Purchasing and Contract Negotiation 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 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-P-064

Before you join: Participants should have practical exposure to buying goods or services, working with suppliers, raising purchase requests, reviewing quotations or supporting contracts.

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

Purchasing teams are expected to secure supply, control total cost, manage supplier risk and obtain contract terms that protect operational delivery. These demands often conflict: a supplier may offer a low unit price but impose inflexible lead times, weak service remedies or exposure to price changes. Buyers need a disciplined approach to sourcing, supplier evaluation and negotiation rather than relying on price pressure or personal bargaining style.

This course develops practical purchasing and contract negotiation capability for professionals managing goods, services and supplier relationships. Participants examine spend and supply markets, define requirements, select sourcing routes, assess supplier proposals and build negotiation positions. They use the Kraljic Portfolio Matrix, total cost of ownership analysis, BATNA, ZOPA and structured concession planning. The course also addresses contract scope, service levels, pricing, liability, change control, performance management and supplier relationship governance.

Instructor-led sessions combine short briefings with procurement cases, supplier bid comparisons, negotiation simulations and contract clause reviews. Participants work through realistic purchasing situations such as critical spare-parts supply, outsourced facilities services, technology implementation and framework agreements. Each participant leaves with a reusable sourcing and negotiation toolkit, including a supplier evaluation model, negotiation preparation plan and contract management checklist. The course runs for five days, 08:30-16:30, in classrooms in 50+ cities or live online, and includes a certificate of completion.

It is particularly suitable for buyers, category staff, contract managers and operational leaders who contribute to supplier selection or commercial negotiations.

What you will be able to do

  • Apply the Kraljic Portfolio Matrix to segment spend and select sourcing approaches
  • Develop total cost of ownership analyses for purchasing and supplier comparison decisions
  • Prepare supplier evaluation criteria, weighted scorecards and defensible award recommendations
  • Construct negotiation plans using BATNA, ZOPA, interests and concession strategies
  • Conduct commercial negotiations on price, service, risk allocation and contract terms
  • Draft contract schedules covering scope, service levels, pricing and change control
  • Establish supplier performance measures, review routines and corrective action processes
  • Produce a purchasing and contract negotiation action plan for a live requirement

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Greater confidence preparing for high-value supplier negotiations
  • A repeatable method for comparing supplier offers beyond unit price
  • Clearer judgement on when to compete, negotiate, collaborate or secure supply
  • Practical language for challenging weak supplier terms and unclear scope
  • Evidence-based input to award decisions and contract approvals

For your organisation

  • Better value decisions through total cost and risk-based supplier evaluation
  • Stronger contract terms for service, pricing, change and supplier accountability
  • Reduced exposure to supply disruption, scope disputes and uncontrolled variations
  • More consistent negotiation preparation across purchasing teams
  • Improved supplier performance through measurable reviews and corrective actions

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can align a purchasing requirement with an appropriate sourcing and commercial strategy.

  • Purchasing objectives balanced across cost, quality, delivery, risk and service
  • Stakeholder requirements converted into clear commercial and operational priorities
  • Kraljic Portfolio Matrix classifies spend by profit impact and supply risk
  • Strategic, bottleneck, leverage and routine items require distinct purchasing approaches
  • Make-buy analysis tests external supply against internal capability and cost
  • Demand management reduces unnecessary specification, volume and supplier complexity

Participants can assess supply markets and choose a sourcing route suited to the requirement.

  • Supply market mapping identifies capacity, competition, entry barriers and dependencies
  • Porter's Five Forces assesses supplier power and market attractiveness
  • Supplier positioning reveals alternatives, switching costs and concentration exposure
  • Sourcing routes compared: quotation, tender, framework, direct award and auction
  • Competitive tension designed without damaging essential supplier relationships
  • Market intelligence sources tested for currency, relevance and commercial bias

Participants can define requirements and analyse costs before approaching suppliers.

  • Outcome-based specifications define required results without prescribing supplier methods
  • Statement of work structures deliverables, milestones, assumptions and acceptance criteria
  • Total cost of ownership includes acquisition, operation, maintenance and disposal
  • Should-cost analysis separates materials, labour, overhead, margin and logistics
  • Cost breakdown requests expose pricing assumptions and negotiation opportunities
  • Volume, demand variability and lead-time data shape purchasing commitments

Participants can evaluate supplier capability, risk and commercial suitability using documented criteria.

  • Prequalification criteria test financial standing, capacity, compliance and relevant experience
  • Weighted evaluation scorecards distinguish mandatory requirements from scored criteria
  • Financial ratio review considers liquidity, profitability, gearing and cash generation
  • Supplier due diligence checks ownership, sanctions, conflicts and adverse findings
  • Quality assurance evidence reviewed through ISO 9001 processes and records
  • Evaluation moderation records consensus, evidence gaps and award rationale

Participants can run a fair supplier selection process and make a defensible award recommendation.

  • Request for quotation documents scope, pricing format, timetable and conditions
  • Tender instructions establish submission rules, clarifications and confidentiality requirements
  • Bid compliance checks separate responsive offers from material deviations
  • Clarification questions resolve ambiguity without changing evaluation treatment
  • Price normalisation compares bids with different assumptions, currencies and inclusions
  • Award recommendations document value, risk, approvals and supplier selection rationale

Participants can prepare evidence-based negotiation positions for supplier discussions.

  • BATNA identifies the best alternative if agreement cannot be reached
  • ZOPA defines the bargaining range between buyer and supplier limits
  • Interests, positions and constraints separated before proposing commercial solutions
  • Negotiation mandate sets authority, walk-away points and escalation boundaries
  • Concession planning trades lower-priority items for higher-value commercial returns
  • Fact packs assemble spend, market, cost, performance and contract evidence

Participants can conduct structured negotiations while protecting commercial objectives and relationships.

  • Opening agendas establish purpose, authority, priorities and meeting rules
  • Questioning techniques uncover supplier interests, assumptions and decision constraints
  • Anchoring and framing influence expectations without making unsupported demands
  • Package proposals connect price, volume, term, service and payment conditions
  • Conditional concessions use if-then language to protect reciprocal value
  • Negotiation logs capture offers, agreements, unresolved issues and follow-up actions

Participants can identify and negotiate contract terms that control delivery and commercial risk.

  • Contract formation requires clear offer, acceptance, consideration and authority
  • Scope schedules prevent disputes through defined deliverables, exclusions and acceptance
  • Pricing mechanisms compare fixed, indexed, cost-plus and milestone-based structures
  • Service level agreements specify measures, reporting, remedies and escalation
  • Liability clauses allocate exposure through caps, exclusions and indemnities
  • Change control governs scope changes, approvals, pricing and implementation dates

Participants can manage contract performance and address supplier issues before they escalate.

  • Contract management plans assign obligations, owners, dates and governance forums
  • Key performance indicators measure quality, delivery, responsiveness, cost and safety
  • Supplier review meetings distinguish operational issues from strategic relationship decisions
  • Corrective action requests define root causes, actions, owners and deadlines
  • Performance improvement plans address recurring failure and recovery commitments
  • Renewal and exit planning protects continuity, data, assets and transition arrangements

Participants can apply ethical controls and plan improved purchasing and negotiation practice.

  • Conflict-of-interest declarations protect impartiality in supplier selection and negotiation
  • Gifts, hospitality and supplier contact managed through clear approval rules
  • ISO 20400 principles support responsible purchasing decisions and supplier expectations
  • Negotiation ethics distinguish legitimate persuasion from deception and coercion
  • Application priorities selected from current sourcing, contract and supplier challenges
  • Ninety-day action plans assign actions, stakeholders, evidence and review dates

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

What you take back to work

  1. Kraljic Portfolio Matrix worksheet
  2. Total cost of ownership model
  3. Weighted supplier evaluation scorecard
  4. Negotiation preparation and concession plan
  5. Contract terms and risk checklist
  6. Ninety-day purchasing application plan

Who should attend

  • Procurement Officers — need structured sourcing and negotiation methods for supplier awards
  • Buyers — require stronger commercial preparation for routine and complex purchases
  • Category Managers — need to align spend strategies with supplier market conditions
  • Contract Managers — need clearer terms, performance controls and supplier remedies
  • Supply Chain Managers — need to reduce supply risk through better supplier agreements
  • Operational Managers — contribute requirements and negotiate services with external providers

Skills and tools covered

Strategic sourcingSupplier evaluationCommercial negotiationContract draftingCost analysisSupplier performance management

Tools and standards

Kraljic Portfolio Matrix, BATNA, ZOPA, ISO 20400

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce purchasing methods, commercial concepts and contract controls. Participants analyse spend profiles, supplier quotations and contract scenarios drawn from goods, services and outsourced operations. Group work tests supplier evaluation choices and sourcing strategies. Negotiation simulations allow participants to prepare positions, exchange proposals, handle concessions and record agreements. Facilitated reviews identify what strengthened or weakened each position. Participants then adapt the tools to a current purchasing requirement and produce a focused application plan.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical exposure to buying goods or services, working with suppliers, raising purchase requests, reviewing quotations or supporting contracts. They should understand basic purchasing terminology such as specification, quotation, purchase order, invoice and supplier. Some experience of supplier meetings or commercial discussions is useful, but formal negotiation training is not required. The course does not assume legal qualification, advanced finance knowledge or prior use of a procurement system. Participants should bring examples of current purchasing or supplier issues where confidentiality permits.

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 some exposure to purchasing, suppliers, quotations, contracts or purchase orders. No legal qualification, formal procurement credential or previous negotiation course is required.

Bring a current or recent purchasing requirement, supplier issue or contract challenge if you can discuss it without breaching confidentiality. A laptop is useful for live online delivery and helpful, but not essential, for classroom delivery.

It suits buyers, procurement officers, category managers, contract managers and operational managers with supplier responsibilities. It is designed for professionals who already work with purchasing decisions rather than people seeking an introductory procurement orientation.

The course concentrates on the commercial work between defining a requirement and managing an awarded contract. It gives particular attention to supplier evaluation, negotiation preparation, contract terms and post-award performance management.

The templates can be used for a live quotation, tender, supplier meeting or contract review. Participants leave with an action plan linked to a current requirement, allowing them to apply the methods with their manager and stakeholders.

The course contains ten modules taught in sequence, covering purchasing strategy, sourcing, evaluation, negotiation, contracting and supplier management. Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours, with breaks scheduled by the instructor.

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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