Chapter 1. Materials Management

• Objectives of Materials Management 
• Functions of Materials Management
• Organisation of Materials Management (Cross-Functional & Digital Procurement Organisational Structures)
• Integrated Material Management (End-to-end supply chain integration & ERP alignment
• Digital Procurement & e-Procurement Systems (eProcurement portals, P2P automation, e-sourcing platforms)
• Sustainable Procurement Fundamentals (ESG in materials decisions, circular economy principles)

Chapter 2. Materials Planning

• Need & Factors Affecting Materials Planning
• Tools of Materials Planning (AI-driven Demand Forecasting and Traditional Methods)
• MRP (Material Requirements Planning) (MRP II and ERP-based planning (SAP, Oracle))
• Computer Application to MRP (Modernise to Cloud-Based MRP, SaaS Platforms, Real-time Dashboards)
• MRP Reports & Database Maintenance
• Independent and Dependent MRP Systems
• Demand Sensing & AI-Based Forecasting
• ML models, big data in supply forecasting

Chapter 3. Materials Budgeting

• Basic Concepts of Materials Budgeting
• Factors Affecting Materials Budget
• Materials Budgeting and Accounting (Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) & Should-Cost Modelling)
• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) & Should-Cost Analysis
• Increasingly expected in professional procurement roles
• Spend Analytics & Category Management
• Data-driven budget allocation, spend visibility tools

Chapter 4. Material Classification, Standardization & Codification

• Material Classification for Variety Reduction
• Classification on the Basis of Value Analysis (ABC, VED, FSN)
• Basic Concepts & Systems of Codification
• Standardisation & Variety Reduction (IS/ISO/BIS standards)
• HS Codes, GST Codes & National Item Coding Standards (GST compliance, DGFT HS Code classification — India-specific)

Chapter 5. Material Handling

• Importance & Objectives of Material Handling
• Methods, Practices & Equipment (AGVs, Robotics, conveyor Cautomation, IoT-Enabled Tracking)
• Containerization (Multimodal Logistics, Container Standards (ISO 668)
• Waste Management — Surplus and Obsolete (Circular Economy, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR))
• Damage, Pilferage & Cost Analysis
• Reverse Logistics & Material Disposition (Returns management, refurbishment, disposal protocols)

Chapter 6. Stores Management & Warehousing

• Stores Functions, Objectives & Types
• Stores Layout, Storage Media & Physical Verification
• Warehouse Management System (WMS) (Cloud WMS, ERP integration, RFID/barcode technology)
• Strategy for Warehousing & Planning Distribution (Reflect omnichannel distribution, dark stores, micro-fulfilment)
• Automatic Warehousing Schemes (Modernise to include AS/RS, drones, robotic picking systems)
• Last-Mile Logistics & Distribution Network Design (Current e-commerce-driven logistics reality)

Chapter 7. Inventory Management

• Types of Inventory & Inventory Costs
• Inventory Models — Deterministic & Probabilistic (EOQ, ROP, Safety Stock)
• Techniques of Inventory Control (ABC, VED, JIT, FIFO/LIFO)
• Inventory Performance Measurement (Inventory Turnover Benchmarking, Fill Rate, OTIF metrics)
• Supply Chain Risk & Resilience Management (Multi-sourcing, safety stock strategies post-disruption)
• Digital Inventory Tracking (RFID, IoT, Blockchain) (Real-time traceability, Serialization)

Chapter 8. Purchase Management System

• Objectives, Functions & Responsibilities of Purchase Dept.
• Methods of Purchasing & Dept. Organisation (Strategic sourcing, category management, GeM portals (India))
• JIT Purchasing (Lean procurement; contrast with safety-stock post-pandemic)
• e-Procurement & Digital Tendering (GeM, CPPP, reverse auctions, e-bidding workflows)
• Procurement Ethics & Anti-Corruption Compliance (Code of conduct, conflict of interest, Prevention of Corruption Act)
• Procurement KPIs & Performance Dashboards (Cost savings, supplier OTD, PO cycle time, SLA metrics)

Chapter 9. Vendor Management

• System of Vendor Evaluation & Parameters (Modernise scorecards; include ESG/CSR parameters)
• ESG Audit Standards; Factory Compliance Audits
• Total Evaluation — Purchasing Performance (SRM (Supplier Relationship Management) framework)
• Guidelines for Tender & Negotiation
• Purchase Review
• Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) (Strategic vs. transactional suppliers, collaboration, joint improvement)
• Supplier Risk Assessment & Business Continuity Planning (Single-source risk, geopolitical disruption, DPIIT classification)
• Supplier Diversity & Inclusion (MSME/SC-ST supplier development, inclusive procurement mandates)

Chapter 10. Value Analysis System

• Value Analysis — Procedure and Approach
• Tools for Value Analysis (Value Engineering (VE) distinction; VAVE methodology)
• Should-Cost Modelling & Design-to-Cost
• Quantitative cost modelling aligned with CIPS/ISM standards

Chapter 11. Negotiation Skills

• Basic Approaches for Negotiation
• Strategy, Planning & Tactics (BATNA, ZOPA, integrative vs. distributive negotiation frameworks)
• Cross-Cultural & Virtual Negotiation (Global supplier negotiations, video/digital negotiation techniques)
• Contract Negotiation & Price Benchmarking (Market intelligence, should-cost vs. quoted price analysis)

Chapter 12. Quality Control

• Components & Characteristics of Quality
• Objectives & Functions of Quality Control
• Acceptance Sampling (Single, Double, Multiple)
• OC and AOQ Curves
• Total Quality Management (TQM) & ISO 9001:2015 (QMS standards, PDCA cycle, quality cost categories)
• Six Sigma in Procurement (DMAIC for purchasing process improvement)

Chapter 13. Legal Framework

• The Indian Contract Act, 1872
• The Sales of Goods Act, 1930
• Special Purchase Contracts & Goods Delivery (SLAs, performance guarantees, liquidated damages, force majeure)
• GST & Customs Duty in Procurement (GST input credit, import duty, IGST on inter-state purchases)
• MSME Development Act & GeM Policy Framework (Mandatory MSME procurement quotas, GeM compliance (India))
• Intellectual Property in Procurement (NDA, IP Clauses) (Supplier IP protection, confidentiality in outsourced procurement)

Chapter 14. Technology in Procurement 

• ERP Systems in Procurement (SAP MM, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics) (PO processing, GRN, ERP procurement module workflows)
• AI & Machine Learning in Procurement (Intelligent spend analysis, contract analytics, supplier risk AI)
• Blockchain for Supply Chain Transparency (Provenance tracking, smart contracts, anti-counterfeiting)
• Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in Purchasing (Invoice processing, PO automation, exception handling)
• Cybersecurity in Procurement Systems (Vendor data security, supply chain cyber risk management)

Chapter 15. Sustainable & Ethical Procurement 

• ISO 20400 — Sustainable Procurement Standard (Globally recognised sustainable procurement framework)
• ESG Integration in Supplier Selection (Environmental, social, governance criteria in vendor scoring)
• Carbon Footprint in Supply Chain (Scope 3 emissions, green purchasing policies, Net-Zero targets)
• Responsible Sourcing & Human Rights Due Diligence (ILO conventions, Modern Slavery Act awareness)
• Circular Economy & Green Procurement (Take-back schemes, recycled content requirements, EPR compliance)

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