Design and manage successful procurement strategies.
Effective procurement management is an essential element of creating competitive advantage in organisations. Procurement specialists need to develop and implement sourcing strategies and understand how to build collaborative supplier relationships. By influencing pricing and employing appropriate negotiation tactics they create value and efficiencies aligned with their organisation’s objectives.
The Strategic Procurement online course examines the design, management and negotiation of procurement contracts between buyers and suppliers. Taking a life-cycle perspective of inter-organisational relationships, you will gain practical insights on how to customise commercial contracts based on buyer-supplier segmentation strategies. Offering the opportunity to apply the procurement knowledge gained to specific scenarios, this online course provides actionable learning that can be adapted for your own organisation.
Programme information – Online
- DurationApproximately 20-24 hours of study, plus reflection activities
- LocationOnline
- Cost£950
Module dates
Modules 1 and 2
Immediate online access to self-paced learning.
Module 3
Next live online sessions: 23 June and 30 June 2025 (9:00 - 14:00)
Please note: both Module 3 dates must be attended. Bookings will automatically be enrolled on the next available live online session. The option to change to a later date is available after booking is completed.
Concessions available
Cranfield alumni can claim a 20% discount via .
Who is this for?
Anyone wishing to learn more about procurement processes and contract negotiation.
Programme impacts
Develop skills and knowledge to be able to positively impact on procurement strategies, including:
- Stronger supplier relationships benefitting all stakeholders.
- Enhanced negotiation outcomes, minimising disruptions and maximising value.
- Improved organisational efficiency through refined strategies, processing and sourcing decisions.
- Robust negotiation and dispute resolution strategies that create value and ensure business continuity.
Programme structure
This course includes 3 modules:
- Modules 1 and 2 are online and self-paced, so you choose where and when you learn.
- Module 3 is live online with peers and Cranfield faculty to embed your knowledge and learnings.
What you'll learn
Module one – Contract management tools, techniques and frameworks
Online self-paced learning (estimated four hours – plus reflection activities)
Learn how to design and manage procurement contracts between buyers and suppliers by taking a life-cycle perspective of inter-organisational relationships.
- Explore the different elements of category procurement management strategies.
- Examine key success factors for the successful development and implementation of sourcing strategies.
- Compare the advantages and limitations of supplier segmentation strategies.
- Review international contract strategy issues related to performance agreements.
- Assess differentiated supplier strategies to support the overall product/market and business strategies.
- Evaluate frameworks for assessing buyer-supplier segmentation and interdependence to evaluate procurement strategies.
Module two – Strategic procurement process, structure and relationships
Online self-paced learning (estimated six hours – plus reflection activities)
Analyse the phases of the contracting process and the importance of inter-organisational relationships.
- Evaluate the elements of inter-organisational contracts and consider the structure followed by organisations in developing contracts with their counterparts.
- Assess the challenges involved in successfully managing inter-organisational contracts.
- Contrast the different perspectives on international contract management between buyers and suppliers.
- Consider the organisational issues of managing international contracts over the life-cycle of a business relationship.
- Apply the building blocks of pricing mechanism and payment mechanism to develop different types of contract models.
- Examine strategies for resolving claims disputes.
Module three – Governance, negotiation and dispute resolution
Live online (two half days, five hours each – plus reflection activities)
To embed and enhance your learning from the two online modules, you’ll join peers and our expert faculty in a live online environment to advance your understanding of strategic procurement.
- Evaluate the implementation of contract governance based on four dimensions of interaction between buyers and suppliers.
- Apply the process and approaches to commercial negotiation and understand the subsequent impact of interpersonal relationships on negotiation and contract management.
- Compare dispute resolution strategies for resolving claims disputes during the life cycle of inter-organisational relationships.
- Engage in role-play negotiations to design a service level agreement (SLA) between international organisations.
Digital Badges and Certificate
On completion of each module, you will be issued with a digital badge that can be displayed on your professional profiles, serving as compelling evidence of your expertise and commitment to staying at the forefront of business and management knowledge.
On successful submission of the final assignment you will receive a certificate of achievement.
How to apply
Next steps
Our team of executive development experts will be happy to talk to you about your development needs, please email us or call +44 (0)1234 754500.
