Buying Better: Sustainable Procurement Training Course for Professionals (Online / Remote)
1Summary
Every purchase order a procurement team signs off carries more than a price tag — it carries an environmental footprint, a labour standard, and a governance record tied to whoever supplied it. This training course from the Arab British Fellowship Training Academy is designed for professionals who need procurement decisions to hold up against all three, not just cost.
Participants learn to evaluate suppliers beyond price and delivery time, weighing environmental impact, social responsibility and governance practices alongside them. The programme also builds skills in strategic planning, risk management and stakeholder engagement, so procurement teams can move from simply processing orders to creating measurable, long-term value for their organisations.
2Objectives and target group
Who Should Attend?
- Procurement managers and purchasing officers in public and private organisations.
- Supply chain and logistics professionals looking to integrate sustainability.
- Sustainability and CSR specialists involved in procurement decisions.
- Project managers and operational leaders responsible for vendor selection.
Objectives
By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:
- Explain the principles and drivers behind sustainable procurement.
- Evaluate and select suppliers using environmental, social and governance criteria.
- Build sustainability considerations directly into procurement planning.
- Manage supplier performance and compliance more effectively.
- Reduce procurement-related risks and costs while advancing sustainability goals.
3Course Content
Module 1: Foundations and the Procurement Cycle
- Definition, scope and global drivers of sustainable procurement
- Where sustainability fits in needs assessment and sourcing
- Aligning procurement processes with organisational policy
Module 2: Evaluating and Contracting Suppliers
- Setting sustainability evaluation criteria for supplier selection
- Balancing cost, quality and sustainability
- Writing sustainability clauses, KPIs and contract monitoring mechanisms
Module 3: Green Purchasing and Ethical Supply Chains
- Reducing material and energy use; lifecycle and total cost thinking
- Promoting eco-friendly products and services
- Human rights, labour standards and anti-corruption in the supply chain
Module 4: Managing Risk in Sustainable Procurement
- Identifying environmental, social and governance risks
- Risk assessment and mitigation tools
- Crisis response and continuity planning
Module 5: Developing and Measuring Supplier Performance
- Building supplier capacity for sustainability compliance
- Setting KPIs and continuous improvement strategies
- Data collection, reporting frameworks and stakeholder communication
Module 6: Strategic Planning for the Future of Procurement
- Building a sustainable procurement strategy aligned to organisational goals
- Embedding sustainability into procurement policy and governance
- Anticipating regulatory change and future trends