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24th Annual IT Procurement SummitFor all IT Procurement Summit Registrations, please see our Summit page here. Early-Bird Deadline - Midnight, May 31st, Register Now! Statements of Work Done Right!Successfully Draft, Negotiate and Manage Online Event • June 9-10, 2020BenefitsThis highly interactive SOW workshop uses classroom discussion and group exercises to develop and improve skills in the following areas:
Attendees will also come away with sample templates and checklists providing a solid foundation for negotiating, drafting and managing SOWs. OverviewIn Statements of Work (SOWs) we spend a lot of money while many products and services are bought. Oftentimes SOWs fail, causing delays, financial loss and other damages. Some SOWs written by a customer can be so unclear that acceptance testing is almost impossible. SOWs that are written by a vendor are often riddled with fuzzy words that shift all the risk to the customer. Additionally, vendors will use SOWs to modify key terms of a Master Agreement that inevitably put the customer at an increased disadvantage. Even customers with the best templates and negotiated SOWs still get burned by skilled vendors adept at managing the engagement and in turn, bypassing any written protections.
With a curriculum purposefully designed to provide those new to the profession, and veterans looking to get back to basics, with practical tips and tactics for negotiating a better deal with suppliers, this 9-hour interactive workshop will leave participants feeling informed, empowered, and excited about their future in technology procurement. Sessions are hands-on, collaborative, and facilitated by some of the industry’s most engaging professionals. Stay Home Discount 25% Off Was $650 - Now $487 Register for Statements of Work Done Right! Software: Issues, Contracts, & NegotiationsOnline Event • June 17-19, 2020Order Now →Benefits
OverviewIn recent years, software deals have grown more complicated and difficult to understand and manage. This workshop delivers the latest information you need to know about software issues, contracts and negotiations. Our highly skilled instructors have years of hands-on experience, so you get valuable insights and tips you can put to use immediately. What you learn at this workshop translates directly into more protection and flexibility in every software agreement you negotiate. Stay Home Discount 25% Off Was $1400 - Now $1050 Register for Software; Issues, Contracts, & Negotiations Total Vendor ManagementGetting What You Pay For Online Event • June 30 - July 2, 2020Benefits
OverviewTired of worrying about your vendors’ performance? Concerned about contractual disagreements and products/services that don’t measure up to standards? This workshop will show you how to control your vendors and get what you pay for. You’ll learn techniques to establish and maintain a meaningful working relationship with your key vendors. And, you’ll discover how to create and utilize leverage that improves vendor performance. Topics Include
Whether you currently have or are interested in establishing a Vendor Management Office (VMO) you’ll gain valuable insights by attending this seminar. Stay Home Discount 25% Off Was $1400 - Now $1050 Register for Total Vendor Management IT Contracting Boot CampGet Informed. Leave Empowered. Online Event • July 13-15, 2020
Stay Home Discount 25% Off Was $1150 - Now $862 Register for IT Contracting Boot Camp SLA LabResults-Based Contracting Online Event • July 22 - 24, 2020Benefits
When doing deals for Cloud Apps make sure you are “up” on your Service Level Agreements. OverviewEarly in the acquisition process, effective negotiating teams must agree upon the concept of which contractual approach they will use to drive the deal. ICN’s advanced training course SLA Lab: Results-Based Contracting helps you understand the difference between contracting for resources and contracting for results and shows you how to implement a “results deal”. This “results versus resources” decision establishes which side of the bargaining table will bear the responsibility for the results you’re expecting from the deal. In a “results deal,” the vendor is responsible, while in a “resource deal,” it’s the customer. In SLA Lab, you’ll gain an understanding of critical elements that can help you shift risk and responsibilities to the vendor and monitor ongoing compliance. Stay Home Discount 25% Off Was $1400 - Now $1050 Register for SLA Lab Results-Based Contracting
Cloud ContractingDemystifying the Fog Online Event • July 22 - 24, 2020Benefits
OverviewThis ICN course targets the contract negotiating side of the new and rapidly evolving world of Cloud computing. The course identifies potential Cloud-contracting problems and sets forth a process to help the IT sourcing professional and his/her internal clients (users, IT, project managers, business managers, executive sponsors, and so forth) prepare and conduct effective negotiations to enable the customer to get better deals and better contracts among the Clouds. Stay Home Discount 25% Off Was $1400 - Now $1050 Register for Cloud Contracting
The Finance in IT Procurement – Answering the Difficult QuestionsDate: It was LIVE on Wednesday – March 20, 2019
Certification: Practical Legalities in IT Procurement - Answering the Difficult Questions*This meeting was LIVE on 6/20/2018 and was very interactive! Purchase the recording above. Join us to learn some of the procurement industries most challenging legal questions. Get additional legal insights and how they may effect some key negotiations with vendors and other general procurement activities. We will be hearing from thought leaders in the field today with in-depth experience on these legal procurement issues. Interaction from attendees will also shed significant light on these topics and more! This event will be centered around the most difficult CTPS/CTPE certification exam questions, historically, we have observed over the years and will set you up to get certified. Not only will this session better prepare you for the exams, it is a learning session for all. Certification: Contract Management - Answering the Difficult Questions*This virtual meeting was held on 4/10/2018 (purchase recording above). Join us to learn some of the Procurement Industries most challenging questions regarding Contract Management. Get additional insights into these questions (below) and how they may effect some key negotiations with vendors and other general procurement activities. We will be hearing from a panel of the foremost thought leaders in the field. Interaction from attendees will also shed significant light on these topics and more! This event was centered around the most difficult questions, historically, we have observed over the years and will set you up to get certified. Not only will this session better prepare you for the CTPS/CTPE exams, it is a learning session for all. Certification: Sensible IT Procurement - Answering the Difficult QuestionsThis virtual meeting was held on 5/10/2018 (purchase recording above). This class reviewed some of the Procurement Industries most challenging questions. Get additional insights into these questions (below) and how they may effect some key negotiations with vendors and other general procurement activities. The session included a panel of the foremost thought leaders in the field. Interaction from attendees also shed significant light on these topics and more! Certified Technology Procurement Executive (CTPE) and Specialist (CTPS)If you are interested in Industry Certified the Certified Technology Procurement Executive (CTPE) or Specialist (CTPS) please click here to see our Certification Page. Certification BenefitsNumerous benefits accrue as a result of acquiring CTPS and/or CTPE accreditation.
CAUCUS Certifications
The CTPS & CTPE Study GuideOnce you purchase this guide, a quality hard-copy will be mail to you the next business day. About This Guide This study guide covers the structure of the test in regard to examination format, passing criteria and retaking the examination if necessary. Test preparation techniques, such as process of elimination and going with your intuition, will also be covered in this study guide. Each section contains information such as definitions of key terms, sample questions, rapid reviews and additional resources for each module of the CTPS & CTPE examination. On-Demand: Identifying and Defeating Vendor PloysWant to be prepared the next time a vendor attempts to sway a deal to his favor? ICN’s explanation of popular vendor ploys will arm you for many of these tricks. Learn how to counteract the “I cannot give you a better price than…” ruse, understand how to deflect the “that is not the way we figured the deal” scheme, and thwart the “if we lower our fee, we can’t give you our best consultants” stunt. Having ICN’s online presentation of Vendor’s Ploys in your arsenal gives you an advantage in negotiations to do better deals. We’ll show you how to neutralize some of the most common ploys, including:
You’ll naturally feel greater confidence by being prepared to counter these common ploys. With negotiations in your favor, you’re sure to do better deals. On-Demand: Managed Acquisition Process (MAP) Online ClassCourse contains two sessions Designed to help you maximize your leverage throughout the procurement process, the Managed Acquisition Process™ (MAP™) is designed to help large and small companies, governments, and organizations of all sizes save resources and money. By focusing on best practices in a variety of areas (RFIs, RFPs, contract drafting, negotiations, contract management, and vendor management), you can begin improving your deals, increasing vendor performance, and reducing costs. The procurement of goods and services is not an isolated event—it’s a process—and to do it well requires teamwork. Every stage of the process involves an opportunity for you to strengthen or weaken your bargaining position with your vendors. Whether you are directly or indirectly involved in the sourcing and procurement of goods and services, ICN will help you get the most out of your vendors—no matter what type of deal you’re doing. Class consists of two online courseware sessions, one at 55:45 minutes and one at 71:29 minutes. Online Meetings: Partly Cloudy with a Slight Chance of Contract EnforcementBy Ruth Ginzberg CTPS, Senior IT Procurement Specialist, University of Wisconsin System Administration Virtual Meeting date - January 16, 2019, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm on the Zoom.us platform. 3rd party vendors are involved in roughly 60% - 70% of all data breaches. If you are relying on your legal counsel, procurement department, or I.T. department to lock down the security risks in your cloud contracts, then you probably have security vulnerabilities you don't realize you have. This is true regardless of how good your cloud supplier’s technical security controls are. The contract itself and its administration can create vulnerabilities. This goes beyond, "Do I own my own data?" or "Did we attach our company’s cloud contract rider?" Good cloud contracts require information security professionals' involvement in all aspects of their creation, administration, and enforcement. Managing 3rd party risk in the cloud requires the application of supply chain management risk reduction practices to the cyber sphere.
Online Meetings: Procurement Transformation - Eastman Chemical Company Case StudyOnline Meetings: The Tech in IT Procurement: Answering the Difficult QuestionsVirtual: Artificial Intelligence (AI) - Changing Your Procurement World!Online Meetings: Final Steps in Onboarding a Supplier for PO Issuance |
Upcoming Events
Tue Sep 15, 2020NEGOTIATIONS: Power * Process * Principles - Online - September 15-17, 2020 Category: Events |
Mon Oct 5, 2020Software: Issues, Contracts & Negotiations - Online -October 5-7, 2020 Category: Events |
Wed Oct 21, 2020Total Vendor Management Getting What You Pay For - ONLINE - October 21-23, 2020 Category: Events |
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