Advanced Project and Contract Management: An Integrated Review of Methodology, Procurement, Contractual Governance and Performance Reporting

Abstract

Project and contract management have evolved into distinct yet interdependent disciplines that jointly determine the success or failure of capital, infrastructural, and organisational undertakings. This paper presents an integrated conceptual review of four interrelated domains: (i) project management methodology, spanning predictive, adaptive, and hybrid frameworks; (ii) project procurement, appraisal, and performance assessment; (iii) contractual governance, contract management, subcontracting, and construction pricing systems; and (iv) variations, claims, contract administration, and project reporting. Drawing on the established literature of the Project Management Institute, the Association for Project Management, the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management, and leading scholars in construction and procurement management, the paper synthesises normative guidance with practicebased considerations to propose an integrated life-cycle framework linking methodology choice to procurement strategy and contractual control. The review finds that project outcomes are rarely determined by any single practice in isolation; rather, they emerge from the coherence between the chosen delivery methodology, the procurement route, the pricing mechanism embedded in the contract, and the rigour of contract administration and reporting. The paper concludes with recommendations for practitioners and directions for future empirical research, particularly on the comparative performance of hybrid methodologies and target-cost contracting in developing-country infrastructure delivery.