Managing Key Suppliers Course

Is it right for me?

Managers and procurement professionals who are involved in outsourcing decisions or are looking for the skills to manage functions that have been outsourced. This course focuses on setting supplier strategies and the skills required to successfully manage the on-going relationship.

What will I get out of it?

By the end of the workshop you will be able to:

• Apply a practical toolkit to select the best suppliers and best type of contact
• Implement a SLA (Service Level Agreement), understanding the pros and cons of SLAs
• Assess risk in a contract
• Identify the warning signs that a relationship is breaking down and know the steps to take to re establish a positive environment
• Use a negotiating tool kit for both establishing the contract and managing the ongoing relationship
• Be more aware of the non-verbal signals in a negotiation
• Manage the emotional and behavioural dimensions of negotiation
• Apply a number of techniques to motivate suppliers to 'over deliver' on the agreed contact.

Related courses in our range

• Essential Procurement Skills

What does it cover?

The outsourcing decision

• Make v buy - the decision to outsource
• What functions should be outsourced?

The supplier strategy

• Single supplier or multi source?
• The contracting process
• Specification writing
• The ladder of loyalty

Contracts and SLAs

• Understanding the key components
• SLAs - advantages & pitfalls
• How to prepare a SLA
• Use of rewards and penalties

Contract types

• Fixed vs variable (time and materials) price
• Risk and contracts

Negotiation in contracts and SLAs - planning

• What to consider in goal setting
• The importance of research
• How to strengthen your position
• How to create value in your proposition
• Identifying and using trading currencies

Negotiation - non verbal communication

• Listening skills
• Body language
• Using emotion to win the other side over

Negotiation in contracts and SLAs

• How to open and explore the positions
• Bargaining techniques using your trading currencies
• Tried and tested closing techniques
• Translating agreements into actions

Monitoring and motivating suppliers

• How to monitor performance
• Use of KPIs and some pitfalls
• Motivational techniques to improve supplier performance
• Using negative feelings to improve performance

Action planning

• Review of individual learning objectives