Contract Management

Overview
We typically think of innovation in terms of public policy issues, as opposed to management. However, this research project should represent an effort or an opportunity to implement innovations in management. This research should provide you the opportunity to analyze a pressing policy issue from multiple management perspectives. You are expected to examine the specific management techniques and strategies assigned to your particular case and determine successes and failures related to these techniques and strategies.

Summary
Brazil’s successes and failures in hosting the 2014 World Cup can provide useful insights in order to ensure the success of the 2016 summer Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro. What must Rio de Janeiro do to ensure the success of the 2016 summer Olympic Games? How is the 2014 World Cup an opportunity to learn from successes and failures in order to improve preparations for the 2016 summer Olympic Games? How likely is Rio to be successful in building any remaining infrastructure, adhering to budget and quality standards? Provide an assessment of current status, issues to date, root causes of delays, overruns, and management deficiencies.
Research
The project will include a written case study on Rio Summer Olympic Games topic. The project Group is required to do substantial outside research on your topic in order to write and present your case. This research should include reading additional books, articles, as well as interviews with key participants / interested parties involved in your case (where appropriate). In your case study, be sure to leverage and utilize the management lenses below! All outside research must be correctly cited in a consistent format.

Your Project paper and presentation should address:
• The background of the pressing problem or opportunity; what happened and why? How did it happen, why is it important?
• For the parts of your topic that contain elements that were already implemented, or had implementation components that were attempted, what could have been done or should be done differently to have improved outcomes, i.e. consider how it was initially planned, communicated, budgeted, implemented, etc.
• The management strategies that can be used to foster innovation and drive improvement to address this problem / seize this opportunity and how should those management strategies be implemented?
• How the strategies could work / how the improvement and innovation would manifest
• If applicable, how could this strategy or strategies be replicated in other locations / agencies / entities
Be sure to perform your analyses using the contract management to develop specific innovative implementation recommendations for Rio’s Mayor that take into consideration the different geographic and economic context of the 2016 summer Olympic Games (to be held in one city, Rio de Janeiro) as compared to the 2014 World Cup (which was held in various cities all over Brazil). Be specific in your management recommendations so that Rio might win their very public and high stakes race against the clock.

Remember
The paper should include:
a. Executive summary: history and background of your issue; key players and their roles
b. Clear analysis through the management lenses assigned for each topic
c. Clear description of any factors that contributed to past success or failure in topic analyzed
d. What types of innovation / improvement are obtainable / possible; categorized by management lens
e. Clear description of the implementation process for the innovations to occur, what would need to happen, what would be the benefits and what are the risks
f. Detailed bibliography to date / complete list of sources

Additional Instructions
Be sure to match the outcome of the research to the Rio’s organizational goal
Is it the best available contract; could there be any improvements?
Is Rio’s staffs are trained to evaluate contract proposal in the first place? Why and how? Improvement suggestions? How was it evaluated; effective?
Is there a contract oversight requirements? Any improvements in that area?
Contract risk management and risk evaluation.
Who is responsible in certain responsibility of performance in the contract and how to improve?
Was there an accountability for outcome, quality, reliability, quantity, timeliness, impact? How to improve those areas?
Did they select the right contractor?
Did they reach out to private/public/non-profit contractors? What are the differences and benefits among those?
Does people who manages the contract have the right skills that matches their responsibility?
How they measure and monitor the contract performance? What to do to improve it?
Is there any special services contracts? What are the challenges, what could be done differently in order to improve it?
Is it true that the contracts were negotiated in dollar currency? If so, what are the challenges now when currency rate has changed dramatically from the date they signed the contract and present date? What are the recommendations to solve this problem to prevent cost over run? Is there any provisions in the contract/legal document that could have help this situation and what are other tools that could also help to prevent cost over run?