What Engineers Need to Know About Contracts
Online | In-company
Overview
This course will provide you with a grounding in contract law for engineering and construction contracts, and help you understand how it is used to help deliver successful projects and supplier relationships.
Engineers need to understand the basis and practicalities of contract law in order to deliver successful projects and supplier relationships. Failure to understand the basics can prove very expensive. If you are dealing with suppliers and managing contracts on a regular basis, it is important for you to be able to make informed decisions without waiting to consult with legal specialists.
Learning outcomes
By the end of course, you will understand:
- the role and purpose of contracts for engineering
- the role of engineers in contract formation and management
- how contracts are formed and ended
- the terms and conditions and obligations placed on each party to the contract
- how risk is allocated in different types of contract
- processes for dispute and conflict resolution.
Who will benefit
- Project managers
- Contract managers
- Contract administrators
- Engineers
- Administrators
- Consultants
- Consulting engineers
- Quantity surveyors
- Sales and purchasing managers/personnel
- General managers
- Graduate engineers
Course outline
- Introduction to contracts – how and why they are formed
- Common pitfalls – verbal contracts, modified contracts, battle of the forms
- Key terms and conditions in contracts, express and implied terms of contracts
- Warranties, guarantees, IPR and damages
- Standard and specialist forms of contract
- Discharge of contract, breaches and damages
- The role of the engineer and project manager
- Contract management and variation
- Contracts, the law and ethics
Upcoming courses
Online
Online courses consist of three live and interactive modules with the trainer.
From 9 April 2025
- Module 1–9 April 2025, 10:00–13:00 BST
- Module 2–10 April 2025, 10:00–13:00 BST
- Module 3–11 April 2025, 10:00–13:00 BST
Live sessions are delivered via Microsoft Teams. If you don't already have this installed, you can join as a guest in order to access the training.
Face-to-face
- 8–9 July 2025, Rugby, UK
Not available then?
Register your interest in alternative dates.
Fees
- IChemE member – £1,200 + VAT
- Non-member – £1,500 + VAT
How to register
Select your preferred course from the list of upcoming start dates and go to the 'Book course' button at the bottom of the page.
More than one person to train?
Multi-place discounts
Discounts are available to companies booking more than one place. Bookings must be made at the same time to receive the discount.
- 2 places – 10% discount
- 3 places –15% discount
- 4 or more places – 20% discount
In-company training
This course can be delivered to corporate teams, either on-site or online. This could be a cost-effective option if you have several people requiring the training. Content can be tailored to your specific requirements. Request a quotation.
Attendance certificate & CPD hours
An e-certificate will be issued at the end of the course to confirm attendance and CPD hours logged. Please note that you must attend all modules to receive the certificate.
CPD hours should be used as an approximate guide and will vary depending on the preferred approach of the delegate and to what extent additional learning is completed.
Associated course
IChemE Forms of Contract
Learn about the IChemE Forms of Contract and how to apply them to your projects.
Trainer
Paul Wright
Paul was born in Hull and attended the University of Leeds where he studied Physics and completed a PhD in NMR of Polyethylene Melts. He then joined chemical industry multinational ICI where he had a variety of technical and commercial roles, latterly as Engineering Contracts Manager in the Contracts Purchasing Group (corporate procurement). As part of his duties there he led training in purchasing for a variety of ICI businesses, which resulted in him becoming a self employed trainer and consultant in 1998.
Since then he has worked extensively in the Middle East, frequently with leading oil and gas companies, and in the UK Public Sector. He continues to work with both buying and selling organisations to ensure that the process is a beneficial as possible. His UK consultancy has focused on developing supply chains in the public and private sectors and has covered a wide range of sectors including chemicals, engineering and sports. He is also an associate lecturer at the University of Bradford School of Management covering a range of commercial topics.
He is the author with Stuart Emmett of Excellence in Public Sector Procurement, Cambridge Academic 2011.