The Commercial Engineer
Course Programme

Course Programme
Below is our standard course outline for our specialist training programme - The Commercial Engineer. We would love the opportunity to demostrate how we can tailor this course to your exact business circumstances using your own contracts and live projects.


Duration
2 days


What is this course about?
It is no longer enough for engineers and those in a technical discipline to ignore the wider commercial landscape in which they operate. Individual and organisational success is now totally dependent on the ability to win and subsequently fulfil orders.

This highly practical two-day training course has been developed to give delegates an understanding of the commercial environment and also the long term implications of 'terms and conditions'.


Who would benefit?
Anyone in a technical discipline needing to understand the wider commercial context in which they operate day-to-day.

In the past delegates attending this course have come from a wide range of backgrounds including:

  • Project managers
  • Supervising engineers
  • Quality managers
  • Technical cost and estimating managers
  • Production managers
  • Product managers
  • Sales and marketing managers
  • Business development managers
  • Contract managers


Outcomes
This course will:

  1. Ensure you have the vital commercial awareness you need to be successful
  2. Give you an understanding of how contract law effects everything you do
  3. Demonstrate how you can contribute more to the commercial management of your organisation
  4. Ensure you have a grasp of the financial side of the business
  5. Provide you with the tools to recognise and mitigate commercial risk
  6. Enhance your ongoing career development



Key topics covered
This course will cover the following key topics:


1. Introduction

  • Developing a vital sense of commercial awareness


2. Understanding estimating

  • The various approaches available to estimating
  • The key lements of estimating
  • The planning sequence
  • Different types of estimating and their uses
  • Dealing with contingencies


3. The marketing and proposals process

  • Business development
  • Bid or not bid decisions
  • Qualification of pre-tender
  • ITB/ITT/RFP
  • The stages of the proposal cycle
  • Preparing proposals
  • The contents of the proposal


4. Contract strategy

  • Understanding the key elements of contract strategy
  • Division and performance of the work involved
  • Dealing with contracts risk - the 3 options for contracts
  • Pros and cons of different contract strategies
  • Evaluating the best contract strategy
  • Making alliances and forming partnerships


5. Managing commercial risk

  • Model for risk management
  • Analysing Risk
  • Categorising risks
  • Managing and mitigating risks
  • Qualitative and quantitative methods of risk management


6. Defining the payment terms

  • Payment options - Lump sum / reimbursable contracts
  • Scheduling and payment timings
  • The procedures for payments
  • Payment methods


7. Negotiating commercial agreements

  • Negotiation principles
  • Tips and techniques for negotiating
  • Understanding different roles in negotiation


8. The organisation and its commercial environment

  • Orgamisation aims
  • Management of the organisation
  • Overall objectives
  • The various responsibilities
  • Awareness & knowledge
  • Functions & skills
  • Ethics
  • Understanding organisational risk
  • The vital importance of teamwork
  • Rules
  • Relationships


9. The commercial & legal environment

  • Law and lawyers
  • Commercial contract law
  • Intellectual property rights - protecting rights and maximising value


10. The financial environment - cost, profit and price

  • Accountants
  • Cost, margin, profit, price
  • They key to cash flow
  • Financial risk
  • Receivership and bankruptcy / loan agreements / guarantees


11. Contract conditions

  • Why are contracts so important?
  • Privity explained
  • Standard conditions of contracts
  • Model conditions and the options available
  • Using standards / models - pros and cons
  • Understanding express/implied terms
  • Dealing with unfair contract terms
  • What to do when it goes wrong


12. The contractual environment - handling contracts

  • Responsibilities, duties and authority of the players
  • Contract placing - the inaugural meetings
  • Contract control and monitoring
  • Handling claims and disputes

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Training Options

The Commercial Engineer Open CourseThe Commercial Engineer In-Company Training


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