Time and Materials is one of three broad types of contracts—Fixed Price, Cost Reimbursable, and Time and Materials. Contract Types is a tool of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Plan Procurements process. Time and Materials contracts are useful when the full scope of the project is unknown. They resemble Fixed Price contracts in that there can be a fixed price for each unit. However, it is unknown how many units will be purchased so there is not a fixed price for the entire contract. As an example, Katy’s neighbor knows that there will be numerous times this summer that she’ll want to purchase homemade cookies from Katy. Katy’s neighbor doesn’t know exactly how many times, but she and Katy agree that each time over the summer she wants a dozen cookies she’ll pay Katy $10 for them. Although the unit price is set at $10, it is unknown how much Katy will earn in total by the time summer is over.
April 20, 2009
April 17, 2009
Cost-Reimbursable Contracts
As project managers work with procurements, it’s important that they understand the different types of contracts. Contract Types is a tool of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Plan Procurements process. There are a variety of contract types falling under the general categories of Fixed Price, Cost Reimbursable, and Time and Materials. The types of Cost Reimbursable contracts (as termed in the PMBOK®) are Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF), Cost Plus Incentive Fee (CPIF), and Cost Plus Award Fee (CPAF). Note that the definitions have changed slightly since the last edition of the PMBOK®. Cost Reimbursable contracts reimburse the seller for their actual costs. Below are examples of each.
Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF). The seller is reimbursed for their actual costs plus given a percentage of those costs. Katy’s neighbor pays her for the cost of ingredients plus 50% of those costs in return for ten dozen of Katy’s homemade oatmeal raisin cookies. The ingredients cost $40, so Katy is paid $40 plus 50% of $40 (which is $20), which totals $60.
Cost Plus Incentive Fee (CPIF). The seller is reimbursed for their actual costs plus given a financial incentive if an agreed-upon objective is met. Katy’s neighbor offers to pay her for the cost of ingredients in return for ten dozen of Katy’s award-winning sugar cookies, plus $20 if she can finish the cookies before 7:00pm this evening.
Cost Plus Award Fee (CPAF). The seller is reimbursed for their actual costs plus a financial incentive based on criteria that are at the buyer’s discretion. Katy’s neighbor offers to pay her for the cost of ingredients for 100 of Katy’s peppermint chip cookies, plus $50 if the neighbor decides they are the best cookies she has ever eaten in her entire life.
April 16, 2009
Fixed Price Contracts
Project managers increasingly need to be knowledgeable about procurement and contracts. Contract Types is a tool of the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Plan Procurements process. There are a variety of contract types falling under the general categories of Fixed Price, Cost Reimbursable, and Time and Materials. The types of Fixed Price contracts (as termed in the PMBOK®) are Firm Fixed Price (FFP), Fixed Price Incentive Fee (FPIF), and Fixed Price with Economic Price Adjustment (FP-EPA). Fixed Price contracts are generally preferred by project managers. Below are examples of each type of Fixed Price contract.
Firm Fixed Price (FFP). The price is set and cannot be changed unless the scope of work changes. For example, Katy has agreed to bake ten dozen cookies for her neighbor for the price of $40.
Fixed Price Incentive Fee (FPIF). The price is set, but there is the potential for the seller to also receive a financial incentive if an agreed-upon, objective metric is met. Katy has agreed to bake ten dozen cookies for her neighbor for $40, and if she is able to finish baking by 2:00pm this afternoon, the neighbor will pay her an additional $10.
Fixed Price with Economic Price Adjustment (FP-EPA). The price is set, but especially for contracts over long periods of time, it may be adjusted due to changing economic conditions. Katy has agreed to bake ten dozen cookies every year for her neighbor’s annual office party. This year she will receive $40, and every year afterwards she will receive 3% more than the year before to account for inflation.
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