Learning Objectives

The course will be delivered through one session and will enable you to learn how to:

• Conduct category, internal and supplier research to identify and validate opportunity areas
• Develop relationships and suppliers selection matrix and define a strategic sourcing strategy
• Prepare a negotiation plan and RFI/RFP documents
• Negotiate
• Implement and develop a supplier strategy

What we do

Investigate: The most crucial yet most 'skipped' area of the strategic sourcing process. We will help you with research techniques to understand the marketplace, the suppliers and your internal demand/usage.

Develop strategy: We teach you how to take the information from the Investigate step and use it to your best advantage. We explore if an RFP is the right tool for the next step, or if it is better to negotiate directly.

Course Content

Each step in the seven-step process is a course module.

Set up: How to set up for success, get the right stakeholders on board, create your communications plan and risks and issues trackers.

Investigate: Learn how to conduct category, internal and supplier research to identify and validate opportunity areas.

Develop a strategy: Develop a relationship and a supplier selection matrix. Define sourcing strategy.

Prepare to test the marketplace: Learn how to write RFI/RFP documents, the questions you should ask, how to score them and how to prepare a negotiation plan.

Negotiate: How to conduct a supplier negotiation using the information you have gathered in the first four steps of the process, how to use a team to negotiate, and how to ensure your negotiations leave you with a good supplier relationship.

Implement: Deliver a negotiations' outcome review, finalise the strategy, prepare a formal supply agreement, develop an implementation plan and prepare contracts. Plan for implementation and rollout.

Develop supply chain: How to build continuous improvement in the Supplier relationship and supply chain. Preparing for supplier relationship and performance management. 360 review models and supplier account planning.

How is it delivered?

Training is delivered through three key activities to ensure students are engaged and applying their learnings:

Workshop: Instructor-led 90-minute session in an interactive and engaging format (virtually or in-person).

Assignments: Students apply the module’s content to the job by completing a set of assignments, which takes 1–2 hours to complete. Ideally, This on-the-job activity should focus on a live supplier relationship to make the training relevant and bring its value to life.

Coaching: Throughout the assignment period, students get access to the course leader for 1:1 coaching support (30 minutes for each course module) to build on their understanding and ensure effective implementation.

Resources: All course attendees will receive a complete suite of support resources – templates and reference material – to ensure a consistent approach to strategic sourcing is embedded into your organisation.