ABSTRACT
This chapter is about project purchasing and contracts – a subject that many writers tend to ignore. I have known brilliant engineers who have little interest in commercial matters, or even costs. Maybe they find these topics boring. They can be boring – until something goes wrong. Writers generally seem to share this disinterest. If you do not believe me, go to your library, pick up as many project management books as you can find, and look through their contents lists for any sign of purchasing or procurement. Too often you will search in vain.
