CIPS study plan
CIPS · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Procurement and supply fundamentals
Define the procurement cycle end to end and explain how each stage feeds the next, in your own words.
Distinguish procurement from purchasing and from supply chain management, with one workplace example of each.
Map the five rights of procurement (right quality, quantity, time, price, place) to a real purchase you can describe.
Explain the difference between direct and indirect spend and classify ten example categories correctly.
Your checkpoint
A one-page procurement cycle diagram with a short written note under each stage explaining its purpose and outputs.
Procurement and supply fundamentals
Describe the main sourcing methods (open tender, restricted tender, negotiation, framework) and state when each is appropriate.
Explain the role of specifications and how over-specification inflates cost.
Outline the procurement function's internal customers and how their needs are translated into requirements.
Summarise the concept of total cost of ownership and contrast it with lowest purchase price.
Your checkpoint
A comparison table of five sourcing methods scored against speed, competition, risk and suitability, with a justified recommendation for two scenarios.
Procurement strategy and stakeholder management
Explain the difference between strategic, tactical and operational procurement and where each sits in an organisation.
Draft a stakeholder map for a procurement project, classifying stakeholders by influence and interest.
Describe how to build a category strategy using spend analysis and supply market assessment.
Explain the Kraljic matrix and position four example categories on it with reasoning.
Your checkpoint
A stakeholder map plus a 300-word category strategy outline for one category, naming the stakeholders and their interests.
Procurement strategy and stakeholder management & Procurement and supply fundamentals
Apply the Kraljic matrix to a real or realistic spend category and justify the placement.
Explain how procurement aligns with organisational objectives and how to evidence that alignment.
Describe techniques for managing difficult stakeholders and securing early procurement involvement.
Consolidate Domain 1 fundamentals by writing short definitions for twenty key terms without notes.
Your checkpoint
A timed 20-question self-test on Domains 1 and 2, scored, with every wrong answer rewritten as a correct statement.
Contracting, negotiation and supplier management
Identify the essential elements of a valid commercial contract and explain why each matters.
Compare fixed price, cost-plus and time-and-materials contracts and state the risk allocation of each.
Explain the purpose of key contract clauses including indemnity, limitation of liability, termination and force majeure.
Describe the difference between liquidated damages and penalties and why the distinction matters.
Your checkpoint
An annotated contract checklist of at least fifteen clauses, each with one sentence on what it protects and what to watch for.
Contracting, negotiation and supplier management
Explain the stages of a negotiation and prepare a position with opening, target and walk-away points.
Distinguish distributive from integrative negotiation and give an example tactic for each.
Describe how to set and use service level agreements and key performance indicators in supplier management.
Outline a supplier performance review process including escalation and remediation steps.
Your checkpoint
A two-page negotiation plan for a realistic supplier scenario, including objectives, tradeables, concessions and walk-away position.
Commercial and ethical procurement practice
Explain the main ethical risks in procurement including conflicts of interest, gifts and hospitality, and bribery.
Describe how to identify and manage a conflict of interest in a sourcing process.
Outline the principles of sustainability and social value in procurement and how they are built into evaluation.
Explain the role of due diligence and supplier codes of conduct in commercial practice.
Your checkpoint
A conflict of interest and gifts register template with decision rules for three borderline scenarios, each justified in writing.
Commercial and ethical procurement practice & Contracting, negotiation and supplier management
Summarise the regulatory and ethical obligations that apply to public and private sector procurement in your context.
Explain how ethical and sustainability criteria are weighted in tender evaluation without breaching fair treatment.
Revise Domains 3 and 4 by rewriting ten previously missed questions correctly from memory.
Complete a full timed mock covering all four domains and review every error.
Your checkpoint
A full mock exam result with a written error log grouping mistakes by domain and naming the specific concept to revisit.
Milestones
Week 2: You can explain the procurement cycle and five sourcing methods aloud in under five minutes without notes.
Week 4: You score at least 70 percent on a 20-question test covering Domains 1 and 2, with a written correction for each miss.
Week 6: You produce a negotiation plan containing explicit opening, target and walk-away positions and can defend each choice.
Week 8: You complete a full timed mock across all four domains and your error log shows fewer than five unresolved concepts.