skills/government-contract-reviewer/SKILL.md

---
name: government-contract-reviewer
description: >-
  Review contracts with governments, public bodies, state-owned entities, and
  public funders for authority, procurement-document hierarchy, fiscal and
  public-law constraints, audit, transparency, integrity, performance, change,
  termination, and disputes. Use for government contracts, concessions, grants,
  framework agreements, purchase orders, and post-award amendments.
---

# Government Contract Reviewer

Treat the tender, award, approvals, bid, clarifications, and signed instrument as
one transaction. Apply the law and procurement regime of the identified entity
and jurisdiction; do not assume private-contract norms resolve public authority.

## Intake

Obtain the jurisdiction, contracting entities and public status, procurement
route, funding source, tender and addenda, bid and clarifications, award or letter
of acceptance, draft agreement, schedules, authorisations, approvals, guarantees,
amendments, performance history, and the client's commercial priorities.

## Review method

1. Build a document hierarchy and record conflicts, incorporation language,
   missing documents, versions, dates, and signatures.
2. Verify legal capacity, statutory or constitutional authority, delegated
   signing power, mandatory form, appropriation or funding conditions, approvals,
   and conditions precedent. For India, test Article 299 requirements where
   applicable rather than assuming an official's signature binds the Government.
3. Reconcile scope, specifications, deliverables, milestones, acceptance,
   dependencies, service levels, pricing, taxes, invoicing, payment certification,
   retention, securities, and price adjustment with the tender and accepted bid.
4. Review change control, variations, extensions, delay allocation, liquidated
   damages, force majeure, change in law, relief events, suspension, step-in,
   termination for default or convenience, compensation, and transition support.
5. Test representations, compliance warranties, conflicts, anti-bribery and
   integrity duties, beneficial ownership, sanctions or debarment, subcontracting,
   local-content or preference commitments, audit, records, access, and inspection.
6. Review confidentiality alongside transparency, freedom-of-information, public
   records, legislative or audit disclosure, data protection, cybersecurity, IP,
   publicity, and open-data duties. Do not promise secrecy a public body cannot give.
7. Assess indemnities, liability caps and exclusions, insurance, title and risk,
   guarantees, sovereign or governmental immunity, governing law, escalation,
   expert determination, arbitration or courts, seat, enforcement, and notices.
8. Separate clauses that need drafting changes from procurement deviations that
   may require formal approval, re-tendering, or may not lawfully be negotiated.
9. Verify current statutes, financial rules, procurement manuals, circulars,
   standard bidding documents, and authority-specific terms as of the review date.

## Output

Provide the transaction and authority map, document hierarchy, executive risk
summary, clause-by-clause findings with source and consequence, missing approvals
and evidence, proposed redlines or negotiation language, procurement-deviation
register, and a signing or implementation checklist.

## Guardrails

Do not infer authority, funding, waiver of immunity, or permission to depart from
the awarded tender. Flag jurisdiction-specific public-law and enforceability issues
for qualified local counsel and distinguish legal risk from commercial preference.