IMPA's Course for Senior Buyers

Please note this course is on hold and we are not currently taking any new applications. Our advanced-level programme for maritime procurement, the Senior Buyer course is suitable for the seasoned maritime buyer who desires to be an expert in the field.

Our advanced-level programme for maritime procurement, the Senior Buyer course is suitable for the seasoned maritime buyer who desires to be an expert in the field. Delivered across four blocks of eight weeks, the course will help you manage complex procurement situations and interact with multi-disciplined teams around you. It will also offer you the tools to develop strategic supplier relations. During this time, you will be trained to become a specialist in procurement and will be able to:

manage complex procurement portfolios,
manage technically-complex procurement processes,
develop contract and supplier management strategies,
develop and implement supplier risk-management strategies, and
develop procurement strategy.

Start Date

TBC

Duration

32 weeks

Study Time

12 hours per week

Study Mode

Online

Download Prospectus

What we look for

You are enthusiastic, committed and have an intermediate knowledge about marine procurement and supply chain management.
You have at least three years of professional experience in marine procurement and are looking to make the next step in your career OR you have successfully graduated from our Buyer course.
You are familiar with all elements of performing operational purchasing and logistical activities and have already built the knowledge to operate as a buyer in the field of marine procurement and supply chain management.
You have a satisfactory level of English, equivalent to upper-intermediate across writing, listening, speaking and reading bands.

Structure

During the programme, you will be studying five different modules that will help you build specialist knowledge in procurement and supply chain management:

Module

Day

Advanced Purchasing Processes and Legal Aspects

Learn to evaluate complex capex and strategic tenders, structure databases and manage data. Understand frame agreements, service contracts and strategic contracts at an advanced level.

Module

Day

Portfolio Analysis, Supplier Management and Strategy

Learn to conduct pareto and portfolio analyses, develop advanced portfolio procurement strategies and conduct SWOT analyses. Learn how to develop a multi-year procurement strategy and plan procurement action.

Module

Day

Supplier Management Strategy and Financial Economic Aspects

Get to grasp with advanced portfolio strategies, cost-reduction strategies, cost types and cost models. Learn to analyse spend, benchmark, identify total cost of ownership and should-cost models.

Module

Day

Advanced Negotiations and Strategies

Revisit the negotiation process and learn about negotiations with dominant/limited-source suppliers. Become an expert in the different styles for negotiation and portfolio procurement strategies, as well as in how to prevent deal-breaking conflicts.

Module

Day

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Understand the importance of CSR in procurement, and learn about the tools, certificates and quality labels. Learn to implement CSR in your organisation and its supply chain.

Teaching & assessment

All students will be given 24/7 access to our online learning platform. Teaching will be carried out through video seminars that can be watched at your convenience, written lessons, online group discussions and workshops. During our programmes, students learn as much from each other as they learn from the lecturers; as a result, it is expected of you to display commitment and continually get involved in online group discussions.

Assessment will be by a mixture of exams, quizzes, and written coursework. Participation into online workshops will be taken into account for the overall grade.

At the end of the programme, students will be awarded a graduate diploma and invited to an official graduation ceremony at one of IMPA’s main events, either in Singapore or London.

Fees

The tuition fee for the Assistant Buyer online programme is GBP 4,499. This includes permanent access to our Moodle online learning management system, all course materials and your own copy of the books required under the course's bibliography. At the moment, at least two of the following books are included:

H.M. Visser and A.R. van Goor, Logistics: Principles and Practice (2nd edition)
Fred Sollish and John Semanik, The Procurement and Supply Manager's Desk Reference (John Wiley & Sons, 2nd edition, 2012)
Margaret Griffiths and Ivor Griffiths, Law for Purchasing and Supply (Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 3rd edition, 2002)
John C Tracy Jr, Negotiating Procurement Contracts: The Knowledge to Negotiate (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2011)
Kees Gelderman, A Portfolio Approach to Purchasing Strategies: A comprehensive study to the theoretical foundations and practical possibilities (LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, 2009)
X. Paul Humbert Esq., How to Analyze and Negotiate Warranties for Goods and Services: A Primer For Lawyers And Non-Lawyers Alike (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 1st edition, 2017)

If your company is looking to enrol several employees in this course, please get in touch with us directly, as we are often able to work out a bespoke offer.

Funding

The Jan R. Johannessen Scholarship

Each academic year, IMPA offers a place on one of our online programmes to a student who would like to join the course, but is unable to gain the necessary funding. The student who wins this place is known as the Jan R. Johannessen scholar. For this, you need to write a 1000-word essay on the importance of education in maritime procurement and attach it to your application. The IMPA Council will review the essays and select the winning piece. You will then be informed in due course of the outcome. As competition is high, please apply early to avoid disappointment. We recommend applying for the scholarship within no less than one month before the start of the programme in which you plan to enrol.

The Alumni Loyalty Discount

If you have successfully completed one of our online programmes on or after 2019, you will receive an Alumni Loyalty Discount. The amount of the discount is dependent on the grade you achieved in your previous course. This goes as follows:

15% if you achieved a “Distinction”,
10% if you achieved a “Merit”, and
5% for successful completion.

Please note that, in order for this discount to be applied, there is no need to do anything. Upon applying for the programme, our admission team will automatically apply the discount if you are one of our alumni.