Value for Money in Public Procurement Training Course

Participants can frame a procurement need in terms of required outcomes, users and constraints.

• Problem statements separating symptoms, root causes and desired outcomes
• Stakeholder mapping for users, funders, technical experts and affected communities
• Demand analysis using historical spend, volumes and service-performance data
• Requirements prioritised through MoSCoW and critical-to-quality characteristics
• Baseline measures establishing current costs, quality and service gaps
• Assumptions, dependencies and constraints documented within the procurement brief

Participants can draft clear, outcome-based requirements that permit fair supplier competition.

• Outcome-based specifications focused on measurable service and user results
• Functional specifications defining required performance without prescribing supplier methods
• Technical specifications using standards, tolerances and acceptance criteria
• Brand references managed through equivalent-product provisions and justification
• Accessibility, environmental and social requirements stated as measurable conditions
• Requirement traceability matrix connecting needs, criteria and contract measures

Participants can assess market conditions and supplier capacity before selecting a sourcing route.

• Supply market analysis covering structure, capacity, competition and entry barriers
• Porter's Five Forces applied to supplier bargaining conditions
• Supplier segmentation using spend, criticality and supply-risk assessments
• Market sounding protocols protecting fairness, confidentiality and competition
• Benchmarking prices, service models and commercial terms from comparable procurements
• Market failure indicators requiring aggregation, lotting or alternative delivery models

Participants can compare delivery and sourcing options using documented costs, benefits and risks.

• Do-nothing, do-minimum and preferred-option comparisons for procurement business cases
• Make-buy analysis for in-house, outsourced and shared-service delivery
• Options appraisal criteria covering cost, quality, timing, risk and policy outcomes
• Multi-criteria decision analysis using weighted non-price and price factors
• Sensitivity testing for uncertain demand, prices and implementation assumptions
• Benefits maps linking procurement outputs to service and public outcomes

Participants can build total cost models that compare procurement alternatives over their useful lives.

• Total cost of ownership components from acquisition through disposal
• Cost breakdown structures for goods, services, works and technology purchases
• Direct, indirect, fixed and variable cost classifications
• Life-cycle costing using maintenance, energy, consumables and replacement assumptions
• Discounted cash flow concepts for long-term procurement alternatives
• Cost model assumptions, data sources and validation checks

Participants can assess affordability and financial implications before committing public funds.

• Budget envelopes, funding restrictions and multiyear commitment controls
• Cash-flow profiles matched to milestones, invoices and payment terms
• Net present value calculations for competing long-term delivery options
• Inflation, foreign exchange and price-adjustment assumptions in cost forecasts
• Scenario analysis for demand variation, delays and supplier price changes
• Affordability statements distinguishing approved budgets from total programme costs

Participants can identify, analyse and allocate risks to the party best able to manage them.

• Procurement risk registers using likelihood, impact, owner and treatment fields
• Risk breakdown structures covering commercial, technical, legal and delivery risks
• Probability-impact matrices calibrated to organisational risk appetite
• Risk allocation matrices assigning ownership, mitigation and residual exposure
• Contingency estimates supported by quantified risk assumptions
• Sensitivity analysis identifying variables with greatest cost and outcome effects

Participants can select a sourcing strategy proportionate to market conditions, value and risk.

• Procurement route selection based on value, complexity, urgency and competition
• Open, restricted and negotiated procedures matched to procurement circumstances
• Lotting strategies balancing supplier access, integration and contract management
• Framework agreements, dynamic purchasing systems and call-off competition
• Aggregation analysis for common requirements and demand consolidation
• Bidder qualification requirements tested for relevance and proportionality

Participants can design evaluation criteria and scoring models that distinguish bidder value fairly.

• Mandatory requirements separated from scored quality and commercial criteria
• Weighted evaluation criteria aligned with procurement objectives and risk
• Price-quality ratios justified through requirement criticality and market evidence
• Rating scales with anchored descriptors for consistent evaluator judgement
• Price scoring formulas tested for proportionality and unintended incentives
• Evaluation plans defining roles, evidence sources, moderation and approvals

Participants can prepare tender documents that obtain comparable, evaluable and enforceable bids.

• Instructions to bidders specifying submission format and response schedules
• Compliance matrices connecting tender questions to evaluation criteria
• Pricing schedules capturing unit rates, assumptions, exclusions and taxes
• Clarification protocols preserving equal treatment and documented communication
• Tender timetables allowing proportionate bidder preparation and internal review
• Contract terms issued early enough for informed commercial responses

Participants can conduct structured bid evaluations and document defensible scoring decisions.

• Evaluator briefings covering confidentiality, conflicts and scoring discipline
• Individual scoring before panel moderation and consensus discussion
• Evidence-based scoring using bidder responses, references and demonstrations
• Moderation records explaining score changes and unresolved differences
• Arithmetic checks, abnormally low bid review and pricing validation
• Evaluation reports documenting method, scores, findings and recommendation

Participants can plan proportionate supplier due diligence before award and mobilisation.

• Financial capacity checks using liquidity, profitability and solvency indicators
• Reference checks focused on comparable scope, outcomes and delivery evidence
• Beneficial ownership, sanctions and exclusion screening requirements
• Quality management evidence assessed against ISO 9001 principles
• Business continuity and cybersecurity checks for critical service suppliers
• Due diligence findings translated into award conditions and mitigation actions

Participants can align contract structure and commercial terms with value-for-money objectives.

• Contract type selection: fixed-price, reimbursable, unit-rate and outcome-based
• Payment mechanisms linked to deliverables, acceptance and verified performance
• Incentives and service credits designed around measurable supplier behaviour
• Change-control procedures protecting scope, budget and approval authority
• Indexation clauses using published indices and transparent adjustment formulas
• Exit, transition and step-in provisions for continuity protection

Participants can establish performance controls that demonstrate contract value after award.

• Key performance indicators defining measures, targets, sources and owners
• Service-level agreements specifying response times, availability and remedies
• Balanced scorecards combining cost, quality, delivery and stakeholder outcomes
• Contract review agendas using performance trends, issues and corrective actions
• Benefits-realisation plans tracking expected savings and service improvements
• Supplier improvement plans with milestones, accountability and escalation routes

Participants can incorporate legitimate social, environmental and ethical objectives into procurement analysis.

• Sustainable procurement criteria aligned with ISO 20400 guidance
• Life-cycle environmental impacts assessed through energy, waste and emissions data
• Social value requirements framed as relevant, measurable contract commitments
• Labour standards, safeguarding and responsible sourcing due diligence
• Supplier diversity measures designed within equal-treatment obligations
• Verification evidence for environmental and social performance claims

Participants can maintain procurement records that support approval, challenge and audit review.

• Procurement file indexes covering decisions, approvals, communications and evidence
• Decision logs recording alternatives, rationale, authority and conditions
• Segregation of duties across specification, evaluation, approval and payment
• Gateway reviews at business case, tender, award and mobilisation stages
• Management information reporting on savings, competition and contract performance
• Audit queries answered through traceable evidence and contemporaneous records

Participants can assess proposed contract changes for value, authority and competitive fairness.

• Variation requests tested against scope, necessity, cost and approval limits
• Change impact assessments covering time, quality, risk and affordability
• Negotiation preparation using target positions, walk-away points and tradeables
• Cost verification through open-book evidence, rates and benchmark comparisons
• Contract amendment records preserving authority, rationale and revised obligations
• Post-change reviews confirming expected benefits and supplier accountability

Participants can communicate value-for-money findings clearly to decision-makers and assurance bodies.

• Executive summaries presenting need, options, recommendation and key trade-offs
• Value-for-money dashboards combining cost, performance, risk and benefit measures
• Data visualisation choices for evaluation results and whole-life costs
• Assumption registers distinguishing verified facts from management estimates
• Recommendations structured around decision required, evidence and implementation actions
• Briefing senior committees on procurement risk, affordability and delivery confidence

Participants can build, review and present a complete value-for-money procurement case with a defensible recommendation.

• Procurement business case integrating need, options, costs, risks and benefits
• Requirement traceability matrix linking outcomes, specifications and performance measures
• Total cost model comparing shortlisted delivery and sourcing alternatives
• Evaluation framework with weighted criteria, scoring descriptors and governance controls
• Risk register and allocation matrix supporting the recommended contract strategy
• Executive presentation defending recommendation, trade-offs and implementation controls