Your Israeli supplier announces a new project manager. The introduction is friendly, but the replacement asks you to explain the project again. An earlier promise has disappeared from the discussion, an invoice is still disputed and nobody can locate the latest agreed file. Before the next meeting, organise the record that the new contact will need.
A change of project manager can interrupt approvals and leave earlier commitments disputed. If the new contact treats the project as a fresh start, your business may face repeated work, delays or demands that were never part of the original deal.
A new contact should not mean a new version of the project’s history. Separate the original record from the summary prepared for the handover.
Build the chronology before retelling the story
Collect the agreement, statement of work, schedules, meeting notes and dated correspondence. Keep original messages and attachments in their existing form. Create a short index that points to them, rather than rewriting the whole history from memory.
For each important event, note the date, sender, document and current factual status. Distinguish a request, an estimate, a recorded decision and a disputed statement. If the parties remember a call differently, mark the disagreement and identify any contemporaneous notes. Do not silently turn your team’s recollection into an agreed fact.
Prepare a practical handover sheet
Give the replacement a manageable view of the open work. Use a separate row for each item, with these fields:
- The task or deliverable and its source document.
- The latest version or status that your team can actually verify.
- The previous contact and proposed new working contact.
- The unanswered question or missing material.
- The next discussion needed and the person coordinating it.
For illustration, a row might say: “Design file: version received on the recorded date; editable file not located; supplier asked to identify its location.” That is different from writing “supplier has failed to deliver everything” without checking the file record. Keep examples clearly separate from the actual project facts.
Separate delivery, money and proposed changes
Do not compress every open issue into a single complaint. Keep separate lists for outstanding materials, invoice reconciliation, questions about earlier correspondence and proposed additional work. A new manager can then identify what needs a factual answer and what needs a separate commercial discussion.
If the supplier’s message also says the work is complete, use the incomplete project handover checklist to record files, access and test results. That is a different task from transferring the project history to a replacement contact.
Confirm the communication map, not an assumed authority
Ask who will coordinate day-to-day work, who handles invoices and who should receive questions about the agreement. Record the contact details supplied and check them through a familiar channel. Avoid assuming that a job title answers every question about who can decide a disputed point.
Prepare the questions for the introductory meeting in advance. After the meeting, make a factual note of attendees, documents discussed, unanswered points and proposed next steps. Keep an unresolved point visibly unresolved. A useful meeting record need not pretend that everyone agreed.
Keep confidential material out of the introduction
Identify any unresolved access or material-transfer issue alongside the person responsible and the project milestone it affects. Connecting those issues to the existing agreement helps keep the transition focused on the supplier’s commitments.
Bring the difficult communication to counsel
If the supplier asks for fresh sign-off, sends a revised document or disputes the previous manager’s statements, compare the request with the full project record. The response should address both the immediate request and its effect on the disputed commitments.
A coordinated response connects the chronology, project documents and open commitments with the commercial outcome. For related guidance, see our first-meeting checklist for foreign companies.
A change of project manager can leave commitments and approvals disputed. Contact our firm to assess the contractual record, formulate a response and negotiate the unresolved project issues. Discuss the issue with RNC Group on WhatsApp | email [email protected]
Method and legal notice
Our firm can assess the agreement and communication record, identify the disputed commitments and help negotiate a transition that keeps the project obligations and outstanding claims visible.
Further reading: NISTA’s Contract Management Plan guidance
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws and their application depend on the facts and jurisdiction and may change. Although we aim to keep this information accurate and current, we do not guarantee that it is complete or up to date. The article may contain omissions or errors. Reading this article does not create an attorney-client relationship with RNC Group. Before making a decision or taking action, seek advice from a qualified lawyer in the relevant jurisdiction.