BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF COMPUTING ENGINEERING AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

COURSEWORK ASSIGNMENT BRIEF
BNV6119 Contract Practice

Coursework Assignment Brief

Assessment - Undergraduate

Academic Year 2023-24

Module Title: Contract Practice

Module Code: BNV6119

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION, DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Assessment Title:
AND REFLECTION
Assessment Type: Coursework 2 Weighting: 50 %

School: School of Engineering and the Built Environment

Module Co-ordinator: SOLOMON ADJEI

The hand in date for this assessment can be found in the
assessment section on the module moodle page.

Hand in details:
Return of Feedback date
and format
Re-assessment hand in
deadline date:
Support available for
students required to
submit a re-assessment:
For all work submitted to moodle, the submission time is
3.00pm. If the assessment includes a presentation or other
part not submitted to moodle, please see the assessment
section of the module moodle page for details.
20 working days from date of submission (see Moodle for
details).
3.00pm on Monday 29th July 2024.
Note: the reassessment work may be different.
Timetabled support sessions will be arranged for the period
immediately preceding the hand-in date.

At the first assessment attempt, the full range of marks is

NOTE: available. At the re-assessment attempt the mark is capped
and the maximum mark that can be achieved is 40%.

Assessment Summary This submission requires you to undertake different contract

administration tasks based on updates provided for the
project in Coursework 1. Your submission is expected to
demonstrate understanding of contract administration
including dispute revolution

The final part of the assessment requires you to reflect on

your choice of contract in Course Work 1 to demonstrate
your understanding of how the choice of contract affects the
processes and success of the project.

1 CEBE UG Assignment brief revised 03/08/2018

BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF COMPUTING ENGINEERING AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
COURSEWORK ASSIGNMENT BRIEF
BNV6119 Contract Practice

Your submission is expected to demonstrate understanding

of contract administration including dispute revolution

IMPORTANT STATEMENTS

Undergraduate Regulations

Your studies will be governed by the BCU Academic Regulations on Assessment, Progression and
Awards. Copies of regulations can be found at https://www.bcu.ac.uk/student-info/student-
contract

For courses accredited by professional bodies such as the IET (Institution of Engineering and
Technology) there are some derogations from the standard regulations, and these are detailed in
the academic regulations.

Cheating and Plagiarism

Both cheating and plagiarism are totally unacceptable, and the University maintains a strict policy
against them. It is YOUR responsibility to be aware of this policy and to act accordingly. Please
refer to the Academic Registry Guidance at https://icity.bcu.ac.uk/Academic-
Services/Information-for-Students/Assessment/Avoiding-Allegations-of-Cheating

The basic principles are:

• Don’t pass off anyone else’s work as your own, including work from “essay banks”. This is
plagiarism and is viewed extremely seriously by the University.
• Don’t submit a piece of work in whole or in part that has already been submitted for
assessment elsewhere. This is called duplication and, like plagiarism, is viewed extremely
seriously by the University.
• Always acknowledge all of the sources that you have used in your coursework assignment
or project.
• If you are using the exact words of another person, always put them in quotation marks.
• Check that you know whether the coursework is to be produced individually or whether you
can work with others.
• If you are doing group work, be sure about what you are supposed to do on your own.
• Never make up or falsify data to prove your point.
• Never allow others to copy your work.
• Never lend disks, memory sticks or copies of your coursework to any other student in the
University; this may lead you being accused of collusion.

By submitting coursework, either physically or electronically, you are confirming that it is your own
work (or, in the case of a group submission, that it is the result of joint work undertaken by

2 CEBE UG Assignment brief revised 03/08/2018

members of the group that you represent) and that you have read and understand the University’s
guidance on plagiarism and cheating.

You should be aware that coursework may be submitted to an electronic detection system to help
ascertain if any plagiarised material is present. You may check your own work prior to submission
using Turnitin at the Formative Moodle Site. If you have queries about what constitutes plagiarism,
please speak to your module tutor or the Centre for Academic Success.

Electronic Submission of Work

It is your responsibility to ensure that work submitted in electronic format can be opened on a
faculty computer and to check that any electronic submissions have been successfully uploaded. If
it cannot be opened it will not be marked. Any required file formats will be specified in the
assignment brief and failure to comply with these submission requirements will result in work not
being marked. You must retain a copy of all electronic work you have submitted and re-submit if
requested.

Learning Outcomes to be Assessed:

1 Critically appraise and reflect upon the choice of contract in comparison to the
given alternative.

3 Evaluate processes and procedures to be adhered to within the contract.

4 Discuss the different methods of dispute resolution.

Assessment Details:

Title: Contract Administration, Dispute Resolution and Reflection

Style: Report (different tasks including appraisal of dispute resolution options, discussion of
contract clauses and completing of contract administration tasks)

Rationale:
The choice and administration of construction contracts requires an in depth understanding
of contract clauses and the different approaches taken by different contracts to achieve project
success. By reviewing a client’s brief and appraising different contracts, and undertaking
different contract related tasks, students will gain the necessary skills for contract selection
and administration.

Description:

The aim is for students to appreciate different procedures, roles and responsibilities under the
various forms of contract. By comparing different contract forms, students get a better
understanding of how roles and procedures are likely to differ based on the type of contract
used for a project and how this influences the success of the project. By carrying out a range

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of tasks in accordance with contractual clauses and procedures, students should gain
understanding of the importance of adhering to contractual processes.

OBJECTIVES

Demonstrate practical understanding of contract administration procedures

Identify contract clauses required from data supplied
Compare different methods of claiming and awarding extensions of time and costs
Analyse the various mechanisms used to make changes to the contract
Reflect on the tasks undertaken

Scenario

For coursework 2 you are working for the contractor on the same project as Coursework 1
and are required to undertake a different contract administration task based on updates
provided for the client’s project. (Details of the client’s project including the contract form and
associated amendments are provided on Moodle).

You are required to undertake contract administration procedures including dispute resolution
with the aim of ensuring the successful running of the project. The task for this coursework is
divided into two main parts.

Task 2 A

For this task you are required to undertake contractual tasks by reviewing the contract
documents provided by the client and associated documents to prepare claims for some
changes to the work (variations/compensation events). Following your submission of the
claim, you are required to complete further contract administration tasks based on the
response to your claim by the client. Based on the issues in the update to the project, you are
required to appraise different methods of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms
and how they can be adopted to resolve issues should disputes arise. As part of the
contractual procedures and based on the outcome of the situation, you are required to
complete the documentation required for your selected ADR.

(Specific details for the issues leading to the claims and response by the client’s team are
provided on Moodle)

Task 2 B
This task focuses on reflecting upon your choice of contract in comparison to the client’s
choice to determine how the choice of contract impacts on the success of the project. The
written reflective report should be no more than 1,000 words, should be referenced and be
based on your experience in completing contract administration procedures and processes.
As part of your reflective report, you should draw upon your experience of analysing and
comparing contract clauses and undertaking contractual procedures. As part of your review,
you are to evaluate the ways in which the contract itself contributes to dispute avoidance and
resolution.

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Additional information: For more information see Moodle.

For advice on writing style, referencing and academic skills, please make use of the Centre
for Academic Success: Centre for Academic Success - student support | Birmingham City
University (bcu.ac.uk)

Workload: The assessment should have an equivalent work count of up to 2000 words.

Please note that the mark awarded for the coursework is not judged on final document size (e.g.
number of pages) and/or number of words but the quality of the content.

• (See Module Guide for more information)

A typical student would be expected to take 20 hours to pass this assessment.

Transferable skills:
1. Work individually and accept responsibility for the module’s study program through planning, setting
objectives and responding to briefs.
2. Devise and sustain arguments using relevant ideas and information, demonstrating the critical
evaluation of arguments, assumptions, and data to lead to appropriate conclusions.
3. Critical analysis
4. Report writing
5. Critical reflection

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Marking Criteria:

Table of Assessment Criteria and Associated Grading Criteria

Assessment 1. 2. 3. 4.
Criteria Critically appraise Discuss the different Evaluate
and reflect upon the methods of dispute processes and Presentation and
→ choice of contract resolution. procedures to be referencing
in comparison to (Completion of dispute adhered to within
the given resolution procedures the contract
alternative and proposal of ADR)
Weighting: 20% 40% 30% 10%
Grading Little or no discussion Wrong advice with the no No / little attempt No references with very
Criteria provided on experience evidence of understanding made / incorrect poor presentation
throughout the module of dispute resolution procedures and
0 – 29% documents
F No attempt of the ADR
procedures in the given
scenario
30 – 39% Some discussion Generally incorrect advice An attempt made at Some references but not
E provided on the with little evidence of completing contractual Harvard Style. Basic
experience throughout understanding of dispute procedures but structure apparent
the module but not resolution incorrect / incomplete
reflective
Incomplete attempt of the
ADR procedures in the
given scenario
40 – 49% Correct discussion on Some attempt made Some attempt with Some relevant
D the experience on the at discussing the different some relevant references,
module with some methods of dispute inclusions but Basic structure
reflective account of the resolution applicable to the incomplete and / or
different activities given scenario inaccurate
Completion of some parts
of the ADR procedures in
the given scenario
50 – 59% A good submission with Different methods of Mostly accurate, Some correctly
C some evidence of dispute resolution attempt made at referenced sources.
reflection on the accurately discussed completing contract Generally good structure
experience throughout leading to relevant advise administration tasks
the scenario but no links on the appropriate dispute
to dispute avoidance resolution option
Completion of parts of the
ADR procedures in the
given scenario
60 – 69% A good reflective report Mostly correct evaluation Accurate attempt at Some correctly
B but lacks analysis of the dispute resolution contract administration referenced
relevant exercises and applicable to the scenario task but not showing a sources. Reasonable
the way forward with and advising on clear breakdown and structure
appropriate ADR understanding of task
mechanism

Accurate completion of
ADR procedures in the
scenario
70 – 79% Very good reflective All relevant ADRs mostly All key procedures Good structure citing
A report that analyses the evaluated, advising on the completed with little applicable case law and
different tasks appropriate ADR justification for claims academic references
undertaken throughout mechanism and link to clauses presented in Harvard
the module to style
demonstrate the Accurate completion of
learning journey ADR procedures in the
scenario
80 – 89% Excellent reflective All relevant ADRs correctly All key procedures Very good structure and
A+ account using an evaluated with reference to completed with some range of references,
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 appropriate reflective appropriate cases and attempt at presenting presented in the correct
model with emphasis on contract clauses a professional looking Harvard style.
learning document
Accurate completion of demonstrating how
ADR procedures in the obtained the amount
scenario due
90 – 100% Excellent reflective All relevant ADRs correctly All key procedures A well-presented report
A* account using an evaluated with reference to completed with full with a range of correctly
appropriate reflective appropriate cases and clauses cited and referenced sources and
model with emphasis on contract clauses professional excellent structure
learning and a plan for appropriately applied, presentation
the future including how leading to the most comparable to industry
best to approach a relevant advise for the standard
similar situation in the appropriate ADR
future
Accurate completion of
ADR procedures in the
scenario mechanism for
the given scenario

Submission Details:

Format: All work to be submitted via the module Moodle page upload point in PDF or WORD
format (Your delay analysis can be in an excel format)

Regulations:

• The minimum pass mark for a module is 40%.

• Re-sit marks are capped at 40%

Full academic regulations are available for download using the link provided above in the IMPORTANT
STATEMENTS section.

For IET accredited courses and for modules at Level 6 ONLY (delete if required)
• For modules with multiple items of assessment, you must achieve a minimum of 30%
in each item of assessment in order to pass the module.
e.g., assessment 1 - coursework 50% and assessment 2 - Exam 50%,
You must achieve an aggregate mark of 40% WITH every single assessment having
a minimum mark of 30% or greater. For example, if you achieved 90% in example
assessment 1 and 20% in example assessment 2, the aggregate would be over 40%
((90+20)/2 = 55%), however you will still fail the module due to the 30% qualifying
rule.

Late Penalties
If you submit an assessment late at the first attempt, then you will be subject to one of the
following penalties:

• if the submission is made between 1 and 24 hours after the published deadline the
original mark awarded will be reduced by 5%. For example, a mark of 60% will be
reduced by 3% so that the mark that the student will receive is 57%.

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 • if the submission is made between 24 hours and one week (5 working days) after
the published deadline the original mark awarded will be reduced by 10%. For
example, a mark of 60% will be reduced by 6% so that the mark the student will
receive is 54%.

• if the submission is made after 5 days following the deadline, your work will be
deemed as a fail and returned to you unmarked.

The reduction in the mark will not be applied in the following two cases:
• the mark is below the pass mark for the assessment. In this case the mark achieved
by the student will stand.
• where a deduction will reduce the mark from a pass to a fail. In this case the mark
awarded will be the threshold (i.e.,40%).
Please note:
• If you submit a re-assessment late, then it will be deemed as a fail and returned
to you unmarked.

Feedback:

Written feedback will be provided on Moodle

Marks and Feedback on your work will normally be provided within 20 working days of its
submission deadline via Moodle.

Where to get help:

See Moodle for more information

Summative feedback will be provided during the two-hour seminar sessions on weekly
basis. Extra feedback can be provided in surgery hours (please check Moodle page for
details).

Students can get additional support from the library for searching for information and
finding academic sources. See their iCity page for more information:
http://libanswers.bcu.ac.uk/

The Centre for Academic Success offers 1:1 advice and feedback on academic writing,
referencing, study skills and maths/statistics/computing. See their iCity page for more
information: https://icity.bcu.ac.uk/celt/centre-for-academic-success

Additional assignment advice can be found here: https://libguides.bcu.ac.uk/MA

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Fit to Submit:

Are you ready to submit your assignment – review this assignment brief and consider
whether you have met the criteria. Use any checklists provided to ensure that you have
done everything needed.

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 Assignment Tip Sheet

Assignment Checklist
Run through this simple tick list before submitting your work!

Report
Well prepared materials make your work look more professional and easier to understand.
Item Action Done?
1 I have used the spellchecker and proofread the report correcting errors several times.
2 I have checked that all material is directly related to the assignment tasks.
3 I have checked that all the required information has been included in the report.
4 The report is professionally presented using consistent headings, fonts, and layout.
5 All tables and images are numbered and captioned.
6 I have used the report structure specified in the assignment.
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Referencing and Originality

Your work will be subjected to checks to ensure it is not derivative of other works. Works found to be
derivative may leave you subject to penalties, including in extreme cases, expulsion from the University.

Item Action Done?

1 All images and tables are fully referenced.
I have not copied any material from anywhere else. All sentences have been paraphrased into
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my own words.
3 All references appear in the references section at the end of the submitted work.
4 All references are cited in the text in the form of (author, year). See
https://www.bcu.ac.uk/library/services-and-support/referencing for more details.
5 If I have used quotes, these are fully referenced, appear in quotation marks and form only
a small part of my report.

Content
Is your work complete? Have you included all the required elements?
Item Action Done?

1 I have given an analysis of problem.

2 I have explained why I chose the specific contract in my reflection and used references to
support my decisions.

3 I have completed the procedures for my choice of contract

4 I have completed the reflective report

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5 I have completed the given forms for contract administration

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