Innovation in Procurement and Supply Chain (L6M8)

• Understand techniques used for supplier development.
• Evaluate approaches to collaboration and cross-functional working.
• Understand how technology can support procurement and supply improvement.
• Understand tools and techniques used to achieve procurement and supply innovation.
• Evaluate methods for incentivising supplier improvement and innovation.
• Understand environmental factors affecting supply chain improvement and innovation.
• Assess environmentally sensitive design and green procurement approaches.
• Understand the use of supplier relationship assessment and performance measurement.

1. Techniques for Supplier Development

• Cross-functional working to improve supply chain performance.
• Cross-functional involvement in specifications and requirements.
• Simultaneous or concurrent engineering.
• Product and process design.
• Collaboration with suppliers and customers.
• Early supplier involvement.
• Innovation councils.
• Supplier forums and associations.
• Technology transfer.
• Data analytics for planning, forecasting, control and decision-making.
• Integration tools in systems technology.
• E-procurement and e-catalogues.
• E-sourcing and e-auctions.
• Purchase-to-pay (P2P) systems.
• Data integrity and systems integration.
• XML, APIs and other integration tools.
• Cloud computing and mobile technologies.
• Relationship assessment methodologies.
• Joint performance appraisal systems.
• Balanced scorecards.

2. Methods to Achieve Procurement and Supply Improvement and Innovation

• Technology applications for expenditure control.
• Data analytics and data capture.
• Systems integration with suppliers and supply chains.
• Organisational systems integration and information flow.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and predictive analysis.
• Total quality approaches.
• Statistical analysis.
• Just-in-Time (JIT).
• Lean thinking and lean supply.
• Business Process Re-engineering (BPR).
• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).
• Databases.
• Business continuity planning for supply chain interruptions.
• Incentives for improvement and innovation.
• Bidding, supplier selection and contract award.
• Contract management and maintaining standards.

3. Environmental Factors Affecting Supply Chain Improvement and Innovation

• Environmentally sensitive design.
• Lifecycle analysis.
• Design for disassembly.
• Environmentally friendly materials.
• ISO 14001 environmental standards.
• ISO 20400 sustainable procurement standard.
• Impact of green procurement on improvement and innovation.
• Sustainable procurement.
• Low-carbon and low-waste approaches.
• Water-efficient practices.
• Biodiversity considerations.
• International environmental targets and agreements.

10 days

Certification: CIPS Level 6 Professional Diploma in Procurement and Supply – L6M8

Exam duration: 1.5 hours

Question type: Objective Response questions, including multiple-choice and other objective-response formats.

Questions: 42

• Procurement and supply professionals working towards the CIPS Level 6 Professional Diploma.
• Procurement and supply leaders.
• Professionals responsible for supplier development.
• Professionals involved in procurement and supply improvement and innovation.
• Individuals responsible for developing or implementing innovation initiatives within supply chains.

• CIPS Level 5 Advanced Diploma in Procurement and Supply is the entry requirement for the Level 6 Professional Diploma.
• L6M8 is an elective module within the Level 6 Professional Diploma.
• Learners must select three elective modules to complete the required 18 elective credits.