How to Implement FIDIC Contracts in Project Teams

The document may have been negotiated by senior management, lawyers and commercial specialists, while the people delivering the project have limited knowledge of its procedures. This creates a gap between the contract as written and the contract as performed.

Effective implementation closes that gap.

Start with a contract implementation workshop

The project team does not need a clause-by-clause legal lecture. It needs to understand how the contract affects daily work.

A practical workshop should cover:

• The project’s risk allocation

• Key contractual roles

• Communication requirements

• Notice procedures

• Design responsibilities

• Change management

• Programme and delay

• Payment procedures

• Claims and records

• Testing and completion

The content should reflect the signed contract, including the Particular Conditions—not only the standard FIDIC form.

Identify the people who trigger contractual processes

Many contractual events are first identified by operational employees.

For example:

• A site manager identifies restricted access.

• A design manager receives a late review.

• A planner identifies programme impact.

• A procurement manager encounters a supplier delay.

• A project manager receives an instruction changing the scope.

These employees may not prepare the formal notice, but they must know when and how to escalate the event.

Create project-specific workflows

Important contractual mechanisms should be translated into simple workflows.

Typical workflows include:

• Notices

• Variations

• Claims

• Instructions

• Design submissions

• Payment applications

• Programme updates

• Delay events

• Testing

• Taking over

• Defects

Each workflow should show the trigger, responsible person, required information, approvals, deadline and next step.

Integrate contract management into existing routines

Contract implementation works best when it becomes part of project management rather than a separate legal exercise.

Examples include:

• Reviewing contractual events at progress meetings

• Adding notice deadlines to the project calendar

• Connecting change control to the commercial register

• Linking design submissions to contractual response periods

• Including contract risk in management reporting

• Reviewing upcoming obligations during look-ahead planning

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Establish one source of operational truth

The full contract remains legally authoritative. However, the team also needs an accessible operational layer containing:

• Key obligations

• Responsibilities

• Workflows

• Deadlines

• Templates

• Escalation routes

• Project-specific amendments

FIDIC’s Golden Principles recognise that the parties’ roles, obligations and applicable time periods are fundamental to the functioning of the contract.

Review implementation throughout the project

Implementation is not a one-time activity. The contract-management setup should be reviewed when:

• New team members join

• The project enters a new phase

• Major changes occur

• Recurring process failures are identified

• Completion approaches

• A significant claim or dispute develops

VIXCO operationalises FIDIC contracts by translating complex provisions into clear roles, processes and actions for the entire project team.