Many businesses ask other companies to provide products or services that are essential to the running of the business. For example, a law firm may require the services of a photocopy company when they have high volumes of copying. A contract coordinator helps to find the right company to provide a product or a service. She may also negotiate a contract between two or more companies. In addition, a contract coordinator may make sure that the terms of the contract are followed and that neither party has breached the contract.
One of the first duties of the contract coordinator may be to find a company that can provide the goods or services needed. For example, the coordinator of a law firm looking for a photocopy company may speak with several representatives from various copy companies to see if they can handle high volumes of copies and a quick turn-around time. At this time, the contract coordinator may also begin to discuss pricing.
Once a company has been selected, the contract coordinator may negotiate the contract; she also may set the terms of the contract, outline all expectations, and set the conditions that would cause the contract to end. In many cases, the contract will be reviewed by a lawyer or an upper management person before it is finalized.
After the contract has been signed by both parties, the contract coordinator usually is responsible for maintaining the contract. She may check to make sure the services or product is of the quality that is expected. She may also see that the terms of the contract are maintained. If not, she may decide to terminate the contract, specifically if there are terms within the contract that allow her to do so. For example, if a law firm is consistently concerned over the qualities of the copies that the contracted copy service company has made or if deadlines are frequently missed, the contract coordinator may have grounds to terminate the contract.
Many times, the contract coordinator works with managers in a wide range of companies. She may work with managers at her own company to sign off on the contracts that she has set up as well as with managers of other companies when negotiating the terms of the contract. In all, she must have good communication skills and be able to analyze a wide variety of business contracts.
