$2175 USD per participant

ELIGIBILITY: This course is open only to staff from The United Nations System. Including Specialized Agencies of the UN system (World Bank Group, IMF, WHO etc.), Functional and Regional Commissions, Programmes and Funds, Research and Training Institutes, Departments and Offices, Subsidiary Bodies and Related Organisations etc. The latest UN System organigram will be used to determine eligibility.

The Level 4 Diploma course builds on the capabilities developed in Level 2 and 3 courses. A UNDP/CIPS Level 2 and 3 certificate is therefore also a prerequisite for participation at Level 4.

The course is designed for procurement and contract management managers and officers and those in functions that inlcude close interaction with procurement, such as programme and project staff seeking strategic level training in UN and public procurement strategy development, negotiations and contract management.

The Level 4 diploma course offers valuable management tools and qualifications for management procurement roles or those supervising the procurement function. It focuses on organisational procedures and processes including negotiating, planning, risk management and data analysis.

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

• Develop and implement strategic procurement plans
• Integrate procurement plans in corporate strategic and financial planning
• Plan for significant procurement and supply
• Conduct cost and financial analysis
• Organize and manage procurement activities
• Understand commercial and legal considerations in negotiations
• Apply successful negotiations and bargaining methods in procurement negotiations
• Make team negotiations work
• Manage conflict and deadlock resolution processes
• Manage advanced offer evaluation processes
• Execute strategic supply, service and consultancy contracts
• Measure and manage performance of major contracts

• The course is designed to be highly interactive.
• Participants will be working on challenging hands-on practical exercises and case studies with peers from other organizations and share best practices in public procurement.
• The course will also provide participants with the opportunity to discuss the different procurement rules and regulations of the various UN and public organisations.
• To be awarded the UNDP/CIPS Level 4 Strategic Diploma in Public Procurement students must successfully pass three tests:
• Test I. The Multiple Choise Questionnaire (MCQ) conducted during the training course, where students must answer 100 multiple choice questions of which 80% have to be answered correctly in 2 hours. The MCQ will test the student’s knowledge and understanding of the course syllabus
• Test II. In-class Workbook (ICW). Compulsory in class invididual exercise workbook to be completed during the course. Pass/fail, marked by course tutor(s) during the course.
• Test III. The Work-Based Assignment (WBA) where students are given 8 weeks to complete a 3000 words written essay/project to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the syllabus and how this can be applied to a practical work-related case.
• Students successfully completing the in-class MCQ and the WBA project will be awareded the dual UNDP/CIPS Level 4 “Strategic Diploma in Public Procurement".
• For students requiring additional submissions of the work-based assessment (failed first and/or second attempt) the fee for resubmission is USD 250 per submission.

Marco Soested has been a tutor on UNDP's training courses for several years and has conducted standard and tailor-made courses for UN system organisations, Governments, and IFI's around the world the last 10 years.

Marco Soested joined UNDP in 1995 and has solid experience in identifying, planning and undertaking large scale procurement on behalf of UNDP, UN, GO and NGO clients world-wide. He has provided procurement related support to the UNDP Country offices in Yemen, Jerusalem and Sudan where he was stationed for a longer period of time. His main expertise lies within the area of procurement, contracting and logistics.

Marco is a regular tutor on our courses on "Introductory Certificate in Public Procurement" (Level 2), Advanced Certificate in Public Procurement (Level 3), "Strategic Diploma in Public Procurement" (Level 4), "Supply Chain Management in Humanitarian Organizations” and “Risk Management in Contracting for Construction Services”.

Since 2004, Marco has worked with the implementation of UNDP’s procurement strategy and applied various analytical tools, such as spend analysis, supply and demand analysis and transaction analysis.

Marco has conducted several field missions on behalf of UNDP to e.g. Zambia, UAE, Sri Lanka, Palestinian Territories, Afghanistan, Russian Federation, where he conducted supplier inspections and assisted UNDP Country Offices with training and capacity development, streamlining of procurement processes, and developing procurement capacities.

Marco is a Danish National and his academic qualifications are in Economics.