Contract Manager

We are a leading chemical company, with the best teams developing intelligent solutions for our customers, and for a sustainable future.

We connect and develop people with diverse talents all over the world. For you, this means a variety of ways to progress. 

Not only your performance but also your personality matter to us, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, orientation, and background.  At BASF, careers develop from opportunities . 

About The Role 

• As Project Contract Manager, be responsible for awarding and management of service and works contracts within CAPEX projects in India, including identification of cost-saving opportunities, timely award, post-award contract administration, change and claims management, and contract close-out together with project stakeholders.


• Oversee the project services procurement process and create Contract Status Reports ensuring transparency; serve as the project-specific Services Procurement focal point for progress, commercial risk and escalation management; and implement company policies, guidelines, approval requirements and documentation standards into project contracting.


• Support the project team with contractual and commercial advice to safeguard BASF positions, including scope changes, extension of time, acceleration and catch-up plans, contractor non-conformances, contractual remedies, final account and close-out.


• Develop and manage the contractor pool for CAPEX projects in accordance with business targets together with Engineering, EHS, category teams and other project stakeholders.


• Provide end-to-end contract and commercial management across the full greenfield project contracting portfolio – technology licence, EPC, construction, unit/package system and other CAPEX and OPEX service contracts – from project development through execution, commissioning and close-out.
  
  
  
  

What Will You Do 

Project Contract Management Responsibilities:

• Ensure compliance in the procurement process in accordance with the BASF Supplier Code of Conduct, local laws, company compliance requirements and global procurement guidelines.


• Develop and implement the Contract Execution Plan and contracting strategy for assigned CAPEX projects in India, aligned with the project schedule, packaging strategy, market conditions, commercial risk profile and applicable IA/FA approval requirements.


• Lead the contracting strategy, tendering, negotiation, award and post-award administration for technology licence agreements, EPC contracts, construction contracts, unit/package system contracts, and other general CAPEX and OPEX service contracts for greenfield projects, ensuring appropriate allocation of scope, interfaces, performance obligations, guarantees, liabilities, risks and commercial terms.


• Generate service and works contract bidder lists in collaboration with stakeholders from the operating division, Project Management, Engineering and category teams.


• Support Cost Engineering to establish BOQs, base prices, unit-rate structures and commercial benchmarks; evaluate bids to identify cost optimization opportunities and potential claim exposure.


• Ensure timely award of contracts, including expediting MRQs and scope readiness, driving RFQ generation and tendering, expediting TBE, conducting CNBs, negotiation and CBE, and preparing award recommendations.


• Lead post-award management of assigned contracts during project execution, including obligations, contractual correspondence, securities, insurances, warranties, payment conditions, change orders, claims, non-conformances and status reporting.


• Generate and track the Contract Status Report and an integrated contract-performance dashboard for assigned projects, providing regular updates to the project team on award status, budget, obligations, milestones, KPIs, payments, securities, commercial risk, changes, claims, non-conformances, contractor performance, forecast exposure and required decisions.


• Review and approve purchase orders and change orders according to project signing matrices and delegated authority.


• Manage the contract lifecycle and digital visibility in SAP, Icertis, Mercanis, SAP Analytics Cloud, JIRA, P2P Toolbox or other designated systems, ensuring complete, timely and audit-ready records.
  
  


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  • Own readiness for internal, external and quality audits for assigned contracts and ensure corrective and preventive actions are closed.
  
  
  • Maintain a project contract-management plan, obligation register and contract-governance RACI covering Procurement, Project Management, Engineering, Construction, Project Controls, Legal, Finance, EHS and Operations.
  
  
  • Lead disciplined EOT, delay and disruption assessment using contemporaneous programme evidence, critical-path analysis, cause-and-effect records and cost substantiation appropriate to the contract.
  
  
  • Maintain an India-specific contractual risk checklist covering governing law, notice requirements, variation mechanisms, liquidated damages, liability, indemnity, insurance, force majeure, termination and dispute resolution, with Legal validation where required.
  
  
  
  

  Contractor Management Responsibilities:

  
  
  
  
  • Follow up on strategic contractor management and maintain regular exchange with core contractors; provide feedback to regional Procurement Management, Engineering and operating divisions; and transfer best practices and lessons learned.
  
  
  • Conduct contractor audits and qualifications with the Procurement Verbund Team, EHS and project stakeholders, ensuring qualification covers technical capability, financial health, EHS, Responsible Care, sustainability, human rights, BPDD and EcoVadis requirements, as applicable.
  
  
  • Act as first line for potential contractual issues and contractor non-conformances and escalate material issues to the Team Leader, Project Manager, Legal or regional management, as required.
  
  
  • Support the Category Manager in developing the CAPEX contracting and contractor strategy.
  
  
  • Coordinate contractor performance reviews, recovery actions, final evaluation and lessons learned for assigned projects.
  
  
  • Apply risk-based contractor segmentation and differentiated governance for strategic, critical and routine contract packages.
  
  
  • Define measurable contract KPIs covering safety, quality, schedule, productivity, commercial responsiveness, sustainability and close-out, with corrective-action or service-credit mechanisms where appropriate.
  
  
  • Identify contractor capacity, workforce, subcontractor, regulatory, EHS and continuity risks and develop practical mitigation or alternative sourcing actions.
  
  
  
  

  Procurement Planning & Strategy:

  
  
  
  
  • Align Procurement, Project Management, Engineering, Construction, Legal, Finance, Cost Engineering, Project Controls, EHS and Operations on scope readiness, commercial strategy, tender progress and execution priorities.
  
  
  • Identify diverging stakeholder interests early and facilitate conflict resolution while safeguarding BASF’s contractual and commercial position.
  
  
  • Complete contract close-out including final account, claims settlement, securities and warranty status, release documentation, records retention, contractor evaluation and lessons learned.
  
  
  • Evaluate bids on total service cost, risk, compliance, quality, schedule and capability, not price alone, applying should-cost, clean-sheet, productivity and risk-adjusted analysis for major packages where reliable data is available; document the award rationale and residual risks.
  
  
  • Lead end-to-end change and claims governance, including early warning, timely notices, entitlement assessment, substantiation, valuation, negotiation, settlement, recovery and formal closure; ensure no changed work proceeds without written authorization except under an approved emergency process.
  
  
  • Track value realization against the approved business case and contract baseline, including savings, avoided cost, recoveries, value leakage and forecast exposure.
  
  
  • Drive dispute avoidance through early-warning reviews, defined escalation protocols, documented settlement authority and timely involvement of Legal and project leadership.
    
    What We Look For
  
  
  
  

   

  
  
  
  
  • Strong negotiation skills for prices, payment terms, securities, terms and conditions, changes, extensions of time and claims.
  
  
  • Deep knowledge of supplier and contractor landscapes and types of contractual engagement in engineering, construction, EPC and EPCM projects.
  
  
  • Deep knowledge of contract terms and conditions, deviation handling, contract administration, change and claim management, non-conformance remedies and contract close-out, including related tools and legal exposure.
  
  
  • Comprehensive understanding of BOQs, unit rates, cost structures and procurement processes, with the ability to establish a Contract Execution Plan, carry out bidder qualification and shortlisting, and report contract status, changes and claims.
  
  
  • Strong project-management and influencing skills for virtual and cross-functional teams without direct reporting lines.
  
  
  • Solid knowledge of SAP, purchase orders, Microsoft Office (particularly Excel, PowerPoint and Word) and contract/claims-management tools such as Icertis; knowledge of Mercanis, SAP Analytics, Power BI and SAP S/4HANA is advantageous.
  
  
  • Solid knowledge of contractor audits, qualifications and EHS standards expected by large multinational companies.
    
    
    
  
  
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    • Excellent written and verbal English for stakeholder interaction and for drafting contractual notices, correspondence and management reports; an additional Indian or international language is an advantage.
    
    
    • Full mobility within India for project relocation and willingness to travel extensively to support projects in India and, when assigned, Asia Pacific.
    
    
    • Practical knowledge of FIDIC-based and bespoke EPC/construction contracts used in India, together with awareness of the Indian Contract Act, 1872 and the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996; Legal remains responsible for legal interpretation.
    
    
    • Working capability in EOT, variation, delay, disruption and cost-claim substantiation; PMP, MRICS, CCM, CPCM or equivalent certification is advantageous but not mandatory.
    
    
    
    

    Minimum Education and Qualification required for the Position

    
    
    
    
    • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Law, Commerce, Economics, Finance or a related discipline.
    
    
    • More than 7 years of work experience in Indirect Procurement, Contract/Commercial Management and CAPEX projects.
    
    
    • Demonstrated experience managing service or works contracts through tendering, award, execution, change/claims and close-out.
      
      
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

Location 

Mumbai - Vikhroli Godrej One