Commercial Negotiation
This course is designed to provide practical strategies and tools for navigating commercial negotiations within the Commonwealth Procurement Framework. Emphasis is placed on planning, managing complexity, handling negotiation dynamics, and improving value-for-money outcomes through structured and confident negotiation.
Participants will build commercial confidence, deepen their understanding of power and preparation, and learn to respond effectively to the behaviours and tactics of seasoned vendors, including in high-stakes scenarios. Emotional intelligence, room dynamics, and escalation planning are core themes.
This learning experience has been provided by the Department of Finance.
Participant benefits
- Apply structured planning tools to prepare for commercial negotiations.
- Identify negotiation positions and interests on both sides.
- Use commercial thinking to identify and trade sources of value beyond price.
- Recognise and manage power imbalances and uneven information (asymmetry).
- Manage negotiation meetings, including team composition, pauses and escalation.
Suitable for
All staff. This course will benefit officials undertaking, or expecting to undertake, procurement activities, whether regularly or on an ad hoc basis.
Considerations
The following knowledge is assumed for participants undertaking this course.
- Procurement and contract management basics: Foundational knowledge of procurement legislation and policy, the procurement lifecycle, value for money, and contract management. This could be through the Procurement Basics and Contract Management Basics courses or through prior training or experience.
- Risk basics: Foundational knowledge of risk and risk management. This could be through the Introduction to Risk in the Commonwealth and/or Practical Risk Management courses or through prior training or experience.
Key topics
- Negotiation planning in action.
- Commercial thinking.
- Managing the room.
- Managing tactics.
Category and User level
This learning experience is part of the Commonwealth Procurement and Contract Management training suite and aligns with the Implementation & Services Craft at the Practitioner level.
Price
Free of charge.