Training Course: Purchasing and Supply Chain Management: Sourcing Course

Purchasing and supply chain management is the work of deciding what to buy, from whom and on what terms, and of making those purchases fit the flow of goods from supplier to end customer. This ten-day course is for purchasing officers, buyers and supply chain coordinators who need sourcing, contract and supplier management skills, and it ends with a category sourcing plan covering strategy, tender evaluation, contract measures and supplier risk.

Introduction

Three references shape the course. The Kraljic portfolio matrix sorts purchases by profit impact and supply risk to guide sourcing strategy. The SCOR model describes supply chain processes as plan, source, make, deliver and return. ISO 20400:2017, Sustainable procurement guidance, explains how environmental and social criteria enter purchasing decisions. The level is advanced practitioner. The ten-day edition adds category strategy, tendering and contract management, inventory and logistics links, and supplier risk and performance management to the purchasing core, through case studies from manufacturing, healthcare and facilities services, plus negotiation role-play.

Course Objectives

• Apply the Kraljic matrix and spend analysis to set a sourcing strategy for a purchase category.
• Compare open and restricted tendering and select the route that suits value, risk and market.
• Distinguish fixed-price from cost-reimbursable contracts and draft service levels with remedies.
• Interpret supplier scorecards and decide when to develop, monitor or replace a supplier.
• Select inventory and replenishment policies that balance supplier lead times against stock cost.
• Justify a category sourcing plan that management can approve, including risk and sustainability criteria.

Target Audience

• Purchasing officers and buyers who decide which suppliers are invited and how offers are scored.
• Category and sourcing specialists who judge the right market approach for each spend area.
• Contract administrators who decide how variations, claims and service failures are handled.
• Supply chain and inventory coordinators who judge how purchasing lead times affect stock and service.
• Procurement team leaders who decide which supplier risks need mitigation plans.

Course Outline

Day 1: The Strategic Role of Purchasing

• Purchasing vs Procurement vs Supply Chain Management: Scope of Each Function
• Purchasing Department Mission: Contribution to Cost, Quality and Continuity Goals
• Purchasing and Business Strategy: Supporting Competitiveness, Innovation and Organisational Growth
• Changing Purchasing Responsibilities: Global Sourcing, Digital Tools and Wider Accountability
• Administrative to Strategic Shift: Leadership Capabilities for Strategic Purchasing Management

Day 2: Category Strategy and Spend Analysis

• Kraljic Portfolio Matrix: Strategic, Leverage, Bottleneck and Routine Purchase Categories
• Spend Analysis: Classifying Expenditure by Category, Supplier and Business Unit
• Category Strategy vs Transactional Buying: Planned Market Approach Against Order-by-Order Purchasing
• Make vs Buy Decisions: Cost, Capability and Control Factors Weighed
• Supply Market Analysis: Supplier Concentration, Price Drivers and Availability

Day 3: Supplier Evaluation and Selection

• Pre-Qualification vs Tender Evaluation: Screening Capability Against Scoring Specific Offers
• Supplier Assessment Criteria: Capability, Quality, Cost, Responsiveness and Overall Value
• Weighted Scoring Matrix: Combining Price and Quality Criteria Into One Ranking
• Supplier Site Audits: Verifying Capacity, Quality Systems and Financial Stability
• Ethical Supplier Relationships: Gifts, Conflicts of Interest and Fair Treatment Rules

Day 4: Tendering and Negotiation

• Open vs Restricted Tendering: Wide Competition Against Invited Shortlisted Bidders
• Request for Quotation, Proposal and Information: Choosing the Right Solicitation Document
• Negotiation Preparation: BATNA, Target Points, Walk-Away Limits and Concession Planning
• Power Dynamics and Communication: Techniques Used Across the Supplier Negotiation Table
• Negotiation Role-Play: Securing Favourable Terms While Keeping the Supplier Relationship

Day 5: Contract Management

• Fixed-Price vs Cost-Reimbursable Contracts: Risk Allocation Between Buyer and Supplier
• Contract Terms: Incoterms, Payment, Warranty, Liability and Termination Clauses
• Service Level Agreements: Defining Measurable Service Standards, Credits and Remedies
• Contract Change Control: Variations, Claims and Stepwise Dispute Resolution Procedures
• Contract Close-Out: Final Acceptance, Lessons Learned and Records Retention

Day 6: Value Analysis and Purchasing Efficiency

• Value Analysis vs Cost Cutting: Function-Based Savings Against Simple Price Reduction
• Structured Questioning: Value Analysis Prompts That Expose Unnecessary Cost
• Total Cost of Ownership: Acquisition, Operating, Maintenance and Disposal Costs Combined
• Internal Customer Service: Stakeholder Feedback That Improves Purchasing Responsiveness
• Process Streamlining: Removing Delays From Requisition to Purchase Order Approval

Day 7: Inventory and Logistics Links

• SCOR Model: Plan, Source, Make, Deliver and Return Process Areas
• Push vs Pull Replenishment: Forecast-Driven Stock Against Demand-Triggered Orders
• Inventory Policies: Safety Stock, Reorder Points and Economic Order Quantity
• Logistics Coordination: Transport Modes, Warehousing and Lead Time Planning
• Cross-Functional Integration: Purchasing Links With Production, Sales and Inventory Teams

Day 8: Supplier Performance and KPIs

• Leading vs Lagging Purchasing KPIs: Process Indicators Against Outcome Results
• Supplier Scorecards: On-Time Delivery, Quality Rejects and Responsiveness Ratings
• Savings Measurement: Cost Avoidance and Hard Savings Reporting Rules
• Supplier Development: Joint Improvement Plans for Underperforming Strategic Suppliers
• KPI Reporting and Accountability: Dashboards That Support Purchasing Decisions

Day 9: Supply Risk and Sustainable Purchasing

• Supply Risk vs Market Risk: Supplier Failure Against Price and Availability Volatility
• Supplier Risk Register: Likelihood, Impact and Mitigation for Critical Suppliers
• Continuity and Crisis Planning: Dual Sourcing, Buffer Stock and Alternative Routes
• ISO 20400:2017 Sustainable Procurement: Environmental, Social and Ethical Selection Criteria
• Responsible Supplier Relationships: Shared Value Goals and Long-Term Sustainability Commitments

Day 10: Building the Category Sourcing Plan

• Case Study Review vs Live Scenario: Applying Course Tools to Real Purchasing Cases
• Category Strategy Application: Kraljic Position and Sourcing Route for a Chosen Category
• Tender Evaluation and Contract Design: Scoring Matrix and Key Contract Clauses Drafted
• Workplace Action Planning: Priorities for Improving Purchasing Performance After the Course
• Category Sourcing Plan: Strategy, Tender Matrix, KPI Schedule and Risk Register Finalised

Skills You Will Gain

• Spend analysis
• Kraljic positioning
• Weighted tender scoring
• BATNA preparation
• Service level drafting
• Total cost of ownership
• Supplier scorecards
• Supplier risk registers

Why Attend This Course

• From buying each request as it arrives to managing spend by category with a planned market approach.
• From choosing suppliers mainly on price to scoring offers on weighted quality, risk and cost criteria.
• From signing contracts and filing them to managing service levels, changes and close-out.
• From reacting to supplier failures to a category sourcing plan with tender matrix, KPI schedule and risk register.

Conclusion

Good purchasing joins market knowledge, fair competition and disciplined contract follow-up so that supply arrives at the right cost and risk. The course makes clear the differences between category strategy and transactional buying, between open and restricted tendering, and between supply risk and market risk. It suits buyers and coordinators who already handle routine purchasing and now need the extended scope of sourcing, contracts, inventory links and supplier performance across ten days.

Course FAQs

What is purchasing and supply chain management?

It is the management of what an organisation buys, from which suppliers and on what terms, combined with coordinating those purchases with stock, logistics and production so that goods and services reach users reliably.

What is the difference between open and restricted tendering in purchasing and supply chain management?

Open tendering lets any qualified supplier bid, widening competition but increasing evaluation work. Restricted tendering invites only pre-qualified suppliers, which shortens evaluation but narrows the market.

Which models does a purchasing and supply chain management course follow?

It uses the Kraljic portfolio matrix for category strategy, the SCOR model for supply chain processes and ISO 20400:2017 for sustainable procurement criteria.

Is a purchasing and supply chain management course right for a contract administrator?

Yes, for a contract administrator who handles variations, service levels and supplier claims, and who wants to connect contract terms to sourcing decisions and supplier performance.

What does a delegate produce in a purchasing and supply chain management course?

Each delegate builds a category sourcing plan containing a Kraljic-based strategy, a weighted tender evaluation matrix, a contract KPI schedule and a supplier risk register.