The Secrets of Successful Vendor Management

A 2-Day, 15-PDU Live Virtual Workshop for Project Leaders

Vendors and contractors are important members of project teams. They bring specialized knowledge and capacity that organizations often do not have internally. At the same time, they introduce real risk into projects and operations.

Whether you are augmenting staff or relying on external expertise, vendor performance directly affects project outcomes, organizational results, and your professional reputation.

Success depends on selecting the right vendor and managing the relationship effectively. This vendor management training provides practical tools and techniques to help you select, contract, and manage vendors and contractors with discipline and clarity.

Why Vendor Management Matters

Vendor relationships carry financial, operational, and reputational implications. Weak contracts, unclear deliverables, poorly defined Service Level Agreements, or unmanaged performance issues can quickly erode project performance.

Effective vendor management requires more than basic contract knowledge. It requires structure, consistency, and a clear understanding of responsibilities on both sides of the agreement.

This workshop addresses the full lifecycle of vendor engagement, from selection and contracting through performance management and contract close-out.

What You Will Learn

Participants examine practical tools, techniques, and best practices for managing vendor relationships across projects and operations.

Vendor Selection and Contracting

• Vendor selection best practices
• Most common contract types and key terms
• Negotiating meaningful Service Level Agreements

Risk and Performance Management

• Identifying vendor and contractor risks
• Developing effective mitigation and contingency plans
• Tying deliverables to contractual commitments
• Establishing key metrics and performance scorecards

Managing the Relationship

• Managing the contract throughout execution
• Service recoveries, disagreements, and contractual issues
• Deliverable signoffs
• Developing a successful partnership culture with contractors and vendors
• Ensuring consistency between projects and across the organization
• Contract close-out

Who Should Attend

This workshop is ideal for:

• Project Managers and Program Managers
• PMO and operational leaders
• IT and product leaders working with external vendors
• Procurement and contract managers
• Leaders responsible for outsourcing or staff augmentation

Led by Sue Glaskey

Created and delivered by Sue Glaskey, PMLG’s Executive Program Director, this program draws on over 20 years of experience managing vendors from both sides of the relationship – as a buyer of services and as a contractor within international technology and service organizations.