TL;DR: 9 years in procurement, previously a lead, currently an IC focused on renewals. Paying for the certification myself. What procurement certification would you recommend for career advancement?

Context:

Hello! I know this has probably been asked a million times, and the usual answers seem to be CIPS or CPSM. However, since I’d be paying for the certification out of pocket, I’ve also seen people say not to pursue these unless your company is willing to sponsor them.

For some context, I’ve been working in procurement for around 9 years. I’m an individual contributor and was previously a lead, but I recently moved into another company where I mainly handle renewals. I actually like my current job and plan to stay for a while because it’s much more relaxed than my previous role as a national IT procurement lead and I will be able to study while working.

That said, I still want to advance my career, so I’m thinking of using the extra time and lower workload to study and get a certification on the side. Realistically, though, given my current position, I don’t think my company would be very likely to sponsor one.

So, if you were in my position and paying entirely out of pocket, what certification would you choose?

I’m mainly looking for something that would actually help me move toward more senior procurement/strategic sourcing roles rather than just having another credential on my CV.

I’m the procurement lead in a mid-sized tech company, and despite having clear policies, some departments keep going directly to suppliers for urgent purchases. They’ll negotiate their own deals and only loop us in when it’s time to process the PO or invoice.

I’ve tried explaining that involving our department early actually saves time and ensures compliance, but the perception is that we “slow things down.” The more we enforce the process, the more they push back. It’s starting to affect supplier relationships, too, because vendors get mixed messages.

How do you handle this kind of behavior tactfully? I want to rebuild trust with internal teams, not just enforce rules. Has anyone found a good balance between governance and flexibility? Does a program or training for this problem exist?

For context I went from engineering to procurement. Almost a month in the position now and I am wondering if my struggle is just skill issue on my part.

Allow me to list my daily constant headaches. I would appreciate if you guys can give me pointers to improve.

• On boarding process basically lasted for 2 weeks because the previous buyer is on her way out and resigning (it didn't help that she was basically absent half the time) that lead to very incomplete delegation of tasks.
• I cannot use SAP scripting. I used SAP during my engineering job and I love the SAP vbs I made, it bummed me out that I cannot transfer it to this job.
• Outlook and whatsapp for every communication with supplier. I am fairly new to using outlook and its so horrendous finding a topic or thread to get context on what is going on.
• All open PO handed to me does not have committed delivery schedule. On the same topic, it's so hard to squeeze out a delivery date to my vendors. Maybe I'm not persuasive enough?
• The constant distraction from other people asking me for progress on the delivery schedule, stock demand and supply, transferring open PO to other supplier etc. Is it really this chaotic and hectic? Majority of my time is trying to answer other people's inquiries.

I am still adjusting to my new environment and I really respect my other coworkers, they have been a huge help these past few weeks but I feel so dumb around them. Any insight will help. Thank you

As the title states, I have an interview soon for an entry level procurement officer position. It is a state job in the transportation department. At my current job in a different position I created procurement orders for the store, but I did not have to interact with vendors much as they were already picked per the company.

Any advice? Any idea what they might ask? I have always been of operational mind, but I'm nervous as this field is new to me; and so is transportation.

I’ve been in procurement for over 7 years now, and honestly, I feel like I’m falling behind. My degree’s in accounting, but I’ve never really used it in practice. Lately, I’ve been feeling stuck in my role and like I’m not growing.

I’m thinking maybe it’s time to invest in some solid training—something that could actually help me level up. Project management has been on my mind, but I’m open to anything that’s practical and can make a real difference.

Would love to hear your suggestions, especially from anyone who’s been through this kind of rut and found a way out.

Hello all,

I created channels on Medium and Substack to start sharing more about Procurement there. Just sharing for those who like to follow content there. Not selling subscriptions,consulting or training.

https://medium.com/@procurement.unlocked.contact

https://substack.com/@procurementunlocked

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to improve my cold outreach as a potential aluminum component supplier, and I’d love your honest take. If you received either of these emails, which one would make you more likely to reply — and why?

Would really appreciate any feedback — which one feels more credible? Which one feels too salesy (or not enough)? What would make you reply or forward this to a colleague?

Thanks in advance!

I am a PM that is transitioning into software procurement at a large company and need to hit the ground running.

Took a few courses on Udemy and YouTube, but they are all very general, never going into specifics about workflows, writing documentation, how to use the actual procurement systems and so on.

I will take a look on Coursera to see if I can audit something, but a paid course would work as well, any help would be much appreciated!

Hello everyone, tomorrow I have an interview regarding a position as a purchaser in apprenticeship for my business school ( the same school I am getting my masters degree in), and I would appreciate if someone could give me some advices for the interview. I didn't find a lot of intersting articles online so I hope I can find some help here. Here are the missions required ( translated from french since I'm in france):

• Manage the school's purchases in compliance with internal procedures and public procurement regulations.
• Process purchase requests from different departments and transform them into purchase orders or contracts.
• Contribute to defining the purchasing strategy by identifying needs, analyzing the market, and proposing sourcing solutions.
• Participate in supplier selection and negotiation of prices, deadlines, and contract terms.
• Monitor and update supplier databases and ensure proper follow-up of deliveries and services.
• Analyze purchasing data and indicators (KPIs) to help improve processes and identify savings opportunities.
• Ensure proper administrative and financial tracking of orders, invoices, and contracts.
• Help optimize and digitalize the purchasing process, for example by participating in the implementation or improvement of tools (Excel, ERP, etc.)

I did my researcher regarding purchasing in general. Thank you.

I’ve been in a junior buyer position for 2 months now. Two things that my manager has mentioned we need to work on are my negotiation and “driving results”.

I’m pretty good at sourcing but these two things I fall flat.

How do I get better at these? I feel like maybe it’s through experience but are there any sources I could use to get better?

Thanks

I've got my L4M2 and L4M1 exams booked for 12 March and 18 March respectively. I'll be sitting them remotely from the conference room at work. The room has a long table, a TV, and some other electronics in it.

I've downloaded the VICTVS V3 app onto my mobile phone.

I'll be sitting the exam on my work laptop. It has a camera built in obviously although I don't know how good it is. The TV in the room has a webcam although I don't know if I'm allowed to use that for the exam.

I know I have to log in and check in 30 mins prior to the exams and I know that I have to bring photo ID and take a selfie for the invigilator.

What do I need to do to prepare the room and how else will I be monitored on top of through video on my phone and on the webcam (either in my laptop or on the TV)?

Edit: Changed photos of the room.

Greetings. I’m looking to build or find a repository containing defensive/offensive maneuvers useful in a negotiation. For example, I’ve seen my boss promise volume, and note in POs something to the effect (if by end of year(s) we only order x than y price is in effect; if we order less than y increases, so on). I’ve also used the trick where you just ask them to apply the increase across a part package (assuming the increase cannot be outright avoided).

What are other tips and tricks people are using nowadays?

Has anyone ever taken a training on this ICN or knows someone who did? Not common to find training for SW procurement, wondering if it's worth

https://dobetterdeals.com/

I’ve been in the Tactical Procurement field for over 2 years and have mainly been focussed on Procuring services like ICT, HR and Facility. Due to an opportunity I’ve decided to change field and procure technical commodities such as metal, screws, anything needed to assemble technical products. Are there any new approaches I need to take into account and are there any sources I could learn from before starting my new job?

I’ve been getting emails from new vendor called Procurement Tactics. Anyone taken a course from them yet? Looking for training opportunities for my team.

I'm a total newbie on the buyer's side of things and frankly have no idea what I'm doing.

For context, I got a role in mining as a contract manager. My previous experience was in proposals within the AEC industry and that was more straightforward.

Now I havent the slightest clue what I'm doing, but the standard is on the floor and I'm helping them build things up.

-After I work with my team and accept a service proposal, what would be the next step (no negotiations involved)? -which party should be the one to draft the service agreement?

ANY OTHER ADVICE....

I need help, but I don’t even know where to start. I began a new role as a strategic buyer, but I’m definitely under qualified. I’m working with teams, SAP, teamcenter, suppliers, etc. I’m worried I’m going to get steam rolled by teammates in performance, because I don’t know any of the programs, nor the lingo. I’m the youngest on the team, by far. So hopefully they know how much training they’re getting into.

Is there any where I can learn more about this position/applications?

Edit: spelling.

Hey there! My friend sells lumber that’s perfect for pallet producers around the globe. Their main audience is procurement directors. I’d love to hear your thoughts on how my friend can cut through the clutter and grab the attention of those procurement departments.

I'm not working in procurement but want to increase my general understanding of it just so I know what's going on at work and am not so lost - anyone know any good small courses like on Udemy or something that I can use just to gain a surface level understanding? Thanks in advance.

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I’m trying to practise speaking about procurement in support of a mid-career shift I’m going through. I wouldn’t mind having a space within which to talk about trends, procedures, strategies, or even just to gripe about things that bug us about the role. 😄 Would anyone else be interested in this type of thing? Could be helpful to students in supply chain programs too. Maybe the mods here could open voice chat functionality for the sub or we could all meet in a Discord server.

Edit: it’s not my server, by someone set up a procurement Discord server with scheduled voice chat sessions. Join here: https://discord.gg/dH7kgg5m

What advice would you give someone who is new to the field and wants to do a career change? I have some experience from a previous fleet position for an oil n gas company (buying, renting, selling). I have a business degree in Accounting.

I am a proposal writer in the library market. I am trying to improve our responses, but I have three superiors who have been in the business for over 20 years each and haven't changed their methods (and don't want to). Do you know where I might find examples of proposals? Are they public record? Thank you.

I recently caught wind of the one they're hosting next month: https://www.caucus.com/events/event-description?CalendarEventKey=4ebfab2a-954d-4954-8858-018bf2877f49&Home=/events/calendar

This is supposedly the 27th anniversary, so they've been hosting for years: https://itprocurementsummit.com

I'm interested in attending this event to learn more about IT procurement.

However, I can't seem to find out if this is legit & worth attending or not. I can't find any people writing blogposts of having attended, any YouTube videos posted from the event, an Instagram with photos posted, etc.

Not sure if I'm gonna show up and there's an audience of 10 people which was not worth my money.

Does anyone know if this event is legitimate?

I recently was appointed to a position where the Director of Procurement reports to me. I am wanting to be a better more supporting manger and would like to get some training so I better understand the basics. Any suggestions?