When Procurement Went Wrong: Choosing the Wrong Contract Type

It didn’t fail because we forgot a form.

It failed because we chose the wrong contract for the work.

We once contracted a private vendor to build the entire training pipeline for a new aircraft platform.

Flight fundamentals, systems instruction, simulator scripts — all of it.

We used a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract.

On paper, it made sense: lock in costs, get a deliverable.

But in practice?

We were still developing the aircraft.

The training needs changed monthly.

And any good instructional designer will tell you — the ADDIE process (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate) isn’t linear. It’s iterative.

Every new insight should’ve reshaped the curriculum.

But the contract didn’t allow for it.

Where Procurement Really Breaks

Project managers often follow the steps:

• Pick a contract type.

• Draft the RFP.

• Award, track, close.

But what we don’t always stop to ask is:

Does this contract structure match the reality of the work?

In this case:

• Scope was evolving.

• The development required tight feedback loops.

• We had no budget flexibility for change.

The result?

Slowdowns. Workarounds. Frustrated stakeholders.

And a training system that needed revision before it even launched.

The Lesson?

Contract types aren’t just pricing models. They shape execution.

Choose wrong, and you handcuff your project before it even starts.

Learn from the Story

In CALDERA IV, procurement isn’t buried in jargon.

It’s part of the story — where the wrong structure nearly undermines mission readiness.

Because PMP prep shouldn’t just be about passing the test.

It should be about learning how to lead when things start to crack.

📘 CALDERA IV launches Sept 17.

Be ready before it breaks.

#CALDERAIV #ProjectLeadership #ProcurementFails #PMPPrep #ContractsMatter #InstructionalDesign #MilitaryTraining #LeadFromWithin