Procurement as a Strategic Business Partner!?

It was during a meeting with a client that I heard him highlighting the need for his procurement team to build more commercial and business acumen, as the absence of such acumen could affect negatively his efforts to bring procurement to a highly regarded & respected strategic business partner. 

But how far could possibly business & commercial skills increase the chances of procurement success to deserve the title "Procurement a Strategic Business Partner"?

Success is Measured by Results Not Activities!

Then in procurement just like in any other aspect of life success is measured by results not by activities.  - While success is measured by results is not a big revelation, too many times we confuse the trees for the forest. 

There's no better illustration than what we show in the 2 minutes video below. Click to Play and after watching it, continue reading for the answers ...

Procurement Leaders Cannot Confuse the Forest for the Trees!

A true procurement leader then, instinctively knows that there's more to becoming successful in procurement than just excelling at procurement skills like negotiations, cost management, category management, contracts or supplier relations. 

Unfortunately, the yearly Deloitte Global CPO Survey shows that about half of CPOs & Procurement Leaders feel their teams lack the skills to deliver their procurement strategy. It's been close to 10 years since the survey started and every year the results are sabout the same hovering at around 50%


which is up from 48% the previous year. 


One key factor that we’ve come to realise is that to excel, procurement professionals should have broader commercial & business skills. Whether procurement leadership, strategic sourcing, business & procurement strategy or finance & management decision making - all contribute to a better business acumen. These are usually skills that one learns either through own self-improvement or through formal learning programs like Masters or MBA’s. 


The gist of all this is that every procurement leader should look at broadening their knowledge to additional commercial & business skills if wanting to achieve the true satisfaction of being called a real professional. 


~Contact.FirstName~, I hope and trust that this message has added to your awareness, knowledge & business insights. 


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Practical & Real-Life Procurement Trainings & Certifications for Team & Personal Development

[Purchasing & Procurement Center] PPC is a team of very dedicated procurement professionals. I strongly recommend them to anyone looking to enhance the skills of a procurement team from an ‘As-Is’ to a ‘World-Class’ team.  … wasl considers PPC a strategic partner in developing skills and talent … [they] have not only met our budget levels but have offered us a number of value add solutions at no cost to company, which truly reflects their commitment to the procurement industry and their assurance to exceed client satisfaction. 

Sidney Soares - Head of Procurement - WASL Asset Management



Clients from North America, Europe, Africa, Middle East & Asia.  

The [CIAPP] Program is Interesting, Comprehensive, Easy to Understand, Easy to Learn & Cost Efficient. It Exceeded my Expectations for Online Training! I believe that in the near future the [CIAPP] program will help me will increase my chances of promotion, pay raise or new job opportunity.

Very good balance between course content and additional knowledge and experience...  [I like] the practical examples ...  perfect for its purpose.[I like] the practical orientation of the simulations [and] ... contents of the course, they are what I need currently.

The summarized guidelines in the notes document will be a good tool for refreshing the negotiations tactics & approaches. This knowledge is directly applicable for any negotiations situations.

All of it can be applied to my current job.  

Dimitar Stefanov Dimitrov - Service Delivery Manager - Telenor, Bulgaria - CIAPP Certified


Set Up your Demo by Completing the Short Survey Here.


[online simulations] were helpful because they gave a few examples so I could apply the situations to our world easily and gave great tips along the way on how to use the tools. Applying a real situation to the simulation examples was great in helping me learn to apply the information correctly and with the greatest impact  … there was so many tools and charts that I can apply to my work. 

Courses were easy to follow even when the topic was difficult. I could go over them a as many times as I needed to get a better understanding of each topic. The examples were great as well.  

… I feel great about the whole process and have learnt so much and have been given a lot of great tools to use.  Overall it was a great experience and will be very useful to my work.

Karen Lawton - Buyer - Parkbridge Lifestyle Communities, Canada

Feedback for Scenario Based E-Learning & CIPP/CIAPP Online Training & Certification

The simulations were tricky but good. … The example tests [in the simulations] were challenging … [and] by answering the simulations scenarios, it gave me an idea on how to tackle certain situations.

Schnelle Augustine - Buyer - Dubai Golf, UAE

Feedback for Scenario Based E-Learning/CIPP/CIAPP Online Training & Certification


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Well Worth the Value Investment. Before the simulations, I am 90% confident that I have fully grasped the lessons and principles. Then comes the humbling simulations :), ... I often found myself going back to review and get better understanding. It's one thing to know the principles, application is a different challenge as scenarios change and can be complex. But in the end, I am confident that I am better placed to deliver and exceed expectations at work and personal engagements.  Practice and Utilization of skills will aid continuous improvement for excellence.

Adebisi Shonekan - Senior Commercial Operations Manager - Baker Hughes

Feedback for Scenario Based E-Learning & CIPP/CIAPP Online Training & Certification

This has given me so much more confidence when conducting my day to day routine!

I honestly cant say enough good things about this program! My knowledge has increased substantially since taking the first course. These courses have made me better in all facets of procurement. Looking back now, I was not as educated as I thought I was in a lot of areas of procurementThese courses have taken me to a whole new level of understanding and has given me so much more confidence when conducting my day to day routine. This has truly been an amazing journey and experience for me and I cant thank you enough for the opportunity. I will be forever grateful!

Ernie Ethier - Buyer - Parkbridge Lifestyle Communities, Canada

CIAPP Certified

The scenario based E-learning helped me to have a better understanding … [I liked most] the visual scenario and recap in every page … [and instances] where you can apply in our daily procurement activities

Erick Beron - Purchasing Supervisor - WASL Group, Dubai, UAE

Feedback for Scenario Based E-Learning & CIPP/CIAPP Online Training & Certification

The full course [scenario-based e-learning & simulations are] very much relevant to my work. Will start planning and apply the game theory to get maximum gain to our organisation.

Jose Dias - Asst. Purchasing Officer - Dubai Golf

Feedback for Scenario Based E-Learning/CIPP/CIAPP Online Training & Certification


Set Up your Demo by Completing the Short Survey Here.