Contract management compliance and control checklist

Awarding the contract is only half the job. This checklist helps you manage what comes next, from mobilisation through to exit, with the controls and evidence trail the Procurement Act 2023 demands.

What this checklist covers

• Set-up and mobilisation. The first few weeks after contract award set the tone for everything that follows. We cover the essentials: categorising by risk and value, confirming ownership and deputies, building the contract file, agreeing KPIs with the supplier, and completing a mobilisation or readiness review before go-live.
• Governance, roles, and record-keeping. Good governance is not about bureaucracy. It is about knowing who decides what, keeping a clean audit trail, and making sure reporting is proportionate to the contract’s risk and value. This section covers RACI documentation, delegated authority, decision logs, and the record-keeping standards that keep you audit-ready.
• Performance and outcomes. If you are not measuring performance with evidence, you are relying on assumptions. We walk through how to define SMART KPIs, validate performance data, use trend analysis to catch problems early, and track social value and ESG commitments alongside core delivery metrics.
• Financial control and value for money. Paying only for what has been evidenced and delivered sounds simple, but it requires discipline. This section covers invoice validation, budget tracking, price change governance, benchmarking, and how to track both cashable and non-cashable benefits throughout the contract term.
• Change, risk, compliance, and transparency. Every contract changes over time. The question is whether those changes are controlled, documented, and legally defensible. We cover risk registers, change control processes, the PA23 requirements for contract modifications and publication notices, supplier viability monitoring, and exit planning.
• Transparency and publication quick reference. A practical summary of the key PA23 publication duties, including Contract Details Notices, Contract Change Notices, Performance Notices, and Termination Notices. Use it as a sense-check alongside your organisation’s own policy and legal advice.
• Minimum evidence to retain. A single-page reference of the documents you need on file to be audit-ready at any point in the contract lifecycle, from the signed contract and Contract Management Plan through to exit and transition records.

The challenge most public sector teams recognise

Public procurement teams face a unique set of expectations: accountability, transparency and demonstrable value for money. Strong supplier relationship management supports those goals. It helps you monitor delivery against contracts, understand supplier capability, manage risk and work constructively when issues arise. Focusing on how you manage supplier interactions in a structured way also frees up time to focus on the areas that genuinely need your attention.

Who is it for?

• Contract managers and commercial leads who are responsible for day-to-day contract oversight and need a consistent, auditable approach to managing supplier performance, financial controls, and compliance obligations.
• Procurement managers and heads of procurement who want to strengthen the handover from sourcing to contract management and ensure their team has a structured framework for post-award governance.
• Finance directors and senior leaders who need assurance that contracts are being managed to protect value for money, maintain compliance, and provide a defensible evidence trail for audit and public scrutiny.