CIPS Level 5 Advanced Diploma in Procurement & Supply

Management is the administration of an organization, whether it be a business, a not-for-profit organization, or a government body. Management includes the activities of setting the strategy of an organization and coordinating the efforts of its employees or volunteers to accomplish its objectives through the application of available resources, such as financial, natural, technological, and human resources.

In keeping with other organizational functions, those who are called upon to manage procurement and supply activity must possess expertise in developing and fulfilling organizational and functional objectives. It is, therefore, essential that learners gain a wider appreciation of theories and techniques that relate to managing teams and individuals involved with the procurement and supply function.

The global economy and the associated advantages of sourcing from a global base of suppliers require organizations to be prepared to address the ethical challenges that such approaches may present for procurement and supply activity. Similarly, the concept of sustainability and its impact on the supply chain should not be underestimated as organizations strive to be seen to play their part in the global agenda.

This module gives those with managerial responsibility for the procurement and supply function an understanding of ethical and sustainability impacts on the supply chain, and the opportunity to analyze initiatives to improve practice and ensure organizational compliance with international standards in respect of ethical and sustainable procurement and supply chain management.

As organizations outsource more and more activity it is vital that they ensure that the associated contracts deliver expected services and/or products. Hence, a fundamental area that those who are tasked with managing the procurement and supply function are faced with is the identification, monitoring, and management of contractual risk.

This module is designed to enable learners to examine the nature of contract risk and the associated legal implications that relate to contract formation and non-conformance. They will also consider the impact of the breach of contract and the main coping strategies to address such breaches.

Those involved in procurement and supply activity will be called upon to create and manage formal agreements which will be critical to organizational success. Part of the developmental process for such agreements will rely upon effective negotiations with stakeholders and/or suppliers and also the ability to influence the individuals and groups involved.

This module is designed for those managers who may be faced with preparing for and completing negotiations.

Competitive advantage is associated with the processes and procedures that an organization has at its disposal to outperform its competitors. Many organizations see their supply chains as a significant source of achieving competitive advantage. It is therefore important that those with responsibility for managing the supply chain have a clear understanding of the approaches and techniques that are available to leverage the supply chain to achieve competitive advantage.

This module is designed for managers responsible for formulating plans and approaches to achieve a competitive advantage for their organizations through the supply chain.

In order to ensure success, an organization must create and adopt processes that ensure the consistent delivery of products and/or services that meet customer demand, both in terms of quantity and quality.

This module is designed to enable those involved in procurement and supply to assess the main techniques that are aimed at improving supply chain logistics to the overall benefit of the organization.

Risk management is a central part of an organization’s strategy. It is a process whereby the organization will identify, record, and then address the risks associated with their activities with the aim of driving out or controlling those risks for the overall benefit of organizational efficiency and effectiveness. The supply chain is by its very nature a complex activity, therefore, susceptible to risk and its associated impacts.

This module enables learners to examine the nature of supply chain risk and to evaluate available mitigation techniques as they deal with the associated challenges. They will undertake risk analysis and consider the advantages of a risk register as they apply a range of appropriate risk management tools and techniques to the supply chain.

A significant element of the procurement and supply function is based on the contracting process. Those involved in the formulation and management of contracts with external suppliers must therefore have a clear understanding of the strategic nature of contractual performance measures in procurement and supply. Financial management refers to the efficient and effective management of money (funds) to accomplish organizational objectives.

This module is designed for those working in the procurement and supply field, with responsibility for contracting elements of the procurement and supply function who must also have a strategic awareness of the impact of the main financial aspects of their discipline.

Category Management involves applying the end-to-end procurement process to a specific range of goods or services. This involves pre-award processes such as category analysis and demand management, sourcing and contract negotiation, and post-award processes such as performance management.

This module is for those with responsibility for category management as it focuses on the differing approaches using available tools and techniques to assist with creating the associated processes for direct or indirect expenditure.

To ensure success an organization must create and adopt processes that ensure the consistent production of products and/ or services that meet customer demand, both in terms of quantity and quality.

This module is designed to enable those involved in procurement and supply to assess the main techniques that are aimed at improving supply chain operations to the overall benefit of the organization.

The speed of development and the drive for maintaining organizational competitiveness means that change is inevitable in the modern workplace. Consequently, those who work and manage in organizations will be expected to deal with change initiatives and to manage those projects which are generated as a direct consequence.

This module is designed for those who are involved in the procurement and supply function, who must recognize the wider environment in which they work and be prepared to apply the tools and techniques that will ultimately lead to the successful management of projects and change initiatives.