Operations & Supply Chain

Spend Analysis and Cost Savings

You cannot manage what you cannot see. This course teaches procurement professionals how to build a spend cube, classify spend, identify savings opportunities, prioritise initiatives, calculate and validate savings and report procurement value credibly to finance and leadership.

5 days Classroom or live online English

Smart Horizon Certified - Global Leadership Consultants

Take the course details with you.

Download the full standard outline: why attend, methodology, objectives, audience, competencies, the daily outline and current plans.

Download course PDF

Why attend

From knowledge to real-world impact.

Spend analysis is the starting point of every procurement savings programme. You will learn to turn messy data into a clear savings pipeline.

Workplace challenges

Professional Problems This Course Is Designed to Solve

The programme explores practical approaches to the following challenges. Results depend on how the learning is applied in your organisation.

Difficulty translating subject knowledge into practical workplace decisions.
Inconsistent approaches to the activities covered in the course outline.
Lack of a structured plan for applying and reviewing new skills.

Course methodology

How you will learn.

Hands-on spend data exercises, classification practice, opportunity workshops and savings calculation case studies.

Course objectives

What you'll take away.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Extract and cleanse spend data
Classify spend into categories
Analyse spend by supplier, category and business unit
Identify and prioritise savings opportunities
Calculate and validate savings
Report procurement value

Target audience

Who should attend.

This course is suitable for:

Procurement analysts and managers
Category managers
Finance business partners
Procurement directors
Cost reduction teams

Target competencies

Capabilities you will build.

Participants will develop competencies in:

Data cleansing
Spend classification
Opportunity analysis
Savings measurement
Value reporting

Course outline

Your learning journey.

A focused, practical outline with time to explore, apply and reflect.

Day 1Spend Visibility

09:00–10:08Why spend analysis
10:08–11:00Data sources
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Data sources (continued)
11:45–12:53Common issues
12:53–14:00Exercise

Day 2Building the Spend Cube

09:00–10:08Cleansing and normalisation
10:08–11:00Classification taxonomies
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Classification taxonomies (continued)
11:45–12:53Supplier families
12:53–14:00Hands-on

Day 3Finding Opportunities

09:00–10:08Fragmentation and maverick spend
10:08–11:00Price and demand levers
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Price and demand levers (continued)
11:45–12:53Prioritisation
12:53–14:00Workshop

Day 4Savings

09:00–10:08Savings definitions
10:08–11:00Validation with finance
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Validation with finance (continued)
11:45–12:53Tracking
12:53–14:00Case study

Day 5Reporting

09:00–10:08Dashboards
10:08–11:00Communicating value
11:00–11:30Coffee break
11:30–11:45Communicating value (continued)
11:45–12:53Sustaining visibility
12:53–14:00Action plan

The timings provided are estimates and may vary depending on the number of participants and the discussions taking place during the sessions. They are indicative only and do not constitute a binding commitment.

Dates & venues

Find a session that works for you.

Confirmed dates accept registration requests. Tentative dates are enquiry only.

Good to know

A few things to know.

How is the course delivered?

Our classroom programmes combine facilitated discussion, case studies, exercises and reflection. The precise format will be confirmed before enrolment.

Can you deliver this programme for our team?

Yes, you can enquire about a tailored programme. Share your goals, group size and preferred dates with our learning team.

Will I receive a certificate?

Participants who complete the programme receive a Smart Horizon certificate of attendance. Smart Horizon programmes are not externally accredited and do not award a professional qualification, licence or designation. Where a course title or outline refers to a professional certification (for example, AACE International's Certified Cost Professional), the programme supports learning and preparation only; the credential itself is awarded solely by the relevant professional body under its own application and examination requirements.

What should I confirm before booking travel?

Please confirm the session, exact venue, accessibility arrangements, fees and any visa requirements with the team before arranging travel. Tentative dates are not confirmed sessions.

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