Procurement for Project Teams Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Project Managers, Programme Managers 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-127

Before you join: Participants should have experience working on projects, programmes or operational initiatives that require goods, works, technology or services from external suppliers.

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

Projects frequently lose time and budget when project teams raise incomplete requirements, select unsuitable suppliers, bypass approval routes or accept changes without contractual control. Procurement staff may manage the formal process, but project managers, engineers, programme officers and budget holders make decisions that determine scope quality, competition, value for money and delivery risk. This course gives project personnel a practical procurement framework for making those decisions within policy, delegated authority and contract terms.

Participants work through the project procurement lifecycle: defining requirements, planning packages, estimating cost, selecting sourcing routes, preparing solicitation documents, evaluating bids, supporting negotiations and administering contracts. The course addresses both commercial and governance concerns, including segregation of duties, conflicts of interest, supplier due diligence, sustainable procurement, change control, claims and close-out. Participants learn to connect procurement milestones to the work breakdown structure, critical path, project budget and risk register.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with cases, document reviews, group exercises, bid-evaluation simulations and guided application planning. Cases reflect capital projects, technology implementation, humanitarian programmes, facilities contracts and professional services purchases. Participants leave with a reusable project procurement plan and supporting templates for requirements, evaluation, contract administration and change control. The course is available as a five-day classroom programme in 50+ cities or live online. Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. Participants receive a certificate of completion.

What you will be able to do

  • Build a project procurement plan linked to scope, schedule, budget and risk controls
  • Draft statements of work, specifications and acceptance criteria suitable for supplier competition
  • Select sourcing routes using market analysis, delegated authority and procurement policy requirements
  • Develop weighted evaluation criteria and score supplier bids using documented evidence
  • Prepare negotiation positions using BATNA, reservation prices and should-cost analysis
  • Administer contracts through milestone acceptance, payment certification and supplier performance scorecards
  • Control variations, claims and disputes using contract clauses, evidence and approval routes
  • Apply ethics, due diligence and sustainable procurement controls to project purchasing decisions

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce procurement plans that anticipate lead times, approvals and critical dependencies
  • Write clearer scopes and acceptance criteria that reduce supplier clarification cycles
  • Contribute defensible evidence to bid evaluations and award recommendations
  • Recognise contractual and governance risks before authorising project changes
  • Manage supplier performance discussions using documented obligations and performance data

For your organisation

  • Fewer project delays caused by late requisitions, unclear specifications and unsuitable sourcing routes
  • More consistent procurement files supporting audit, donor and internal control requirements
  • Better value-for-money decisions through pre-defined evaluation models and total-cost analysis
  • Reduced exposure to conflicts of interest, unauthorised commitments and supplier challenges
  • Stronger contract delivery through disciplined acceptance, change and performance controls

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can define project procurement responsibilities, controls and approval points from need identification to close-out.

  • Project procurement lifecycle from need identification through contract close-out
  • Roles separated through RACI: sponsor, project manager, buyer and evaluator
  • Delegated authority limits, approval gates and procurement policy compliance
  • Procurement plans aligned with scope baseline, schedule and cost baseline
  • Segregation of duties preventing conflicts, fraud and unauthorised commitments
  • Audit trails linking requisitions, approvals, evaluations, contracts and payments
  • Escalation routes for urgent purchases, exceptions and disputed decisions

Participants can convert project needs into procurement packages with clear requirements and informed market assumptions.

  • Statement of work distinguishing outputs, outcomes, acceptance criteria and exclusions
  • Specification methods: functional, performance and conformance requirements compared
  • Work breakdown structure translated into procurement packages and delivery milestones
  • Make-or-buy analysis using capacity, risk, cost and strategic control
  • Market sounding conducted without giving suppliers an unfair advantage
  • Kraljic Portfolio Matrix used to classify supply risk and value
  • Procurement schedule linked to lead times, dependencies and critical path

Participants can select a sourcing strategy supported by cost, risk and evaluation planning.

  • Procurement strategy selecting competition, framework call-off, direct award or emergency route
  • Total Cost of Ownership calculated from acquisition, operation, support and disposal
  • Independent cost estimates built from rates, quantities, benchmarks and contingencies
  • Lotting decisions balancing supplier capacity, competition, interface risk and oversight
  • Evaluation model designed before solicitation, with weighted technical and commercial criteria
  • Bid validity, currency, taxes and price adjustment assumptions documented
  • Procurement risk register assigning owners, triggers, mitigations and residual ratings

Participants can prepare solicitation documents that support fair competition and workable contract delivery.

  • Solicitation documents assembled: instructions, scope, terms, forms and schedules
  • Request for quotation, proposal and invitation to bid distinguished
  • Mandatory requirements drafted as pass-fail criteria rather than scored preferences
  • Performance specifications avoid brand bias while protecting operational needs
  • Contract terms address payment, warranty, liability, insurance and intellectual property
  • Clarification protocols preserve equal treatment and documented communications
  • Supplier due diligence checks sanctions, beneficial ownership, capacity and references

Participants can evaluate bids consistently and produce defensible award recommendations.

  • Bid opening controls secure submissions, timestamps and evaluator independence
  • Compliance screening applies mandatory criteria consistently across all bids
  • Weighted scoring models record evidence, consensus scores and moderation decisions
  • Arithmetic corrections, currency conversion and tax treatment applied transparently
  • Abnormally low bids tested against delivery feasibility and pricing evidence
  • Evaluation reports justify recommendations against published criteria and approvals
  • Conflicts of interest declared, managed and recorded before evaluation

Participants can prepare and support negotiations while preserving procurement integrity and award controls.

  • BATNA and reservation price prepared from cost estimates and market intelligence
  • Negotiation agenda separates negotiable variables from non-negotiable requirements
  • Should-cost analysis challenges supplier assumptions, margins and contingency allowances
  • Concession planning trades value across price, schedule, warranty and payment
  • Clarification, negotiation and post-tender changes controlled under stated rules
  • Award recommendation documents value for money, risks and approval rationale
  • Supplier debriefings communicate outcomes without disclosing protected competitor information

Participants can administer project contracts through clear obligations, acceptance processes and supplier oversight.

  • Contract formation confirms scope, precedence, signatures and effective date
  • Kick-off meetings establish deliverables, contacts, reporting and issue escalation
  • Contract administration plan assigns obligations, evidence, dates and responsible owners
  • Milestone acceptance uses inspection records, test results and sign-off authority
  • Payment certification verifies deliverables, variations, retention and tax documentation
  • Supplier performance scorecards track quality, delivery, responsiveness and corrective actions
  • Expediting methods address late materials, production constraints and logistics risks

Participants can control contract changes and respond to claims with timely evidence and approvals.

  • Change control logs scope, price, schedule and risk impacts
  • Variation requests assessed against contract clauses, delegation and available budget
  • Baseline comparisons distinguish authorised changes from supplier performance failures
  • Claims notices preserve contractual rights, evidence requirements and response deadlines
  • Dispute escalation uses negotiation, senior review, mediation and formal remedies
  • Force majeure, suspension and termination provisions applied with documented advice
  • Commercial correspondence records instructions, reservations and agreed recovery actions

Participants can apply ethical, sustainability and due-diligence controls to project procurement decisions.

  • Procurement ethics address gifts, confidentiality, conflicts and supplier communications
  • Anti-bribery controls identify red flags, reporting routes and protected disclosures
  • Sanctions and debarment screening integrated into supplier onboarding and approvals
  • ISO 20400 principles inform sustainable procurement objectives and supplier requirements
  • Human rights, labour and environmental risks assessed through proportionate due diligence
  • Data protection requirements allocated between project team, buyer and supplier
  • Fraud indicators investigated without compromising evidence or procedural fairness

Participants can close procurement packages properly and apply course controls to forthcoming project purchases.

  • Close-out checklist confirms deliverables, final payment, warranties and records transfer
  • Lessons learned separates procurement process failures from supplier performance issues
  • Supplier performance review converts evidence into renewal, remediation or exit decisions
  • Benefits realisation checks whether procured outputs support intended project outcomes
  • Procurement file retention meets audit, records management and dispute requirements
  • Personal application plan prioritises upcoming procurement decisions, stakeholders and controls
  • Thirty-day actions assign milestones, evidence and manager review points

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

What you take back to work

  1. Project procurement plan template
  2. Statement of work and specification checklist
  3. Weighted bid-evaluation model
  4. Negotiation preparation worksheet
  5. Contract administration plan
  6. Variation and claims control log

Who should attend

  • Project Managers — need to align procurement decisions with scope, schedule and delivery risks
  • Programme Managers — need consistent controls across multiple project procurement packages
  • Project Engineers — need to translate technical needs into clear specifications and acceptance criteria
  • Project Officers — need to manage requisitions, supplier communications and procurement records correctly
  • Technical Evaluators — need to score bids fairly against published criteria and evidence
  • Budget Holders — need to approve project purchases with clear value-for-money evidence

Skills and tools covered

Procurement planningSupplier evaluationCommercial negotiationContract administrationChange controlProcurement governance

Tools and standards

Kraljic Portfolio Matrix, RACI matrix, ISO 20400, Total Cost of Ownership

How the course runs

Training methodology

The instructor uses concise briefings to introduce procurement methods, governance controls and contract concepts. Participants analyse project documents, improve requirements, plan sourcing routes and review supplier submissions against published criteria. Group exercises test decisions on evaluation, negotiation, variation requests and delivery failures. Simulations recreate supplier clarification, bid moderation and contract-performance meetings. Facilitated discussion compares public, donor-funded and corporate procurement constraints. Individual application planning converts course methods into actions for participants' current or upcoming projects.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience working on projects, programmes or operational initiatives that require goods, works, technology or services from external suppliers. Familiarity with basic project terms such as scope, schedule, budget, milestones and risks is assumed. Participants should understand their organisation's purchasing or approval process at a basic level, even if they do not manage procurement directly. Prior procurement qualifications, legal training, contract drafting expertise and advanced financial analysis are not required. The course explains the commercial and governance methods needed for project-facing procurement responsibilities.

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 project concepts and have some exposure to purchasing goods, services, works or technology for a project. Previous procurement training, legal expertise and formal contracting experience are not required.

Bring a current or planned project procurement challenge if your organisation permits discussion without disclosing sensitive information. A laptop is useful for live online delivery and optional for classroom delivery; course materials are provided.

The course is designed for project managers, programme staff, engineers, technical evaluators, budget holders and project officers who interact with procurement teams or suppliers. It is particularly useful where project staff define needs, approve purchases or monitor contract delivery.

General procurement courses often focus on the purchasing function and category management. This course concentrates on procurement decisions made within projects, including package planning, schedule dependencies, technical evaluation, milestone acceptance and variation control.

Participants can use the project procurement plan, specification checklist, evaluation model and contract administration plan on active or upcoming procurement packages. The final application plan identifies priority decisions, stakeholders, controls and evidence needed during the next 30 days.

The programme contains ten teaching modules covering the full project procurement lifecycle, from governance and requirements through close-out. Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30, with about 6.5 contact hours combining instruction, case work, simulations and application planning.

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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