Cost Management Certification

November 7th, 2023

Understanding costs and negotiations to achieve savings and predictive pricing

The APD Cost Management Certification is a 4-month on-line certification program designed to provide purchasing professionals with the knowledge, skills and take-away tools required to understand and achieve direct and indirect material costs.

After completing the program participants have learned how to:

  • Conduct best practice sourcing events/construct effective market tests for new and existing business
  • Understand manufacturing costs
  • Evaluate supplier pricing with or without supplier cost breakdowns
  • Build several types of cost models to estimate pricing on new programs and to evaluate supplier quotes
  • Choose the right cost methods and models for their commodities
  • Conduct effective knowledge-based negotiations to obtain cost transparency and move pricing towards optimal
  • Identify cost reduction opportunities with detailed cost breakdowns and cost models
  • Respond rapidly to sales and engineering cost inquiries

“Skills taught in the course are being applied by our team and exceeding Management expectations. The course project is delivering impressive results and helping our department hit cost reduction targets.”  

-A Global Purchasing Director at a $25 billion industrial manufacturing company


Following is a month-by-month content breakdown:

  • Month 1 – Constructing Effective Market Tests – Understanding Costs & Effective Use of Cost Breakdowns
  • Month 2 – Building and Using Price and Cost Models
  • Month 3 – Validating Optimal Costs
  • Month 4 – Total Acquisition and Relationship Costs

To immediately obtain more information on the program, enter your email address to access the Program Brochure.


For more information please contact Denise Mattern:

Email: dmattern@apurchasingd.com

Cell: (734)718-7172