Programme outline
Learning objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand the architecture and components of modern e-procurement platforms
- Explain how digital Request For Anything (RFx), e-sourcing, and Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) tools support sourcing efficiency and governance
- Assess the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and analytics in intelligent sourcing tools
- Evaluate supplier portals and onboarding automation models
- Compare e-procurement tools based on organisational needs and maturity
- Design a basic source-to-contract workflow using digital platforms
- Analyse real-world cases of digital sourcing implementation and adoption challenges.
Day 1
- Course orientation and expectations
- Evolution from manual sourcing to e-procurement platforms
- Core components of an e-procurement ecosystem
- Where e-procurement creates value — and where it fails
- RFIs, RFPs, RFQs in a digital environment
- E-sourcing workflows and approval structures
- E-auctions: use cases, benefits, and risks
- Common pitfalls in RFx automation
- Purpose and scope of CLM systems
- Contract creation, approvals, compliance tracking, renewals
- Integration between sourcing and contract management
- Case snapshots of CLM implementation
Day 2
- Supplier self-service models
- Digital onboarding, qualification, and compliance tracking
- Data quality, governance, and supplier experience
- Risks of over-automation
- What “intelligent sourcing” really means
- Role of analytics, recommendations, and decision support
- Limits of AI in sourcing and negotiation
- Ethical and governance considerations
- End-to-end sourcing workflow mapping
- Aligning digital tools with policies and controls
- Integration challenges across platforms
- Designing a fit-for-purpose sourcing workflow
- Learning activities:
- Group workflow design exercise
- Consolidation of Week 2 learning
Day 3
- Build vs buy considerations
- Evaluating vendors and platforms
- Change management and adoption risks
- Measuring ROI beyond cost savings
- Measuring procurement value beyond cost savings
- Success and failure cases in e-sourcing adoption
- Organisational readiness and stakeholder alignment
- Lessons learned from real implementations
- Assessment briefing and expectations
- Module review & assessment
- Structured recap of key frameworks and concepts
- Open Q&A and clarification
- Individual assessment consisting of MCQs, short questions, applied questions, and organisational reflection
Assessment
- In-class participation
- Individual assessment
- Group work