Pass the CIPS CIPS Level 4 Diploma in Procurement and Supply L4M6 Questions and answers with CertsForce

Explanation

The correct answer is ‘An unexpected incident has occurred beyond anyone’s control’. A good example of this would be the Covid-19 pandemic- neither the buyer nor supplier could have predicted this, and if this means that the contract can’t be completed – then the contract can be terminated (in the UK at least). A way to avoid this would be to include a Force Majeur clause listing possible circumstances that could occur. When there’s a Force Majeur clause, these eventualities are now classed as foreseen rather than unforeseen. See p.108

Explanation

Supplier development is time-consuming and resource-intensive so should only be done with strategic suppliers. P.14

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

Statement B:A strategic alliance is an agreement between two or more parties to pursue a set of agreed-upon objectives while remaining independent organizations. It is typically managed jointly by the partners to achieve mutual benefits without forming a new legal entity.Wikipedia

Statement C:In a joint venture, two or more parties create a new, separate legal entity by contributing equity, and they share in the revenues, expenses, and control of the enterprise. This new company is formed to undertake specific business activities.

Improving supplier commitment and loyalty is a core theme of Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) within L4M6. CIPS emphasises that long-term, collaborative relationships encourage suppliers to invest time, resources, and innovation into the buyer relationship.

Providing guaranteed order levels reduces supplier uncertainty and risk, improving trust and encouraging commitment. This aligns with the concept of mutual dependency and relationship stability, which strengthens supplier loyalty.

The other options are incorrect because:

A stand-off approach discourages collaboration

Over-promising future work damages trust if unmet

Excessive penalties create adversarial relationships

L4M6 Reference:

Learning Outcome 3: Understand approaches to managing supplier relationships

Topic: Supplier commitment, trust, and collaboration

CIPS L4M6 Study Guide – Relationship spectrum and SRM principles

Explanation

The 5 Rights of procurement are; place, quality, quantity, time, price. (Price and Cost are not the same thing). See p.38

CIPS defines value for money (VFM) as achieving the optimal balance between cost, quality, and sustainability over the whole life of the requirement.

Public sector procurement is governed by principles of:

Transparency

Fairness

Accountability

Best use of public funds

VFM does not mean lowest price; it means best outcome for the organisation and taxpayers, which includes quality, risk, and whole-life cost.

L4M6 Reference:

Learning Outcome 1: Understand objectives of procurement and supply

Topic: Public sector procurement objectives

CIPS L4M6 Study Guide – Value for money and public accountability

Explanation

Danny should issue a RFI (Request for Information). His next step would be to find out more about the products available by asking suppliers for information- this will help him put a spec together before he goes out to tender. The other options mean; RFQ - request for quotation- when you ask suppliers to submit a price. ITT- Invitation to tender – a document you send out to suppliers which details all the information about the tender (this usually involves both price and quality components of assessment). OJEU- Official Journal of the European Union- where tenders for the Public Sector are published. For more info on RFI see p.74

Explanation

This is 'cost focus' - Kinky Boots is both focusing on being a cost leaser (by providing the cheapest products) and focusing on a niche market (drag queens). When these two strategies are combined it is called 'cost focus'. There's a couple of questions on Porter's Generic Strategies in the exam- there's a useful diagram of this on P.13

Explanation

The correct answer is ‘They are hard to measure’ p.103

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

Therelationship spectrumin procurement outlines the range of relationships between buyers and suppliers, from transactional to strategic partnerships. Key types include:

Transactional:Short-term, price-focused relationships with minimal collaboration.

Partnership:Long-term, collaborative relationships with shared goals and mutual benefits.

While "contractual" refers to the legal agreement aspect of relationships, it is not a specific type on the relationship spectrum. "Conspiratorial" is not a recognized relationship type in procurement contexts.