Government Procurement Policy and Practice Training Course

Duration 10 days 18 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Procurement Officers, Buyers and Purchasing Specialists 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-078

Before you join: Participants should have basic experience of purchasing goods, services or works, or supporting public-sector contracts and projects.

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

Government procurement must meet public-service needs while protecting fairness, competition, accountability and value for money. Procurement professionals must translate operational requirements into lawful sourcing strategies, manage supplier interactions consistently, document decisions for scrutiny and deliver contracts that achieve intended outcomes. Poor planning, vague specifications, unmanaged conflicts, weak evaluation records and uncontrolled contract changes can lead to failed procurements, audit findings, supplier challenges and wasted public funds.

This course develops the policy and operational skills required to plan, run and manage public procurement processes. Participants work through the procurement cycle: needs assessment, market analysis, specification writing, procurement strategy, solicitation design, bid evaluation, award, contract management, performance monitoring and closeout. The course examines the principles reflected in the UNCITRAL Model Law, OECD Recommendation of the Council on Public Procurement, WTO Government Procurement Agreement and Open Contracting Data Standard, while recognising that participants must apply their own jurisdiction's legislation and internal rules.

Teaching combines concise instructor briefings with public-sector cases, document reviews, group decisions, supplier-management scenarios and structured application planning. Participants progressively develop procurement documents from the first week, then test them against evaluation, governance, contract and assurance requirements during the second week. They leave with a complete procurement package for a realistic requirement, including a procurement plan, evaluation model, risk register, contract-management plan and audit-ready decision record.

The course is designed for procurement officers, buyers, contract managers, programme staff and managers who contribute to public purchasing decisions. It is particularly useful for professionals working in central government, local authorities, state-owned enterprises, development programmes, public utilities, healthcare systems and donor-funded projects.

What you will be able to do

  • Interpret procurement policy principles, delegations and governance requirements within a procurement file
  • Develop a procurement plan using needs analysis, market analysis and risk assessment
  • Write outcome-based specifications and proportionate supplier qualification requirements
  • Select an appropriate procurement procedure and document the sourcing rationale
  • Construct weighted evaluation criteria, scoring guidance and moderation records
  • Manage award, debriefing, contract mobilisation and supplier performance controls
  • Apply integrity, conflict-of-interest and audit-trail controls throughout procurement activities
  • Produce and present a complete procurement package for a public-sector requirement

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce stronger procurement files that withstand management, audit and supplier scrutiny
  • Make defensible choices between competitive, limited and direct procurement procedures
  • Write clearer specifications that reduce ambiguous bids and contract disputes
  • Lead evaluation panels using documented scoring, moderation and conflict controls
  • Manage suppliers through measurable milestones, performance reviews and change procedures

For your organisation

  • Improves consistency between procurement policy, tender documents and award decisions
  • Reduces rework caused by incomplete requirements, unclear specifications and weak approvals
  • Strengthens audit readiness through traceable records, evaluation evidence and contract controls
  • Improves supplier performance monitoring against service levels, milestones and remedies
  • Supports fairer competition and better value for money in public expenditure

Course modules

18 modules over 10 days

Participants can explain public procurement principles and assign accountable roles across the procurement cycle.

  • Public procurement objectives: value for money, integrity, competition and accountability
  • Procurement cycle from needs definition through contract closeout and records
  • Mandatory rules, internal policies, delegations and approval authorities distinguished
  • Three Lines Model roles for procurement, finance, legal and audit
  • Conflicts of interest, gifts, confidentiality and post-employment restrictions
  • Procurement file contents supporting traceability, auditability and defensible decisions

Participants can locate applicable procurement rules and translate them into process requirements.

  • Legal hierarchy: statutes, regulations, directives, policy manuals and procedures
  • UNCITRAL Model Law principles applied to public purchasing decisions
  • WTO Government Procurement Agreement coverage, thresholds and non-discrimination principles
  • OECD public procurement recommendation: transparency, efficiency, integrity and accountability
  • Donor-funded procurement rules and financing-agreement compliance requirements
  • Documenting deviations, exemptions and emergency procurement justifications

Participants can build a procurement plan from a defined operational requirement.

  • Needs statement separating desired outcomes from preferred supplier solutions
  • Demand analysis using historical spend, consumption patterns and service forecasts
  • Make-buy analysis for internal delivery, outsourcing and framework arrangements
  • Procurement plan milestones aligned with budgets, approvals and operational deadlines
  • Stakeholder map covering users, technical experts, approvers and affected communities
  • Risk register linking causes, controls, owners, triggers and contingencies

Participants can assess market conditions and conduct fair pre-procurement supplier engagement.

  • Supply market analysis covering structure, capacity, competition and entry barriers
  • Porter's Five Forces applied to a public-service supplier market
  • Supplier segmentation using spend, criticality, substitutability and supply risk
  • Requests for information structured without creating supplier advantage
  • Market sounding records protecting equal access to procurement information
  • Prequalification evidence proportionate to contract risk and delivery complexity

Participants can write clear requirements that support fair competition and measurable delivery.

  • Outcome-based specifications defining results, users, constraints and acceptance criteria
  • Statement of work components: scope, deliverables, milestones and responsibilities
  • Terms of reference for consulting assignments and professional services
  • Functional requirements compared with prescriptive technical specifications
  • Brand references managed through equivalent-product language and justification
  • Service levels, key performance indicators and acceptance testing criteria

Participants can select a proportionate procurement method and document its rationale.

  • Procurement strategy linking requirement, market conditions, risk and procedure
  • Open tender, restricted tender and request-for-proposals compared
  • Framework agreements, dynamic purchasing systems and call-off arrangements
  • Direct award conditions, evidence requirements and approval controls
  • Evaluation approach selected before solicitation publication and supplier contact
  • Procurement strategy paper documenting options, assumptions, risks and approvals

Participants can prepare solicitation documents and administer bidder communications fairly.

  • Invitation to tender components, instructions, conditions and submission requirements
  • Request for proposals structure for complex services and technical solutions
  • Standard bidding documents adapted without altering mandatory clauses
  • Tender timetable covering advertisement, clarification, submission and award milestones
  • Clarification questions answered through controlled written addenda
  • Bid receipt, custody and opening procedures preserving confidentiality

Participants can assess supplier eligibility and qualification using proportionate evidence.

  • Mandatory exclusion grounds: fraud, corruption, sanctions and criminal conduct
  • Financial capacity tests using liquidity, turnover and insurance evidence
  • Technical capacity evidence: references, personnel, equipment and certifications
  • Pass-fail qualification criteria separated from scored evaluation factors
  • Reliance on subcontractors and consortium members assessed consistently
  • Due diligence records supporting supplier eligibility and exclusion decisions

Participants can design and run a transparent, evidence-based tender evaluation process.

  • Weighted criteria aligned with published requirements and award methodology
  • Price evaluation methods: lowest price, life-cycle cost and quality-price ratio
  • Scoring descriptors defining evidence for poor, acceptable and excellent responses
  • Evaluator briefing covering confidentiality, independence and conflict declarations
  • Consensus moderation documenting individual scores, discussion and final rationale
  • Abnormally low tenders examined through structured clarification requests

Participants can complete award decisions and communicate outcomes with appropriate transparency.

  • Evaluation report structure linking evidence, scores, rankings and recommendations
  • Approval submissions presenting procurement history, award rationale and commitments
  • Standstill periods, award notices and required supplier notifications
  • Unsuccessful bidder debriefings based on published criteria and documented evidence
  • Records retention schedules for tender documents, correspondence and approvals
  • Procurement challenge triggers and escalation routes identified early

Participants can establish contracts that translate procurement commitments into deliverable obligations.

  • Contract documents ranked to resolve inconsistencies between tender and award materials
  • Core clauses covering scope, price, term, payment and delivery
  • Mobilisation plan assigning actions, owners, dates and readiness evidence
  • Kick-off meeting agenda covering governance, reporting, risks and communications
  • Contract register fields supporting visibility of obligations and renewal dates
  • Performance baseline agreed before services, works or supplies commence

Participants can manage supplier performance through structured governance, data and interventions.

  • Contract management plan defining governance, reporting, controls and meeting cadence
  • Key performance indicators linked to outcomes, service levels and remedies
  • Supplier scorecards combining quality, timeliness, cost, risk and responsiveness
  • Performance review meetings documented with actions, owners and due dates
  • Payment verification matched to deliverables, acceptance evidence and contract terms
  • Escalation procedures for underperformance, remediation and senior intervention

Participants can assess and control contract changes without compromising procurement integrity.

  • Variation requests tested against scope, value, term and competition rules
  • Change-control process recording justification, pricing, approvals and revised obligations
  • Claims analysis using entitlement, causation, evidence and quantum
  • Price adjustment clauses for inflation, indices and foreign exchange
  • Scope creep identified through baseline comparison and change logs
  • Material modification risks escalated before contract amendments are signed

Participants can identify procurement red flags and apply preventive and detective controls.

  • Fraud risk assessment covering collusion, bid rigging and false invoicing
  • Red flags in specifications, tender patterns, pricing and supplier ownership
  • Segregation of duties across requisitioning, evaluation, approval and payment
  • Beneficial ownership checks supporting supplier due diligence and sanctions screening
  • Whistleblowing channels, investigation referrals and evidence preservation requirements
  • Control testing using procurement-file sampling and exception analysis

Participants can use procurement data and digital controls to improve transparency and oversight.

  • E-procurement workflow controls for approvals, timestamps and access permissions
  • Open Contracting Data Standard fields from planning through implementation
  • Spend analysis identifying fragmentation, maverick buying and aggregation opportunities
  • Procurement dashboards tracking cycle time, competition and award concentration
  • Data quality checks for supplier names, contract values and dates
  • Publication protocols balancing transparency, confidentiality and commercial sensitivity

Participants can incorporate lawful sustainability and social objectives into procurement documents.

  • Life-cycle costing incorporating acquisition, operation, maintenance and disposal costs
  • Environmental criteria linked to measurable standards and verification evidence
  • Social value requirements framed as proportionate contract performance conditions
  • Accessibility requirements included within specifications and acceptance testing
  • Small supplier participation supported through lotting and proportionate requirements
  • Sustainability reporting indicators monitored through contract-management arrangements

Participants can prepare procurement records for challenge, audit and management assurance.

  • Supplier complaints assessed against process records, criteria and communications
  • Dispute-resolution clauses covering negotiation, mediation, arbitration and litigation
  • Audit trail review from requirement approval through final contract payment
  • Internal audit findings converted into corrective action plans
  • Lessons-learned review capturing process failures, supplier feedback and improvements
  • Management assurance reports presenting compliance, risks, exceptions and actions

Participants can build, review and present a complete procurement package for a public-sector requirement.

  • Requirement brief converted into an approved procurement planning document
  • Market analysis and risk register tested against proposed sourcing strategy
  • Specification, solicitation documents and evaluation model checked for alignment
  • Evaluation report and award recommendation supported by documented evidence
  • Contract-management plan linked to milestones, indicators, risks and remedies
  • Peer review identifies compliance gaps, ambiguities and missing procurement records

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

What you take back to work

  1. Public procurement planning template
  2. Procurement strategy paper model
  3. Tender evaluation matrix and scoring guide
  4. Procurement risk register
  5. Contract management plan template
  6. Audit-ready procurement file checklist

Who should attend

  • Procurement Officers — need consistent methods for planning and conducting compliant procurements
  • Buyers and Purchasing Specialists — need stronger tender, evaluation and award documentation skills
  • Contract Managers — need practical controls for mobilisation, performance and contract changes
  • Programme Managers — need to convert service requirements into viable procurement strategies
  • Finance and Grants Managers — need assurance over approvals, competition and supplier expenditure
  • Internal Auditors and Compliance Staff — need to assess procurement records, controls and decisions

Skills and tools covered

Procurement planningTender evaluationContract managementSupplier performanceProcurement governanceAudit documentation

Tools and standards

UNCITRAL Model Law on Public Procurement, OECD Recommendation of the Council on Public Procurement, WTO Government Procurement Agreement, Open Contracting Data Standard

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce policy principles, procurement methods and control points. Participants analyse realistic public purchasing cases, review tender and contract documents, and make group decisions on procedure selection, evaluation and supplier management. Simulations cover bidder clarifications, evaluation moderation, debriefing and contract-performance meetings. Throughout the programme, participants apply each method to a selected procurement requirement and receive structured feedback. The final capstone brings the documents into one reviewed procurement package.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have basic experience of purchasing goods, services or works, or supporting public-sector contracts and projects. They should understand common purchasing documents such as requisitions, purchase orders, quotations, contracts or supplier invoices. Familiarity with their employer's procurement policy is useful but not essential. This is an intermediate course, so it does not teach general business writing or introductory spreadsheet use. No law degree, professional procurement qualification, tendering software experience or prior knowledge of international procurement standards 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

Participants should understand basic purchasing or contract activities and common commercial documents. No procurement qualification, law degree or prior knowledge of international procurement standards is required.

Bring a current or planned procurement requirement if your employer permits its use for learning purposes. A laptop is useful for developing planning, evaluation and contract-management documents, although course materials will be provided.

It suits procurement officers, buyers, contract managers, programme staff, finance staff and managers working with public expenditure. It also suits staff in donor-funded projects, public utilities and state-owned enterprises.

The course concentrates on public procurement obligations: fairness, transparency, delegated authority, formal evaluation, audit records and supplier challenge risk. General supply chain topics such as inventory planning, warehousing and transport operations are not the main focus.

Participants develop reusable documents for a real procurement requirement, including a plan, risk register, evaluation model and contract-management plan. The methods can be adapted to the participant's own legislation, policy manuals and approval routes.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours, excluding breaks. The first week builds planning, sourcing and evaluation documents; the second week focuses on award, contract management, assurance and the final procurement-package 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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