It means : 1. To plan with cleverness or ingenuity; devise: contrive ways to amuse the children. 2. To invent or fabricate, especially by improvisation: contrived a swing from hanging vines. 3. To plan with evil intent; scheme: contrived a plot to seize power. 4. To bring about, as by scheming; manage: somehow contrived to get past the guards unnoticed. but in this sentence I think it means : manage ----------------- source : thefreedictionary & myself