Home / Non-Accredited / Supply Chain, Procurement & Contracts / Service Provider Management Course (3 days)
Quick Look Course Summary:Service Provider Management Course (3 days)
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Length: 3 day(s)
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Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 14,997 EX VAT 3 Person R 11,205 EX VAT 10 Person R 8,120 EX VAT
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Certification Type:Non-Accredited
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Locations & Venues: Off-site or in-house. We train in all major city centres throughout South Africa.
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Service Provider Management Course (3 days)
Your staff get what your organisation paid for from every service provider, and act quickly and correctly when one fails to deliver.
Cleaning, security, IT support, maintenance, catering, consultants: most organisations depend on outside providers for services they could not run without. When nobody manages those providers properly, deliverables slip, invoices are paid for work not done and problems surface only when an end user complains. Good service provider management is a skill, and the job usually falls to administrators and line managers who were never shown how.
This three-day course covers the work that starts once a provider is appointed. Delegates learn the elements of managing a provider, how to group providers into categories and set the outputs each must deliver, and how to turn those outputs into a delivery plan and a contract. They then practise monitoring delivery, checking final outputs against the contract and approving payment only for satisfactory work. The last day deals with non-delivery: working out what it costs the business, investigating why it happened, weighing the options from an improvement plan to cancellation, and acting within the contract and your policies.
Delegates use providers from their own organisation as case material and leave with a monitoring plan, a deliverables checklist and a non-delivery procedure. Legal points are general guidance, not legal advice.
Watch a short introduction
Why this course
For your organisation
- Payment only for services delivered to the agreed standard
- Earlier detection of failing providers and less disruption
- Consistent, documented handling of non-delivery
- Clear ownership of every service provider relationship
- Better value from outsourced services
For your delegates
- A practical framework for managing any service provider
- Templates for deliverables, monitoring and payment approval
- A step-by-step procedure for handling non-delivery
- Confidence holding providers to the contract without souring the relationship
What delegates will be able to do
- Describe the elements of service provider management and the role of the contract
- Assess how a provider's delivery affects resources, cost and time in your organisation
- Categorise your organisation's service providers and define the outputs for each
- Build a delivery plan and draw up a contract that reflects it
- Monitor service delivery against the signed contract
- Check final outputs for quality and timeliness before approving payment
- Calculate what non-delivery costs the business
- Investigate why a provider has not delivered and choose a proportionate response
- Carry out the chosen course of action, up to cancellation, within the contract and organisational policy
Who should attend
Administrators, office and facilities managers, line managers and supervisors who oversee outsourced services; procurement and contract staff; project managers working with consultants or contractors; and anyone appointed as the contact person for a service provider. Suitable for commercial, public-sector and non-profit organisations.
Course outline
Day 1 – Service provider management and contracts
The elements of service provider management
- Why organisations use service providers and what can go wrong
- The management cycle: need, appointment, contract, monitoring, payment and review
- Roles: contract owner, end users, procurement and finance
- Why every provider needs a signed contract before work starts
The impact of provider delivery
- How late or poor delivery affects resources, budgets and time
- Mapping your dependence on critical providers
- Case: three providers in one organisation and the deliverables they owe
Categorising providers and defining outputs
- Categories: facilities, professional, IT, maintenance and supply services
- Outputs, quantities, quality standards and timeframes for each category
- Writing deliverables that can be measured and checked
- Exercise: outputs for four of your own providers
From delivery plan to contract
- Building a delivery or project plan with the provider
- Contract elements: scope, deliverables, price, payment, term and termination
- Linking contract clauses to the delivery plan
- Legal requirements in general terms, including POPIA where providers handle personal information
- Drafting a contract for one of your providers
Day 2 – Monitoring and evaluating deliverables
Setting up monitoring
- Monitoring plans, progress meetings and reporting schedules
- Site visits, inspections and end-user feedback
- Keeping a contract file and delivery records
Measuring performance
- Performance measures and service levels
- Scorecards and monthly reviews
- Giving providers constructive feedback
- Early warning signs of a failing provider
Checking final outputs
- Comparing outputs with the contract for quality, quantity and time
- Acceptance, sign-off and handling defects
- Exercise: evaluating a sample deliverable against its contract
Paying for services
- Linking invoices to delivery and acceptance
- Approvals, delegations and matching invoice, order and proof of delivery
- Withholding or reducing payment correctly
- Payment timing and its effect on small providers
Day 3 – Managing providers who do not deliver
The cost of non-delivery
- Direct, indirect and reputational costs
- Calculating the business impact of a missed deliverable
- Exercise: costing a real non-delivery case
Investigating non-delivery
- Gathering the facts and hearing the provider's side
- Common causes: unclear scope, capacity, cash flow and delays on our side
- Recording findings objectively
Choosing a course of action
- Options: improvement plan, penalties, partial payment, step-in, cancellation and legal action
- Weighing contract terms, legal options, cost and business impact
- Notices, timeframes and a proper paper trail, as general guidance and not legal advice
Implementing and closing out
- Carrying out the decision and communicating it
- Moving to a replacement provider
- Lessons learned and better future contracts
- Personal action plan and close
How it is delivered
Three days, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20; in-house groups can work on their own provider contracts. Workbook, case studies, a monitoring plan template and a non-delivery procedure template are included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
“[The organisation] was satisfied with the quality and professionalism of the training services provided by BOTI and would recommend Business Optimization Training Institute (PTY) Ltd as a competent and reliable training provider”
“BOTI provided professional and structured training focused on strengthening participants’ practical knowledge and understanding of contract management, service level agreements, contract administration, managing service providers, monitoring performance, and managing contractual obligations”
“Throughout both interventions, BOTI demonstrated a high level of professionalism, subject matter expertise, and commitment to quality training delivery. Their ability to effectively manage virtual learning environments and engage participants contributed significantly to the success of the programmes.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. Most groups are trained at the client's premises anywhere in South Africa; we can also host it at a BOTI venue or deliver it live online.
How many people can attend?
From one delegate to groups of about 20. The price per delegate drops as the group grows – see the price table, or ask us for a quote.
Is it accredited?
No – it is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Can we work on our own service providers?
Yes. Delegates are encouraged to bring a provider contract they manage, and for in-house groups the facilitator can build the cases around your main outsourced services.
How is this different from Mastering Service Level Agreements and Contracts?
That course covers contracting: deciding what to outsource, writing terms of reference, selecting a provider and drafting the SLA. This course starts after appointment and concentrates on managing delivery, payment and non-delivery. Many organisations book both.
Can you run this course in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban?
Yes. We train on site at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and across South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online so a team spread over several offices can attend together.
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