The study established the relationship between contract management practices and performance of infrastructural projects in Rivers State. A purposive survey design was used, with data collected from a sample of 80 respondents using questionnaires. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 26. Results of the survey reveals that the three variables explored Structure & Resource (SR), Payment & Incentive( PI) and (feedback & communication) FC have a significant strong and positive relationship with Infrastructure Project Performance (IFP). The SR and IFP variable were found to have the highest strongly positively correlation. FC and IFP were found to be the second strongly positively correlated and PI and IFP were found to be the least but third strongly positively correlated. This study also conducted a confirmatory factor analysis to ascertain the strength of the instrument and the factor loadings were all greater than 0.7. The strength of the instrument forms a basis for contract managers to optimize the determinants of effective contract management for better performance of infrastructure projects in Rivers state. The implication of the significant, strong positive relationships between the contract management variables and Infrastructure project performance (IFP) suggests that project performance will increase when the contract management practices increases. The findings of the study offer a useful foundation for policy and practical improvement of contract management practices in Rivers state for better delivery of infrastructural projects.

Keywords: Contract Management, Infrastructural Project Performance, project performance, infrastructure projects, infrastructure contracts

ORCID ID: 0000-0003-1591-1141