Purchasing Tools and Techniques

The Cost Reduction Training course focuses on implementing practical strategies in procurement and supply chain management to reduce costs while maintaining quality and productivity. Participants will learn to identify cost-saving opportunities, develop cost reduction initiatives, and work with the supply chain to achieve maximum value at minimum cost. The course covers topics such as process optimization, managing contracts, spend analysis, inventory management, and tools and techniques for cost reduction. Targeted at professionals in procurement, sourcing, contract management, and related fields.

This 2-day course focuses on category management and strategic sourcing in large organizations. It covers defining category management, building a business case, designing projects, key tools and techniques, building the case, and winning arguments for commitment. The course aims to outline current best practices in category management and strategic sourcing for experienced procurement practitioners looking to enhance their understanding and skills in this modern approach. Participants will learn about project-based sourcing strategies and tools to optimize purchasing impact on supply chains.

This 2-day course focuses on effective tender management and strategic sourcing. Participants will learn to develop tender documents, evaluate commercial and technical risks, and analyze capital purchases based on total life cost. The course aims to provide an understanding of the procurement process, stakeholder management, and selecting appropriate sourcing strategies. Suitable for staff involved in tendering processes, the course is led by tutors Mike Woods, Iain Cameron, Kieran McGregor, and Mark Moore.

This 2-day course focuses on developing commercial specifications to minimize risk and enhance competition. Participants will learn about different types of specifications, performance and conformance specifications, principles for specification development, contract preparation, legal aspects, and risk management. The course aims to equip attendees with the skills needed to create effective specifications and allocate commercial risk appropriately. Suitable for personnel involved in specification development or interpretation in commercial settings.

This 2-day course focuses on procurement processes, supply chain management, and strategic alignment with corporate objectives. Participants will learn about key stages in procurement, contemporary initiatives in supply chain management, and the buyer/supplier relationship continuum. The course aims to provide an understanding of the procurement process from identifying needs to monitoring performance. It is designed for public and private sector procurement professionals and non-procurement personnel managing contracts with external suppliers.

This one-day course focuses on relationship management and performance measurement techniques in procurement. Participants will learn about the importance of internal customer relationships, hidden costs of poor relationships, and new relationship models in the commercial world. The course covers understanding organizational strategies, developing competitive advantage, managing key stakeholders, setting goals, negotiating service levels, and best practices for measuring performance. It aims to equip procurement teams with the knowledge to measure the contribution procurement makes to the organization. Suitable for procurement teams maintaining relationships with internal users and suppliers.

This 3-day course focuses on enhancing personal skills for successful negotiation outcomes. Participants will gain awareness of their individual negotiation styles, strengths, and weaknesses, and learn to maximize their effectiveness. The course covers topics such as planning for success, managing the negotiation process, building trust, influencing others, cultural dimensions in negotiation, body language management, and using persuasion tactics. Suitable for teams seeking to improve negotiation performance and understanding the impact of personal skills on results.

This 2-day course focuses on enhancing participants' understanding of risk analysis, evaluation, and mitigation in sourcing decisions within supply chains. It equips attendees with practical risk assessment tools applicable in supply chain contexts. Topics covered include identifying common risks, contract management, performance monitoring, supplier relationships, conflict resolution, and change control mechanisms. The course targets individuals involved in assessing and modeling supply chain risks for procurement decisions and service management.