Procurement Best Practice Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Procurement Officers, Buyers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 16 Nov 2026 Course code SD-P-082

Before you join: Participants should have basic experience of purchasing, supplier liaison, requisitioning, contract administration or budget management.

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

Procurement teams must secure goods and services at the right cost, quality and delivery conditions while protecting the organisation from supply failure, weak controls, fraud, contractual disputes and reputational damage. This requires more than obtaining quotations: practitioners need a disciplined process from demand definition through sourcing, supplier selection, negotiation, contract management and performance improvement. Poorly specified requirements, untested supplier claims and informal evaluation decisions can create avoidable cost, delay and audit exposure.

This course teaches the principles, methods and control points used in effective procurement. Participants learn to challenge demand, write clear specifications, analyse supply markets, select suitable sourcing routes and run defensible RFx evaluations. They apply total cost of ownership, Kraljic portfolio analysis, should-cost analysis and structured negotiation preparation. The course also addresses contract terms, supplier relationship management, procurement risk, responsible sourcing, spend analysis and performance measurement. Participants gain practical methods for making sound commercial decisions while maintaining fairness, transparency and documented governance.

Teaching combines concise instructor briefings with sector-based cases, group analysis, commercial simulations and individual application planning. Cases reflect procurement situations commonly found in government, banking, infrastructure, manufacturing, healthcare, NGOs and multinational operations. Participants leave with a set of reusable procurement tools, including sourcing and evaluation templates, a negotiation plan, a supplier scorecard and a 90-day improvement plan. The five-day instructor-led course is available in classroom locations in more than 50 cities or live online. Participants who complete the course receive a certificate of completion.

The course is suited to professionals who already contribute to purchasing or supplier-facing work and need a structured approach to end-to-end procurement practice.

What you will be able to do

  • Apply the procurement lifecycle from demand definition through contract close-out
  • Build specifications, statements of work and total cost of ownership models
  • Conduct supply market analysis using Kraljic positioning and supplier due diligence
  • Design RFx documents, evaluation plans and weighted scoring models
  • Evaluate bids using price analysis, cost analysis and documented moderation controls
  • Prepare negotiation plans using BATNA, walk-away points and concession strategies
  • Draft contract management controls for service levels, changes and supplier performance
  • Create a procurement improvement plan with KPIs, savings validation and risk controls

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Make defensible sourcing decisions supported by documented market and bid analysis
  • Negotiate supplier terms using prepared objectives, evidence and concession plans
  • Identify hidden lifecycle costs before awarding contracts or approving specifications
  • Manage supplier underperformance through scorecards, corrective actions and escalation
  • Build evidence for progression into buyer, category management or contract roles

For your organisation

  • Lower avoidable spend through demand challenge, competition and total cost analysis
  • Stronger audit trails for sourcing decisions, approvals and bid evaluations
  • Reduced supply disruption through supplier due diligence and continuity planning
  • Improved contract compliance and reduced maverick spend
  • More reliable supplier performance through measurable service and review arrangements

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can apply a controlled procurement lifecycle and identify key governance requirements.

  • Procurement lifecycle from demand identification through contract close-out and lessons learned
  • Three-way match controls linking purchase orders, receipts and invoices
  • Delegated authority matrices, approval thresholds and segregation of duties
  • Procurement policy hierarchy, standard operating procedures and documented exceptions
  • Make-or-buy analysis using cost, capacity, risk and strategic criteria
  • Stakeholder mapping with RACI roles for requisitioners, finance and legal

Participants can convert business needs into clear, measurable and commercially sound requirements.

  • Demand challenge techniques that remove unnecessary volume, features and variation
  • SMART requirement statements distinguishing outputs, outcomes and technical specifications
  • Statement of work structure: scope, deliverables, milestones, acceptance and governance
  • Should-cost models using labour, materials, overheads, margins and logistics
  • Total cost of ownership including acquisition, operation, maintenance and disposal
  • Specification risk reviews covering ambiguity, bias, proprietary language and exclusions

Participants can assess supply markets and select appropriate category and supplier strategies.

  • Supply market analysis using PESTLE, Porter's Five Forces and supplier mapping
  • Kraljic portfolio positioning by profit impact and supply risk
  • Market intelligence from price indices, trade data and supplier financials
  • Supplier prequalification criteria covering capability, capacity, compliance and solvency
  • Due diligence checks for beneficial ownership, sanctions and conflicts
  • Category strategies linking demand, market conditions, sourcing routes and savings

Participants can select sourcing routes and manage fair, well-structured RFx processes.

  • Sourcing route selection: RFQ, RFP, ITT, framework and direct award
  • RFx documentation with instructions, evaluation criteria, schedules and terms
  • Evaluation plans separating mandatory gates, weighted criteria and scoring guidance
  • Bid comparison using weighted scoring, normalisation and clarification records
  • Competitive dialogue protocols protecting confidentiality, fairness and auditability
  • Procurement timetables with dependencies, approvals, bidder questions and standstill periods

Participants can evaluate supplier bids using evidence-based commercial and technical criteria.

  • Price analysis using benchmarks, historical spend and competitive quotations
  • Cost analysis testing supplier assumptions, cost drivers and profit margins
  • Weighted evaluation models combining technical, commercial, risk and sustainability factors
  • Abnormally low bid review procedures and evidence requirements
  • Clarification logs distinguishing permitted clarification from material bid changes
  • Evaluation moderation controls, conflict declarations and defensible consensus decisions

Participants can prepare and conduct supplier negotiations with clear commercial objectives.

  • Negotiation preparation through objectives, walk-away points, BATNA and concession plans
  • Supplier power assessment using dependency, alternatives, switching costs and market concentration
  • Interest-based bargaining for price, service levels, risk allocation and innovation
  • Concession trading with conditional offers, packages and documented reciprocity
  • Should-cost evidence used to challenge quotations without disclosing confidential information
  • Negotiation records capturing agreements, open issues, owners and deadlines

Participants can establish contract controls that protect service, cost, accountability and change discipline.

  • Contract formation essentials: scope, consideration, authority, acceptance and records
  • Terms selection for goods, services, framework agreements and purchase orders
  • Service level agreements defining measures, targets, remedies and reporting
  • Payment terms, milestone schedules, retention and invoice dispute mechanisms
  • Change control procedures covering requests, approvals, pricing and audit trails
  • Contract risk allocation through warranties, indemnities, liability caps and insurance

Participants can manage supplier performance through segmentation, reviews and corrective actions.

  • Supplier segmentation by criticality, spend, performance and improvement potential
  • Supplier scorecards balancing quality, delivery, cost, service, risk and sustainability
  • Quarterly business reviews structured around data, actions, owners and escalation
  • Corrective action plans using root cause analysis and due dates
  • Performance remedies, service credits and recovery plans for persistent failure
  • Supplier development plans targeting capability gaps, process controls and joint improvement

Participants can identify procurement risks and apply ethical and responsible sourcing controls.

  • Procurement risk register covering supply continuity, fraud, quality and geopolitical exposure
  • Risk scoring through likelihood-impact matrices, controls and residual risk ratings
  • Business continuity requirements for dual sourcing, inventory buffers and recovery plans
  • Ethical procurement controls for gifts, conflicts, bid-rigging and fraud indicators
  • Responsible sourcing due diligence using ISO 20400 principles and supplier evidence
  • Modern slavery and human-rights clauses, assessments and escalation routes

Participants can measure procurement performance and prioritise practical process improvements.

  • Spend analysis cleansing supplier data, categorising expenditure and identifying opportunities
  • Procurement KPI tree linking savings, compliance, cycle time, quality and risk
  • Savings validation separating cost avoidance, budget reduction and cashable savings
  • Benefits tracking with baselines, owners, evidence and finance sign-off
  • Procure-to-pay compliance monitoring for contract use, maverick spend and approvals
  • 90-day procurement improvement plan prioritising actions, milestones and measures

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

What you take back to work

  1. Procurement lifecycle control checklist
  2. Statement of work and specification template
  3. Supply market and Kraljic analysis model
  4. RFx evaluation plan and weighted scoring sheet
  5. Supplier negotiation preparation plan
  6. 90-day procurement improvement plan

Who should attend

  • Procurement Officers — need consistent methods for sourcing, evaluation and supplier control
  • Buyers — need stronger commercial analysis and negotiation discipline
  • Category Managers — need structured category, market and supplier strategies
  • Supply Chain Managers — need to manage supply continuity and supplier performance
  • Contract Managers — need clearer controls for obligations, changes and remedies
  • Budget Holders — need to specify requirements and assess supplier value effectively

Skills and tools covered

Strategic sourcingCommercial evaluationSupplier negotiationContract managementSupply risk managementProcurement analytics

Tools and standards

Kraljic Portfolio Matrix, Total Cost of Ownership, BATNA, ISO 20400

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce procurement methods, controls and commercial principles. Participants work through realistic cases involving demand challenge, market analysis, RFx planning, bid evaluation, negotiation and supplier performance issues. Group exercises test evaluation models, negotiation choices and contract management responses. Simulations develop confidence in handling supplier discussions and competing stakeholder priorities. Individual application planning helps participants select improvements for their own procurement process, category or supplier portfolio.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have basic experience of purchasing, supplier liaison, requisitioning, contract administration or budget management. They should understand common terms such as purchase order, quotation, invoice, contract and supplier. Experience of participating in a tender, managing a supplier or approving spend is useful but not essential. The course assumes comfort with basic arithmetic and spreadsheet-style calculations. No legal qualification, formal procurement certification, specialist software knowledge or advanced financial modelling experience 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 have basic exposure to purchasing, suppliers, contracts, requisitions or spend approval. Formal procurement qualifications are not required, but the course is not designed as an introduction for people with no workplace procurement context.

Bring a current procurement challenge, category, supplier issue or contract process that you want to improve. If permitted by your employer, bring non-confidential examples of specifications, scorecards or approval workflows for reference.

The course is most suitable for buyers, procurement officers, category managers, contract managers and supply chain professionals. Budget holders and operational managers who specify or approve purchases also benefit from understanding the controls and commercial decisions involved.

This course covers the full procurement process and the practical methods used at each stage. Category management courses usually concentrate more deeply on long-term category strategy, while contract law courses focus on legal interpretation and legal remedies.

You can use the templates and models for upcoming sourcing events, supplier reviews and negotiation preparation. The final improvement plan helps you identify actions that can be introduced within the next 90 days.

Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. Time is divided between instructor input, case analysis, group work, simulations and application planning across ten modules.

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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