L4M3 Online Practice Questions

Explanation:
Liquidated damages are an amount of money, agreed upon by the parties at the time of the contract signing, that establishes the damages that can be recovered in the event a party breaches the contract. The amount is supposed to reflect the best estimate of actual damages when the parties sign the contract. These usually apply to a specific type of breach, and in construction, it is frequently the failure to complete work on time. Liquidated damages clauses are usually written as some sort of formula, for example:
Total Contract Price C [(X amount of $ per day) x (number of days late)]
Including a liquidated damages clause can provide many benefits, the most important of which is predictability. When setting a predetermined amount of damages, it allows both parties a chance to negotiate and settle on a number they both feel is fair and reasonable. From the owner’s perspective, this acts like a cheap form of insurance against your contractors. In the event of a breach, the owner can immediately calculate the damages without going through the trouble of proving actual damages. Proving actual damages can be a complicated, lengthy, and costly process.
From a contractor perspective, this allows them to analyze the level of risk involved, and schedule appropriately. It also allows them the opportunity to limit the damage claims of the owner.
Reference:
- Construction Contract Clauses: What Is a Liquidated Damages Clause?
- CIPS study guide page 158-159
LO 3, AC 3.2

Explanation:
Audit trail is a chronological record the sequence of events connected to a given transaction, such as a purchase of raw materials, payroll disbursements, or a detailed financial statement. The record includes all the source documents connected to the transaction, providing context and clarity in the event a review is required. The more comprehensive the documentation, the more effective the audit trail is when used to create financial reports, verify information, and ensure compliance while eliminating fraud.
In the scenario, the procurement team gets the quotation from phone calls and emails which have weak audit trails and lack of transparency. One solution may be increasing the use of e-procurement system.
Reference:
- What is an audit trail?
- CIPS study guide page 6-7 LO 1, AC 1.1

Explanation:
Exporting enterprises must sometimes incur additional costs as they adapt their production to the changing legal requirements of the recipient country. Such requirements can thus create technical barriers to trade. Discrepancies between product rules adopted by different countries can involve numerous aspects: weight, size, packaging, ingredients, mandatory labeling, shelf-life conditions, testing and certification procedures etc.
One way to overcome these barriers is to adopt international standards. Overseas companies may be more familiar with international standards without looking at specific regulations of importing countries.
Reference:
- What is a technical barrier to trade?
- CIPS study guide page 88-89
LO 2, AC 2.1

Explanation:
Request for quotation has valuable function when its use is properly controlled. It works the best under framework agreements where the contract terms are already fixed.
Reference: CIPS study guide page 3
LO 1, AC 1.1

Explanation:
According to the scenario, customers' demand changes regularly but the construction project commencement often delays. If the contractor and the customer mutually sign a legally binding contract too soon long before the commencement, the contractor may suffer poor cash flow (it must buy the materials first but has to wait for long time to be paid). A framework agreement may help both parties.
A framework agreement is a formal agreement between two organisations that is intended to become legally binding in the event that a contract is created.
A framework agreement could benefit the both parties in the following ways:
- At the time of signing, the framework agreement has not yet become a legally binding contract. The contractor and client only agree on the principles of future contracts (such as whether the work can be subcontracted or how payment will be proceeded). A well structured framework agreement will allow both parties to apply changes before contract commencement, especially regarding price and quality.
- The framework agreement assures a certainty between the contractor and client.
- The administrative works is reduced under a framework agreement.
Reference:
- CIPS study guide page 60-62
- Framework Agreements: Practice and Pitfalls LO 1, AC 1.3