Contracts, statements of work and the RFx that precede them. Deciding what to buy, writing down what you expect, and the legal edges that catch delivery people out.
Articles
A delivery manager does not need to know contract law. They need to notice the moment a delivery problem becomes a contractual one, because after that moment informal handling starts costing money.
A make or buy analysis compares the whole life cost of building something against buying it, and finds the point where the cheaper option changes. Capability, control and risk usually decide it.
Terms
A failure by one party to perform an obligation the contract requires, whether or not the other party treats it as such at the time.
The volume or duration at which two options cost the same, so that the cheaper of the two changes on either side of it.
A comparison of the whole life cost and the wider consequences of producing something in house against acquiring it from the market.
A clause setting out how, to whom and by when a party must formally communicate something for it to count. Missing the deadline can forfeit the entitlement.
The full cost of a thing across its life, covering acquisition, running, change, support and eventual retirement, rather than the purchase price alone.