AMS PSR

On behalf of UK Parliament, we are looking for a Contracts Lead - Inside IR35 for a 6 month contract working on a Hybrid basis (2 days per week in London office and remaining WFH)

Working at the UK Parliament offers a unique and rewarding career at the heart of the UK’s democratic system. With a wide range of roles available, our impartial colleagues enable the day to day running of the House of Commons, House of Lords and joint departments. Together, we make Parliament happen.

The Role

Your primary role will be managing an integral construction consultancy, sole-supplier Parliamentary framework, which supports the multiple maintenance, refurbishment and repairs projects underway to upgrade the Palace of Westminster and the wider Parliamentary Estate. You will establish strong relationships with our supplier, and will manage performance, risk, disputes, rebates, compliance and obligations at a framework level, working closely with PCD category and procurement colleagues and the contract managers based in Strategic Estates.

You will be responsible for supporting the contract management of the framework agreement including the embedded supplier relationship, business partnering arrangement. Taking the lead in working with the organisations’ project and contract managers, you will directly manage the specific Project Management and Cost Management Framework valued at £95m over eight (8) years, and in doing so you will help to ensure that Parliament is successful in getting the best value from the agreement.

You will have experience in managing and/or procuring contracts for Works professional services (project management and cost management services) and knowledge of NEC4 PSSC contract forms. Additionally, you will have expertise around framework risk management, framework exit, KPI monitoring, rebates, performance and spend management and stakeholder engagement.

You will be an organised, self-motivated and engaged individual as well as an active team player and contributor and be a part of ensuring that the overall commercial function can operate at its best. There will also be the unique opportunity to learn more about the workings of the UK Parliament.

Key internal and external relationships:

• Category leads and representatives within the business area
• Strategic Estates Commons Building Infrastructure Portfolio Team
• Senior Parliamentary stakeholders
• Parliamentary Commercial, finance, and legal colleagues.
• Crown Commercial Services and other government departments.
• Appropriate level supplier relationships
• External framework suppliers

The main duties and responsibilities of the Contracts Lead would be to:

• Managing the specific internal UK Parliament Framework for programme management, project management and cost management services, currently let to one Joint Venture sole-supplier.
• Investigate and resolve Framework level disputes by providing constructive feedback and positive resolutions and outcomes.
• Responsible for business partnering a community of contract managers and the, advising on the management of the call-off contracts they deliver and using MI to effectively integrate and manage performance at Framework level.
• Where required, developing Performance Improvement plans in line with KPIs reporting data.
• Develop reports/dashboards on Framework performance, issues, opportunities, and issue these to Senior Stakeholders
• Establish regular monitoring of call off contract spend, and the agreeing and receiving of annual spend rebates in line with the terms of the framework.
• Responsible for compliant end-to-end supplier relationship, contract management and framework management activities as required to deliver our operating model. This will include, but not be limited to, activities such as producing Framework Management Plans, holding regular review meetings with framework members, managing obligations and compliance (including cyclical events such as indexation, insurances, warranties), organise and manage onboarding workshops, supplier events, manage framework risk, contingency and exit planning.
• Contribute to the design of contract management approaches and for new frameworks & advise on proportionate contract management for call-offs.
• Implementing our contract management transformation alongside colleagues, you will offer a centre of excellence for training, support, advice, a point of escalation and other on-the-shoulder support to our contract management community.
• Implementing our supplier management transformation alongside colleagues, you will deliver central relationship management activities to ensure that Parliament’s strategic suppliers and markets are identified and managed. This will include effective data management, market awareness and insight, regular performance and innovation meetings, and working with category colleagues to deliver supplier summits.
• Support the development of an active pipeline of procurement activityand replacements and working with category teams to ensure that these are effectively scheduled and re-procured in a timely manner.
• Manage own workload with competing priorities balancing operationally urgent and important tasks to deliver to key deadlines.
• Implement, manage, improve, and promote the use of systems, tools and data management to create useful management information to support the business in spend in your area.

Essential:

• Proven experience managing and/or procuring frameworks for construction-related professional services, specifically programme management, project management and/or cost management services within a complex organisational environment.
• Strong working knowledge of NEC4 Professional Service Contract (PSC/PSSC) forms, including application at framework and call-off level, and the ability to advise stakeholders on contractual obligations, risk and compliance.
• Demonstrable experience of framework-level contract management, including performance management, KPI monitoring, dispute resolution, risk management, exit planning, and compliance with contractual and governance requirements.
• Experience managing strategic supplier relationships, including sole-supplier or joint venture arrangements, with a track record of driving value, managing performance improvement plans, and resolving issues constructively.
• Ability to manage and interpret commercial and management information, including spend analysis, rebate mechanisms, performance dashboards and reporting to senior stakeholders.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and business partnering skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with project managers, commercial, finance, legal teams and senior internal stakeholders to support effective delivery.
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage competing deadlines, work autonomously, and contribute positively as part of a wider commercial or contract management team.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident 

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, UK Parliament guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply.

Armed Forces Covenant 

UK Parliament guarantees to interview veterans or spouses / partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates / military spouses or partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".