A well thought out, detailed contractor’s programme should be used such that is a proactive management tool for both managing the works on a day-to-day basis, and a mechanism to demonstrate the effects and hence entitlement (if any) when change occurs. The NEC contract in terms of programme management is essentially a set of good practice project management requirements that, if followed, should benefit all concerned.
This paper considers some of the practical problems in producing the first programme issued for acceptance, and offers some practical advice to both contractor and project manager to help to ensure that the up-to-date accepted programme that the contract is striving towards becomes the reality.