CIPS Advanced Diploma
The Advanced Diploma is CIPS’ Level 5 qualification; when you complete it, you will become an Associate Member of CIPS. It’s intended for people who have previously worked in the supply chain in a largely operative or supervisory role and have the Foundation Diploma qualification or its equivalent.
By the time you have finished the Advanced Diploma, your supply chain knowledge and skills should allow you to:
- develop ideas by analysing information and concepts at an abstract level,
- use wide-ranging, specialised technical, creative and/or conceptual competences,
- form appropriate responses to resolve well defined and abstract problems,
- analyse, reformat and evaluate a wide range of information,
- use diagnostic and creative skills in a range of technical, professional or management functions,
- show appropriate judgement in planning, design, technical and/or supervisory functions related to products, services, operations or processes, and
- accept responsibility and accountability within broad parameters for determining and achieving personal and/or group outcomes.
If you don't think this is the right qualification for you, try Certificate or Foundation Diploma or Graduate Diploma.
Study programme
There are five units in the Advanced Diploma. Three are compulsory and you choose the other two from a list of options.
You can study the units in any order except that Improving Supply Chain Performance must be the last compulsory that you do. It is what CIPS call an “integrative unit”; it is where you show that you can bring your studies of the level together.
The three compulsory units are:
Management in the Purchasing Function (Course 270)
This unit enables you to manage your own area of responsibility within an organisation’s internal supply chain, in line with the overall strategic business plan and the operational plan for the purchasing function. In doing so you will employ a range of resources, including human, physical and financial resources, and manage and delegate tasks effectively.
This unit is about managing the expectations of the stakeholders that are directly involved in your area of responsibility and providing you with management techniques to help you involve others, be innovative, consultative, influential and persuasive in order to achieve targets effectively.
Risk Management and Supply Chain Vulnerability (Course 271)
This unit covers risk analysis and a variety of risk assessments relating to different aspects of purchasing and supply and to implement a range of appropriate risk management tools and techniques. You will learn how to provide a detailed analysis of supply chain situations, including legal, corporate social responsibility, ethical, health and safety, financial, international, innovation and a variety of other potential risk scenarios. The scope covers both the proactive identification and avoidance of risk, as well as provision for post-event recovery initiatives. By the end of the unit you should be able to recommend ways of avoiding, mitigating or managing risks which you have identified and quantified.
Improving Supply Chain Performance (Course 272)
Achieving success within the supply chain involves a complex range of variables, which can frequently be dependent on one another for the success of the supply chain. This unit enables you to use a range of techniques and strategies to develop and improve supplier performance in order to achieve competitiveness, efficiency and profitability within the supply chain. This includes measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of supply chain performance, developing systems to improve the performance of the supply chain, and making justifiable recommendations for their implementation.
The Options
It can be helpful to save studying the options until last; we are accredited for the Public Sector options. Choose two from:
Marketing for Purchasers (Course 273)
This unit provides an appreciation of the marketing concept, the role of marketing within an organisation, marketing’s relationship with purchasing and supply, and marketing’s contribution to the overall strategic plan. You will be introduced to marketing concepts, methods and techniques that are used to develop marketing plans with the ultimate aim of achieving customer satisfaction. These techniques may be applied to both not-for-profit and commercial organisations.
Operations Management in the Supply Chain (Course 274)
This unit enables those who work in purchasing to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of an organisation’s operations. This is the process of converting input resources into output products and services and occurs in all types of organisation, whether in manufacturing or services, public sector or private. You should be able to understand how operations staff add value through the effective management of production and delivery. Operations staff are likely to be the most important internal customers of purchasing and supply chain managers. By the end of this unit you will be able to analyse and evaluate an operations environment and implement a strategic plan that allocates resources in terms of materials, labour and machinery. In addition you will be able to consider the infrastructure requirements of the management control systems, as applied to different process types and technologies, and select the right approach.
Storage and Distribution (Course 275)
This unit is concerned with identifying the major areas of concern in effectively managing stores and distribution throughout the supply chain. It is essential that goods are moved through supply chains to customers at the right time, in the right condition, at the right place and at the right cost. Failure in any of these areas will add unnecessary costs to the ultimate customer while success will add value, and delight the customer. It is essential that storage, distribution and general logistics are coordinated, both upstream and downstream, in order to reduce lead times, provide agility and reduce unnecessary costs. In order for this to happen it is essential that relationships, both internally and externally are honed to the appropriate level.
The Machinery of Government and Procurement (Course 276)
This unit explores the drivers and decision-makers of central and local government and the National Health Service (NHS), and the impact these have upon the public sector procurement function. It also includes consideration of the background to current public procurement policy and procedures, the regulatory frameworks and rules relating to procurement practice and the role of elected representatives and officials in making significant procurement decisions. An understanding of government policy, regulations, and government initiatives such as the efficiency agenda, social agenda and sustainability drivers is necessary, and the unit also includes an understanding of the systems and processes developed and adopted for audit, monitoring and measurement, including government accounting and budgets, and the roles of the National Audit Office (NAO), Audit Commission and Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Contracting in the Public Sector (Course 277)
This unit recognises the differences in contracting and regulatory requirements within the public sector environment. It goes beyond the Foundation Diploma treatment of the subject in order to take on the challenges of managing a contract from inception through to conclusion. The unit provides the knowledge and understanding to analyse concepts underlying the contracting process, including markets, transparency, competition, relationships and trust.
After studying this unit you will be able to manage the contracting process efficiently and effectively through developing the business case for the procurement, analysing the nature and scope of the contract, applying appropriate selection procedures and developing positive relationships with suppliers to realise intended benefits in the context of public accountability and responsible stewardship.
