2018/19 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

GEOG5679M Water Consultancy: Contract Development

15 creditsClass Size: 50

Module manager: Paul Kay
Email: p.kay@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2018/19

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge to effectively develop, negotiate and manage contracts in the water consultancy sector. It will introduce the common types of contracts and tools that are used in water consultancy, including the key terms and principles of contract law, intellectual property law, communication and contract documentation, drawing on UK, EU and international case studies. The topics covered are water sector specific and focus on providing students with practical skills that will be directly applied in a role in a water consultancy.The module has been developed following consultation with experienced contract managers and lawyers within the water consultancy sector. This consultation has identified the key skills that graduates starting a career in water consultancy would be required to apply in their role and has shaped the module syllabus.The future ‘employability’ of the MSc students was a key consideration in the development of this module.

Objectives

Introduce the key terms and principles of contract law and intellectual property law.
Explore the different mechanisms and processes involved in developing and managing a water consultancy contract.
Evaluate the effectiveness of different types of contract commonly used in water consultancy
Explore contract risk management and identify contract tools that support the management of risk and liability.
Evaluate a range of water consultancy contracts used in the UK, EU and internationally.
Equip students with the skills and knowledge that can be directly applied in a role developing and managing UK, EU and international water consultancy contracts.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students will be able to:
Explain the purpose of contracts and identify situations in which contracts are required.
Critically evaluate the mechanisms of developing, scoping and managing a water consultancy contract in the context of the contract lifecycle and recognise the standard contract documents that would be expected at each stage.
Identify and critically evaluate different negotiating styles and approaches.
Critically evaluate the importance of communication, including concepts of 'plain English' and how, when and who to engage at different contract development stages.
Explain the different tools that are available to support contract management (e.g. performance agreements, contract targets and KPIs).
Manage changes to a contract during delivery and identify the most appropriate ways of varying a contract
Identify what constitutes a breach of contract and understand the process of dispute resolution from both client and consultant perspectives.
Apply the different tools relating to damages and recognise situations that could lead to early termination of the contract.
Understand the principles of Intellectual Property Law (ownership, copyright, database rights, trademarks, patenting etc.), confidentiality, NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) and how they are applied in water consultancy.
Apply contract development and management principles to real world UK, EU and international water consultancy contracts.
Understand that water consultancy contracts are fulfilled by applying and managing resources through effective contract and project management processes.

Syllabus

Unit 1: Introduction to Contract Development in Water Consultancy
Welcome and introduction
What is a contract?
Common water consultancy contracts
Choosing the right contract

Unit 2: Contract Development
Introduction to Contract Law
Communication and negotiation
Formation and content of contracts
Contract documents – what to expect

Unit 3: Contract Management
Delivering the contract (performance)
Variation of contract
Breach of contract, arbitration and dispute resolution
Damages and termination

Unit 4: Advanced Contract Development
Purchasing and subcontracting
Intellectual Property Law 1
Intellectual Property Law 2
When is a contract not a contract?

Unit 5: Water Consultancy Contracts
Framework contracts and preferred suppliers
UK and EU
International
Review

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Seminar	10	3.00	30.00
Private study hours			120.00
Total Contact hours			30.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Private study

Students will be expected to:
Undertake individual assignment work (c. 70 hours total)
Prepare for seminars by reading materials given and independently sourcing new materials relevant to topic/case (5 h per unit)
Undertake further reading/consolidation following seminars (using material referenced in seminars) (5 h per unit)

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Assessed report comprising short ‘state of art’ questions on theory of project management approaches plus a longer case study style question where students will be required to submit a project tender incorporating all parts of the project management life cycle (summative).
Written feedback on plans for the above case study (formative).
In-class participation (formative)

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Report	4000 word project report	100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 11/05/2017

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