Procurement & Contracts · Accredited certification
CIPS L6
Professional Diploma in Procurement and Supply (CIPS Level 6) (CIPS L6)
Why strategic procurement leadership matters
At the top of the function, procurement shapes corporate strategy rather than reacting to it. Leaders who set a global commercial strategy, design the supply chain around business goals, uphold ethical and ESG standards and prepare the function for what comes next turn procurement into a source of resilience and competitive strength.
Without that leadership, procurement remains a cost centre: global sourcing decisions are taken without their full financial consequences, the supply chain design no longer fits the business, and the function falls behind the demands placed on it. The CIPS Level 6 Professional Diploma completes the CIPS qualification route at honours-degree level and opens the way to MCIPS.
What you will be able to do
- Use leadership behaviours and communication plans to influence stakeholders
- Apply the ethical standards and regulations that affect ESG performance
- Formulate and implement a commercial strategy for global supply and assess its financial aspects
- Apply supply chain design tools aligned with business strategy, then measure and optimise performance
- Evaluate how the strategic procurement function must evolve to meet emerging challenges
- Deepen a specialism through electives such as programme leadership, commercial data management or supply network design
Course outline: 9 modules
Each module below shows what it covers and what you will be able to do at the end of it.
1. Strategic Ethical Leadership
Develops leadership and communication skills for strategically improving the procurement function, overcoming leadership challenges and upholding ethical and ESG standards.
- Apply leadership behaviours and communication plans to influence stakeholders
- Apply ethical standards and regulations affecting ESG performance
2. Global Commercial Strategy
Covers global commercial strategy, tools for addressing global supply chain challenges, strategy formulation and the financial aspects of global procurement.
- Formulate and implement a commercial strategy for global supply
- Assess the financial aspects that affect global procurement and supply chains
3. Global Strategic Supply Chain Management
Examines how strategic supply chain management supports corporate strategy, including supply chain design and performance improvement.
- Apply supply chain design tools aligned with business strategy
- Measure, improve and optimise supply chain performance
4. Future Strategic Challenges for the Profession
Explores the changing requirements of the strategic procurement function and the future challenges facing the procurement and supply profession.
- Evaluate how the strategic procurement function must evolve
- Analyse emerging challenges for the procurement profession
5. Strategic Programme Leadership (Elective)
Covers contracting for programmes, programme leadership approaches and the role of culture in achieving programme success.
- Explain contracting approaches suited to large programmes
- Select programme leadership approaches that reflect organisational culture
6. Commercial Data Management (Elective)
Examines big data in global supply chains, data integrity and the impact of cyber security on procurement and supply.
- Explain how big data supports supply chain decisions
- Assess data integrity and cyber security risks in procurement
7. Innovation in Procurement and Supply (Elective)
Covers supplier development techniques, methods for procurement improvement and innovation, and environmental factors that influence innovation.
- Apply supplier development techniques to drive improvement
- Identify methods and conditions that enable supply chain innovation
8. Supply Network Design (Elective)
Examines the strategic influence of supply network design, operations strategy and the value of resource planning and control.
- Evaluate supply network design options and their strategic impact
- Assess how operations strategy and resource planning support business success
9. Global Logistics Strategy (Elective)
Covers the logistical implications of globalisation, global governance of the supply chain and the role of reverse logistics.
- Analyse the strategic logistics implications of globalisation
- Integrate reverse logistics and governance into a global logistics strategy
Programme details
| Entry requirements | Successful completion of the CIPS Level 4 Diploma and Level 5 Advanced Diploma. |
|---|---|
| Award | CIPS Level 6 Professional Diploma in Procurement and Supply, Ofqual-regulated, at honours-degree level; 60 credits: 42 from 4 core modules, 18 from 3 electives. |
| Written grades | Constructed Response (essay or case study) exams are graded Pass 50%, Merit 60%, Distinction 75%; multiple-choice exams are pass/fail at 70%. |
| Exam series | OR exams: January, March, May, July, September, November. Written (CR) exams: March, May, July, November only. Booking closes about four weeks before exam week. |
| Study membership | Current CIPS student membership is required to enrol and to book any exam; bookings are made through the MyCIPS dashboard. |
| Remote exams | Remote invigilation via VICTVS outside the UK: needs webcam, microphone, stable internet and a quiet private room; tablets and iPads are not accepted. |
| Time to complete | CIPS recommends 12 to 15 months after Level 5; total qualification time 600 hours, including 250 guided learning hours and 335 hours of self-study. |
| MCIPS | Graduates can apply for MCIPS with at least three years' experience in a position of responsibility in procurement and supply, confirmed by their line manager. |
| MCIPS Chartered | Chartered status requires 30 hours of recorded CPD in the last 12 months and a current CIPS Ethical Procurement and Supply certificate, renewed annually. |
| Results | OR results about three weeks after exam week; CR results about six to eight weeks after. CR results may be reviewed on request. Certificates posted within about eight weeks. |
| Study resources | CIPS provides study guides, eBooks, eLearning, eRevision, Intelligence Hub access, sample exam questions and examiner (marker) reports. |
Your path to CIPS Level 6 certification
- Enquire and choose your format. Entry requires successful completion of the CIPS Level 4 Diploma and Level 5 Advanced Diploma. Choose the classroom in Cairo, live online, or an in-house cohort for your team.
- Keep your CIPS student membership current. Current CIPS student membership is needed to enrol and to book any exam; you book through your MyCIPS dashboard.
- Learn the core modules and your electives with practitioners. 80 hours over 16 sessions, every live session recorded on our learning platform.
- Practise with module tests and question banks. Exam-style questions with instant results on our platform, alongside the CIPS study guides and sample exam questions.
- Sit one exam per module. Seven exams: written exams for L6M1 to L6M4 graded Pass 50%, Merit 60% and Distinction 75%, and multiple-choice exams for the electives with a 70% pass mark, at a CIPS exam centre such as ours in Cairo or by remote invigilation.
- Apply for MCIPS. Graduates can apply for MCIPS with at least three years' experience in a position of responsibility in procurement and supply, confirmed by their line manager. Chartered status then requires 30 hours of recorded CPD in the last 12 months and a current CIPS Ethical Procurement and Supply certificate.
What you walk away with
- Strategic methods you can apply the next working day, from stakeholder influence to supply chain design
- The CIPS Level 6 Professional Diploma in Procurement and Supply, Ofqual-regulated at honours-degree level
- Eligibility to apply for MCIPS once you have three years' experience in a position of responsibility, with a route to MCIPS Chartered
- Recordings of every live session, official study material, question banks and module tests on our learning platform
- Support until exam day, then a clear next step towards MCIPS
Want the full picture?
The CIPS L6 brochure has the complete module outline, exam facts and delivery options in one PDF.
Download the CIPS L6 brochure (PDF) Enquire about the next cohort
How you will learn
- Classroom: Interactive sessions at our training and exam centre in Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt.
- Live online: Instructor-led virtual classes for participants anywhere in the region.
- In-house: A private cohort for your team, at your premises and tailored to your context.
- Every live session recorded: Watch any session again, or catch up on one you missed, on our learning platform.
- Official study material: Books, handbooks and course files for the programme, in one place.
- Question banks and module tests: Exam-style practice with instant results.
- Support until exam day: Keep studying on the platform after the live sessions end, right up to the exam.
Exam and certification
CIPS
| Exams | 7 module exams (4 core + 3 electives) |
|---|---|
| Questions | L6M1–L6M3 written (3 hours each), L6M4 written (2 hours). Electives multiple-choice (1.5 hours) |
| Exam time | 15 hours in total |
| Pass mark | Multiple-choice modules 70%. Written modules 50% (Merit 60%, Distinction 75%) |
| Where you sit it | Computer-based, at a CIPS exam centre or by remote invigilation. Transights is a CIPS Approved Exam Centre (no. 005778760) |
| Good to know | One exam per module. Multiple-choice exams: Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Nov. Written exams: Mar, May, Jul, Nov |
Who should attend
- Senior procurement managers
- Senior category managers
- Supply chain managers
- Heads of logistics and operations
Frequently asked questions
What is the CIPS L6 course?
The CIPS strategic-level qualification for procurement leaders. It covers ethical leadership, global commercial strategy, strategic supply chain management and future challenges for the profession.
Who should take CIPS L6?
It suits: Senior procurement managers; Senior category managers; Supply chain managers; Heads of logistics and operations.
How long is the CIPS L6 course at Transights?
80 hours, 16 sessions. It runs live online, in class in Cairo, or in-house for company teams in Egypt and the GCC.
What is the CIPS L6 exam like?
7 module exams (4 core + 3 electives). L6M1–L6M3 written (3 hours each), L6M4 written (2 hours). Electives multiple-choice (1.5 hours). Exam time: 15 hours in total. Pass mark: Multiple-choice modules 70%. Written modules 50% (Merit 60%, Distinction 75%). Where you sit it: Computer-based, at a CIPS exam centre or by remote invigilation. Transights is a CIPS Approved Exam Centre (no. 005778760). One exam per module. Multiple-choice exams: Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Sep, Nov. Written exams: Mar, May, Jul, Nov.
Who awards the CIPS L6 qualification?
CIPS awards the qualification. Transights is a CIPS Approved Centre and Study and Exam Centre (centre 005778760).