Selecting and Managing Suppliers & Partners

In recent years the shift in emphasis from employees to suppliers due to rationalisation and outsourcing has brought significant changes in the skills and knowledge required by managers. Often, your suppliers and partners will have a central role in your organisations ability to perform and in your ability to get your job done. Choosing the right supplier partners and ensuring that the right arrangements are in place to get the job done is essential to the effective commercial management of your business.

This programme provides a step-by-step guide through the often complex world of identifying your requirements, choosing the supplier partner and putting in place the right elements to make sure you have the tools to manage performance. As well as providing practical advice at all stages, the programme challenges participants thinking to help them develop a world-class approach to contracting.

Benefits of the programme

• Packed full of practical examples to ensure you leave with a working knowledge of how to apply the learning in your own organisation
• Has real life case studies and successes to understand what has been successful in other businesses and sectors
• Traps to avoid when developing relationships to avoid poor performance and costly dispute
• Checklists at each stage and templates providing a successful framework to apply to your business
• Key negotiation tips to establish a successful relationship from the outset

Who should attend?

Everybody that depends upon suppliers or is responsible for choosing suppliers or putting contracts in place with suppliers will benefit from attending this programme:

• Procurement managers
• Commercial managers
• Contract managers
• Supplier manager
• Budget holders
• Supply chain managers
• Functional heads of department
• Office Managers
• Project managers

Day one

The commercial challenge

• The growing complexity of outsourcing
• The network organisation
• The role of the commercial supplier manager
• How outsourcing has changed risk

Getting the specification right

• Different specification types and when to use them
• The knowledge continuum
• How to develop a statement of requirements
• Using and managing stakeholders

Putting the invitation to tender together

• Writing a good specification
• Bundling services and creating a competitive market
• Developing evaluation criteria
• Mechanics of bid evaluation

Choosing the right supplier

• An ‘Ideal’ supplier profile
• Criteria-based assessment
• Scoring suppliers
• Best of breed

The role of the contract

• Key elements
• Payment mechanism
• Risk transfer

Paying the right price

• The budget trap
• Cost v quality
• Price comparison tools
• Total cost of ownership

Day two

Service Level Agreements

• The max-min paradox
• SLA’s in practice – tips and traps
• Setting performance indicators
• Managing performance not failure

Supplier management

• The relationship default
• Energy and attitude
• Dealing with the walking dead
• Innovation and continuous improvement

Negotiation

• When to negotiate
• Meetings, discussions and arguments
• Good and bad negotiators
• The role of the contract and SLA
• Dealing with the ugly frog

Negotiation in a long term relationship

• Assertion v aggression
• Modes of conflict resolution
• Your personal style
• Dealing with different styles
• Choosing the right style

Behaviours of effective negotiators

• Structured problem resolution
• Problem definition
• ACTIVETM model
• Creating space for agreement
• Optioneering
• Execution
• Behaviours of effective negotiators
• Control the agenda

The first five minutes

• Dealing with difficult people
• Key persuasion levers
• Building power to negotiate
• Flex your M.U.S.C.L.E.s

Robert Maguire is the founding director of commercial consulting firm MaguireIzatt. He has commerce running through his core, with a ruthless focus on delivering overall business benefits. He has over 20 years purchasing and supplier management experience in both operational and management consulting roles. His previous roles include: chief procurement officer materials and sub contract Europe for household products company Reckitt & Colman (now Reckitt Benckiser); new product sourcing manager at power tools company Black and Decker; and buyer at automotive manufacturer Austin Rover Group. He has also had roles as a management consultant specialising in purchasing and supply chain issues for Price Waterhouse (now PwC) and Ernst & Young.

For the past 5 years, Rob has worked with senior executives and department heads to assist them to improve their supplier management and contract management practices and results across a wide range of business functions and processes. As a gamekeeper turned poacher, he is regularly asked to support sales teams in developing strategies to engage with customers to demonstrate the value they add. Rob has led assignments for a range of clients across a variety of industry groups in the private, public and not-for-profit sector including pharmaceuticals, consumer products, engineering and defence. Current assignments are building on his already extensive credentials in the pharmaceutical, aviation and rail industries. He has led major supplier selection and management assignments in the public and private sector including contract review and contract negotiations.

His consulting experience extends to Europe, the Far East and the United States of America. He is a highly engaging and inspirational speaker with extensive experience of presenting in the UK and internationally.

• Celltrion
• DAS Legal Expenses Insurance Co Ltd
• Flybe Ltd
• JANET(UK)
• MONDI AG