How are public works contracts managed?

UF, the management of public works contracts ... There is cloth to cut. It is not just filling papers and ready. It starts a lot before putting a brick: first comes the entire roll of the tender, which is nothing other than a contest where public entities seek who is going to do the job, and, eye, everything has to be transparent and well even pa ’that nobody clashes for favoritism or scams.

Do you want to get into one of these? First you have to be attentive to the tender: you arms a proposal with numbers, experience, materials, techniques, and to cross your fingers. The competition is not little and the price is not everything, although it helps. If the administration caught your proposal as the best, then it is necessary to sit to sign the contract. And there there is a small print: dates, payments, penalties in case you hang and surely some clause that will make you sweat cold.

But there does not end the matter. During the work, the public entity will be on you (yes, as a mother -in -law at Christmas), checking if you do things as you promised. If you leave the libretto, they can ask you for changes, and that usually happens more than one would like. Modifications? Clear! One day material is missing, another day you have to change the design because someone forgot about a cable ... the classic.

When you finally finish the work, you still can't open the champagne. First, the administration has to check everything: that the quality is as they said, that the payments are up to date, that a screw is not lacking. Only then do you approve and the contract closes.

Now, do not throw yourself at the pool without reviewing the laws of the country where you are going to tender. In Spain, for example, the Public Sector Contract Law is the Bible. If you do not know, look for a good lawyer and a technician who helps you prepare the paperwork. Because here, an error can cost you the contract ... or the head.

So, managing public works contracts is a roller coaster. If you like the challenges and do not scare the procedures, go ahead! But always with well open eyes and the helmet on.