Contract Management Transformation Programme
Client Context
The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), an arm’s length body of the Department for Work and Pensions, manages over £100m of supplier spend annually across services such as pensions guidance, debt advice and financial wellbeing. Despite this significant spend, contract management was fragmented, devolved to service areas and inconsistently supported by central processes and systems. MaPS’ commercial function had recently restructured to expand its remit from procurement to the full commercial lifecycle. However, a self-assessment against the Government Commercial Function’s (GCF) Continuous Improvement Framework had scored MaPS at just 23% maturity. Recognising the need to address risks around ownership, governance and capability, MaPS commissioned us to develop and embed a consistent approach to post-award contract management.
Our Approach
We delivered a structured three-phase approach:
1. Building an Accurate Contracts Register
Conducted a 12-week data triangulation exercise using Sage (finance), Jaggaer (e-sourcing) and stakeholder input to build a validated register covering 300+ active contracts and grants.
Applied forensic analysis of Accounts Payable data to identify spend without linked contracts, cross-referenced against sourcing and business unit records.
Collaborated with 20+ contract owners and category leads to verify and approve records, providing a single, accurate source of truth.
Introduced a segmentation model using GCF’s Gold/Silver/Bronze tiering to define oversight levels.
2. Clarifying Roles and Responsibilities
Defined and documented roles from Senior Contract Owners to operational managers, embedding them in policy.
Developed a detailed RACI matrix, rolled out through workshops and training sessions.
Assigned named contract managers for every contract, with confirmed ownership across all business areas.
Provided practical guidance for finance, commercial and business leads on their assurance responsibilities.
3. Embedding Contract Management Capabilities
Delivered a modular training programme to 60+ managers covering supplier performance, risk and change control, exit planning and benefits realisation.
Tailored training to contract tier and role, using interactive workshops and real-world scenarios.
Supported the commercial team to launch its new support offer for gold/silver contracts through a structured communications and stakeholder engagement plan.
Outputs and Outcomes
The programme achieved significant improvements in MaPS’ commercial maturity, including:
A complete, validated contracts register covering 300+ contracts and grants, verified across all business units.
Full segmentation embedded with roles and responsibilities aligned to contract tier.
Named contract managers in place for every contract, ensuring accountability and ownership.
Operational capability uplift through targeted training and resources, improving governance and consistency.
Reduced compliance risks and improved readiness for reporting and audits.
Strengthened management of renewals and supplier performance, improving value delivery.
Elevated the Commercial Team’s profile and influence, laying the foundations for a stronger commercial lifecycle model.
Client Feedback
97% said they would recommend the course to a colleague
96% said they can practically apply our training course learning to their daily work
97% rated our training course as good or excellent overall
About Us
Human Engine is a leading management consultancy with specialisms in strategy, transformation, digital, commercial, procurement and projects.
Founded in 2018, we have partnered with more than 50 local authorities, central government, NHS organisations and national charities to help transform their strategies, operations and cultures.
Our mission is to help individuals and organisations to do the best work of their lives. We do this by blending first-hand, practical experience of the problems we help our clients solve with award-winning consulting expertise and an approach based on trust, collaboration and partnership.