Outsourcing is big today because managers realize that it does not make economic sense to carry out all of an organization’s activities by using internal resources. For many chores, major cost savings can be realized by outsourcing the work effort. For organizations to be able to implement outsourcing strategies effectively, their staff need to develop solid contract management skills. In this 3-CD set, Tom Block provides practical guidance on what it takes to manage the contracting function properly, from determining whether it is worthwhile to bid on a project, to writing winning proposals, to processing customer change requests, to bringing contracts to closure in a controlled manner.

CD-ROM Contents

This is a 3-disk set. Each CD contains a 50-minute long video playable on Windows Media Player that covers:

• To bid or not to bid, that is the question!
• Writing winning proposals
• Reading the signs: What is the buyer really thinking?
• Surviving the politics of contracting
• Managing contract changes
• Maintaining good buyer-contractor relations
• Bringing contracts to an orderly closure

Thomas R. Block

Tom Block is best known as the world’s leading authority on project offices. He established one of the first commercial project offices in the 1980s while at Electronic Data Systems (EDS). But Tom is also an authority on managing contracted project work, having twenty years of experience in the contracting trenches. In this 3-CD set, he shares his experience and offers tips on how to survive and even thrive in the rough-and-tumble world of project contracting. He is a leading project management consultant, lecturer and author. He is author of the book The Project Office: A Key to Managing Projects Effectively (San Francisco: Crisp Publications, 1998). He is on the faculty of the University of Management and Technology.

How to Obtain this CD-ROM

There are two ways to obtain this CD-ROM:

1. Purchase a copy for only $24.95 at UMT's secure Online Payment page.

2. Register for UMT's self-paced, online course Contracts and Procurement. In addition to the CD-ROM, you will receive the following:

• Course textbook: Principles of Contracting for Project Management, by Drs. Yanping Chen and J. Davidson Frame
• Course modules
• Think and Review sections for each module
• Answers to the Think and Review sections
• Final exam
• Certificate of Completion.

If you successfully complete the course, you are eligible to earn 30 Professional Development Units (PDUs) from the Project Management Institute.