What's the Difference Between NVQ Level 6 Site Management and Contracts Management?

What is the difference between NVQ Level 6 Site Management and Contracts Management?

Both are managerial qualifications and both lead to the same Black Manager CSCS card. The difference is the role each one evidences and the size of the assessment. Site Management covers a minimum of 20 units. Contracts Management covers a minimum of 9 units. Because the unit counts differ, so do the prices, and both are set out further down this page.

Site Management is for the manager running a construction site. Contracts Management is for the manager running contracts, trade packages or a business delivering work across several projects.

What both qualifications give you

The two sit side by side. They share:

• The same level, Level 6, equivalent to a bachelor's degree
• The same Black (Managerial) CSCS card on completion
• The same awarding organisation recognition, in the UK and overseas
• An assessor who is a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
• CITB grant claimable status, up to £600 for CITB-registered employers

Both are work-based assessments. There are no exams and no exam fees. You evidence what you already do in your job, and we build the portfolio for you.

Who NVQ Level 6 Site Management is for

This is the qualification for the manager in charge of a construction site.

Your evidence comes from running site operations: site setup and layout, health and safety systems, progress against the programme, quality control, temporary works, plant and materials, environmental procedures, site meetings and handover.

It suits managers employed by a main contractor or a large specialist subcontractor, typically with five or more years in construction, usually working across one site or one project at a time.

The Building and Civil Engineering pathway is the default route. Residential Development, Retrofit, Highways Maintenance and Repair, Traditional and Heritage Building, Demolition and Tunnelling pathways are also available, and your assessor confirms the right one during screening.

Who NVQ Level 6 Contracts Management is for

The full title is the Level 6 NVQ Diploma in Construction Contracting Operations Management, and it is the qualification for the manager in charge of contracts rather than the ground.

Your evidence comes from commercial and operational delivery: tendering and enquiries, procurement plans and supply chain, programmes of works, budgets and cost control, interim valuations and final accounts, contract progress, and delegation to line supervisors and subcontracting teams.

It suits business owners, directors and contracts managers, often running a specialist trade package under a main contractor, and usually holding several projects at once.

The size of each assessment, and the price

Site Management is built from a minimum of 20 units: 19 mandatory units plus at least one optional unit matched to your role. Contracts Management is built from a minimum of 9 units: 5 mandatory units plus at least 4 optional units chosen from a list of 14.

Every unit carries its own assessment criteria, and every criterion needs evidence, a professional discussion and a place in your portfolio. Twenty units covers roughly twice the ground of nine, and takes your assessor roughly twice the hours to work through with you.

Each price follows the size of its own assessment, because the fee buys assessor time rather than a course:

• Contracts Management, 9 units, is £1,645 plus VAT, or £197.40 a month including VAT over 10 months.
• Site Management, 20 units, is £2,195 plus VAT, or £219.50 a month including VAT over 12 months.

Both figures buy the same standard of assessment, the same chartered CIOB assessor and the same card at the end. The number simply tracks how many units your qualification asks you to evidence, so you pay for the assessment your role actually needs.

Both plans are interest-free. There is no credit check and no finance company. You start by paying the first instalment and assessment begins straight away. On both qualifications, Fast Track, 1-Day Registration and No Homework are included in the price, and Mentorship is available as an optional package for £500. For how the plan works in full, and what can bring the fee down, read what a site management NVQ costs.

Is one qualification better than the other?

They sit at the same level and carry the same card. The one that is better is the one that matches your job.

Many managers ask for Site Management by name because the title sounds like the better qualification. In practice each one evidences a different set of duties, and the assessment only works when the duties are yours.

A manager who spends the week on one site has everything needed for Site Management and would struggle to evidence tendering, valuations and final accounts. A company owner running four trade packages across four sites has the commercial evidence in hand and rarely has the site setup and temporary works evidence that Site Management asks for.

Pick the one your day job already proves.

Which one fits your role

Your assessor confirms the fit during free eligibility screening, before you pay anything.

Level 6

NVQ Level 6 Construction Site Management

For managers running a site day to day for a main contractor or a large specialist subcontractor.

Learn more

Level 6

NVQ Level 6 Construction Contracts Management

For business owners, directors and contracts managers running contracts, trade packages or several projects at once.

Learn more

Prices correct at the time of publication. All enrolments are subject to eligibility screening.