Stage 6 – Negotiate & award contract

Negotiation is about reaching agreement on the essential terms of the contract and the deliverables under the contract. It can be a form of trading where both parties are seeking something from the other, there is an exchange of offers, concessions and bargaining. For collaborative relationships the focus will be on gaining a win-win solution. For tactical relationships the approach will be more competitive.

Once the negotiation has completed key activities include accurately documenting what was agree, debriefing both successful and unsuccessful suppliers, and effectively communicating the outcome to affected stakeholders and the wider market.

Below are some specific guides, tools, templates and training relevant to this stage in the procurement lifecycle. These resources are not intended to be an exhaustive list. We recommend you read the Guide to Mastering Procurement [1 MB PDF], which covers this stage in detail, within the context of the end-to-end lifecycle.