1. Contracts Job Profiles in EPC

Common Roles

• Contract Engineer
• Contracts Manager
• Commercial Manager
• Claims Engineer / Contracts & Claims Specialist
• Risk & Contracts Manager

Key Responsibilities

• Draft, review, and manage EPC contracts, subcontracts, and vendor agreements
• Interpret scope, BOQ (Bill of Quantities), specifications
• Handle:
  • Variations / change orders
  • Claims & disputes
  • Extension of Time (EOT)
• Ensure contract compliance & risk mitigation
• Coordinate with legal, procurement, and project teams
• Manage client communication on contractual matters

Skills Required

• Contract law basics (FIDIC is common in EPC)
• Commercial awareness
• Negotiation & claim management
• Risk analysis

2. Planning Job Profiles in EPC

Common Roles

• Planning Engineer
• Senior Planning Engineer
• Project Controls Engineer
• Planning Manager / Project Controls Manager

Key Responsibilities

• Develop project schedules (Primavera P6 / MS Project)
• Prepare:
  • Baseline schedules
  • Look-ahead plans
  • Recovery plans
• Track project progress & delays
• Perform:
  • Critical Path Method (CPM) analysis
  • Earned Value Management (EVM)
• Coordinate with engineering, procurement, and construction teams
• Prepare reports for management & clients

Skills Required

• Strong in scheduling tools (Primavera P6 is industry standard)
• Analytical thinking
• Understanding of EPC lifecycle & WBS
• Data interpretation & reporting

3. Combined Role: Contracts + Planning (Very Important in EPC)

In many EPC projects (especially large ones), these roles overlap under Project Controls / Commercial function.

Combined Responsibilities

• Link time (planning) with cost & contract (commercial)
Handle: Delay analysis
• • claim justification
  • Cost vs schedule impact
• Support:
  • Arbitration / dispute resolution
  • Change management
• Ensure project meets:
  • Timeline
  • Budget
  • Contractual obligations

Example:
If a delay occurs Planning team analyzes schedule impact Contracts team uses it to file claims/EOT.

4. Career Path in EPC (Contracts & Planning)

Planning Path

Planning Engineer Senior Planning Engineer Planning Manager Project Controls Head

Contracts Path

Contract Engineer Contracts Manager Commercial Manager Commercial Head

Hybrid Growth

Many professionals move into:

• Project Manager
• Project Controls Manager
• Commercial Head / Business Head

5. Where These Roles Exist (Industries)

• Oil & Gas (Refineries, Pipelines)
• Power Plants (Thermal, Solar)
• Infrastructure (Metro, Roads, Airports)
• Industrial Plants (Steel, Cement)

6. Which Role is Better?

Depends on your strengths:

• Choose Planning if you like:
  • Data, scheduling, tools, analytics
• Choose Contracts if you like:
  • Legal/commercial aspects, negotiation, documentation
• Choose Project Controls (both) if you want:
  • Faster growth + leadership roles

7. Reality of the Job (Important Insight)

In EPC, these roles are high-responsibility but less “technical design”.
They focus on:

• Coordination
• Decision-making
• Risk control
• Client handling