The Contract Management Playbook

Government guidance on the effective management of contracts.

March 2026

The Contract Management Playbook provides best practice guidance for a wide range of contract management activities spanning the whole commercial lifecycle in order to make ‘let and forget’ culture a thing of the past. The Playbook sits alongside and supports the four existing Playbooks that focus on sourcing and procurement. This new document covers areas such as: managing contract delivery, change, risk and supplier/stakeholder relationships, managing contract exit and inputting into the design of
subsequent contracts. These are vital elements of the commercial life-cycle and can make a difference between the success and failure of vital services and infrastructure projects. The new Procurement Act 2023 reinforces the importance of these contract management activities with new post-award obligations.