Effective Purchasing, Tendering & Supplier Selection: Managing & Negotiating with Consultants & Contractors

Introduction

Organisations across every sector now rely on an expanding mix of suppliers, consultants and contractors to deliver core work, from major capital projects to specialist advisory support. Surveys of procurement and contracts functions consistently show that poorly structured tendering, weak contract terms and under-prepared negotiation are among the most common sources of cost overrun, schedule slippage and disputed performance.

This creates a persistent challenge for hiring managers, procurement professionals and contract owners: how to select the right supplier, consultant or contractor, agree terms that protect the organisation, and then manage and negotiate the relationship so that performance, cost and risk stay under control from tender through to contract close-out.

This training course brings together the full commercial and legal lifecycle of working with external suppliers, consultants and contractors, from defining the business need and running a competitive tender, through evaluating bids and negotiating contract terms, to awarding, monitoring and continuously improving performance.

This GLOMACS Managing, Tendering & Negotiating with Suppliers, Consultants & Contractors training course will highlight:

• Defining the business need, Statement of Work (SOW) and Terms of Reference (TOR)
• Supplier, consultant and contractor selection and pre-qualification methodology
• Preparing tender documents, running competitive tenders and evaluating bids
• Total cost, value and life cycle costing analysis
• Key contract clauses and principled negotiation technique
• Contract award, performance monitoring and continuous improvement

Objectives

By the end of this training course, participants will be able to:

• Define business needs and prepare a robust Statement of Work or Terms of Reference
• Evaluate and select the best-fit suppliers, consultants and contractors
• Prepare and understand key clauses in contract documents
• Apply total cost, value and life cycle costing analysis to purchasing decisions
• Negotiate as a principled negotiator across the pre- and post-award process
• Manage and improve the ongoing performance of suppliers, consultants and contractors

Training Methodology

This training course will be delivered through a highly interactive and participative workshop style, combining direct input from a recognised Contracts & Procurement Professional with group discussions, case studies and practical exercises.

Delegates will work through a carefully designed case study spanning the full tender-to-contract-close-out cycle, with role plays used to build hands-on negotiation practice matched to real commercial scenarios.

Organisational Impact

Enrolling staff on this training course will help your organisation to:

• Achieve a higher return on investment from suppliers, consultants and contractors
• Reduce risk and potential liability arising from poorly structured contracts
• Deliver materials and services at reduced cost and increased value
• Improve control over on-time, on-budget delivery from external parties
• Raise the success rate of selecting the right supplier, consultant or contractor
• Retain money within the organisation through more productive negotiations

Personal Impact

By attending this training course, participants will be able to:

• Engage confidently in tendering, contract and negotiation processes
• Apply increased skill in the selection and management of suppliers, consultants and contractors
• Use cost, value and life cycle analysis as practical decision-making tools
• Manage internal and external relationships more effectively
• Deliver improved negotiated outcomes and control project progress against baseline
• Gain greater professional recognition through improved commercial performance