Explanation
Becoming a preferred customer to supplier's perspective can increase the purchaser's leverage in negotiation.
Beside the size of buying organisation or its spend, the following may be sufficient to differentiate the buyer from other buying organisations:
- Simple procurement processes
- Simple contracting processes
- Clear and concise documentation
- Absence of onerous supplier terms and conditions (onerous supplier terms and conditions mean that obligations imposed on suppliers are greater than their gains)
- On-time payment: The reduction in hassle for both supplier and the buyer, if bills are paid on time, is significant. From the customer's perspective it could also be the opener to agreeing preferential payment terms. A supplier may weigh up that payment on time at 60 days is worth taking, over the current 30-day terms that slip to 90 days and beyond.
-Transparent processes
- Ethical behavior
LO 1, AC 1.3

In the opening phase, parties should confirm understanding and get the issues on the table.
The testing phase is an information gathering stage where the hypothesis and assumption you have made in the planning stage can be tested or confirmed or disproved.
Opening questions (those that start with 'what', 'how', 'why') are used at the opening and testing stages to uncover needs and underlying motives, and to allow the buyer to get a feel of what is in store in the negotiation.
Probing questions are also useful to check that the supplier fully understand their offering, as well as your needs, and can also be used to communicate to the supplier that you know this category well. These questions are typically useful at the opening andtesting stages.

Contribution = Price - Variable cost
Break-evenpoint (volume) = Fixed cost/Contribution

Explanation
In the scenario, the value of contract as well as the importance of purchased item justify the procurement's travel. Visiting a supplier at their HQ or operational facility may facilitate the procurement team in assessing, albeit briefly, the culture of the organisation, how busy they seem and how staff engage with each other. A visit is a good opportunity to assess supplier's capacity.
LO 2, AC 2.2