COURSE OVERVIEW
Effective purchasing is a cornerstone of organizational success. Modern organizations require skilled procurement professionals who can strategically manage purchasing, tendering, and supplier selection processes. This course equips participants with the knowledge and tools to evaluate existing procedures, implement improvements, enhance customer service, reduce inventory costs, eliminate waste, and minimize inefficiencies within procurement operations.

KEY FEATURES
Participants in this highly interactive course will:

• Recognize purchasing management as a strategic organizational tool
• Become more efficient and productive buyers by applying advanced purchasing techniques
• Improve supplier services through effective negotiation and planning
• Understand the legal and ethical dimensions of procurement
• Learn methods for selecting and qualifying suppliers
• Explore best practices in supplier relations, procurement planning, specification, and performance evaluation
• Evaluate supplier proposals using cost and price analysis

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the fundamental principles of purchasing and supplier management
• Identify and apply techniques to enhance supplier performance and value
• Compare one-way versus two-way communication and analyze verbal and non-verbal signals in procurement interactions
• Identify personal listening styles and improve communication effectiveness
• Understand different personality types and adapt strategies to manage supplier relationships
• Apply non-verbal communication techniques to foster shared understanding

TARGET AUDIENCE
This course is suitable for a wide range of professionals, including:

• Purchasing and procurement professionals
• Staff responsible for defining specifications and evaluating supplier performance
• Individuals involved in bid preparation and analysis
• Professionals managing supplier relationships
• Personnel engaged in negotiations with external vendors

TRAINING METHODOLOGY
The course is delivered through a combination of interactive presentations, case studies, exercises, and participant activities. Delegates will have opportunities to apply concepts in real-world scenarios and develop actionable strategies. Both theoretical frameworks and practical applications are emphasized. Pre- and post-course assessments will be used to evaluate learning outcomes and skill development.

COURSE CONTENTS

Module 1 – The Role of Purchasing in the Organization
Key topics:

• Introduction to purchasing and its organizational contribution
• Understanding the purpose of a business in relation to procurement
• Overcoming the challenges of acting as a “go-between”
• The purchasing process and procurement cycle
• Positioning procurement within the company
• Vision, mission, and value of purchasing
• Purchasing structures and organizational alignment
• Identifying opportunities for performance improvement

Module 2 – Developing a Purchasing Strategy
Key topics:

• Engaging with internal customers
• Creating effective purchase agreements
• Importance of contributing to specification development
• Supplier selection methodology
• Pre-qualifying supplier criteria
• Integrating supplier selection into procurement processes
• Positioning organizational needs and value against market conditions
• Understanding the role of ISO 9000 standards

Module 3 – Supplier Selection and Performance Evaluation
Key topics:

• Conditioning suppliers to meet organizational requirements
• Total cost approach to procurement
• Cost and value analysis
• Identifying hidden costs
• Life cycle costing techniques
• Utilizing price indices
• Performance measurement and evaluation

Module 4 – Tendering and Bid Analysis
Key topics:

• Understanding process requirements
• Types of tendering methods
• Electronic commerce and e-auctions
• Objective bid evaluation
• Contract terms and conditions
• Standard contract clauses
• Payment methods and contract expediting
• Legal considerations in case of contract failure

Module 5 – Contract Negotiation and Action Planning
Key topics:

• Principles of negotiation
• Common obstacles to effective negotiation
• Negotiation styles and techniques
• Tools and phases of negotiation
• Do’s and don’ts in negotiations
• Focus areas for achieving world-class performance
• Identifying and addressing performance gaps