Advanced Commercial Awareness (LC10)
Duration: 5 days
This course is designed to help functional specialists and support staff understand the commercial landscape in which their organisation operates. Delegates will explore how everyday actions and decisions can directly affect costs, value, risk, and reputation. With a strong focus on collaboration, commercial thinking, and business impact, this course equips professionals with the confidence to contribute to smarter decisions and avoid inadvertently influencing commercial outcomes negatively. Through practical frameworks, real-life examples, and guided discussions, participants will build a commercially aware mindset that supports both team success and broader organisational goals.
This course is ideal for individuals in non-commercial roles who interact with procurement or financial decisions, including operational staff and professionals from HR, IT, engineering, or administration. It is particularly valuable for those early in their careers or transitioning into cross-functional roles. A basic understanding of business operations is helpful, but no specialist knowledge in procurement or finance is required.
Understanding Commercial Awareness
- Defining commercial awareness and its relevance across functions
- Distinguishing between commercial, operational, and technical decisions
- Recognising the financial impact of non-commercial behaviour
- Exploring the basic principles of value, cost, and risk
- Understanding how businesses generate profit
The Procurement and Supply Chain Interface
- Mapping the procurement process from needs identification to contract closure
- Identifying touchpoints between procurement and other business functions
- Understanding supplier selection, negotiation, and contract fundamentals
- Avoiding common pitfalls when specifying, approving, or influencing purchases
- Enhancing internal collaboration to support commercial objectives
Contracts, Costs, and Commercial Risk
- Interpreting the basics of contracts and commercial terms
- Understanding the consequences of unauthorised commitments
- Recognising different types of commercial risk (financial, reputational, operational)
- Assessing the hidden cost of poor compliance or supplier failure
- Supporting contract management through functional collaboration
Financial Awareness for Non-Financial Staff
- Decoding key financial documents: budgets, balance sheets, P&Ls
- Understanding margin, markup, ROI, and total cost of ownership (TCO)
- Linking financial thinking to everyday decisions
- Tracking the financial consequences of operational inefficiencies
- Using commercial judgement in budget approvals and proposals
Building a Commercially-Aware Culture
- Embedding commercial thinking into daily roles and conversations
- Collaborating with procurement, legal, and finance teams more effectively
- Challenging decisions constructively with a commercial mindset
- Identifying opportunities to add value through smarter thinking
- Committing to responsible, commercially aware behaviour
At the end of this course, delegates will be able to:
- Define commercial awareness and explain its relevance in non-commercial roles
- Recognise the financial and reputational impact of poor commercial decisions
- Identify where their function interfaces with procurement and contracts
- Avoid unintentionally influencing or damaging supplier relationships
- Understand basic financial concepts that underpin commercial judgements
- Evaluate commercial risks and support mitigation efforts
- Engage more confidently with procurement, finance, and suppliers
- Contribute to a culture of commercial responsibility and value creation