Unit Synopsis
This unit develops a detail understanding of the impacts and role of industry specific contracts (including lump sum, cost plus, design and build) in the design and construction process including study of: contract types, documents, registration, tendering, analysis, scheduling, general conditions; introduction to Specifications as a part of contract documentation; quality control; introduction to programming techniques; variations to contracts; Conditions of Engagement of Engineering and Architectural Consultants. It looks at organisational structures which ensure effective outcomes including modeling and operations research, decision theory, decision trees, linear and dynamic programming. It provides an understanding of when to use standard or customised forms of building contracts and provides an introduction to the use of Partnering, Alliance Contracting, BOOT contracts and other non traditional forms of contracts. Case studies will be used to demonstrate unit content.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 2 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
There are no pre-requisites for the unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Online Quiz(zes) | 20% |
| 2. Case Study | 45% |
| 3. Reflective Practice Assignment | 35% |
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Source: UC feedback
There are scanned copies of textbooks under additional resources, which are not very clear. There are also outdated weblinks.
Provide links to resources via CQUniversity Library for the scanned copies of textbooks. Update the web links.
The unit incorporated current and industry-relevant contract types, including design-and-construct, project management, and domestic contracts, to enhance the curriculum's practical relevance. Students engaged with these materials through structured reading and guided discussions of key contract terms, which supported deeper understanding and critical analysis. Observed improvements in engagement during tutorials indicated that these approaches contributed positively to their learning experience and helped strengthen their ability to interpret and apply contract provisions in realistic contexts.
Source: UC feedback
Peer interaction is to be increased.
Introduce optional weekly reflection exercises to encourage peer discussion and further student engagement.
Optional weekly reflection exercises were introduced to encourage ongoing discussion and engagement. These activities were designed to prompt students to share insights, reflect on key concepts, and respond to peers within a structured yet flexible format. The implementation of these exercises resulted in a noticeable increase in student participation in online discussions, with many students contributing more consistently and engaging with peers’ perspectives.
Source: Student Unit and Teaching Evaluation (SUTE) in T1, 2025
Students indicated that the contracts covered in the unit would benefit from being more current and aligned with contemporary industry practice.
Conduct regular reviews of unit content to ensure the inclusion of current and widely used contract types. Most importantly, we will strengthen alignment with industry standards through consultation with industry partners and professional bodies. Moreover, we will integrate recent case studies and practical examples to reflect contemporary contractual practices and enhance the relevance of student learning.
In Progress
Source: Student Unit and Teaching Evaluation (SUTE) in T1, 2025
Students identified that Moodle resources could be improved by placing greater emphasis on relevant contract types (such as Design and Construct, Project Management, and domestic contracts) with more detailed explanations and discussions. They also suggested reducing the emphasis on PPP and BOLT civil works contracts, which were perceived as less directly applicable.
Revise the Moodle materials to prioritise contract types such as Design and Construct, Project Management, and domestic contracts, while reducing emphasis on PPP and BOLT contracts. We will enhance the depth of content by incorporating detailed explanations, annotated examples, and practical case studies aligned with assessment tasks. In addition, we will engage industry input and use ongoing student feedback to ensure the content remains current, relevant, and effective.
In Progress
Source: Student Unit and Teaching Evaluation (SUTE) in T1, 2025
Students indicated that the Moodle site was difficult to navigate and appeared disorganised, which impacted their ability to locate and engage with learning materials efficiently.
Redesign the Moodle site to improve clarity and logical flow through a structured weekly format, supported by consistent labelling and formatting across all resources. In addition, we will regularly review and streamline content to remove redundancies and ensure materials remain organised, accessible, and user-friendly.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Explain the need for formal contracts, and the traditional and non-traditional approaches to contracts.
- Describe the use of building contract documents and tender processes.
- Prepare a specification within your area of expertise, being aware of its critical relationship to the other contract documents and the commercial outcome of the project.
- Describe industry protocols for employing consultants, clearly stating the scope of their services.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | • | ||
| 2 - Case Study | • | • | ||
| 3 - Reflective Practice Assignment | • | • | • | |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | • | • |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • | • |
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | • | • | • |
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | • | • | • |
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |