D4 - Negotiating and Contracting in Procurement & Supply Flashcards
Why are specifications required when contracting?
- Define the requirement: must be a clear list of requirements for the seller to understand.
- Gain buy in: from the outer business.
- Communicate: Must make clear the work to be delivered so the supplier can price accurately.
- Minimise risk: avoids misinterpretations
- Facilitate Evaluation: Allows you to benchmark suppliers performance.
- Standardisation: allows you to standardise products bought across different companies.
What are the 2 types of sepcification and what is the difference between them?
- Performance specification: details the desired results
2. Conformance specification: details exacting perameters around delivery and execution.
What are the two main approaches to tendering?
- Open tendering: publicly advertise the work
2. Restricted tendering: prequalify a list of suppliers and invite them to privately tender.
What is meant by implied terms and explicit terms?
Contracting can have either implied or explicit terms. Implied terms are assumed based on law or another term within the contract. Explicit terms are stated clearly within the document.
Contract terms can be split into two categories, condition or warranty. What is meant by these categories?
Conditions are essential terms to the contract and to break them is considered a breach of contract.
Warranties are less serious and a failure to deliver may not constitue a breach of contract although the other party may stil claim.
When measuring performance of a service contract it is sometimes useful to use what kind of agreement?
Service level agreement which will set the desired service levels e.g. toilets will be cleaned every 10 hours.
What 5 parts must exist to make a contract?
- Consideration - both parties must get something out the agreement.
- Offer - one party must offer the other something.
- Acceptance - the other party must accept the offer.
- Intention - to create a legally binding contract
- Capacity - to make the contract legal.
What methods could be used to accept a contract?
- Oral or written communication confirming acceptance.
- Unconditionally - acceptance must be in complete agreement of the entire contract.
- By performace - starting to deliver work under a contract can count as acceptance of a contract
What is meant by consideration and what must be considered before making a legally binding contract?
- The contract must offer something of value from both parties to the other.
- The law is concerned with whether the value is sufficient.
What are the risks of intention to create a contract for procurement professionals?
Intention is a requirement for contracts which is generally deemed accepted when entering into contractual relationships.
What is meant by capacity to create a contract?
Having the capacity can mean, is the person old enough e.g. nobody under 18 has the capacity to create a contractual relationship. Another example is whether an employee has the right to act on behalf of a company.
Why is it high risk to enter into oral contracts?
- Perceptions of the contractual arrangements may be different.
- Where a mistake is deemed to have taken place the contract may be void.
- Transparency can be vital for disputes and lead to mistrust if there isn’t any documentation.
- Conflict may arrise through lack of clarity on the agreed terms.
- Compliance will be difficult to measure with no written contract.
What considerations must be taken when trading internationally?
- Jurisdiction: where will disputes be settled?
- Applicable Law?
- Language of contract?
- Customs and practice considerations.
- Currency fluctuations
- Documentation requirements may differ.
- Taxation may be different from country to country.
What is negotiation?
It is a process which involves more than one party trying to reach an agreement.
Why should conflict be avoided in negotiations?
- It may distract away from the main task.
- Polarise views and create tension.
- Act as a barrier to effective communication.
- Encourage adversarial behaviours.
- Lead to emotional reactions.
What is distributive negotiation or integrative negotiation?
Distributive negotiation is win/lose
Integrative negotiation is win/win
Negotiations can be lose/lose if it rushed and neither party get what they want out the agreement.
How can you plan for a negotiation?
MIL - must haves, intend to have, like to have. categorise all points which aren’t agreed and decide on the importance.
What is meant by walkaway?
A walkaway is the point at which the deal is no longer worth making. This will depend on things like
- are there other suppliers who can deliver?
- how urgently do you need the goods / services?
- how easy is it to switch to other suppliers?
What is meant by a BATNA?
Best alternative to a negotiated agreement is your back up plan. This will be important as it will provide leverage.
What is power and what are the different styles which it can be used?
Power is the ability to influence people. It can take many forms:
- Overt power, the obvious and transparent use of power
- Cover power, more subtle use of power through implication
- Structural power, represents power through relationships.
What are sources of power?
- Legitamite (exert power based on the beliefs of others)
- Expert (being an expert in an area)
- Reward (through offer of inscentive)
- Referent (through charisma or personality)
- Coercive (threaten sanctions)
- Informational (through access to information)
- Personality (through being personable)
- Position based (pulling rank)
- Relationship based (ability to control resource)
- Contextual (understanding a batna)
Describe Cox et Als power matrix
Buyer power relative to the supplier is on the y axis, and suppliers power relative to the buyer is on the x axis.
Buyer power is high, supplier power is high (Interdependence)
Buyer power is low, supplier power is high (Supplier dominance)
Buyer power is high, supplier power is low (buyer dominance)
Buyer power is low, supplier power is low (independence)
What are sources of information when planning for a negotiation?
- Networking (supplier / buyer events)
- Published Information (media, trade journals etc)
- Internet sources (search engines)
- Internal sources (People who have worked with the organisation previously)
Describe different types of relationships from the competitive end through to the collaborative end of the spectrum.
- Adversarial
- Arms Length
- Transactional
- Closer tactical
- Single-sourced
- Outsourcing
- Strategic alliance
- Partnership
- Co-destiny
Why might a relationship breakdown?
Bad communication, unrealistic expectations, change in external environments, disputes
When negotiation fails to settle disputes or revive relationships what are the next steps?
Conciliation or Meditation
then
Arbitration or Litigation
Describe cost, price and profit.
Price (the amount charged to the buyer) = Cost (the amount it costs the supplier for the materials) + Profit (The amount of money gained by the supplier for the sale)
What techniques can be used for Price assessment?
- Price reduction
- Profit assessment
- Cost analysis
- Break even check
What is the difference between direct and indirect costs?
Direct costs relate directly to the product being sold. An impact on quality of anything under direct costs will have an impact on the overall quality of the end product.
Indirect costs are overheads and non end product related costs e.g. lighting or machinery.
What is the difference between fixed costs and variable costs.
Fixed costs will not change dependent on the amount of produce created. The costs are usually regular payments.
Variable costs are directly related to the products and an increase in sales will see an increase in variable cost.
How can you calculate a suppliers break-even point?
Take the variable costs from the sales revenue to get the contribution. Then divide this by the volume of sales to get the contribution per unit. Then you divide the fixed costs by the contribution per unit to work out the amount of units which must be sold.
Name 3 costing methods
- Marginal Costing
- Absorption Costing
- Activity Based Costing
What is marginal costing?
The variable costs are covered by the price but no fixed costs are. Fixed costs must be recovered elsewhere.
What is absorption costing?
The variable costs and a reasonable portion of the fixed costs are covered by the price.
What is activity based costing?
All costs are allocated to a specific product or brand including the fixed overheads.