Custom Courses Procurement and Supply Chain Management

Negotiation Strategies for Purchasing Training

SAQA US AATICD-0125 | NQF 5 | Credits 10 | Duration 5 Days
From $1,242 per delegate

Description

This course equips procurement professionals with advanced negotiation strategies to secure optimal value in purchasing agreements. Participants will learn to analyze supplier positions, develop win-win scenarios, and apply structured negotiation frameworks to achieve cost savings and sustainable partnerships.

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply structured negotiation frameworks to prepare for purchasing discussions.
  • Analyze supplier interests and market conditions to inform negotiation tactics.
  • Evaluate negotiation outcomes against predefined objectives and organizational goals.
  • Design collaborative negotiation strategies that balance cost, quality, and relationship.
  • Implement effective communication techniques to manage conflict and build consensus.

Target Audience

Procurement and supply chain professionals, buyers, contract managers, and anyone responsible for negotiating purchasing agreements in corporate or government organizations.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundations of Negotiation in Purchasing

Objectives:
• Understand the role of negotiation in the purchasing function
• Identify different negotiation styles and approaches
• Recognise the stages of a negotiation process
• Apply principled negotiation principles to purchasing scenarios

Topics:
• Introduction to negotiation in the South African procurement context
• Distributive vs integrative bargaining
• The negotiation process: preparation, discussion, proposal, agreement
• BATNA, reservation price, and ZOPA
• Communication skills for negotiators

Day 2: Preparation and Planning for Purchasing Negotiations

Objectives:
• Conduct a comprehensive pre-negotiation analysis
• Set clear objectives and limits for a negotiation
• Gather and analyse market intelligence
• Develop a negotiation strategy and plan

Topics:
• Stakeholder mapping and interest analysis
• SWOT analysis for negotiation
• Setting targets: aspiration, target, walkaway points
• Leveraging market research and supplier data
• Creating a negotiation mandala and checklist

Day 3: Negotiation Tactics and Communication Skills

Objectives:
• Employ effective verbal and non-verbal communication techniques
• Recognise and counter common negotiation tactics
• Build rapport and manage conflict
• Use questioning and active listening to uncover interests

Topics:
• Tactics: anchoring, framing, good cop/bad cop, nibbling
• Emotional intelligence in negotiations
• Handling difficult conversations and deadlocks
• Cultural considerations in South African supplier negotiations
• Body language and paralinguistics

Day 4: Advanced Negotiation Strategies and Contracting

Objectives:
• Apply advanced strategies for complex purchasing negotiations
• Negotiate contract terms, pricing, and value-added services
• Manage multi-party and team negotiations
• Integrate ethical considerations and compliance

Topics:
• Negotiating total cost of ownership (TCO) and value
• Contract clauses: indemnity, warranties, SLAs
• Team negotiation roles and coordination
• Ethics in procurement: Bribery Act, PPPFA
• Closing the deal and securing commitment

Day 5: Practical Application and Integration

Objectives:
• Synthesise all learning into a simulated negotiation exercise
• Debrief and receive feedback on negotiation performance
• Create a personal action plan for continuous improvement
• Evaluate negotiation outcomes and lessons learned

Topics:
• Full-scale simulation: purchasing negotiation case study
• Peer and facilitator feedback session
• Documenting negotiation outcomes and agreements
• Post-negotiation review and relationship management
• Action planning for workplace application

Practicals

16 hours of practicals To be conducted online or on-campus or in-house
Overview

Practical sessions are integral to this course, allowing learners to apply negotiation strategies in realistic purchasing scenarios. Through role-plays and simulations, learners practice preparation, tactical execution, and debriefing, ensuring transfer of skills to the workplace.

Practical Activities
  • Pre-Negotiation Planning Simulation — Learners work in teams to analyse a purchasing case study, develop a negotiation plan, and set objectives. (4h)
  • Role-Play: Supplier Price Negotiation — Pairs of learners engage in a simulated price negotiation, applying tactics and communication skills. (4h)
  • Team Negotiation: Multi-Party Contract Terms — Teams negotiate a complex contract involving pricing, delivery, and service level agreements with a simulated supplier team. (4h)
  • Full-Day Capstone Simulation and Debrief — Learners participate in a comprehensive negotiation simulation from preparation to closure, followed by a structured debrief. (4h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored) 100% 30%
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 50%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Practicals 30% + Daily Average 20% + Final Test 50%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 07 Sep 2026 Fri 11 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 21 Sep 2026 Fri 25 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 05 Oct 2026 Fri 09 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 07 Dec 2026 Fri 11 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 04 Jan 2027 Fri 08 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 01 Feb 2027 Fri 05 Feb 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 01 Mar 2027 Fri 05 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 07 Jun 2027 Fri 11 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 21 Jun 2027 Fri 25 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 05 Jul 2027 Fri 09 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 06 Sep 2027 Fri 10 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 20 Sep 2027 Fri 24 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 04 Oct 2027 Fri 08 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 06 Dec 2027 Fri 10 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 20 Dec 2027 Fri 24 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 03 Jan 2028 Fri 07 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 426 sessions across 26 venues
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Mon 03 Aug 2026 Fri 07 Aug 2026 Pretoria, South Africa Winter 2026 $1,863 Register
Mon 03 Aug 2026 Fri 07 Aug 2026 Dubai, UAE Winter 2026 $5,238 Register
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Durban, South Africa Winter 2026 $2,916 Register
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Abu Dhabi, UAE Winter 2026 $5,238 Register
Mon 17 Aug 2026 Fri 21 Aug 2026 Harare, Zimbabwe Winter 2026 $3,078 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 14 Sep 2026 Fri 18 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 28 Sep 2026 Fri 02 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 12 Oct 2026 Fri 16 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 14 Dec 2026 Fri 18 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 11 Jan 2027 Fri 15 Jan 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 08 Feb 2027 Fri 12 Feb 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Fri 12 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 14 Jun 2027 Fri 18 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 28 Jun 2027 Fri 02 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 12 Jul 2027 Fri 16 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 13 Sep 2027 Fri 17 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 27 Sep 2027 Fri 01 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 11 Oct 2027 Fri 15 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 13 Dec 2027 Fri 17 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 27 Dec 2027 Fri 31 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 10 Jan 2028 Fri 14 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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