Discipline 03 / Intermediation

Carry the
delivery interface.

After the contract is awarded, what was promised becomes controls, ownership and a way of running things.

MI Buyer Prime Subcon Client Auditor Authority
1 standard
Across all interfaces
0 drift
Between bid and delivery
traceability
Every commitment owned
Q1 cadence
Governance review rhythm
§ A — What it covers

From what was said
to how it runs.

Most awards underperform their bids because the gap between document and delivery never gets closed. Intermediation is the discipline of closing it.

— 01

Governance structure

The operating rhythm post-award — meetings, reports, escalation paths, decision rights — set up to actually be used, not just documented.

  • Operating rhythm and cadence
  • Decision rights and escalation
  • Reporting and minutes templates
— 02

Bid-to-delivery handover

Every commitment from the bid carried into delivery with an owner, a date and a way to demonstrate it's being met. No silent drift.

  • Commitment register
  • Owner-by-owner walkthrough
  • Demonstration evidence plan
— 03

Third-party alignment

Subcontractors, primes, partners and authorities held to the same operating standard — flow-down, not just appendices.

  • Flow-down clauses
  • Joint operating procedures
  • Interface controls
— 04

Change control

Variations, additions and reductions handled in writing with the same discipline as the original award. The trail doesn't break.

  • Change request templates
  • Impact assessment routines
  • Change log and audit trail
§ B — Lifecycle

Where it sits
in the lifecycle.

Compliance and Procurement do their work before the contract is signed. Intermediation begins the day after.

— Before bid
Compliance leads

Documents, evidence and registers established before any opportunity goes live.

— During submission
Procurement leads

Requirements mapped, response structured, six-gate quality review run.

— After award
Intermediation leads

Promises become procedures. Procedures become how the work actually runs.

§ C — Cadence

The operating
rhythm.

Three levels of governance running on staggered cadences. Each one feeds the next.

01 Weekly delivery review

Purpose

Keep the work on track week to week. Surface friction early. Resolve at the lowest reasonable level.

Outputs

  • Weekly status note
  • Action register update
  • Risks newly opened or closed

Who attends

Delivery leads, key technical owners, project management. Buyer attendance optional.

02 Monthly contract review

Purpose

Review commitments against actuals. Confirm evidence trail is current. Decide on changes.

Outputs

  • Commitment scorecard
  • Change requests assessed
  • Evidence refresh log

Who attends

Buyer and supplier delivery leadership, contract owners, finance. Minuted formally.

03 Quarterly governance review

Purpose

Step back. Test the relationship as a whole. Refresh the operating model where it has aged.

Outputs

  • Quarterly review pack
  • Operating model updates
  • Forward-look

Who attends

Senior sponsors on both sides. Independent observer where useful.

§ D — Fit

Best applied
when.

Honest indicators that intermediation is the right step.

The award changed the team

The people who wrote the bid aren't the people delivering it. Knowledge needs transferring with structure, not just by conversation.

Multiple parties are involved

Subcontractors, primes, partners, authorities — each operating to different rhythms. Without alignment, drift is inevitable.

Change is already happening

Variations, additions, reductions — and the audit trail is starting to fray. Time to put proper change control in place.

§ Next step

Tell us
where you are.

Pre-award, mid-mobilisation, or in-flight delivery — we can join wherever the gap is widest.

Send a brief — 24h response, Mon–Fri