First Recruitment Group
Subcontracts Manager
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Location: Chiswick Duration: 12 Month Contract IR35: Inside (PAYE)
We are seeking an experienced Subcontracts Manager to lead the subcontracting strategy and execution for a major capital project. This is a senior leadership position responsible for shaping, procuring, awarding, and managing key construction and support service subcontracts throughout the project lifecycle.
The successful candidate will play a critical role in ensuring successful project delivery through robust commercial strategy, effective market engagement, sound contract management, and close collaboration with project, construction, procurement, legal, and commercial teams.
The Role
You will be responsible for establishing and leading a subcontracting approach that:
- Supports safe, efficient, and successful project delivery
- Aligns with project schedules, execution plans, and commercial objectives
- Secures high-performing subcontractors across major work packages
- Balances risk effectively throughout the supply chain
- Creates competitive tension while maintaining flexibility for strategic single-source or Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) opportunities
- Ensures strong governance, compliance, and contract administration post-award
Key Responsibilities
Subcontracting Strategy & Packaging
- Develop and implement the overall subcontracting strategy for the project.
- Define subcontract packaging structures aligned with construction methodology, schedule, and market capability.
- Recommend optimal contract sizes, scope allocation, and contracting models.
- Ensure subcontracting strategies support delivery certainty, cost performance, schedule adherence, and risk mitigation.
Market Engagement & Sourcing
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- Lead early engagement with key subcontractors and construction service providers.
- Develop and manage subcontractor longlists and shortlists for major work packages.
- Assess market capacity, resource availability, competitiveness, and contractor capability.
- Establish sourcing strategies including competitive tenders, selective tendering, sole-source arrangements, and ECI models where appropriate.
Prequalification & Tender Management
- Oversee subcontractor prequalification and due diligence activities.
- Lead the preparation of tender strategies, ITT documentation, evaluation criteria, and award recommendations.
- Ensure technical, commercial, financial, HSE, and execution requirements are fully incorporated into bid evaluations.
- Lead negotiations with preferred subcontractors and support award decisions.
Commercial Strategy & Contracting Models
- Recommend appropriate commercial and pricing structures including:
- Lump Sum
- Remeasurable
- Target Cost
- Reimbursable
- Ensure commercial models align with scope maturity, market conditions, project risk profile, and delivery requirements.
- Develop practical, commercially attractive contract solutions while preserving appropriate risk protections.
Contract Formation & Governance
- Lead the preparation, negotiation, and execution of subcontract agreements.
- Ensure key project obligations and contractual requirements are effectively flowed down to subcontractors.
- Maintain compliance with governance requirements, delegated authorities, ethical sourcing standards, and internal procedures.
- Support governance reviews and contract award approvals.
Post-Award Contract Management
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- Establish and oversee the subcontract management framework.
- Monitor subcontractor performance, KPIs, reporting requirements, and governance processes.
- Manage change control, claims, notices, dispute resolution, and contract close-out activities.
- Drive proactive identification and mitigation of commercial, delivery, and interface risks.
Stakeholder Management
- Partner closely with project management, engineering, construction, procurement, legal, HSSE, and project controls teams.
- Interface with strategic suppliers and key package stakeholders.
- Provide clear commercial recommendations and advice on subcontracting risks, market strategy, award decisions, and contractual exposures.
About You
We're looking for a commercially astute subcontracting professional with a proven track record on large-scale construction, EPC, or EPCm projects.
Essential Experience & Skills
- Extensive experience leading subcontract strategy, procurement, and contract execution on major engineering or construction projects.
- Strong background in market engagement, bid strategy development, contract negotiation, and subcontract award.
- Excellent understanding of UK construction contracting practices and supply chain dynamics.
- Deep knowledge of commercial models, risk allocation, and subcontract administration.
- Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and operate at project leadership level.
- Experience managing post-award performance, contract change, claims, and dispute environments.
- Strong commercial judgement, negotiation capability, and problem-solving skills.
- Collaborative leadership style with a proactive, delivery-focused approach.
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