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Tail Spend and Low Value Purchase Management

The long tail of small, one off purchases often accounts for a large share of suppliers and transactions while receiving almost no procurement attention. This course helps African organisations bring order to tail spend through catalogues, purchasing cards, consolidation and light touch controls that free buyers to focus on strategic categories. Delegates learn to reduce transaction cost without smothering the business in red tape.

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What you will be able to do

  • Analyse tail spend to reveal fragmented suppliers and transactions.
  • Select the right buying channels for low value, high frequency purchases.
  • Design catalogues, purchasing cards and self service ordering controls.
  • Consolidate suppliers and rationalise the tail without disrupting users.
  • Apply proportionate approval and compliance controls to small purchases.
  • Measure transaction cost and track tail spend reduction over time.

Course outline

  1. 01Understanding the Tail of Procurement Spend
  2. 02Analysing Suppliers and Transaction Volumes
  3. 03Buying Channels for Low Value Purchases
  4. 04Catalogues, Cards and Self Service Ordering
  5. 05Supplier Consolidation and Rationalisation
  6. 06Proportionate Controls and Compliance
  7. 07Measuring Transaction Cost and Savings

Who should attend

This course suits procurement officers, category managers and accounts payable staff seeking to control the cost and risk hidden in small value purchasing.

Dates, venues and fees

DatesVenueDaysFeeCalendarRegister
27 to 28 Oct 2026Johannesburg2R10,000Register
28 to 29 Oct 2026Cape Town2R10,000Register
29 to 30 Oct 2026Durban2R10,000Register
2 to 3 Nov 2026Pretoria2R10,000Register
3 to 4 Nov 2026Windhoek2US$1,100Register
4 to 5 Nov 2026Gaborone2US$1,100Register
5 to 6 Nov 2026Maseru2US$1,100Register
9 to 10 Nov 2026Mbabane2US$1,100Register
10 to 11 Nov 2026Lusaka2US$1,100Register
11 to 12 Nov 2026Harare2US$1,100Register
12 to 13 Nov 2026Lilongwe2US$1,100Register
16 to 17 Nov 2026Blantyre2US$1,100Register
17 to 18 Nov 2026Mozambique2US$1,100Register
18 to 19 Nov 2026Nairobi2US$1,100Register
19 to 20 Nov 2026Dar es Salaam2US$1,100Register
23 to 24 Nov 2026Kigali2US$1,100Register
24 to 25 Nov 2026Kampala2US$1,100Register
25 to 26 Nov 2026Accra2US$1,100Register
26 to 27 Nov 2026Lagos2US$1,100Register
30 Nov to 1 Dec 2026Cairo2US$1,100Register
1 to 2 Dec 2026Mauritius2US$1,100Register
2 to 3 Dec 2026Dubai2US$1,100Register
3 to 4 Dec 2026Online2US$900Register

Fees are per delegate. South African venues are priced in rand; other locations and online in US dollars. Fees exclude 15% VAT where applicable. Group bookings of three or more delegates from the same organisation qualify for a reduced rate; contact us for a quotation.

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