Level 6 · In Practice

6.6Going further

Goal: Choose a specialisation track (purchasing, supply, import) and know the reliable resources to keep progressing.

Estimated time: 8 min · If you only have 5 min: read “The essentials in 30s” + the diagram.

The essentials in 30 seconds

Deepen: strategic purchasing (TCO, negotiation, contracts), supply and inventory (forecast, planning), import and customs (INCOTERMS, origin).
Duration: professional network, guide capstone project (full sourcing + monthly KPI review), portfolio of traceable real cases.
Stance: choose by your flows — tools (ABC, OTIF, weighted grid) transfer from one track to another.

Nadia thread — 1 year on: her 12-month plan

One year on, Nadia sets her plan: deepen TCO negotiation (packaging marked her), follow a focused course on inventory forecasting, and join a buyer network to compare her grids with peers. No big diploma right away: one targeted need, one network, and the monthly KPI review that continues. Purchasing is not a diploma you get, but a practice you maintain.

Start from the real need of the moment: one precise skill to gain, not a prestigious catalogue.

Specialise

With the guide foundations, three tracks open up. Strategic purchasing: deepen TCO, principled negotiation, contracts and purchasing CSR (dependence, footprint, duty of vigilance). Supply & inventory: forecasting, planning (PDP/PIC), round and warehouse optimisation.

The third track is import and customs: INCOTERMS 2020, origin, tariff codes and import VAT — essential as soon as distant sourcing weighs in the TCO. Choose by your flows: the tools (ABC, OTIF, weighted grid) transfer from one track to another.

Certify & practice

The purchasing/supply function professionalises through guided practice: join a network (CDAF, France Supply Chain), train on the guide capstone project (full sourcing + monthly KPI review) and compare your grids with a peer.

On certification, target recognised paths (purchasing, supply, customs) rather than a lone label: employability rests on the portfolio of real cases (CDC, grids, contracts, OTIF) more than on the diploma alone. Keep each file traceable: it is your best proof in interview.

Common misinterpretation: "going further = stacking courses". No. One targeted training applied (then replayed on a real case) beats an unused catalogue: choose by your real need of the moment.

Ready-to-say script — ask to join a network (1 min)

"I am structuring our purchasing and supply with a field guide. I would like to compare our grids and KPIs with peers: may I join your next exchanges? I will come with a real case."

Copy-paste template — 12-month progress plan

MY 12-MONTH PLAN — [first name] — [date]
1. Priority NEED (only one): ...
   Situation revealing it: ...
2. Chosen TRACK (purchasing / supply / import-customs): ...
   Targeted network or course: ...
3. CAPSTONE PROJECT: full sourcing + monthly KPI review on: ...
4. PEER to compare grids with: ...
5. Quarterly REVIEW (dates): ... — criterion: what will have changed?