Supplier Management Training

Overview

This off-the-shelf training solution can be used as-is or tailored based on the key development opportunities identified in a capability assessment, equipping your team with the necessary skills to deliver value from strategic relationships.

Great importance is placed on creating a learning experience that is engaging, relevant, and transferrable to the job – using your organisation's own supplier relationships as case studies and applying everything taught to those supplier relationships.

Course Content

The nine-module curriculum provides a ready-made way to deliver effective, results-based Supplier Management Training.

Modules 1 to 4 apply to all supplier relationships (typically tier 1 and 2) where the focus is on contract, performance and risk management. The content also addresses lifecycle management and governance of a supplier relationship and stakeholder management across the customer-supplier relationship.

Modules 5 to 7 are more relevant to truly strategic (typically tier 1) suppliers, where the focus is on joint strategy development and creating new value. The behavioural aspects of SRM, specifically influence, trust and communication skills, are covered in Module 7 and as an embedded topic throughout the program.

Module 8 examines how to stimulate and manage supplier innovation in detail as a specific form of value creation in an SRM context.

Module 9 (only in APAC): examines sustainability considerations in understanding the major types of sustainability risk in the supply chain and how we can manage them.

Learning Objectives

Ensure your team has the strategic mindset and excellent communication skills necessary to articulate the value proposition, engage stakeholders, and deliver value.

The content and format of our supplier management training have been shaped by the findings of our global research into supplier management best practices. Over thirteen years of performing global research, with findings from hundreds of companies, it is clear that companies that implement well-structured supplier management programmes gain access to a range of ‘customer of choice’ benefits that include greater supplier commitment, collaborative problem-solving, preferential pricing and priority access to people, resources and capacity.

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 per module. 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 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 SRM is embedded into your organisation.