ISO 20400 Lead Manager study plan

Define sustainable procurement and distinguish it from green procurement, CSR, and sustainable supply chain management in your own words

Map the ISO 20400 structure (scope, normative references, terms, seven core subjects) and label which clauses map to which exam domain

Explain the seven core subjects of ISO 26000 and give one procurement-specific example of each

Identify the key considerations of sustainable procurement: environmental, social, economic, and governance, plus risk-based prioritization

List the drivers and barriers to sustainable procurement adoption in public and private organizations

Describe how sustainability intent is embedded in an organization's procurement policy and strategy

Explain how to align procurement policy with organizational strategy, values, and external commitments such as the UN SDGs and OECD guidelines

Draft policy statements that set scope, principles, priorities, and accountability without being generic

Identify the roles of top management, procurement leadership, and internal stakeholders in policy endorsement

Explain how policy is communicated, reviewed, and kept current

Outline the governance structure needed to organize sustainable procurement, including roles, responsibilities, and decision rights

Explain how to build a cross-functional team and assign sustainability champions

Describe how to assess organizational context, spend, and category risk to set priorities

Explain how to build internal capacity through training, tools, and guidance

Identify how to engage external stakeholders such as suppliers, NGOs, and industry bodies

Define performance indicators across environmental, social, and economic dimensions and link them to policy objectives

Distinguish leading from lagging indicators and output from outcome measures

Explain how to collect, verify, and report data credibly, including supplier-reported data

Describe how to review performance, identify gaps, and trigger corrective action

Explain how benchmarking, audits, and management review support continual improvement

Map the procurement process stages and identify where sustainability requirements enter at each stage

Explain how to conduct a sustainability risk and opportunity assessment for a requirement

Write specification language that sets minimum sustainability criteria without excluding capable suppliers

Describe how to integrate sustainability into evaluation criteria, weighting, and award rules

Explain how to document sustainability requirements in the procurement plan and tender documents

Explain how to translate sustainability requirements into supplier pre-qualification and selection criteria

Distinguish mandatory exclusion grounds from scored sustainability criteria

Describe how to assess supplier capability, including codes of conduct, certifications, and self-declarations

Explain how to verify supplier claims and avoid greenwashing during evaluation

Describe how to run a fair, transparent, and documented selection process

Explain how to embed sustainability commitments into contract terms, KPIs, and reporting obligations

Describe how to manage supplier performance through reviews, audits, and corrective action plans

Explain how to handle non-conformity, remediation, and escalation in a contract

Describe how to manage change, subcontracting, and supply chain risk during the contract term

Explain how contract lessons feed back into policy, specifications, and selection criteria

Consolidate all seven domains into a single integrated process flow from policy to contract improvement

Test recall of key ISO 20400 definitions and clause intent under timed conditions

Analyze scenario questions and justify answers using ISO 20400 logic rather than intuition

Identify and close your weakest two domains with targeted review

Rehearse explaining the standard to a non-specialist in plain language