Strategic Sourcing and Category Management Training Course

Duration 10 days 20 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Advanced Certificate on completion
Who attends Category Managers, Strategic Sourcing Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-P-068

Before you join: Participants should have practical procurement experience, including supplier selection, tendering, contract administration or supplier performance review.

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

Strategic sourcing and category management determine whether procurement teams merely process demand or shape supply markets, specifications, supplier performance and commercial outcomes. Senior buyers are expected to reduce total cost, manage supply risk, improve service levels and build credible category strategies while working with stakeholders who may have competing priorities. This requires more than running tenders: it requires evidence-based market analysis, demand management, cost modelling, negotiation planning and disciplined supplier governance.

This advanced course develops the methods used to manage high-value, complex and business-critical spend categories. Participants analyse spend, segment suppliers using the Kraljic Portfolio Matrix, define category boundaries, assess markets through PESTLE and Porter's Five Forces, build total cost of ownership models and develop sourcing strategies. The course also addresses stakeholder alignment, specification challenge, should-cost analysis, sourcing event design, evaluation governance, negotiation, contracting and supplier relationship management.

Participants work with a continuing category case and apply each method to a category relevant to their role. Short tutor briefings establish the tools, followed by case analysis, group decisions, negotiation simulations and structured review. By the end of the course, each participant has produced a complete category strategy and sourcing plan, including market evidence, stakeholder analysis, commercial approach, risk controls, implementation milestones and performance measures.

The course suits experienced procurement professionals, category managers and supply chain leaders responsible for material spend, strategic suppliers or multi-year sourcing decisions. It is also relevant to finance, operations and technical leaders who contribute to major sourcing and supplier-management decisions.

What you will be able to do

  • Construct a spend cube and category baseline from purchasing, supplier and demand data
  • Apply the Kraljic Portfolio Matrix to determine category-specific sourcing approaches
  • Develop a category strategy using market, stakeholder, cost and risk analysis
  • Build total cost of ownership and should-cost models for sourcing decisions
  • Design a governed sourcing process with evaluation criteria and decision controls
  • Prepare and conduct commercial negotiations using BATNA, targets and concessions
  • Create supplier relationship management plans with performance and risk measures
  • Present a complete category strategy and sourcing implementation roadmap

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce category strategies that withstand stakeholder and executive scrutiny
  • Challenge specifications using demand, cost and market evidence
  • Lead negotiations with clear targets, walk-away positions and concession plans
  • Assess supplier proposals beyond quoted unit price
  • Build a stronger record for senior procurement and commercial roles

For your organisation

  • Improved sourcing decisions based on total cost, supply risk and market evidence
  • Lower avoidable spend through specification challenge and demand management
  • More consistent tender governance and auditable award decisions
  • Stronger supplier performance through segmented relationship management
  • Category plans linked to business priorities, budgets and implementation ownership

Course modules

20 modules over 10 days

Participants can distinguish category management from transactional buying and define its commercial purpose.

  • Strategic sourcing lifecycle from demand definition through supplier performance review
  • Category management scope, governance and decision rights within procurement
  • Procurement value creation through cost, risk, service and innovation
  • Category strategy components linked to business and operating priorities
  • Roles of buyers, stakeholders, budget holders and contract managers
  • Ethical conduct, confidentiality and conflict-of-interest controls during sourcing

Participants can create a fact-based category baseline from available spend and supplier data.

  • Spend cube analysis by supplier, category, business unit and location
  • Data cleansing rules for duplicate suppliers, currencies and inconsistent descriptions
  • Pareto analysis identifying high-value suppliers, categories and purchasing patterns
  • Tail-spend assessment using transaction frequency, value and buying-channel data
  • Demand baseline separating recurring requirements from one-off purchases
  • Opportunity hypotheses based on price variance, fragmentation and compliance gaps

Participants can define category boundaries that support meaningful market and spend analysis.

  • Category taxonomies aligned with UNSPSC, internal coding and market structures
  • Demand aggregation criteria across sites, functions and contract periods
  • Make-buy boundaries for goods, services, outsourced operations and facilities
  • Specification commonality assessed before combining requirements into sourcing lots
  • Lotting strategy balancing competition, supplier capability and implementation practicality
  • Scope statements defining inclusions, exclusions, interfaces and demand assumptions

Participants can align stakeholders around demand, requirements and category decisions.

  • Stakeholder mapping using power-interest analysis and influence strategies
  • RACI matrix for category decisions, approvals and implementation accountabilities
  • Voice-of-customer interviews structured around outcomes, pain points and constraints
  • Demand challenge techniques for consumption, service levels and specifications
  • Requirements prioritisation using MoSCoW criteria and measurable acceptance standards
  • Business case assumptions tested with budget holders and technical owners

Participants can assess supply-market conditions and their implications for sourcing strategy.

  • PESTLE analysis identifying external forces affecting category supply markets
  • Porter's Five Forces applied to supplier power and competitive intensity
  • Market mapping of suppliers, channels, substitutes and capability clusters
  • Capacity, lead-time and input-cost indicators affecting supply availability
  • Supplier financial health signals from accounts, credit data and payment patterns
  • Market intelligence sources evaluated for reliability, timeliness and commercial relevance

Participants can segment categories and suppliers to select proportionate management approaches.

  • Kraljic Portfolio Matrix positioning by profit impact and supply risk
  • Strategic, leverage, bottleneck and non-critical sourcing responses compared
  • Supplier segmentation using spend, criticality, performance and relationship potential
  • Dependency analysis covering single sources, switching barriers and concentration
  • Portfolio actions matched to category position and supply-market conditions
  • Segmentation review triggers following market disruption, growth or supplier change

Participants can evaluate sourcing options using total cost rather than unit price alone.

  • Total cost of ownership components from acquisition through end-of-life disposal
  • Cost-driver trees separating material, labour, overhead, logistics and margin
  • Should-cost models built from process steps, inputs and market assumptions
  • Lifecycle costing for equipment, technology, facilities and service contracts
  • Price-versus-cost analysis identifying negotiation questions and value opportunities
  • Sensitivity analysis testing volume, currency, inflation and demand scenarios

Participants can identify category risks and specify proportionate mitigation measures.

  • Risk register design covering supply, commercial, operational and reputational exposures
  • Probability-impact scoring with inherent, residual and target risk ratings
  • Supply continuity plans for critical materials, services and single-source suppliers
  • Scenario planning for disruption, capacity loss, price shocks and supplier failure
  • ISO 20400 principles applied to responsible procurement decision-making
  • Environmental, social and governance requirements translated into supplier controls

Participants can select a sourcing strategy suited to category economics and risk.

  • Sourcing options comparing competition, partnership, framework and direct award
  • Build, buy, lease and outsource decisions evaluated through strategic criteria
  • Competitive tension designed through lotting, bidder selection and timing
  • Supplier consolidation and diversification choices assessed against dependency risks
  • Global, regional and local sourcing models matched to category requirements
  • Strategy-on-a-page linking objectives, initiatives, owners and success measures

Participants can plan sourcing projects with clear stages, controls and decision points.

  • Stage-gate sourcing plans from strategy approval through contract mobilisation
  • Project charters defining objectives, scope, governance and critical assumptions
  • Work breakdown structures for market engagement, tendering and implementation
  • Decision logs recording approvals, rationale, exceptions and delegated authority
  • Procurement calendars aligned with budgets, demand cycles and contract expiries
  • Risk-adjusted timelines accounting for approvals, negotiations and transition dependencies

Participants can develop clear requirements that support competition and contract performance.

  • Outcome-based specifications focused on measurable results and service levels
  • Statement of work structure covering scope, deliverables, interfaces and assumptions
  • Functional specifications separating essential performance from preferred design choices
  • Service level agreements with metrics, reporting frequency and remedy mechanisms
  • Acceptance criteria defining quality, testing, handover and approval requirements
  • Specification challenge preventing unnecessary complexity, brand bias and gold-plating

Participants can engage markets ethically before formal sourcing and use findings appropriately.

  • Request for information design testing market capability and solution options
  • Supplier briefings structured around equal access and controlled disclosures
  • Market sounding protocols preserving competition, confidentiality and audit trails
  • Prequalification criteria assessing capability, capacity, financial strength and compliance
  • Supplier questions analysed for specification gaps and commercial signals
  • Engagement findings incorporated into strategy, requirements and sourcing documentation

Participants can produce sourcing documents that obtain comparable and decision-ready proposals.

  • Request for proposal structure covering instructions, requirements and contract terms
  • Evaluation criteria weighted against strategic, technical, commercial and risk priorities
  • Bid response templates designed for comparability and evidence-based scoring
  • Pricing schedules capturing unit rates, volumes, assumptions and cost escalators
  • Tender timelines managing clarification, submission, evaluation and award stages
  • Confidentiality, auditability and equal-treatment controls throughout bidder communications

Participants can evaluate proposals fairly and make defensible supplier award recommendations.

  • Evaluation plans defining scoring methods, evaluator roles and moderation rules
  • Weighted scoring models combining quality, price, risk and strategic fit
  • Total evaluated cost calculations using lifecycle, transition and operating assumptions
  • Consensus moderation resolving score differences through documented evidence
  • Due diligence checks covering finances, references, sanctions and capability
  • Award recommendations presenting rationale, value, risks and approval requirements

Participants can prepare disciplined negotiation plans using evidence and clear authority limits.

  • BATNA analysis establishing alternatives, walk-away points and bargaining power
  • Negotiation objectives separating target, reservation and aspiration positions
  • Issue trading matrices connecting concessions with reciprocal supplier commitments
  • Cost-model evidence used to challenge prices, margins and indexation proposals
  • Negotiation mandates defining authority levels, escalation routes and approval limits
  • Supplier motivation analysis identifying interests, constraints and decision-makers

Participants can conduct structured negotiations and convert agreed positions into clear records.

  • Opening positions framed around value, evidence and shared commercial interests
  • Questioning techniques exposing assumptions, constraints and supplier decision criteria
  • Concession management using conditional trades rather than unilateral price movement
  • Deadlock handling through reframing, escalation, pauses and alternative packages
  • Negotiation logs recording offers, counteroffers, commitments and unresolved issues
  • Heads of terms translated into contract schedules and implementation actions

Participants can identify contract controls required to protect value through delivery.

  • Contract pricing mechanisms including fixed, indexed, cost-plus and gainshare models
  • Payment terms linked to milestones, acceptance, retention and invoice controls
  • Change-control procedures governing scope, price, timelines and authorisation
  • Liability, indemnity and insurance clauses assessed with legal specialists
  • Performance remedies covering service credits, corrective actions and termination rights
  • Contract handover packs transferring obligations, risks and management responsibilities

Participants can establish supplier management arrangements matched to supplier importance and risk.

  • Supplier relationship management models matched to segmentation and strategic importance
  • Joint business plans defining mutual objectives, commitments and review cadence
  • Supplier performance scorecards balancing quality, cost, delivery, risk and innovation
  • Quarterly business reviews structured around evidence, decisions and action ownership
  • Corrective action plans addressing recurring service failures and root causes
  • Supplier development choices covering capability, process improvement and investment

Participants can track category outcomes and verify that planned benefits are realised.

  • Category KPIs linking commercial actions to cost, service and risk outcomes
  • Savings classification distinguishing budget reduction, cost avoidance and value improvement
  • Benefits tracking baselines validated with finance and budget owners
  • Compliance measures covering contract usage, off-contract spend and maverick buying
  • Balanced scorecards connecting supplier measures with category strategic objectives
  • Benefits review routines identifying corrective actions and further opportunities

Participants can build, review and present a complete category strategy and sourcing implementation plan.

  • Category baseline integrating spend, demand, supplier and contract information
  • Market assessment applying PESTLE, Five Forces and supplier capability evidence
  • Kraljic positioning supported by profit-impact and supply-risk rationale
  • Sourcing strategy specifying commercial model, route-to-market and supplier approach
  • Implementation roadmap assigning milestones, owners, risks and performance measures
  • Executive presentation defending recommendations, assumptions, trade-offs and expected benefits

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

What you take back to work

  1. Category strategy-on-a-page template
  2. Spend cube and opportunity analysis
  3. Total cost of ownership model
  4. Sourcing project stage-gate plan
  5. Negotiation planning worksheet
  6. Supplier relationship management scorecard

Who should attend

  • Category Managers — responsible for shaping multi-year category strategies and supplier plans
  • Strategic Sourcing Managers — leading complex tenders, negotiations and sourcing programmes
  • Senior Buyers — moving from transactional purchasing to category ownership
  • Procurement Managers — setting sourcing governance, team standards and commercial priorities
  • Supply Chain Managers — managing supply continuity, supplier capacity and service performance
  • Technical and Operations Managers — contributing requirements and decisions to major sourcing projects

Skills and tools covered

Category strategy developmentSpend analysisTotal cost modellingStrategic negotiationSupplier relationship managementSourcing governance

Tools and standards

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

How the course runs

Training methodology

Teaching combines focused tutor briefings with category cases drawn from manufacturing, financial services, public procurement and service operations. Participants interpret spend data, assess supply markets, build cost models, develop sourcing documents and test negotiation positions. Group exercises examine stakeholder conflict, supplier risk and award decisions; simulations develop negotiation and supplier-review skills. Individual application planning connects each method to a live or selected category. Tutors provide structured feedback on assumptions, evidence, commercial logic and implementation priorities.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical procurement experience, including supplier selection, tendering, contract administration or supplier performance review. They should understand common procurement terms such as specification, request for proposal, purchase order, contract, lead time and supplier performance measure. Experience of managing a spend category, sourcing project or supplier portfolio is helpful. The course assumes confidence interpreting basic purchasing and financial data. Prior study of category management, formal procurement qualifications, advanced spreadsheet modelling or legal training is not 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 already understand core procurement processes and have experience with sourcing, suppliers or contracts. This is an advanced course focused on category strategy, commercial analysis and supplier management rather than introductory purchasing procedures.

Participants may bring non-confidential information about a category, supplier issue or upcoming sourcing project they want to develop. A laptop is useful for working with templates and case materials, particularly on live online delivery.

It is designed for category managers, strategic sourcing professionals, senior buyers and procurement managers handling material or complex spend. Operations, finance and technical leaders involved in major sourcing decisions also benefit.

General procurement courses focus on the end-to-end purchasing process, while contract management concentrates on administering signed agreements. This course focuses on category strategy, supply-market analysis, total cost, sourcing choices, negotiation and supplier portfolio decisions.

Participants leave with reusable formats for category analysis, sourcing plans, cost models, negotiation preparation and supplier reviews. These can be applied to a live category, upcoming tender, supplier reset or spend-reduction initiative.

The first week builds the category evidence base: spend, stakeholders, markets, cost and risk. The second week develops sourcing execution, negotiation, contracts, supplier management and a final category strategy presentation; each day runs 08:30-16:30 with about 6.5 contact hours.

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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