In the first article of this series, we discussed how construction contracts are no longer seen as isolated documents but as the strategic backbone of the entire operation. When properly managed, they connect different areas, prevent conflicts, bring predictability, and strengthen the project’s governance.
But turning this vision into practice requires more than goodwill or field experience. It requires structure. This is where contract-management tools come in — systems, processes, and routines that make it possible to monitor, record, and control all relevant information for a given project. After all, having the right contract is not enough. It’s essential to ensure it is well managed, maintained, and monitored throughout execution.
When we talk about tools for contract management, people often think immediately of large software solutions or sophisticated systems. But in practice, these tools go beyond technology: they include any process, routine, or method that allows tracking, controlling, and making decisions based on concrete project information. Efficient contract management actually stems from a combination of strong tools for recording, controlling, and integrating information among the involved departments.
The first essential group of tools is dedicated to recording and traceability. Documenting what happens on the jobsite is not merely an administrative routine — it’s a way to create a robust historical record capable of supporting decisions and legally protecting the company. A good example is the Daily Construction Log (DCR — Daily Construction Report)[1]. When filled out regularly and in a standardized way, it records far more than daily activities: it becomes a true “witness” of the project’s progress, documenting mobilized teams, weather conditions, technical visits, delays, deliveries, and other relevant events.
Meeting minutes must also follow the same principle of clarity and standardization. Templates with checklists help ensure that no decision goes unrecorded and that responsibilities and deadlines are clearly assigned. Photographic reports, in turn, complement written documentation and are especially useful for proving physical progress or even bottlenecks encountered on site. To keep this historical record organized, many managers may also adopt contractual-event control spreadsheets — simple yet extremely useful documents that consolidate work orders, received notices, signed amendments, and other occurrences that affect the contract[2].
Beyond recording, it is crucial to have tools that allow control and comparison between what was planned and what is actually being executed. Tracking project progress based only on subjective perceptions can be risky. For this reason, updated schedules must be constantly compared with actual progress. The S-Curve[3] is an excellent instrument for this type of analysis: it provides a graphical visualization of the project’s physical progress and, when integrated with factual advancement, reveals potential productivity deviations or inadequate development pace.
Another important instrument is the risk assessment matrix and contractual impacts[4]. It is a monitoring panel where critical events — such as design changes, rain-related delays, or logistical bottlenecks — are recorded and their potential impacts on schedule and cost are evaluated. Having this type of monitoring allows preventive action with greater safety and accountability.
Efficient contract management also depends on good communication and integration tools among teams. It’s useless for information to be recorded if it doesn’t reach the right people at the right time and in the right way[5]. Collaborative tools can be adopted through systems that integrate technical records, contractual documents, images, and schedules on a single platform. But even simpler solutions, such as well-organized environments on Google Drive or Notion, can fulfill this role — as long as there is version control, a clear folder structure, and well-defined access rules. Additionally, document standardization — such as notices, minutes, work orders, or requests for clarification — is often neglected but directly impacts the quality and speed of contractual communication.
In summary, contract-management tools don’t need to be expensive or complex. Above all, they need to be consistent, standardized, and applied with discipline. When used correctly, they transform contract administration into a real source of intelligence for the project, enabling faster, safer, and better-supported decisions.
Given all this, it becomes clear that efficient contract administration is not a luxury or a differentiator exclusive to large projects — it is a practical and strategic necessity for any project seeking safety, predictability, and professionalism. Well-applied tools, standardized processes, and integrated legal support not only improve decision-making in the present but also strengthen the company’s position in the future, especially in negotiation, mediation, or arbitration scenarios, among other dispute-resolution methods.
The real turning point happens when the contract ceases to be treated as a static document and becomes a living management tool. And this is only possible when an organizational culture is built that values recording, traceability, and integration among departments.
Remember: contractual intelligence is not a one-off event — it is a culture built into the daily routine of the project. And the legal team’s role, in this context, is precisely to ensure that this routine works, providing structure, clarity, and security for everyone involved.
If you want contracts to stop being sources of problems and instead become allies in managing your project, the time to structure this system is now. On the jobsite, as in life, what isn’t recorded is lost. And when challenges arise — and they always do — knowing exactly where each piece of information is can make all the difference.
[1]“According to Mattos (2016, author’s emphasis), “The Daily Construction Log (RDO) is a documentation instrument through which both the builder and the client record their observations, note noteworthy events, demand actions, and raise alerts regarding delays and interferences, etc.” DALENOGARE, Lucas Santos. Administração contratual em obra industrial focando na prevenção de pleitos. 2016. Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (Graduação em Engenharia Civil) – Escola de Engenharia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, 2016. (our translation).
[2] ROSA, Beatriz Vidigal Xavier da Silveira (coord.). JOBIM, Jorge Pinheiro e RICARDINO, Roberto. Caderno Técnico: Panorama da Administração Contratual em Obras e Serviços de Infraestrutura (Tópico 3.1. Principais Meios e Documentos para Registro). In: Cadernos Técnicos do IBDIC: Administração de Contratos. Instituto Brasileiro de Direito da Construção, 2022.
[3]“S-Curve – this is a representation of the accumulated sum of portions of any given total, and it is used for project monitoring by employing two S-curves: one for the planned progress and another for the actual progress. As an example, one may cite a resource disbursement plan over nine months and represent the installments through their accumulated sum (…).” NUNES, João André Silva. Gerenciamento de obras civis. 2013. Monografia (Especialização em Construção Civil) – Escola de Engenharia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 2013. (our translation).
[4] ROSA, Beatriz Vidigal Xavier da Silveira (coord.). JOBIM, Jorge Pinheiro e RICARDINO, Roberto. Op cit.
[5] PMI – PROJECT MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE. Gerenciamento das comunicações no projeto. Um guia do conhecimento em gerenciamento de projetos: guia PMBOK. 6. ed. Newtown Square: Project Management Institute, 2017. cap. 10.
