14-15 September 2026
Brunei
TBA
Overview
Take procurement beyond cost savings with “Strategic Procurement & Contract Optimisation”, a practical and high-impact programme for professionals who want to strengthen procurement’s strategic role and deliver measurable business value. Held from 14–15 September 2026 in Brunei, this event explores how procurement teams can manage critical suppliers, strengthen supplier relationships, optimise contracts and improve vendor performance. Led by internationally recognised procurement expert and author Ian Thompson, participants will gain practical tools, global case studies and hands-on strategies to navigate fast-changing markets, manage supply chain complexity and drive long-term procurement success.
KEY BENEFITS
- DRIVING greater strategic value from procurement in public, energy and regulated sectors.
- BUILDING resilient procurement and category strategies for complex supply markets.
- UNCOVERING hidden supplier costs through sharper price and cost analysis.
- MANAGING critical suppliers, contract risks and supply chain dependencies more effectively.
- STRENGTHENING supplier relationships to support continuity, innovation and long-term value.
- OPTIMISING contracts to improve governance, protect value and prevent scope creep.
- IMPROVING vendor performance, compliance and benefit realisation across the contract lifecycle.
WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND
Procurement today plays a critical role in driving value, managing risk and ensuring continuity — especially in government, oil & gas, infrastructure, GLCs and regulated sectors, where supplier decisions directly impact compliance, service delivery, project outcomes and public trust. This high-impact programme provides practical tools to help you strengthen procurement strategy, manage critical suppliers, uncover hidden costs, optimise contracts and improve vendor performance across the contract lifecycle. Led by internationally recognised procurement expert and author Ian Thompson, you will gain practical insights from global case studies and hands-on exercises — helping you make sharper commercial decisions and bring immediate value back to your organisation.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This course is suitable for everyone in Procurement, Supply Chain, Contracting, Vendor Management and Supplier Performance. It is highly relevant across all industries, particularly government, oil & gas, infrastructure, GLCs, utilities, manufacturing, services and other regulated or procurement-intensive sectors seeking stronger strategic delivery.
Roles include:
- Procurement, Sourcing & Supply Chain Directors & Leaders
- Category, Tender & Purchasing Managers
- Contracts, Commercial & Project Procurement Teams
- Vendor, Supplier Relationship & Performance Managers
- Risk, Governance & Compliance Professionals
Rave Reviews:
“Experienced facilitator with great communication skill that makes the session interesting, lively, interactive and easy to understand. Encouraged the participants to share experience and ideas.”
- Salina Saaduddin - Senior Manager, Group Procurement, Sime Darby Plantation Berhad
“The trainer has very good knowledge and experience. Kexxel provided good support & coordination.”
- Ahmad Rahayuddin Abdul Rawi - Strategic Vendor Management Lead, UEM Edgenta Berhad
“Very good trainer. He knows how to convey information well even though it is an online class.”
- Zainab AlZadjadi - Procurement & Contracts Administrator, Oman Air
“Excellent trainer. Listens well to questions & has a good way of explaining the topics.”
- Al Zahra Nasser Al Adwani - Procurement & Contracts Administrator, Oman Air
COURSE FACILITATOR
Ian Thompson
Internationally-recognised Procurement Thought Leader & Facilitator | Author of The Procurement Models Handbook (3rd Edition, Routledge, 2019) & The Category Management Handbook (Routledge, 2018)
About
Ian Thompson is a highly experienced procurement and supply chain trainer with over 20 years’ experience as a senior commercial practitioner.
Achievements
Industry Thought Leader & Author of Internationally Recognised Textbooks:
- The Procurement Models Handbook (3rd Edition, Routledge, 2019)
- The Category Management Handbook (Routledge, 2018)
Ian is one of the founding directors of Cordie Ltd, an award-winning procurement training and consulting company. Prior to setting up Cordie, Ian was engaged in a series of consulting and practitioner roles, including multi-national financial services corporates such as AXA and Barclays. He has considerable experience in global delivery to middle and senior level procurement executives throughout the world, including UK, Europe, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, China, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, South Africa, Argentina and the US.
Ian has worked with major corporates and government organisations in numerous sectors throughout the world bringing commercial insight and added-value through the application of category management and strategic sourcing techniques. Ian is the author of several internationally recognised procurement textbooks, including The Procurement Models Handbook, 3rd Edition (Routledge, 2019) and The Category Management Handbook, 1st Edition (Routledge, 2018). He has been an active member of The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) exam assessment team for a decade and has made a significant contribution to the development of the CIPS Diploma qualifications.
Has Worked With
Book(s) Published
Agenda
Strategic Procurement & Contract Optimisation
DAY 1: PROCUREMENT STRATEGY & COST OPTIMISATION
This first day explores the challenges facing procurement in a dynamic and fast-changing world. Against the backdrop of increasing customer demands and geo-political volatility, there is an ever-greater need for procurement to raise its game, becoming more strategic and delivering on a wider portfolio of benefits. Day 1 considers how supply chain risks and costs can be optimised and long-term sustainable procurement strategies developed.
Session 1
- Global trends in procurement
- Understanding supply chain complexity
- Balancing value, ESG and risk within supply chains
- Added-value from strategic procurement
- Building resilience and mastering the changing geo-political landscape
Case Study: Toyota Motor Corporation
Exercise: Horizon-scanning
Session 2
- Determining the cost drivers behind supplier pricing
- Practical hints for cost enquiries
- Overcoming supplier tricks that hide the real costs
- Conducting effective cost breakdown analysis
- Total cost of ownership modelling (TCO Modelling)
Case Study: Pan-American Energy Co.
Exercise: TCO Modelling
Session 3
- Best practice category management techniques
- How to build a sustainable category strategy
- Delivering on risk mitigation and ESG, alongside cost reduction
- Evolution of category plans in a changing world
- Influencing stakeholders to ensure buy-in
Exercise: Category Strategy Development Phases
Session 4
- Recognising the importance of operational criticality among suppliers.
- Power and dependency profiling
- Strategic supplier segmentation
- Supply chain risk assessment
- Choosing between competitive and collaborative strategies
Case Study: KPMG
Exercise: Power/Dependency Profiling
DAY 2: SUPPLIER STRATEGY & CONTRACT OPTIMISATION
Suppliers offer a range of value to the organisation, with some being highly critical and strategic. The need for individual supplier strategies is therefore essential. This training day reviews how critical and strategic suppliers can be identified and specific collaborative contractual relationship developed according to the risks and strategic importance of the supplier. The day concludes with a review of how vendor performance can be optimised and sustained throughout the contract duration.
Session 5
- Supplier relationship management strategies
- Essential pre-requisites of win-win partnering relationships
- Continuous improvement strategies
- Strategic contracting
Case Study: ExxonMobil
Session 6
- Profiling the required contractual obligations
- Key contractual clauses and when to employ them
- Developing a risk and value-based approach to the strategic development of contractual agreements
- Commercial modelling and price optimisation
Case Study: Qatar Gas
Exercise: Price Models
Session 7
- How, when and why contracts change over time
- Identifying the drivers of change and proactively mitigating against them
- How to run an effective variation process
- Negotiating contract amendments in a vacuum of competitive leverage
Case Study: Public Infrastructure Projects
Exercise: Contract Negotiation Scenarios
Session 8
- Onboarding new vendors and developing a performance ‘regime’
- Contract management routines
- Running a “Performance Monitoring and Review” meeting
- Reporting on performance feedback and escalating issues
Exercise: Operational Contract Monitoring & Review
