management capability while building on existing strengths. Key outcomes included: 

• Strengthened governance and clearer accountability across contract management activities 
• Improved visibility of supplier performance and contract outcomes 
• Greater consistency in contract management practices across the organisation 
• A practical and scalable roadmap to support ongoing capability development and continuous improvement 

Importantly, the roadmap was tailored to the Council’s operational environment, ensuring it was realistic, implementable, and aligned with existing practices. This positions the Council to progressively enhance its contract management maturity and deliver improved outcomes over time.

Testimonial

Like many councils, we faced challenges in ensuring our contract management practices were consistent, efficient, and strategically aligned. Partnering with Strategic Procurement Solutions (SPS) team at LGP, and working closely with their Project Manager, Dr Hadi Vandchali, to develop our Contract Management Journey Roadmap has been a turning point. 

The team took the time to understand our current challenges and maturity level, and delivered a clear, structured, and practical roadmap that aligns with our vision. Their expertise in contract management best practice, combined with the ability to tailor recommendations specifically to our Council, has provided us with the tools and confidence to move forward. 

The roadmap, supported by risk management strategies and implementation guidance, gives us a solid foundation to strengthen governance, improve compliance, and deliver better value to our community. Overall, we are extremely pleased with the result of the consultancy engagement with SPS and the quality of guidance provided by Hadi and look forward to continuing this journey with LGP’s support. 

Tania Myers Team Leader Contracts and Procurement, City of Coffs Harbour