Partnering the Service Contract

For Breakthrough Contract Results

Maintenance Contracts, Privatization Contracts, BOS Contracts, Job Order Contracts . . .

What is 'partnering' and why should I consider it on my contract?

Partnering is a facilitated workshop that brings together all stakeholders at the outset of a service contract. The workshop enables these individuals to create a way of working together collaboratively toward common goals or standards that would equate to an extraordinary success for all.

But we've all got good intentions, why do we need partnering?

We assume that the vast majority of stakeholders on service contracts have good intentions. Good intentions, however, in and of themselves are rarely sufficient to produce 'extraordinary' results. Extraordinary results in any endeavor require common goals and a very specific game plan built around teamwork and grounded in personal commitments.

Consider also that service contracts today involve exponentially more stakeholders and third parties than several years ago. How do you quickly bring all these stakeholders together as a team? How do you enable them to make specific, personal commitments? Our partnering process does this.

When is the best time to implement a workshop and what format are they in?

Consider initiating a service contract partnering workshop shortly after the award of the contract and once all the key participants have been selected.

Our partnering workshops can be delivered in two days; one-and-a-half days; or in one day formats. We generally recommend review or follow-up workshops within two to four months following the initial workshop. The purpose of the review workshop is to revisit and validate partnership goals, enroll new participants, and develop an updated action plan.

What this workshop is not:

This workshop is not a vague, 'feel good' experience. We employ no games, psychological stuff or lectures. We also assume that most workshop participants have been through basic team-building and do not need 'team-building 101'. We also make it clear at the outset of the workshop that we are not there in any way to change, relax or compromise any legal or contractual obligations.

As an owner with a solid contract, why should I 'partner'?

Contracts speak to minimal requirements and outcomes. We make the assumption that most service providers want to be part of an effort that goes well beyond 'business as usual' with one caveat. As long as doing so does not require them to work longer, harder or more expensively. Our workshops enable all stakeholders to achieve extraordinary results by working collaboratively.

Who should participate in the workshop?

To optimize the outcome, we recommend that the workshop include all stakeholders who contribute to the success of the project, or who might be impacted by the service provided. This minimally should include: end users, contract administration, service providers, key subcontractors, and third parties. Consider that today service contracts have exponentially more stakeholders than several years ago. We can manage up to 35 participants in a workshop.

But you don't understand our contract and unique circumstances.

First of all, our role is facilitative, not directive. We are not there to provide 'answers'. Rather, our role is to enable the team to develop its own solution. Additionally, prior to the workshop, we seek to understand your situation through individual interviews of key players.

What are the prerequisites for a successful workshop?

In our experience, the primary condition for a successful workshop and contract is the active participation of and commitment by senior management of all the major stakeholders.

This might involve a significant commitment on our part, what assurances do we have?

Should a contract that we facilitate become 'adversarial', we will facilitate a one-half day workshop for no charge other than our expenses. Also, if at the conclusion of a VCG workshop, principals do not agree that a significant breakthrough in terms of predictable contract results has taken place, we will forego one-half of our fee no questions asked.

What can you do about an 'adversarial' contract that is already underway?

About 25% of our work involves problem contracts or problem projects. Paradoxically, we have found that the more adversarial the relationship the easier it is to effect a significant turnaround. Why is that? When given a choice, which we give them, between 'partnering' or continuing with 'hardball' the majority of participants will 'drop their swords' and commit to partnering. After all, everyone knows how to play 'hardball' – And most everyone knows that in 'hardball' there are only losers and no real winners.

What's it take to get started?

Call our office for further information. We can also provide references of other partnering workshop participants.

"Ventura Consulting Group's partnering workshop quickly enables a team to get at critical contract issues. This has been of immense value to us in ensuring the success of our contracts."
– Grady Wright, Senior Vice President, DynCorp. Reston, Virginia

"Both the government and the contractor project teams were in disarray. Our individual relationships ranged from years long cooperation to month long animosity. Each fraction had its own set of ill defined goals that conflicted with its counterpart's goals. With Ventura Consulting's help and good humor, we successfully avoided a continuing slide downward into the courthouse. Instead we now have a common set of rather ambitious goals, and we are working together to achieve them with a reasonable chance of success."
– Bill Brockman, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Silver Spring, Maryland