Senior Civil Engineer - Contracts Advisor ( 5458)

Job summary

Transport Scotland’s Infrastructure Projects Directorate is responsible for the design, assessment, promotion, procurement and construction of major transport infrastructure projects. These include the A9 Dualling Programme, A83 Rest and Be Thankful project and the A96 Dualling Inverness to Aberdeen, along with new projects emerging from the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2). The Directorate also leads and advises on other procurement and contract management matters for Transport Scotland.

This is an exciting and challenging engineering position, contributing to maintaining Transport Scotland’s status as a centre of excellence for the delivery of major projects. The post will be within the Contracts Team which supports the Infrastructure Projects Directorate by providing expert advice on procurement, contract and commercial issues. The team is also responsible for the delivery of end-to-end procurements for the Directorate when required, as well keeping and updating contract and procurement document templates. This includes supporting the delivery of high profile and complex major transport infrastructure projects, many of which are high value/high risk.

The Contracts Team leads on the delivery of specialist advice to the Scottish Ministers and Senior Management within Transport Scotland on a wide range of particularly complex and sensitive procurement, contractual and commercial issues, and has an important role to play in supporting the delivery of sustainable procurement across Major Projects. The team also represents the interests of Transport Scotland on Scottish Government initiatives, such as the development of the Scottish Government National Civil Engineering Framework Dynamic Purchasing System and wider industry initiatives such as the Scottish Construction Accord.

The post holder will report to a C1 Contracts Team Leader and will work within a multi-disciplinary programme team; you will provide technical leadership and engineering expertise to support the delivery of projects, including the A9 Dualling Programme, through the procurement and construction phases. You will work closely with consultants, contractors, stakeholders and colleagues to ensure delivery aligned with project objectives on time, to budget and in a manner that delivers a quality solution safely and efficiently.

Whilst this post is for a role within the Contracts Team, flexibility will be required to work across the Directorate as priorities and workloads dictate.

Job description

• The provision of contractual, commercial and procurement advice, support and guidance for teams across Infrastructure Projects and the wider Agency, ensuring value for money, and adherence with current legislation, policy and best practice and most appropriate route to market. This includes, but is not limited to, high value and high risk construction projects and programmes with significant input to the ongoing procurement and NEC4 contract management of the A9 Dualling: Perth to Inverness Programme.
• Supporting/guiding teams through various procurements (e.g. the A9 Dualling procurement delivery plan) and managing the procurement of key professional services and supplies in line with Scottish Public Procurement Legislation, to support Project Delivery Teams and Design Teams within Major Projects.
• Assist in the development and maintenance of suitable procurement and contract templates for professional services and (construction) works contracts for Infrastructure Projects, based on different contract forms (e.g. NEC4 and bespoke contracts), including Instructions to Tenderers, Contract Data, Scope and Conditions of Contract.
• Assist in the development and maintenance of a schedule of templates for the full procurement process, including letters (e.g. standstill and award letters), notices (e.g. PIN, and contract award notices) and procedures (e.g. opening and evaluation procedures), complete with guidance notes.
• The provision of contractual and commercial advice in key areas including: insurance, lane occupation charges, variations, liquidated damages, GDPR, intellectual property rights, building information modelling (BIM), parent company guarantees; and retentions and bonds.
• Support and management of disputes, claims and contractual issues.
• Assist in the delivery of call-offs from the Scottish Government’s Civil Engineering Framework Agreement, and work in collaboration with the Civil Engineers Contractors Association (CECA) to support the construction sector.
• Assist policy officials and senior management on emerging trends and procurement approaches associated with new and emerging Scottish Government policy, including Fair Work First and Climate Emergency (including the transition to Net Zero).
• Assisting senior staff and to attend engagements where necessary. This may involve deputising during events or meetings where necessary. The post holder is expected to interact with colleagues across a wide range of business areas in Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government during the procurement and delivery of major transport infrastructure projects.

Person specification

Qualifications
You must hold a suitable degree in Civil Engineering or equivalent and be a chartered member of an appropriate professional body (e.g. CEng) and registered with the Engineering Council.

Proof of qualifications will be checked at the assessment stage.Success profileSuccess profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of behaviours, experience and technical criteria (if applicable) that candidates will be assessed on. The Success Profile will include the Professional / Technical skills, Experience and Behaviours. Technical / Professional Skills:

1. Experience in major infrastructure projects with a particular emphasis on the procurement of works and contract management
   

You can find out more about the skills required, here: insert link to framework
Experience

1. Demonstrable experience in the use of NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contracts for civil engineering or transport infrastructure projects.
2. Proven experience of providing contractual and commercial advice on the procurement and construction of civil engineering or transport infrastructure projects.
3. Ability to manage concurrent work programmes/projects.
4. Strong communication skills with ability to network and manage relationships with a range of internal and external groups, agencies and individuals with an emphasis on customer focus.

Behaviours:
1. Making Effective Decisions – Level 3
2. Communicating and influencing – Level 3
3. Working together – Level 3
4. Managing a quality service – Level 3
Find out more about .

Qualifications

You must hold a suitable degree in Civil Engineering or equivalent and be a chartered member of an appropriate professional body (e.g. CEng) and registered with the Engineering Council.

Proof of qualifications will be checked at the assessment stage.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Technical / Professional Skills:Experience in major infrastructure projects with a particular emphasis on the procurement of works and contract management

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £49,401, Scottish Government contributes £14,311 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.