Category Management in Procurement Training Course

Duration 10 days 20 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Category Managers, Procurement Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-P-074

Before you join: Participants should understand the basic procurement cycle, including requirements definition, supplier quotation or tendering, evaluation, contracting and purchase orders.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Category management gives procurement teams a structured way to plan, source and manage groups of related spend rather than treating each request as an isolated transaction. It is used to address recurring problems such as fragmented demand, weak specifications, supplier concentration, unmanaged contract expiry, price volatility and missed savings. For public bodies, banks, NGOs and multinational businesses, the method also provides a defensible connection between procurement decisions, stakeholder requirements, budget control, service continuity and responsible sourcing.

This course teaches participants how to build a category strategy from a spend baseline, demand profile, supply-market assessment and stakeholder analysis. Participants apply the Kraljic Matrix, PESTLE, Porter's Five Forces, total cost of ownership analysis, supplier segmentation, sourcing-option appraisal and category risk assessment. They learn how to translate findings into category objectives, sourcing plans, negotiation positions, contract-management arrangements, performance measures and implementation governance.

Instruction combines short technical briefings with worked category cases, group analysis, supplier-market scenarios, negotiation planning and structured review of participant work. From the first week, participants develop a category strategy for a chosen spend area such as facilities management, ICT hardware, professional services, fleet, medical supplies or indirect materials. They leave with a completed category strategy pack containing evidence, recommendations, an implementation plan, a supplier-management model and measures for tracking results.

The course suits procurement professionals who already buy goods or services and now need to lead categories, influence internal stakeholders or improve supplier and spend performance. It is also relevant to contract managers, sourcing specialists, supply chain analysts and budget holders who contribute to category decisions.

What you will be able to do

  • Analyse category spend using cleansing, classification, Pareto analysis and demand profiling
  • Segment category risk and value using the Kraljic Matrix
  • Assess supply markets using PESTLE, Porter's Five Forces and supplier intelligence
  • Develop evidence-based category strategies with sourcing, savings, risk and sustainability objectives
  • Calculate total cost of ownership and build cost-driver models for supplier decisions
  • Design sourcing, evaluation and negotiation plans aligned to category requirements
  • Establish supplier relationship, contract-performance and category-governance arrangements
  • Present a complete category strategy pack with implementation milestones and measures

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produces credible category strategies for promotion-level procurement responsibilities
  • Improves confidence challenging specifications, demand assumptions and supplier proposals
  • Builds practical capability in spend, market and cost analysis
  • Creates a reusable approach for leading cross-functional sourcing decisions
  • Strengthens evidence-based communication with senior stakeholders and suppliers

For your organisation

  • Reduces fragmented buying through planned category demand and supplier strategies
  • Improves savings quality by assessing total cost, not purchase price alone
  • Raises supply continuity through structured market, supplier and contract risk controls
  • Creates clearer accountability for category actions, benefits and performance measures
  • Improves responsible sourcing through embedded sustainability and supplier due-diligence criteria

Course modules

20 modules over 10 days

Participants can define category management and position it within procurement governance.

  • Category management principles, scope and distinction from transactional purchasing
  • End-to-end category lifecycle from opportunity assessment through benefits review
  • Category manager accountabilities, decision rights and stakeholder interfaces
  • Procurement operating models: centralised, decentralised and centre-led structures
  • Policy, delegation and compliance controls shaping category decisions
  • Category planning cadence linked to budgets, contracts and business priorities

Participants can define workable category boundaries and prioritise categories for action.

  • Spend taxonomy design using UNSPSC, internal codes and buying channels
  • Category boundaries based on supply markets, demand patterns and specifications
  • Pareto analysis identifying high-value, high-volume and fragmented expenditure
  • Prioritisation criteria covering savings potential, risk, urgency and stakeholder impact
  • Category charters stating scope, objectives, owners and planning assumptions
  • Separate addressable spend from mandated, regulated and non-controllable expenditure

Participants can create a reliable spend baseline for category decisions.

  • Extract spend data from ERP, purchase card and accounts-payable records
  • Clean supplier names, duplicate records and inconsistent category codes
  • Classify spend by supplier, business unit, location and purchase channel
  • Build spend cubes using time, supplier, category and organisational dimensions
  • Identify maverick spend, tail spend and contract-compliance gaps
  • Validate data assumptions with finance, users and procurement stakeholders

Participants can assess demand drivers and identify specification-based opportunities.

  • Map demand volumes, seasonality, service levels and forecast reliability
  • Challenge unnecessary variation through specification standardisation and rationalisation
  • Separate genuine user needs from preferred brands and legacy practices
  • Demand management options: consumption controls, bundling and requirement redesign
  • Stakeholder interviews capturing operational constraints and future requirements
  • Translate demand findings into measurable category planning assumptions

Participants can plan stakeholder engagement and decision governance for a category.

  • Stakeholder mapping using power-interest analysis and influence assessment
  • RACI matrices clarifying category decisions, approvals and consultation points
  • Create category councils with defined membership, remit and meeting cadence
  • Manage conflicting priorities between cost, quality, speed and risk
  • Build stakeholder value propositions using category evidence and business outcomes
  • Escalation routes for unresolved requirements, risks and sourcing decisions

Participants can assess market structure, supplier dynamics and external category pressures.

  • PESTLE analysis identifying political, economic, social and regulatory forces
  • Porter's Five Forces assessing supplier power and competitive intensity
  • Market mapping of incumbents, challengers, substitutes and new entrants
  • Use supplier annual reports, trade data and market reports
  • Analyse capacity, lead times, commodity exposure and technology trends
  • Document market assumptions, evidence sources and confidence levels

Participants can position categories using risk, value and supply-market characteristics.

  • Kraljic Matrix dimensions: profit impact and supply risk assessment
  • Position categories as non-critical, leverage, bottleneck or strategic
  • Test Kraljic positions against supply-market evidence and stakeholder dependency
  • Select management approaches appropriate to each portfolio position
  • Avoid simplistic segmentation where categories contain distinct supply submarkets
  • Record segmentation rationale for governance and future strategy reviews

Participants can compare category options using cost drivers and whole-life value.

  • Total cost of ownership covering acquisition, operation, support and disposal
  • Cost-driver trees separating materials, labour, overheads, logistics and margin
  • Should-cost analysis using market indices, volumes and process assumptions
  • Price benchmarking against internal history, published indices and comparable contracts
  • Value analysis challenging features that add cost without user benefit
  • Build scenario models for volume, inflation, currency and service changes

Participants can identify category risks and specify proportionate mitigations.

  • Risk registers covering supply, financial, operational, legal and reputational exposure
  • Assess likelihood, impact, velocity and control effectiveness consistently
  • Supplier concentration analysis using dependency and substitutability measures
  • Business continuity requirements for critical goods, services and data
  • Mitigation options: dual sourcing, buffers, contingency contracts and redesign
  • Assign risk owners, review triggers and escalation thresholds

Participants can incorporate environmental, social and ethical requirements into category strategies.

  • ISO 20400 principles applied to procurement policy and category choices
  • Life-cycle environmental criteria for materials, energy, packaging and disposal
  • Supplier due diligence covering labour rights, modern slavery and ethics
  • Social value requirements linked to measurable contract delivery commitments
  • Balance sustainability criteria with cost, performance and market capability
  • Create evidence requirements, audit rights and corrective-action mechanisms

Participants can formulate a category strategy based on analysed evidence and choices.

  • Strategy statements linking category objectives to business and procurement priorities
  • Define savings, service, risk, sustainability and innovation targets
  • Evaluate strategic options using weighted decision criteria and assumptions
  • Choose supplier rationalisation, competition, partnership or demand-management approaches
  • Set category initiatives with owners, dependencies, dates and benefits
  • Draft executive recommendations supported by evidence and trade-off analysis

Participants can select sourcing routes that fit category risk, value and market conditions.

  • Sourcing routes: open tender, restricted tender, framework and direct award
  • Make-or-buy analysis for internally delivered and outsourced services
  • Lotting strategies balancing competition, supplier capability and contract manageability
  • Market engagement through requests for information and supplier briefings
  • Procurement timelines aligned with approvals, expiry dates and mobilisation
  • Document sourcing rationale, competition controls and decision records

Participants can design requirements and evaluation methods that support category outcomes.

  • Outcome-based specifications defining required results rather than prescribed solutions
  • Service level agreements with measurable standards, reporting and remedies
  • Evaluation criteria aligned with category objectives and mandatory requirements
  • Weighted scoring models separating price, quality, risk and sustainability
  • Minimum requirements, pass-fail criteria and clarification controls
  • Moderation procedures protecting consistency, transparency and auditability

Participants can assess supplier capability, viability and fit for category requirements.

  • Prequalification criteria covering capability, capacity, experience and compliance
  • Financial due diligence using liquidity, profitability and debt indicators
  • Reference checks, site assessments and evidence verification procedures
  • Supplier evaluation matrices documenting scores, rationale and consensus decisions
  • Identify conflicts of interest and protect confidential supplier information
  • Recommendation papers presenting selection rationale, conditions and approval needs

Participants can prepare category negotiations using evidence, objectives and alternatives.

  • Negotiation objectives covering price, service, risk, terms and implementation
  • BATNA analysis defining alternatives, walk-away points and fallback options
  • Supplier cost models supporting fact-based challenge and concession planning
  • Plan negotiation teams, roles, authority limits and communication protocols
  • Package trade-offs across volume, term, service levels and payment
  • Record concessions, commitments, unresolved issues and approval requirements

Participants can translate category strategy into contract structures and commercial controls.

  • Contract models: framework agreements, call-off contracts and master service agreements
  • Pricing mechanisms including fixed, indexed, cost-plus and volume-discount structures
  • Key clauses covering change control, liability, termination and audit
  • Mobilisation plans defining transition activities, responsibilities and acceptance criteria
  • Contract registers tracking expiry, notice periods, renewals and obligations
  • Align contract controls with the category risk register

Participants can design supplier-management approaches matched to supplier importance and risk.

  • Supplier segmentation using spend, criticality, performance and dependency criteria
  • Governance tiers: operational reviews, business reviews and executive meetings
  • Joint improvement plans with baselines, actions, owners and deadlines
  • Supplier scorecards measuring cost, quality, delivery, risk and sustainability
  • Manage poor performance through corrective actions and escalation routes
  • Relationship plans distinguishing strategic collaboration from routine contract administration

Participants can measure category delivery and report validated benefits to stakeholders.

  • Category dashboards integrating spend, savings, compliance, service and risk measures
  • Savings baselines distinguishing budget reduction, cost avoidance and value improvement
  • Benefits-realisation plans assigning owners, evidence and reporting dates
  • Track contract compliance through purchase-order and invoice data
  • Review category strategy assumptions against actual market and demand changes
  • Report exceptions, corrective actions and decisions through category governance

Participants can plan implementation activities that achieve category adoption and benefits.

  • Implementation roadmaps sequencing sourcing, contracting, mobilisation and performance activities
  • Change-impact assessments for users, approvers, suppliers and systems
  • Communication plans explaining new buying channels, requirements and controls
  • Training needs for requisitioners, contract managers and budget holders
  • Adoption measures covering contract utilisation, compliance and stakeholder satisfaction
  • Manage resistance using evidence, escalation and targeted stakeholder engagement

Participants can build, review and present a complete evidence-based category strategy pack.

  • Consolidate spend, demand, market, stakeholder and risk analysis findings
  • Complete category objectives, strategic options and recommended sourcing approach
  • Integrate total cost, sustainability, supplier and contract-management decisions
  • Build implementation milestones, governance arrangements and benefits measures
  • Review strategy evidence against stakeholder priorities and approval criteria
  • Present the category strategy pack to an executive review panel

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Category strategy pack template
  2. Spend analysis and demand profiling model
  3. Supply-market analysis workbook
  4. Total cost of ownership model
  5. Supplier segmentation and scorecard template
  6. Category implementation and benefits-realisation plan

Who should attend

  • Category Managers — need a repeatable method for building and delivering category strategies
  • Procurement Managers — need to coordinate spend, sourcing priorities and stakeholder expectations
  • Strategic Sourcing Specialists — need stronger market analysis and category-planning disciplines
  • Contract Managers — need to connect contract performance with category objectives
  • Procurement Analysts — need to turn spend and supplier data into sourcing recommendations
  • Operational Budget Holders — need to contribute requirements and demand insight to category plans

Skills and tools covered

Spend analysisCategory strategy developmentSupply market analysisTotal cost modellingSupplier relationship managementSourcing governance

Tools and standards

Kraljic Matrix, Porter's Five Forces, ISO 20400, Total Cost of Ownership

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to establish methods, followed by category cases, facilitated group analysis, spreadsheet-based spend and cost work, supplier-market scenarios and sourcing decision simulations. Participants apply each tool to a selected category throughout the programme, receiving structured peer and instructor review. Discussion addresses commercial, public-sector and regulated procurement settings. The final sessions focus on refining recommendations, implementation milestones, supplier-management arrangements and an executive presentation of the completed category strategy.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand the basic procurement cycle, including requirements definition, supplier quotation or tendering, evaluation, contracting and purchase orders. At least one year of experience in procurement, contract management, supply chain, finance or a budget-owning role is useful. Participants should be comfortable reading spend data in spreadsheets and discussing commercial trade-offs with stakeholders. Prior category-management experience is not required. No specialist qualification, advanced financial modelling capability or prior knowledge of named procurement frameworks is required.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should understand basic purchasing, tendering or contract-management activities and have some exposure to supplier or stakeholder decisions. The course teaches category-management frameworks from first principles, so prior category-manager experience is not required.

Bring a laptop if possible and, where organisational policy permits, non-sensitive spend data, a category list or a current sourcing challenge. Participants can also use the course case materials if they cannot bring workplace information.

It is designed for procurement and contract professionals moving from individual sourcing events to planned category ownership. It also suits analysts, supply chain staff and budget holders who contribute evidence to category decisions.

General procurement courses usually cover the end-to-end buying process across many purchases. This course concentrates on analysing a defined spend area, choosing a long-term market approach and managing supplier and benefits performance after award.

Participants build a category strategy pack for a real or representative category throughout the programme. The templates can be adapted for upcoming renewals, fragmented spend areas, supplier-performance concerns or savings initiatives.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The first part develops analysis and strategy tools; later sessions cover sourcing, contracting, supplier management, implementation and the capstone presentation.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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