Introduction to procurement

A one-day workshop

This very practical one-day programme provides participants with the skills and knowledge required to be an effective member of the procurement team and to enable them to procure a wide range of resources for the organisation, in a compliant and cost-effective manner. It also empowers them to be able to collaborate with all key stakeholders.

Learning objectives

By the end of the programme participants will be able to:

  • Understand the basic concepts of good procurement practice
  • Apply a range of tools and techniques for developing scopes of work and specifications
  • Apply various methods to select and evaluate suppliers
  • Develop robust contract award strategies
  • Appreciate the commercial importance of effective procurement and opportunities to reduce cost and add value
  • Develop appropriate procurement strategies depending on risk and value
  • Appreciate the legal aspects of procurement

Who should attend?

This course is designed for all those who have a direct or indirect responsibility for the effective procurement of resources. It would also be useful for those new to procurement. The target group could include members of supply chain, commercial, procurement, contracting, inventory, transport and warehousing teams.

Those seeking a refresher in this subject, to consolidate existing experience and knowledge, would also benefit.

Format

This one-day programme can also be delivered virtually.

The expert trainer adopts a proactive, participative, and participant-centred approach with emphasis on the practical application of the tools, techniques and templates discussed. The learning needs to be embedded into the fabric of the organisation and the trainer uses context-based case studies and other tasks to achieve this.

Special features

The content of this course has been cross-mapped with CIPS/ISM/IACCM competency frameworks and other relevant international standards.

Certificates of attendance are provided on request (for CPD purposes: the programme qualifies for six hours, which for most professional bodies translates as six points).

The majority of the training we deliver is either tailored or completely bespoke. This workshop can therefore be delivered entirely as advertised, or it can be tailored to your particular requirements, or we can simply take it as a starting point for a conversation with you before we draft a completely bespoke programme for you – the choice is yours.

Expert trainer

Dr Ray Carter runs his own international training and development consultancy, specialising in procurement. A prolific author, his fourth book, Practical Contract Management, with Steve Kirby and Alan Oxenbury, was published in 2012. He has also had numerous articles and papers published in journals such as Supply Management and the Centre for Advanced Procurement’s Praxis publication. Ray is Chairman of the Procurement Best Practice Forum, which is made up of many large blue-chip organisations, the purpose of which is to identify and disseminate supply chain management best practices. Ray’s now famous ‘10 Cs’ of supplier evaluation model, first published in 1995, has become an accepted model for the evaluation of suppliers and contractors and has been adopted by many organisations. It is also part of the CIPS level 4 syllabus.

In recent years, he has undertaken training and consultancy assignments across the UK and around the world for organisations such as DWP, NHS, Shell, Lucas Engineering and Systems, the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, BRC, Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappijn BV, Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ZADCO), NDC, Ericsson, British Aerospace, Marconi, BBC, Magnox, Ordnance Survey, Chevron, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Tengzichevroil Company, Coca-Cola, Shell International BV, IMechE, African Development Bank, United Healthcare, MLM, SEPA, Yorkshire Water, East Lothian Council, Medway Council, National Grid, City of Bradford MDC, etc.

1 Welcome

  • Introductions
  • Aims and objectives
  • Plan for the day

2 The basics of procurement

  • The concept of total cost of ownership v price
  • The procurement cycle
  • The roles of the customer and the contractor
  • Impact upon profit

3 Specification process

  • Importance of effective specifications
  • Specification development process
  • Types of specification
  • Team approach
  • Use of performance specifications
  • Early supplier involvement (ESI) / early contractor involvement (ECI)

4 Quality

  • Concepts and practices
  • Defining ‘fit for purpose’
  • Conformance to requirements
  • Compliance to standards
  • Role of the supplier
  • Quality assurance tools and techniques

5 Procurement methods

  • RFP
  • RFQ
  • ITT
  • Negotiated procurement
  • Strategic partnerships
  • Outsourcing

6 Tendering

  • How to undertake a formal tendering process
  • Business case to award
  • Critical stages in the process
  • Risks and benefits

7 Tender evaluation

  • How to undertake a quotation analysis
  • Tools of analysis
  • Use of VFM models
  • Role of the customer
  • Comparisons around cost, quality, and delivery

8 Supplier selection and evaluation

  • Developing critical selection criteria
  • Using the 10Cs model
  • Importance of effective selection process
  • Weighting systems
  • Importance of validity and evidence

9 Capital equipment procurement

  • Life cycle cost issues
  • Payback calculations
  • Compatibility issues
  • Maintenance and training issues
  • After-sales support

10 Supplier relationships

  • Corporate social responsibility issues
  • Communication
  • 360 feed-back
  • Open and ethical
  • Initial understanding
  • Clear and fair terms and conditions

11 Close

  • Review of key learning points
  • Personal action planning

Any questions? Please just give us a call on 01582 463463 – we’re here to help!