Procurement Contract Manager

About the role

UEM Sunrise Berhad is looking for a commercially strong Procurement & Contracts Manager to join its internal development and project delivery function in Melbourne. This position is both strategic and practical, operating across commercial management, construction procurement, and consultant appointment processes.

You will take full ownership of competitive tendering and award activities for two key areas: main building works, including head contractor, D&C, specialist subcontractor and supplier packages; and professional consultants such as architects, engineers, project managers, and specialist advisers involved from feasibility through delivery.

The role is focused on designing and running tender processes that safeguard the organisation’s commercial position, stay aligned to programme requirements, and achieve well-tested pricing and appropriate risk allocation.

Procurement strategy and planning

• Create and keep current a procurement approach for each project, ensuring it matches the project timeline and the organisation’s risk tolerance.
• Guide the project team on suitable contract models for main works packages, such as lump sum, GMP, D&C, cost-plus, or construction management.
• Review industry practices and identify approaches that reflect current market standards.
• Set up and maintain a preferred consultant panel and a prequalification register for head contractors.
• Work with the development team to plan tender dates and determine resource needs.

Tender management – main building works

• Coordinate with external specialists, including technical advisers and quantity surveyors, to compile tender documentation for issue.
• Prepare developer-side tender materials, including Principal Project Requirements, tender return forms, tender assessment criteria, and pre-tender estimates with the quantity surveyor.
• Draft and release Expressions of Interest and Requests for Tender for head contractor, D&C, specialist subcontractor, and supplier packages.
• Oversee the tender period, including site briefings, responses to RFIs, addenda, and clarification logs.
• Lead both quantitative and qualitative evaluation of submissions, covering technical, commercial, and programme factors.
• Produce tender analysis reports and award recommendations for senior leadership and Board consideration.
• Review and negotiate contract wording, preliminaries, and conditions of contract, including AS 4000, AS 4902, or tailored forms, before execution.
• Manage contract signing and confirm all pre-commencement requirements are completed before mobilisation.

Tender management – professional consultants

• Oversee appointment of the consultant team, including architects, structural, civil, hydraulic and ESD consultants, cost managers, project managers, and specialist advisers.
• Prepare scope briefs, requests for fee proposals, and evaluation matrices for each engagement.
• Compare proposed fees against market benchmarks and past project information, then negotiate to achieve competitive outcomes.
• Assess and refine consultant agreements so they properly reflect project scope and risk profile.
• Maintain a live tracker of consultant appointments across all active projects.

Contract administration and governance

• Maintain contract registers for all projects, including key milestones, variations, payment obligations, insurance requirements, and expiry dates.
• Implement and uphold procurement governance processes, including approval limits and probity controls.
• Assist the project team with post-award administration, such as variations, claims, and escalation of disputes.
• Ensure procurement activities comply with company procedures, delegated authorities, and applicable legislation.
• Prepare monthly progress claims together with the quantity surveyor for construction loan or investor drawdown.

Stakeholder and supplier relationships

• Develop and sustain strong working relationships with head contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and the consultant market.
• Run post-tender and post-project review sessions to support continuous improvement and market insight.
• Coordinate with Finance, Legal, and Development/Projects teams to ensure commercial and programme objectives are aligned.

Experience and qualifications

This role calls for a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Law, Commerce, or another relevant discipline. You should bring 7 to 10 years of total work experience, including at least 5 years in procurement, contracts, or commercial management within property development, construction, or a quantity surveying environment.

Experience running end-to-end tender processes for major building works packages is essential, with projects above $150M preferred. You should be comfortable working with construction contract forms such as AS 4000, AS 4902, NEC, or similar frameworks. Background in appointing and negotiating with professional consultants on multi-residential projects is also important.

Key capabilities

• Strong commercial judgement with the ability to spot and reduce contractual risk.
• Excellent written communication for tender documents, evaluation reports, and recommendation papers.
• Confident, balanced negotiation style.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and contract or project management systems.
• Exposure to mixed-use, residential apartment, or build-to-rent developments.
• Familiarity with public-sector or institutional procurement approaches.
• Ability to understand market conditions, pricing drivers, and contract risk in a development setting.
• Experience conducting structured and auditable tender processes with strong documentation and governance.
• Ability to achieve commercially sound outcomes while preserving effective long-term relationships.
• Confidence influencing internal and external stakeholders.
• Attention to detail when preparing contracts, schedules of rates, and scope documents.
• Understanding of how procurement schedules align with development milestones and DA conditions.
• High integrity when handling confidential commercial information, tender submissions, pricing data, supplier relationships, and probity obligations.

Additional information

This is an onsite contract position based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The role is hands-on and managerial, with a strong focus on governance, confidentiality, and commercially disciplined delivery.