Free and Premium CIPS L4M4 Dumps Questions Answers

Explanation

Incoterms describe who out of the buer and seller; organises transport and what type of transport this is, who pays for insurance, and who organises duty / tariff arrangements when the goods go through customs. See p.131. Note- some students report a lot of questions on Incoterms in the exam, some say they only had 1. If you can, I'd learn them just to be safe.

To maintain integrity and avoid conflicts of interest, Tracey should declare the conflict and remove herself from the tender process. Ethical sourcing practices emphasize transparency and fairness, which prevent potential biases and maintain trust within procurement processes.

Explanation

This is an Invitation to Tender.

The only other real document listed in Request for Quotation. This is incorrect because the document asks questions relating to how they will deliver the service. This means price isn't the only factor, which is the case for a RfQ.

Request for Tender and Invitation to Quote are not real things.

Explanation

cost and freight is specific to transport over water. The others relate to all types of transportation. Incoterms_2020_chart | Intersped

Some students report a lot of questions on Incoterms in the exam, some say they only had 1. It real-ly is luck of the draw.

Engaging with business managers while making sourcing recommendations ensures that the buyer considers multiple perspectives, reducing potential biases and improving decision-making. This approach aligns with ethical sourcing practices by promoting collaboration and transparency in tender decisions.

The bill of lading serves as both a receipt of goods and a document of title, which means it confirms the contract of carriage and can transfer ownership. Responsible sourcing in international trade requires precise documentation, which is why the bill of lading is critical in verifying both carriage and title.

Total Quality Management (TQM) practices and ISO 9001 certification are indicators of a supplier’s commitment to quality. Responsible sourcing evaluates these factors to ensure suppliers meet high-quality standards and continuous improvement expectations.

Explanation

ISO isn't an indices- it stands for 'International Labour Association'.

The others are all indices that measure economic data; consumer price index, producer price index and gross domestic product.

Explanation

An ITT would include details on the awarding body (usually a brief overview of the buyer), the deadline (bids must be received by a certain date) and qualifications required (such as ISO requirements or competency certificates of staff members if it's a service contract). You wouldn't find pricing schedules in an ITT (this would be provided by the supplier in response to the ITT), nor would you find risk assessments (a supplier might be asked to provide one as part of the quality assessment of the tender though).

Invitation To Tender Simply Explained I Thornton & Lowe (thorntonandlowe.com)

Professional magazines, economic indices, and supplier websites provide secondary data that can be useful in understanding market trends and supplier performance. Responsible sourcing often relies on a mix of primary and secondary data sources to make informed decisions about supplier selection.

A full competitive tendering process ensures fairness by treating all suppliers equally, allowing them to compete on a level playing field. This aligns with ethical sourcing principles, especially in the public sector, where transparency and equal opportunity are paramount.

The balance sheet and profit and loss account provide a comprehensive view of an organisation’s financial health, showing assets, liabilities, and profits. These statements are essential in evaluating a supplier’s financial capacity, aligning with responsible sourcing practices for financial stability.

Explanation

Primary data includes trade fairs and exhibits, and phone calls to current suppliers. The others are examples of secondary data.

Remember primary= you do it yourself, Secondary = someone else did it.

The acid test, also known as the quick ratio, measures a company's ability to cover its current liabilities with its most liquid assets, excluding inventory. It is a stringent indicator of short-term financial health. By requesting this ratio, the company can assess whether a potential supplier has sufficient liquidity to meet its obligations, which is crucial when procuring strategic items.

Explanation

Primary data includes trade fairs and exhibits, and phone calls to current suppliers. The others are examples of secondary data.

Remember primary= you do it yourself, Secondary = someone else did it.

Explanation

A supplier who follows the CIPS Code of Conduct is more likely to meet the buyer's needs is the correct answer.

The other options are wrong:

1) Compliance with Codes of Conduct from professional bodies is optional. E.g. CIPS - no organi-sation is forced to comply with CIPS.

2) Unethical behaviour is not impossible to detect, it may be difficult but with correct due diligence and things like audits it's completely possible

3) ISO 14001 is quality management so is irelevent.

Explanation

GDP = gross domestic product = "the monetary value of goods and services manufactured or sup-plied in a financial period". People use it to say whether a country's economy is strong or weak.

Stock markets look at the value of public limited companies within a country.

Commodity indices look at the value of commodities such as steel, oil and wheat at a point in time

Average changes in price over a year can be measured by CPI or PPI

Unscheduled audits can provide an unbiased view of supplier practices and help identify compliance issues that might be hidden during scheduled audits. This approach supports responsible sourcing by ensuring accurate assessments of ethical and quality standards.

Explanation

economic indices and comparison websites are secondary sources of data. The other three are examples of primary sources of data.

Primary= you get the data yourself

Secondary = you find the data from somewhere else

Explanation

Incoterms can replace lengthy contract clauses as they replace the need for contracts to detail which party is responsible for organising transport, paying duties, having the insurance etc.

Incoterms is an odd one for exam topics- some students say it was a huge part of their exam and there were many questions on this. Others said there were just one or two. Questions get randomly assigned from the bank so it's completely random how many you'll get on this topic.

Incoterms are grouped as E (Ex Works), F (Free Carrier), C (Carriage Paid To), and D (Delivered Duty Paid), reflecting various stages of responsibility transfer between buyer and seller. Understanding Incoterms is critical for responsible sourcing, as it clarifies logistics and cost responsibilities.

Explanation

cash in advance is the most beneficial to a supplier.

Open account /credit account is the most beneficial to the buyer. Learn this as it's a known exam topic.

Explanation

Reasons to outsource include; 'overheads can be kept as effective as possible' and 'the reduction in the need to continually invest in new machinery'.

When you outsource, you transfer the costs of overheads to the supplier and it is their responsibility to buy new machinery as and when is required. For example if you outsource cleaning, the cleaning company is responsible for replacing the hoovers and floor cleaner

The other two options would be reasons to keep something 'in-house'.

Explanation

A credit rating generates a score which reflects 'the level of risk an organisation poses when dealing with other businesses'. It's saying how risky it is to loan them money or do business with them by looking at how good they are at paying people. So a high credit rating will say they're good at paying back their loans and paying their suppliers on time. A poor credit rating will say they often miss payments or pay late.

A credit rating will not tell you how much money they have, or details on their prices. Credit scores looks at purely financial data so wouldn't help you analyse whether their business practices are ethical or not.

Explanation

The correct answers are; lead times, product competition and changes in the marketplace.

You wouldn't expect to receive samples or costings from a Request for Information - rather, these should be expected as part of the Tender Competition

Explanation

A supplier who follows the CIPS Code of Conduct is more likely to meet the buyer's needs is the correct answer.

The other options are wrong:

1) Compliance with Codes of Conduct from professional bodies is optional. E.g. CIPS - no organi-sation is forced to comply with CIPS.

2) Unethical behaviour is not impossible to detect, it may be difficult but with correct due diligence and things like audits it's completely possible

3) ISO 14001 is quality management so is irelevent.

An Invitation to Tender (ITT) is typically used for complex, high-value procurements where the quality and specific features of the goods or services are of paramount importance. This approach ensures that ethical and responsible sourcing criteria are met, aligning with best practices in procuring specialised goods or services.

The gross profit margin ratio is calculated by subtracting the cost of goods sold (COGS) from income from sales, then dividing by income from sales. This ratio indicates the profitability of a supplier, a critical factor in assessing financial health, which helps buyers ensure reliable supply continuity.

Explanation

The correct answer is financial stability (this is done by using all of those lovely ratios in chapter 1.3) and capacity and capability (which are part of Carter's 10 Cs).

At PQQ stage you're looking purely at whether the supplier is good or bad (to put it simply). You don't give them details of your requirement yet, so they're not providing a quote / pricing structure / price schedule at this point in time. That would be at the next stage, IF they pass PQQ, when you issue the tender competition.

Payment history and financial stress scores provide insights into a supplier’s financial health and stability. This information is crucial for procurement professionals in assessing whether a supplier can fulfill long-term commitments, supporting responsible sourcing by mitigating financial risks.

The acid test (quick ratio) is an effective measure of a supplier's ability to meet short-term liabilities, providing insights into financial stability. This aligns with responsible sourcing by ensuring the supplier is financially capable of fulfilling a strategic contract.

Explanation

Damian works in the Public Sector- it is against the law for the public sector to conduct 'post tender negotiation' after a contract has been awarded. This is because it's not transparent and equal opportunities, which are founding principles of public sector procurement.

Private sector can do whatever they want. They can do post-tender negotiations.

NOTE: this is currently the rules as per Public Contract Regulations 2015. These are being superseded in October by new legislation. The study guide doesn't mention this, but it's happening. At the time of writing (January 2023) we don't have the full details about what the new rules are but I doubt they will change on this particular topic. You can find out more about the changes to Public Sector Procurement here: Transforming Public Procurement - GOV.UK

In the sourcing process, obtaining necessary approvals (such as drawings for the invitation to tender) is critical to ensure clarity and readiness before engaging with suppliers. Responsible sourcing emphasizes structured preparation, ensuring compliance and accuracy in supplier expectations.

Explanation

ILO = the International Labour Organisation.

ISO is the International Standardisation Organisation- they also come up in this exam.

Fair Trade is about paying suppliers properly.

WWF is the World Wildlife Foundation, or if you watched wrestling in the 90s, the original WWE. You do not need to know about wildlife or wrestling for this exam.

Financial assessments help ensure a supplier can meet the demands of a high-value contract without disruptions. This aligns with responsible sourcing principles by promoting stable supplier relationships and reducing the risk of supply chain interruptions due to financial instability.

Providing a debrief allows suppliers to understand the tender process and learn areas of improvement, promoting transparency. This practice supports responsible sourcing by fostering a fair, competitive environment and encouraging suppliers to improve their future offerings.

Incoterms clarify responsibilities between buyers and sellers, reducing certain risks but not eliminating them entirely. Responsible sourcing requires recognising that Incoterms are only part of risk management in international trade, and other factors, such as supplier reliability and quality, must be considered.

Explanation

You should investigate automatically low tenders by clarifying the bid with the supplier. It could be they have misunderstood the requirement. Or the bid could be genuine and they can really provide best value for money. But without enquiring, you just don't know.

Explanation

Pregnant women and children are considered 'disadvantaged' by the UN. The other groups the UN call disadvantaged include; the elderly, the immunocompromised, those with disabilities and those living in poverty. This is the list given in the study guide.

A company could help disadvantaged groups in several ways. Firstly by offering employment (obviously not to the children). It could also include helping these groups as part of a Social Value out-come or community benefit scheme.

Explanation

Intracompany trading is when two departments in the same company do trading. AND when two companies owned by the same parent company do trading.

INTRA means 'within' - so it's doing business with yourself.

Ordering in November, when demand is lowest, may allow the buyer to secure better pricing and availability, aligning with responsible sourcing by optimizing purchase timing to achieve cost savings and reliable supply.

Explanation

Social value is about benefitting the local community / society. Therefore of those options listed, use of local labour is the most appropriate to consider.

Explanation

The correct answer is current assets and current liabilities. There are many Questions about financial ratios on the exam.

If you're unsure on them I suggest doing further reading outside of the study guide as this will help. I like this youtube video (I'm not associated with the makers of this video but think it's a great way to explain liquidity) Liquidity ratios (youtube.com)

You can be asked to work out liquidity in the exam. If you are asked this, the numbers will be very simple to the point you may be able to do the sums in your head. There is also a calculator on the test app you can use.

Regularly checking supplier policies and conflict of interest registers helps ensure that suppliers are upholding ethical standards, which supports responsible sourcing practices. This governance activity aligns with ethical guidelines to promote transparency and prevent conflicts that could affect the integrity of the supply chain.

The balance sheet provides a snapshot of a company's financial position at a specific point in time, detailing assets, liabilities, and equity. Short-term liabilities, such as unpaid taxes and bank overdrafts, are obligations the company must settle within a year and are critical indicators of the company's liquidity and financial health.

Exact Extract from Study Guide:

"The balance sheet includes details of current liabilities, such as unpaid taxes and bank overdrafts, which are essential for assessing a supplier's short-term financial obligations and overall stability."

Explanation

The correct answer is 'demand is exceeding supply'- If everyone wants to buy something, the sup-pliers will likely increase the price.

If there was little demand or there were threats of substitutions, this would likely result in a price decrease.

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) requires the supplier to cover all delivery costs, including import duties and taxes. This term ensures that the buyer receives the goods without additional charges, aligning with public sector procurement practices for cost-effective and transparent sourcing.

Explanation

The correct answer is 'gearing ratio'.

Gearing measures how much of a company's funding is based on long-term debt or loans- this would be affected by a steep rise in inflation. If a company has a mortgage on their offices or facto-ry and they need to remortgage and inflation has gone up a lot- they'll be paying a lot more on their mortgage. This will severely effect the gearing ratio as they'll have more outgoings than incoming.

Gross profit margin COULD be affected by inflation, for example if you've got hyper-inflation and the country goes into recession and people stop buying your product. However, this answer isn't al-ways right and depends on many factors- the industry, the product, the company etc, so for the purpose of CIPS should be discounted. There are many industries which are immune to inflation.

Explanation

At supplier selection stage, unsuitable suppliers should be removed (those that do not add value or pose a risk). At develop strategy stage you're not even looking at suppliers yet- you're just deciding what you need. At contract award and asset management it's too late.

CIPS procurement cycle - Procurement Supply Cycle | CIPS

Outsourcing can lead to a loss of control over certain aspects of a project, as the organization relies on external parties to deliver services or products. Additionally, sharing sensitive information with third-party vendors increases the risk of data breaches or loss of private information. While there may be concerns about assets or future business opportunities, the primary risks in outsourcingrelate to control and information security.

Compliance with fair trade standards demonstrates the supplier's commitment to social responsibility, including fair wages and ethical working conditions. This aligns with responsible sourcing practices, ensuring that suppliers maintain ethical labor standards, as advocated in the principles of ethical sourcing.

Explanation

The correct answer is Invitation to Tender. This is sent out to suitable suppliers inviting them to bid for the opportunity.

A PQQ - pre-qualification questions naire- is sent to suppliers to see if they are suitable. The QUESTION NO: states these suppliers have already been deemed suitable, so they've already passed PQQ

A RFQ - request for quotation- would be used when the only variable is price, so is not suitable for complex tenders.

RFT isn't a thing. I made the last one up.

Explanation

weighted points systems for assessments should add up to 100. This is 100%.

An example is how this would work is

Price = 50%

Health and Safety questions= 30%

Qualifications = 20%

Explanation

This is a facilitation payment. It's when a sum of money is given for 'helping to facilitate' a contract. E.g. a procurement manager may accept a facilitation payment from a supplier for selecting him to be a new supplier for a big contract.

In the UK this is definitely considered a bribe. It's also against the CIPS Code of Conflict

Informing suppliers of non-conformances and improvement opportunities supports responsible sourcing by promoting continuous improvement. Preparing a report for supplier review also aligns with transparency and collaborative improvement, integral to ethical sourcing standards.

Explanation

You should investigate automatically low tenders by clarifying the bid with the supplier. It could be they have misunderstood the requirement. Or the bid could be genuine and they can really provide best value for money. But without enquiring, you just don't know.

Explanation

Futures exchanges are used to trade commodities. It's when a buyer and supplier agree a price and deal for something in the future. For example a carrot farmer may agree to sell his carrots to Gary in 3 months time when they're finished growing. It's used when the product / commodity isn't ready yet.

It's also used for hedging and other complex financial stuff- but you don't need to know that yet. Commodities and Future contracts are a big part of L5M4 to warn you though. Futures Contract Definition: Types, Mechanics, and Uses in Trading (investopedia.com)

Explanation

ethics and environment are not a 'right of procurement'.

The 5 rights are price, quality, quantity, time and place.

Explanation

The C category is the 'tail spend' - it represents a large number of suppliers of small value items.

I recommend giving this a read ABC Classification & ABC Method | CIPS

Explanation

ABC should do a 'root cause analysis' to find out where the issue has come about, and why. From there, once they know what the breach is and how serious it is, they can suggest corrective action.

They can't jump straight to terminating the contract or seeking damages as it's not the supplier itself but rather the subcontractor. Also that would be really hasty considering we don't know what the issue is and what the market conditions are like. That supplier may be the only one who can provide the product. We also don't know if the supplier knows about the issue themselves.

Explanation

you would use a restricted approach when interest is likely to be high. The buyer needs a method of de-selecting unsuitable bidders and creating a shortlist of acceptable organisations.

For complex requirements you could use both an open or restrictive tender- the difference between the approaches is about how many bids you're likely to get rather than the complexity of it.

Explanation

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 is about product safety and making sure products sold on the market are fit for purpose. It gives buyers rights and protections. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 - Citizens Advice

There's a long list of legislation on p.105. I wouldn't worry about memorizing them all but just have an idea of what legislation relates to what area. E.g. GDPR is about Data Protection and the Com-petitions Act is about Marketplace competition. Most of them are quite obvious from the name.

Implementing full anti-bribery training, policies, and procedures demonstrates a proactive stance against bribery and corruption. Ethical sourcing principles encourage organisations to institutionalise comprehensive anti-bribery measures to ensure transparency, fairness, and compliance within the supply chain, reducing the risk of corrupt practices.

Conducting periodic audits by third-party specialists is a reliable way to monitor compliance with ethical standards, as these audits provide an objective assessment. This aligns with ethical sourcing practices, as it promotes accountability and ensures continuous adherence to agreed-upon standards.