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Contingency Planning and Project Reserve Management

Contingency is one of the most argued over and least understood parts of a project budget, and in African projects it is often either raided early or hoarded needlessly. This course explains how to size, allocate and govern both contingency and management reserves. Delegates learn to base reserves on real risk exposure rather than a round percentage.

What you will be able to do

  • Distinguish contingency reserve from management reserve and use each correctly.
  • Size contingency from the assessed risk exposure rather than a flat percentage.
  • Apply quantitative techniques to estimate reserve levels for time and cost.
  • Set governance rules for who can draw down reserves and on what basis.
  • Track reserve consumption against risk retirement over the project life.
  • Report reserve status honestly so sponsors trust the numbers.

Course outline

  1. 01Reserves, contingency and risk exposure
  2. 02Sizing contingency from risk
  3. 03Quantitative reserve estimation
  4. 04Governance and drawdown rules
  5. 05Tracking reserve consumption
  6. 06Reporting reserve status to sponsors

Who should attend

Project managers, cost engineers, project controls staff, sponsors and finance partners involved in project budgeting.

Dates, venues and fees

DatesVenueDaysFeeCalendar
17 to 18 Aug 2026Dubai2US$1,100
24 to 25 Aug 2026Lagos2US$1,100
31 Aug to 1 Sep 2026Harare2US$1,100
7 to 8 Sep 2026Kampala2US$1,100
14 to 15 Sep 2026Dar es Salaam2US$1,100
21 to 22 Sep 2026Pretoria2R10,000
28 to 29 Sep 2026Cape Town2R10,000
12 to 13 Oct 2026Online2US$900
19 to 20 Oct 2026Mozambique2US$1,100
26 to 27 Oct 2026Cairo2US$1,100
2 to 3 Nov 2026Accra2US$1,100
9 to 10 Nov 2026Lusaka2US$1,100
16 to 17 Nov 2026Kigali2US$1,100
23 to 24 Nov 2026Nairobi2US$1,100
30 Nov to 1 Dec 2026Durban2R10,000
7 to 8 Dec 2026Johannesburg2R10,000
21 to 22 Dec 2026Mauritius2US$1,100

Fees are per delegate. South African venues are priced in rand; other locations and online in US dollars. Fees exclude 15% VAT where applicable. Group bookings of three or more delegates from the same organisation qualify for a reduced rate; contact us for a quotation.

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