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<a title="BEP 418 - English for Projects: Managing Conflict with Contractors 1" href="https://www.businessenglishpod.com/learningcenter/Premium2008/content23/BEP418POD/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" src="https://www.businessenglishpod.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/BEP-418-LESSON-Projects-Managing-Contractor-Conflict-1.jpg" alt="BEP 418 LESSON - English for Projects: Managing Conflict with Contractors 1" width="1500" height="645" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-23804" srcset="https://www.businessenglishpod.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/BEP-418-LESSON-Projects-Managing-Contractor-Conflict-1.jpg 1500w, https://www.businessenglishpod.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/BEP-418-LESSON-Projects-Managing-Contractor-Conflict-1-300x129.jpg 300w, https://www.businessenglishpod.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/BEP-418-LESSON-Projects-Managing-Contractor-Conflict-1-600x258.jpg 600w, https://www.businessenglishpod.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/BEP-418-LESSON-Projects-Managing-Contractor-Conflict-1-768x330.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></a>
Welcome back to Business English Pod for the first in a two-part lesson on <a href="https://www.businessenglishpod.com/category/project-management/" title="English for project management" rel="noopener" target="_blank">English for project management</a> and dealing with subcontractors. In this lesson we’re going to look at how to manage conflict with an external contractor.
Very few projects run perfectly smoothly. There are just too many variables involved to expect nothing to go wrong. One of the trickiest variables in any project is the people involved. And some of the trickiest people issues are conflicts with subcontractors or external vendors.
Conflict with subcontractors is almost inevitable. Different companies have different goals, priorities, and communication styles. Project managers who know how to handle tension early can prevent escalation and maintain a productive working relationship. And this can keep everyone focused on results instead of resentment.
Managing conflicts well requires a very tricky balance. You need to address issues and accountability head-on, while remaining diplomatic. You need to set expectations but steer away from too much blame. And it can be very helpful, as you do this, to reference documents to achieve clarity.
In today’s dialog, we’ll listen to a telephone conversation featuring a <a href="https://www.businessenglishpod.com/category/project-management/" title="project manager English">project manager</a> named Celia at a software development company. Her company has outsourced the payment gateway module of a new banking app. Now she’s talking to Raj from the subcontractor about their first delivery, which doesn’t meet expectations.
Listening Questions
1.	What are the problems that Celia introduces directly near the start of the dialog?
2.	What document does Celia refer to in order to clarify their agreement?
3.	At the end of the dialog, Celia sets some clear expectations. What’s the timeline she expects for the actions she mentions?
Premium Members: <a href="https://www.businessenglishpod.com/learningcenter/Premium2008/content23/BEP418SN-Contractors-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PDF Transcript</a> | <a href="https://www.businessenglishpod.com/learningcenter/Premium2008/content23/BEP418-QUIZ/story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Quizzes</a> | <a href="/learningcenter/Premium2008/content23/BEP418PC.mp3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PhraseCast</a> | <a href="https://www.businessenglishpod.com/learningcenter/Premium2008/content23/BEP418POD/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lesson Module</a>
Download: <a href="https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/bizpod/BEP418-Contractors-1.mp3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Podcast MP3</a>>>>
The post <a href="https://www.businessenglishpod.com/2025/11/06/bep-418-english-for-projects-managing-conflict-with-contractors-1/">BEP 418 – English for Projects: Managing Conflict with Contractors 1</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.businessenglishpod.com">Business English Pod :: Learn Business English Online</a>.

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