Rietmeijer ContractingAdvisory
Expertise

Supporting Better Contractual Decisions Throughout the Project Lifecycle

From early project development through execution and operations: contract and procurement expertise at the moments that determine project outcomes.

Four areas in which contractual and commercial choices shape outcomes: preparing for FID, executing mid-sized and major projects, optimising contracts in ongoing operations, and strengthening the governance frameworks that underpin them.

Pre-FID

Contract Strategy & FID Readiness

Before FID, budgets are lean and internal capacity limited, yet contract strategy, scope allocation and market approach decisions are already being made. Rietmeijer Contracting Advisory helps investment teams reach procurement readiness before execution risk is locked in.

Deliverables
  • Contract strategy
  • Package and interface matrix
  • Risk allocation principles
  • Procurement roadmap
Projects

Project Contract Strategy

Mid-sized and major projects alike depend on sound tender execution, commercial alignment and disciplined contract structures. Rietmeijer Contracting Advisory strengthens project organisations in the phases in which contract structures are set.

Deliverables
  • Tender plan
  • Evaluation framework
  • Commercial bid comparison
  • Negotiation strategy
MRO & Operations

MRO Strategy & Contract Optimisation

In operational environments, the challenge is less about building new structures and more about improving what already exists. Rietmeijer Contracting Advisory aligns maintenance and procurement around a clear, workable strategy.

Deliverables
  • Contract assessment
  • Supplier model
  • KPI framework
  • Improvement roadmap
Governance

Contract Governance & Commercial Frameworks

Supporting organisations in developing and strengthening the contractual frameworks that underpin consistent procurement and supplier management, including contract documentation, procurement procedures, supplier evaluation frameworks and governance models for framework agreements and long-term service contracts.

Deliverables
  • Approval matrix
  • Procurement procedures
  • Contract templates
  • Supplier review framework

The Contractual Choices That Shape Delivery Are Made Before FID

Commercial and contract strategy are set in the front-end phases, when the ability to influence outcomes is highest. Tendering, contract management and supplier performance then determine whether those choices hold up in delivery and operations.

1  DefineBusiness case & concept · FEL 1–2

Commercial Strategy

  • Commercial objectives and principles
  • Risk appetite and owner capacity
  • Market conditions and supplier landscape
2  StructureProject definition · FEL 3

Contract Strategy

  • Packaging and interfaces
  • Contracting model and compensation
  • Risk allocation
  • Market approach and tender plan
FID — FINAL INVESTMENT DECISION
3  ExecuteTender, award & delivery

Procurement & Contract Management

  • Tendering and bid evaluation
  • Negotiation and award
  • Changes, claims and close-out
4  OperateOperations & MRO

Supplier Performance

  • MRO and framework agreements
  • Contract KPIs and reviews
  • Contract renewal and optimisation
Where Ernst supports
Pre-FIDContract Strategy & FID Readiness
ProjectsProject Contract Strategy
MROMRO Contract Optimisation
Governance · Contract Governance & Commercial FrameworksAcross all phases: decision rights, approval gates, procedures and supplier management frameworks
Performance in operations informs the commercial strategy of the next investment.
Phases follow the Front-End Loading (FEL) stage-gate model commonly used for industrial capital projects. In practice activities overlap: market approach and tendering for major packages often start before FID.

Advisory, Interim Support or Targeted Training

The form of support follows the challenge, the project phase and the capacity of your own team.

01

Independent Advisory

Focused advice on a specific decision: a contract strategy review, a tender strategy, or an independent second opinion before a key commercial commitment.

02

Interim Project Support

Temporary senior capacity within your project team during critical phases, such as strategy development, tendering, bid evaluation and negotiations, for a defined period.

Interim contract manager →

03

Targeted Training & Strategy Workshops

In-company workshops in which your team develops its own contract or procurement strategy under guidance, applied to your own project or contracts rather than generic cases.

Practical Strategy Workshops

Practical, in-company workshops built on more than 30 years of contracting and procurement experience. Each workshop is tailored to the participants and, where possible, applied directly to a live project or existing contracts, so the team leaves with both the know-how and a first version of its own strategy.

Pre-FID · Projects

Contract Strategy for Capital Projects

For investment and project teams preparing for FID.

  • Contract packaging and interfaces
  • Choice of contracting model: EPC, EPCm, lump sum, reimbursable
  • Risk allocation before decisions are locked in
Tendering

Tender Strategy & Bid Evaluation

For project and procurement teams preparing a tender.

  • Tender strategy and market approach
  • Evaluation criteria and weighting
  • Commercial comparison and normalisation of bids
  • Structured clarification rounds
MRO & Operations

Performance-Based MRO Contracting

For maintenance and procurement teams in operational environments.

  • From traditional to performance-driven maintenance contracts
  • Unit-rate contract structures
  • Contract KPIs and supplier performance management

Content, format and duration are agreed in advance, from a single half-day session to a series of workshops alongside a project.

Email to Discuss a Workshop

How an Engagement Is Structured

01

Introductory Discussion

A short conversation to clarify the challenge and where senior expertise can add value.

02

Focused Assessment

Where appropriate, a targeted review of the current contract strategy, structure or procurement approach.

03

Targeted Engagement

A scoped engagement, proportionate to the challenge, without the overhead of a large advisory team.

Sector Experience

Supporting owners, developers, EPC contractors and industrial operators across:

Renewables & Circular Economy Pilot & Demo Plants Power Generation Oil & Gas Petrochemical Tank Terminals & Liquid Bulk Industrial Manufacturing

Discuss Where Independent Expertise Adds Most

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