Contracts Administration
Contracts Management

This page summarizes the Contracts Administration/Contracts Management Advanced Paralegal Certification course.  Use the links below to review the items, register or login to the course. If you have not already registered as a user on the NALA APC web site, click "Register for the Course." If you have already registered for this or another APC course, you have already created a user account, click "Login."

Prerequisite Knowledge

   Learning Contract

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Course Description

Contract administration or contract management (the terms are interchangeable) involves the drafting, reviewing, revising, and analyzing contracts, as well as implementing systems and using software designed to ensure accurate tracking and recordkeeping regarding the fulfillment of contractual obligations.  Those who work in this area must be well-versed in contract law and in office practices and procedures applicable to contract law practice.

Contract Administrators/Managers are employed by attorneys and law offices, and in corporations, businesses, labor organizations, governmental agencies, and academic institutions.

Paralegals working in this area have identified the following tasks as usual practice in this field.  Those receiving certification in this area will have demonstrated the ability to:

  • identify the basic requirements of contracts and contract amendments
  • work with internal business groups representing outside vendor services to determine need for and scope of potential contracts
  • negotiate contract terms with outside vendors
  • draft appropriate contracts and amendments
  • interpret contract provisions critically
  • use practice references appropriately
  • recognize unique requirements, characteristics, and issues that arise in different contract settings
  • formulate appropriate contract administration practices and office procedures, and assess computer software
  • describe government contract practice and regulation of contract provisions
  • identify relevant ethical concerns and utilize appropriate methods of dealing with ethical issues
  • respond appropriately to the needs and desires of employers, attorneys, and clients in contract practice
  • maintain database and/or central repository of all existing contracts
  • create contract clause manual for boilerplate contract language
  • develop standard service contracts for routine services

Contract administrators are also responsible for monitoring and maintaining performance of contracts.  Those receiving the certification will have demonstrated the ability to:

  • managing relationships with contractors in accordance with organizational policies and procedures
  • monitoring performance of contracts against performance indicators to ensure all obligations under agreements are being met
  • ensuring that obligations to contractors are met in accordance with contractual agreements
  • identifying and managing a merging and potential risks in accordance with organizational risk management procedures
  • managing contract variations in accordance with contract provisions and organizational policy and procedures
  • investigating and resolving or referring as appropriate disputes/complaints in accordance with contractual requirements
  • communicating points and negotiation relating to the contract
  • obtaining approvals in accordance with stipulations in the contract proper
  • maintaining communication on the performance of the contract with all stakeholders in accordance with organizational protocols and standards
  • maintaining contract information for organizational purposes in accordance with organizational policy and procedures

In addition to a thorough knowledge of contract law, the areas of substantive law identified by those working in this field as most often encountered include: administrative law, business organizations, entertainment/media law, insurance, labor relations, and real property. Those seeking certification in this area should anticipate a working knowledge of one or more of these areas of law.
 

Fee:

$250
NALA Members

$300
 Non Members

 

 
Course Modules

The Contracts Administration Advanced Paralegal Certification program consists of successful completion of 13 modules of text, assessments, and assignments.  The modules and their objectives are as follows:
1. Introduction
A description of the course; the course requirements; and contract administration/management
2. Contract Negotiation
Strategies paralegals can use to negotiate contracts and the laws pertaining to negotiation
3. Written and Oral Negotiations
Rules that govern written and oral negotiations of agreements
4. Drafting Agreements: Part I
A review of collecting essential information; recognizing potential litigable concerns; recognizing other concerns; managing the drafting process; managing attachments
5. Structure and Language of the Contract
A description of common features shared by most agreements
6. Using Boilerplate Provisions
A review of common boilerplate clauses
7. Course of Dealing, Text, and Practice Guides
Using current or prior agreements as templates; sources of information for drafting contracts such as texts and practice guides;  review of printed and electronic sources of information that may be useful in drafting contracts
8. Performance Management
Tools for managing performance including an overview of the lifecycle of a contract; calendaring techniques and computer tools
9. Drafting Agreements: Part II
This module continues drafting agreement functions with the steps of review before execution and execution and implementation
10. Communication, Status Review, and Termination
Types of communication and activities that are useful for monitoring the progress of contract performance
11. Government Contracting: Overview
Governmental regulations require contractors to maintain quality assurance processes with regard to fulfilling the provisions of their contracts
12. Federal Government Contracting - The Process
Review of four phases of the process of governmental contracting: (1) bidding, evaluation of the bid and negotiation; (2) selection by the contracting governmental agency and execution of the contract; (3) administration of the contract including changes, alterations, or amendments to the contract; and (4) termination of the contract.
13. Industry Practice
This module focuses on how to rely on industry practices as a resource for contract development. It provides an overview of contracting practices in the fields of real estate, construction, insurance, labor relations, business organizations, employer-employee relations, litigation, banking, lending and consumer credit.





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