Managing and Negotiating with Consultants and Contractors

Course Overview

The world of commerce and contracting is increasingly complex, therefore mastering the ability to negotiate is more important than ever in an commercial, organisational and professional environment. We are required to negotiate to achieve results in almost everything we do and not only with customers, clients, suppliers and contractors, but also with managers, fellow employees and colleagues within our own organisation.

The contract is an important part of the business environment; it states the expectations of both the parties and help to resolve the negative issues. Contract management deals with managing the contract’s creation, execution and analysis for maximising the financial performance efficiently and effectively. Effective contract management systems improves the performance of the company and reduces financial risk.

Commercial acumen requires an understanding and awareness of a wide variety of areas. This course looks at a range of dynamics that influence the success of an organisation. By developing an awareness of these core business principles, delegates will leave with a clear understanding of specific actions that they and/or their organisation should take to reach their goals.

Course Objectives

After the training course, you will learn to:

• What is commercial awareness or commercial acumen?
• Understand the difference between contract administration, contract management and commercial management
• Exploit opportunities to extract extra added valued from the contract
• Develop appropriate relationships with suppliers and customers
• Be able to support more commercially focused decisions
• Understand and use a range of contracting strategies and options
• Evaluate and improve contract performance
• Understand the stages of negotiations and the utilise skills required at each stage
• Explore tried and tested negotiation planning tools in a ‘safe’ learning environment
• Apply a range of tools and techniques to support the business in obtaining value for money, quality and fit-for-purpose outcomes

Target Audience

The training course is ideal for experienced (and semi-experienced) procurement managers in public and private sectors who want to demonstrate significant achievements in the field and/or gain knowledge and best practice insights. It is expected that the delegates will have some varied experiences.

Likewise, it is of value to non-legal professionals or those who are not contracts managers, procurement or commercial managers, who have direct or indirect responsibility for the effective management and development of commercial contracts and interact with contractors and clients.

This course is suitable to a wide range of professionals but will greatly benefit:

• Sales Managers
• Business Development Managers
• Technical Experts
• Project Managers
• Contract Managers
• Procurement Managers
• Internal Customers

Training Methodology

This training course is driven by a blended learning approach and draws on various adult learning techniques such as action learning, experiential exercises, group discussions, role play and self-reflection activities. The resulting variety helps delegates stay engaged throughout the course, feel challenged and draw quick wins for their development. It also ensures delegates are exposed to ample opportunities to apply what they learn to the real-world challenges they face back in the workplace.