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CORE Supply Management Core Exam Questions and Answers

Questions 4

A supply manager for JKL, Inc., a high-tech services firm, is asked to expedite an order for training on new fire suppression equipment. The equipment Is due to arrive within the month and must be put into immediate use to comply with governmental regulations. A training company has already been found by JKL ' s human resources department and has committed to providing classes on a rush schedule. JKL has not done business with this training firm before, although they have received excellent evaluations from other clients.

In this situation, which of the following is the FIRST action the supply manager should take?

Options:

A.

Negotiate a master service agreement and SOW with the training company

B.

Review the training company ' s pricing

C.

Request an invoice from the training company

D.

Notify the training company that no contract exists because human resources did not have proper authority

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Questions 5

A supply manager conducts a two-step bidding process for production material. A supplier is selected and a contract is signed. During the post-contract debriefing session, another supplier offers a lower price and payment terms that are more advantageous to the buying organization. Should the supply manager accept the supplier ' s offer?

Options:

A.

Yes, because it is the legal duty of the supply manager to consider new information.

B.

Yes, because the financial Interests of the buying organization are the primary consideration.

C.

No, because a binding contract has been signed.

D.

No, because the quality provided by the low bidder would be in doubt.

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Questions 6

A company creates a corporate sourcing team with category management responsibilities. Previously, the firm had no dedicated sourcing staff, and all procurement was decentralized and transactional. The sourcing team is ready to commence its initial project. Which of the following should the team do FIRST?

Options:

A.

Assign a project lead

B.

Determine whom to engage

C.

Assemble subject matter experts

D.

Deliver the project charter

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Questions 7

MNO, Inc. is a manufacturing operation that has recently expanded from domestic to global locations. MNO ' s supply management department is considering a plan to obtain raw materials from suppliers nearby each location. The organization currently handles its sourcing from headquarters, which provides coordination and support for all contracts. Which of the following strategies will likely be MOST useful to MNO ' s expansion efforts?

Options:

A.

Identifying suppliers in the region and managing purchases locally

B.

Using current sources to increase volume leveraging

C.

Contacting current suppliers to determine if they have offshore distribution

D.

Establishing a regional sourcing office that is centrally supported

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Questions 8

Which of the following is MOST important to address in an exit plan when an organization Is transitioning to a new supplier?

Options:

A.

Ensuring continuity of supply

B.

Identifying how costs will be shared

C.

Defining ownership and destruction of data

D.

Determining how assets will be transferred or sold

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Questions 9

A buying firm learns that its sole supplier of a critical part is being sued by an employee for negligence. The firm is currently in negotiations with this supplier. To minimize or avoid risk, which of the following is the BEST tactic for the buying firm to utilize in this situation?

Options:

A.

Postpone the negotiations until after the suit is settled

B.

Request more favorable payment terms

C.

Complete the negotiations while monitoring the situation

D.

Purchase an all-risk insurance policy

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Questions 10

After lengthy and intense negotiations, a verbal agreement is reached between a buying organization and a finished goods supplier. The president of the buying organization sends a letter contract to the supplier. The supplier immediately ships goods to the buying organization and invoices for the material, before any contract is signed. At this point, is the buying firm obligated to pay the invoice?

Options:

A.

Yes, the buying firm must pay for anything that the supplier ships whether agreed to or not.

B.

Yes, as a letter contract Is a valid pre-contractual agreement.

C.

No, as the buying organization did not issue a formal purchase order.

D.

No, as there was only a verbal agreement.

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Questions 11

A firm buys a particular product that has low business impact and low supply market complexity. How would this product be categorized using the Kraljic classification model?

Options:

A.

Leverage

B.

Noncritical

C.

Bottleneck

D.

Strategic

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Questions 12

Which of the following is the MOST important reason for supply management to share company business plans with current and prospective suppliers?

Options:

A.

To set the stage for supplier concessions and discounts

B.

To remind suppliers how important supply management is to their success

C.

To show suppliers the benefits of investing time and resources into the relationship

D.

To prevent any problems or misunderstandings in the buyer/supplier relationship

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Questions 13

While preparing for negotiations with a supplier, a supply manager learns that the supplier has fallen short of its sales goals for the year. The supply manager uses this information to focus on attaining below-market pricing, with the expectation that the supplier will be eager to improve its sales figures. However, continued discussions with the supplier yield no progress. Which of the following has the supply manager MOST likely failed to consider?

Options:

A.

Obtaining a fair and reasonable price

B.

Achieving a mutually beneficial agreement

C.

Understanding current market forces

D.

Meeting the buying organization ' s needs

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Questions 14

A bottleneck supplier consistently poses a risk of shutting down a company ' s production lines due to delivery issues. Which of the following is the BEST long-term solution to this problem?

Options:

A.

Conduct daily meetings with the supplier to manage its production schedule

B.

Pay expediting fees to get the parts from the supplier delivered sooner

C.

Impose financial penalties on the supplier each time the firm is negatively impacted by overdue parts

D.

Qualify more suppliers who can deliver the same product

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Questions 15

A supply manager Is planning for negotiations with a sole-source supplier of an essential part. The buying firm is already one of the supplier ' s top customers, and will need even larger quantities of the part to expand its product line in the near future. The supply manager learns that the supplier may experience some financial risks over the coming year, and that the supplier is anxious to solidify its relationships with major customers to mitigate that risk. Which of the following Is the BEST way for the supply manager to gain a deeper understanding of the supplier ' s position?

Options:

A.

Perform a SWOT analysis

B.

Perform a Porter ' s Five Forces analysis

C.

Determine the supplier ' s bottom line position

D.

Determine the buying firm ' s bottom line position

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Questions 16

A major supplier for JKL, Inc. has a production capacity of 100 units a month. For the last six months, however, the supplier ' s production rate has climbed to 105 units a month. JKL audits the

supplier and takes note of the higher production rate. In this situation, which of the following would MOST likely be of concern to JKL?

Options:

A.

Increased pricing

B.

Deteriorating quality

C.

Increased lead time

D.

Loss of flexibility

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Questions 17

A firm issues an RFQ for specialty electronics to be used within a new product line. Internal needs are assessed and specifications are prepared by engineering. The bid is sent to five current suppliers, all of whom are familiar with the firm ' s supply chain. However, only two of these suppliers respond, and their quotes are much higher than expected. Which of the following is the MOST likely explanation for what occurred?

Options:

A.

The internal needs were not adequately addressed.

B.

The specifications were too narrow.

C.

The suppliers were not qualified.

D.

The specifications were too broad.

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Questions 18

Which of the following is considered the HIGHEST level in a supply chain ' s strategic plan?

Options:

A.

Objective of the organization

B.

Commodity segmentation

C.

Supplier differentiation

D.

Acquisition planning

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Questions 19

A team from RST, Inc. is conducting a negotiation session with a supplier. During the session, RST ' s lead negotiator perceives that various members of the supplier ' s team are being evasive on the issue of the supplier ' s capacity to handle the project. However, there is no apparent sign that the other members of RST ' s team share this perception. Given this situation, which of the following is the BEST course of action for the lead negotiator to take?

Options:

A.

Continue the negotiation session, but be sure to discuss the concerns with colleagues before any additional sessions are scheduled or any deal is executed

B.

Request a caucus, discuss the concerns privately with the team, and obtain their Input before deciding whether (and how) to proceed

C.

Call for a suspension of the session, and leave open the possibility of rescheduling it for a later date, after the supplier ' s capacity can be investigated

D.

Continue with the negotiation session, as concerns over supplier capacity are generally handled in the warranties section of the contract

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Questions 20

During negotiations with a supply manager from FGH Inc., a supplier states that if FGH buys the 200 gigabyte version of its software package at a price of $700, the supplier will include a never-before-sold malware license valued at $147. FGH needs both the malware and the software package. If the supply manager agrees to the offer, FGH may claim a

Options:

A.

cost savings

B.

cost variance

C.

cost avoidance

D.

cost reduction

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Questions 21

A firm has repeatedly experienced communication problems with three crucial suppliers. The firm ' s supply manager concludes that many of these problems are the result of not having regular business reviews with these suppliers. However, all three suppliers have indicated that they do not see the value in regular business reviews. Given this situation, which of the following is the BEST course of action for the supplier manager to take?

Options:

A.

Contact the CEO of each supplier and request that they encourage the firm to participate in the business reviews

B.

Advise the suppliers that failure to meet for the reviews will result in payments being suspended

C.

Advise the suppliers that their performance is not acceptable, and that they must improve or face further penalties

D.

Develop a specific agenda for the suppliers that identifies items to address and accomplish during the business review

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Questions 22

A company ' s internal ordering system for indirect spend generally works well, though one group of products is often ordered under the wrong commodity codes, making spend history inaccurate. Which of the following will MOST likely improve data accuracy?

Options:

A.

Issuing new ordering instructions to all internal departments

B.

Reviewing orders online before they are finalized

C.

Adding a drop-down menu for selecting item categories

D.

Reporting order accuracy rates to the users ' supervisors

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Questions 23

A small company identifies a market need for a new device. However, the firm is relatively young and does not have much design expertise. In this situation, which of the following would be the BEST option for bringing the new product concept to market?

Options:

A.

Develop detailed performance specifications for potential suppliers to use

B.

Develop detailed design specifications for potential suppliers to use

C.

Issue a detailed Statement of Work (SOW) for the new device

D.

Engage in a multiple sourcing arrangement to gather several design solutions

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Questions 24

XYZ, Inc. is negotiating with Supplier DEF for materials needed in manufacturing. The negotiations are moving slowly, primarily due to delays and postponements by the supplier. DEF has been the primary source for the material under negotiation, and while there are other potential sources, lead times would not make it feasible for XYZ to seek an alternative on such short notice. Which of the following tactics is DEF MOST likely employing?

Options:

A.

Missing person

B.

Red herring

C.

Power position

D.

False offer

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Questions 25

A supply manager for an electronics firm has been asked to source packaging for the company ' s new printed circuit board. The specifications recommend 0.50 mm tolerance, with a projected breakage ratio of 0.50% at a cost of $1.00 each. However, the manager is able to find an alternative source of packaging that is specified at 0.60 mm tolerance, with a projected breakage ratio of 0.75% at $0.80 ea.

If the cost of the new circuit board is $50 per unit, which packaging should the supply manager recommend, and why?

Options:

A.

The 0.50 mm packaging, as It is more cost effective.

B.

The 0.60 mm packaging, as it is only $0.80 each, whereas the 0.50 mm packaging is $1.00 each.

C.

The 0.50 mm packaging, as honoring internal stakeholder requirements is the primary duty of the supply manager.

D.

The 0.60 mm packaging, as it is more cost effective.

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Questions 26

A firm is developing a solicitation to purchase materials in order to meet the needs of a new product launch. The firm anticipates that some or all of its existing suppliers will respond to the solicitation. Given this situation, which of the following is the BEST requirements gathering approach for the firm?

Options:

A.

Describe, define, document and build approach

B.

Joint requirements development sessions

C.

Repetitive requirements gathering and testing

D.

Pilot and redesign approach

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Questions 27

A supply manager Is evaluating bids for a new delivery van. Supplier J, which has provided similar equipment in the past, quotes a price of $50,000. Supplier K quotes a price of $52,500, but Includes an offer to buy back the van at the end of five years for $3,000. Both suppliers ' bids meet specifications and delivery requirements. At a 10% opportunity cost of capital, and with the 5-year present value of $1 at $.62, which supplier should the supply manager choose, and why?

Options:

A.

Supplier K, as the firm will save $500

B.

Supplier J, as it provides the best value

C.

Supplier J, based on prior satisfactory performance

D.

Supplier K, to save money over the van ' s life cycle

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Questions 28

MNO, Inc. has been one of XYZ Company ' s most valuable customers for a number of years. During a formal competitive bid event for a new product introduction, MNO becomes a supplier to XYZ. In this situation, which of the following should be of GREATEST concern to these organizations?

Options:

A.

Progress reports

B.

Conflict resolution

C.

Reciprocal relationship

D.

Customer feedback

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Questions 29

Motivated by public relations considerations, a company decides to insource the manufacture of a major product. This decision was MOST likely made to bring about

Options:

A.

improved community ties

B.

increased profit margins

C.

shorter lead times

D.

decreased product risk

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Questions 30

A procurement specialist reviews a report from a financial agency about a potential supplier. The report reveals that the supplier had a lien against some of its assets a few years ago, that the supplier has had several delayed payments over the last few months, and that the supplier ' s debt-to-equity ratio equals 2.0. Which of the following is the BEST course of action for the procurement specialist to take?

Options:

A.

Inform senior management of the potential supplier ' s financial status

B.

Exclude the supplier from the bidding process

C.

Inform current suppliers about the potential supplier ' s financial status

D.

Use the information in considering whether to qualify the supplier

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Questions 31

MNO Inc. is a U.S.-based manufacturing company that imports sub-assemblies from Asia and incorporates them into several products. The firm orders in large quantities to obtain the lowest price per unit, and then pulls the items as required to produce finished goods. MNO wishes to improve its cash flow and seeks ways to reduce the impact of import duties. Which of the following Is the BEST approach for the company to use?

Options:

A.

Review tariff classifications for potential savings opportunities

B.

Place goods in a bonded warehouse and delay duty payment

C.

Apply for duty refunds when goods are exported

D.

Obtain a temporary import bond

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Questions 32

An audit identifies discrepancies in purchasing and payments within a specific division of a company. An investigation determines that a supply manager has been paying invoices for materials not yet received. Though the firm has mechanisms in place to report any concerns, the supply manager was granted the authority to place orders, receive material, and pay invoices, and therefore none of the employees believed this was a reportable offense. This situation represents a failure of which of the following?

Options:

A.

Risk assessment

B.

Monitoring of activities

C.

Information and communication

D.

Control activities

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Questions 33

Which of the following refers to a stakeholder want as opposed to a stakeholder need?

Options:

A.

Requiring that a supplier provide delivery schedules that meet the requirements specified in the contract

B.

Requiring that a supplier provide accommodations for the company ' s representatives during visits

C.

Requiring that a supplier provide the purchased component at or below the target cost

D.

Requiring that a supplier provide detailed specifications for review for the supplied item

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Questions 34

A manufacturing company with plants and suppliers in numerous locations wants to cut its travel budget for the next year by 20%. Which of the following is MOST likely to help reduce travel costs?

Options:

A.

Expanding use of video conferencing as an alternative to travel

B.

Obtaining discounts from preferred providers of travel services

C.

Lowering the allowable per diem

D.

Sending an individual rather than a team when conducting site visits

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Questions 35

ABC, Inc. has a supply management department responsible for placing orders. In spite of this, a designer from ABC ' s engineering department places an order with Supplier X for several products.

When the shipment arrives, it is rejected by the receiving department, as they cannot verify the order with supply management. To avoid this situation, the designer should have

Options:

A.

notified the supervisor of the engineering department of the immediate need for the item

B.

requested supply management issue an " after the fact " purchase order

C.

coordinated product needs with supply management prior to order commitment

D.

delayed placing the order until after looking at comparable items from other suppliers

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Questions 36

A buyer finds an opportunity to reduce costs for a particular service through competitive bidding. The buyer issues a request for quotation (RFQ) to prequalified suppliers. However, the statement of work is incomplete, and not clear enough to get an accurate price for the service. Which of the following is the BEST course of action for the buyer to take in order to get a proper statement of work included in the RFQ?

Options:

A.

Gather information on the service and prepare a new statement of work

B.

Send an email to stakeholders asking them to review and update the current statement of work

C.

Contact the stakeholders and coordinate the improvement of the existing statement of work

D.

Send an email to stakeholders and request a new statement of work

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Questions 37

Smith agrees to work for Acme Company for 12 months on a time and materials contract, with right of termination for convenience. Under the terms of the contract, Smith ' s fee is payable quarterly. After six months, Smith provides notice of termination. Smith was only paid for the first three months of the contract, and Acme Company is withholding payment of the outstanding balance. If Smith files a lawsuit to recover damages, Smith is MOST likely to be compensated for which of the following types of damages?

Options:

A.

Restitution

B.

Incidental

C.

Consequential

D.

Punitive

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Questions 38

Telling a seller during negotiations that " This is our best and final offer " is a(n)

Options:

A.

strategic move that can shorten an otherwise lengthy negotiation, which should only be used when strong benchmarking supports the offer

B.

risky negotiating tactic that should be used with caution, and only if the buyer has a suitable alternative

C.

effective tactic that typically yields an optimum result

D.

tactic that should be avoided regardless of the circumstances, due to its potential harm to the client-supplier relationship

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Questions 39

When developing a sourcing strategy, which of the following is the BEST source of data on the spend profile of a category?

Options:

A.

A sales representative from the supplier

B.

An internal stakeholder

C.

Information from an internal database

D.

The Internet

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Questions 40

To weigh the benefits and risks of outsourcing a function, a supply manager conducts due diligence from cost, cultural, and service perspectives. The skills the supply manager is employing can BEST be described as

Options:

A.

project management

B.

technical knowledge

C.

analytical problem solving

D.

functional interaction

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Questions 41

Questions pertaining to standardizing products, reducing the number of suppliers, and combining volumes to attain better pricing are BEST addressed by which of the following?

Options:

A.

Category strategy

B.

Spend analysis

C.

ERP system

D.

Category action plan

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Questions 42

A state university is looking to purchase equipment to scan books and manuscripts into a digital format. Several variations of this equipment exist in the marketplace, and the university has not decided which format is best for their needs. There is also a possibility that the cost for additional storage requirements will be shared with the state. Given this situation, which of the following is the FIRST course of action the university should take?

Options:

A.

Issue a Request for Information (RFI)

B.

Negotiate an agreement with the state government to share storage costs

C.

Issue a Request for Proposal (RFP)

D.

Conduct a joint suppliers ' conference with the state government

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Questions 43

Which of the following BEST describes a single source supply strategy?

Options:

A.

Awarding purchases to one supplier in preference over other suppliers

B.

Designing requirements so that only one supplier can meet the needs of the organization

C.

Selecting two or more suppliers for the same product, but purchasing from only one of them to increase the volume discount

D.

Purchasing a product from one supplier for a period of time, then switching purchases to a new supplier for the same product

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Questions 44

MNO, Inc. purchases benchmarking data services from Supplier X, which is the sole source for data relevant to MNO ' s industry. In recent months, Supplier X ' s pricing has increased and its technical support has worsened. MNO ' s supply manager is preparing to negotiate for contract renewal with Supplier X and needs to resolve these concerns. Which of the following is the BEST course action for the supply manager to take before conducting negotiations?

Options:

A.

Determine whether data can be collected from other sources, to bring the services in-house

B.

Compare Supplier X ' s rates against similar services to establish reasonable costs

C.

Develop win-win scenarios to add long-term value in a collaborative relationship

D.

Revise the Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Supplier X, with penalties for non-performance

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Questions 45

Which of the following contract types is an agreement to pay a specified price when the items or services have been delivered and accepted?

Options:

A.

Incentive

B.

Fixed price incentive

C.

Firm fixed price

D.

Cost

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Questions 46

A supply manager submits requests for additional personnel and equipment, which are approved. However, the organization ' s training budget is cut, giving less opportunity to train new employees. The supply manager is concerned that this will adversely affect the department ' s ability to build expertise. Given this situation, which of the following is the MOST effective action for the supply manager to take?

Options:

A.

Present justification showing how training supports cost reduction goals

B.

Utilize available training funds early in the year to gain maximum impact

C.

Fill fewer positions than approved and re-direct savings to training

D.

Seek highly-qualified applicants who will require less training

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Questions 47

A supply manager ensures that each stage of the negotiation process is documented, beginning with the preparations for the negotiation. What is the PRIMARY purpose of maintaining such information?

Options:

A.

To identify weaknesses in the supplier ' s position

B.

To clarify specifications and performance expectations

C.

To provide justification for any concessions made

D.

To ensure team members have accurate data

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Questions 48

A manufacturing firm which prides itself on excellent customer service, quality, and prompt delivery decides to outsource several of its high volume, cost-driven products. The firm ' s supply manager is tasked with ensuring that service level expectations are maintained during the transition. Which of the following is the BEST step for the supply manager to take to ensure a smooth transition?

Options:

A.

Promote supply management staff as examples of change leaders

B.

Emphasize the focus on relationship management to support customers

C.

Direct staff to concentrate on execution and teamwork

D.

Redesign the department for better end-to-end supply management

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Questions 49

PQR’s supply manager signs a contract with Supplier X for delivery of parts totaling $1,250,000 per year for four years. Accompanying the contract is a copy of the organization’s signing policy, which states that supply managers have authority to execute contracts up to $1,000,000 per year. Supplier X questions the discrepancy, but is told verbally by the supply manager that the policy has changed, and supply managers now have a $1,500,000 per year signing limit for up to five years.

Senior management at PQR discovers the supply manager ' s misstatement and tries to disavow the contract. This attempt will likely be

Options:

A.

successful, as the supplier should have respected the written signing policy

B.

unsuccessful, because the supply manager ' s verbal statement represents a binding agreement

C.

unsuccessful, as the supply manager ' s status and statement constitute apparent authority

D.

successful, provided the disavowal occurs within three business days of contract signing

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Questions 50

A supply manager Is leading a team in developing a strategic sourcing strategy for the company ' s corporate-wide desktop and laptop computer procurement. Several business unit managers get into a heated debate over the relative Importance and exposure of desktop computers for their specific business units. Some units consider the desktop computer to be a low risk/low value commodity, while others consider them to be high risk/high value critical items. How should the supply manager proceed?

Options:

A.

Conduct a regression analysis to more accurately assess the risk and value of the desktop computers

B.

Develop a desktop computer sourcing strategy based on medium risk and medium value

C.

Tell the business unit managers to come to an agreement on the risk and value assessment of the computers

D.

Divide the desktop computers into two groups: one high risk/high value, and the other low risk/low value

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Questions 51

Rebates are considered part of which of the following types of cost management?

Options:

A.

Cost avoidance

B.

Cost reduction

C.

Cost mitigation

D.

Cost containment

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Questions 52

Consider the following data for four separate machines:

Purchase Price Projected Annual Savings Estimated Life (in years)

Machine W $100,000 $17,000 6

Machine X $112,000 $23,000 7

Machine Y $143,000 $19,000 9

Machine Z $150,000 $25,000 8

Which machine produces the HIGHEST simple return on investment (ROI) over its useful life?

Options:

A.

X

B.

Y

C.

W

D.

Z

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Questions 53

According to the Law of Agency, a supply manager acting as an agent makes decisions and acts in whose interest(s)?

Options:

A.

The interests of the profession

B.

His/her personal interest

C.

The interest of the organization that employs him/her

D.

The interests of the supplier which overlap with those of the buyer

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Questions 54

A supply manager is drafting a request for proposal (RFP) for courier services. Which of the following requirements is MOST likely to affect external stakeholder satisfaction?

Options:

A.

Accuracy of invoices

B.

Fuel efficiency of delivery vehicles

C.

Liability insurance coverage

D.

On-time delivery

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Questions 55

Which of the following are considered internal stakeholders?

Options:

A.

Logistics providers

B.

Members of executive management

C.

Community members

D.

Trade unions

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Questions 56

A supply manager identifies an overseas source for parts used by the organization. The supplier ' s capacity, performance, reputation and sample quality are all acceptable. During final price negotiations, the supplier requests that the contract be based on its local currency. Which of the following is the FIRST course of action the supply manager should take in order to address the possible impact of this request?

Options:

A.

Reject the request based on the uncertainty of future pricing

B.

Propose a limit on the range of fluctuations allowed

C.

Perform exchange rate due diligence with the help of a financial advisor

D.

Re-focus the discussion on other issues before addressing the request

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Questions 57

Which of the following refers to the legal principle that prevents a person from asserting a position Inconsistent with his or her prior conduct, if injustice would result to a person who has changed position in reliance upon that conduct?

Options:

A.

Conflict of interest

B.

Estoppel

C.

Severability

D.

Mutual consideration

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Questions 58

A software design firm has traditionally done most of its work in-house, including support services and distribution management. The firm is planning a large expansion, and is evaluating how the various departments can support It. The chief executive officer (CEO) recommends concentrating on core competencies to increase the firm ' s agility and emphasize what differentiates them from competitors. Which of the following is the BEST way supply management can support this recommendation?

Options:

A.

Conduct a spend analysis on strategic items

B.

Develop and implement an organization-wide strategic sourcing plan

C.

Develop better e-procurement processes

D.

Identify opportunities to outsource non-core business functions

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Questions 59

A company that makes specialized equipment for a very competitive industry relies on several critical engineered imported components. The components present a high degree of risk that could impact the future growth of the company. Given this situation, which of the following is the BEST course of action for the buying organization to take when preparing for negotiations with suppliers?

Options:

A.

Ask suppliers to analyze potential sources of risk for all components and raw materials

B.

Change sources of any components or raw materials that are imported from high-risk countries

C.

Require suppliers to provide risk insurance, with the buying organization listed as contingency beneficiary

D.

Determine with senior management and internal stakeholders the acceptable levels of risk for each product

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Questions 60

A company currently has contracts with several temporary labor suppliers with detailed requirements for the same skill set. The hourly rates charged by each of these suppliers vary widely. The firm wants to have all temporary labor services provided by one supplier at the lowest possible cost. Given this situation, which of the following is the BEST course of action for the firm to take?

Options:

A.

Conduct a reverse auction with a clear statement of work

B.

Transition the services to direct employees

C.

Issue a request for proposal (RFP) to preselected suppliers

D.

Negotiate for lower pricing with one of the suppliers

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Questions 61

A corporation acquires a startup company, with the objective of branching out into a new product line. The firm ' s procurement team needs to enlarge the supply base in order to meet the new production requirements. Which of the following is the BEST way for the team to ensure suppliers are aligned with organizational goals?

Options:

A.

Contact current suppliers to determine their maximum production capacity at the necessary quality levels

B.

Conduct market research to Identify characteristics needed by potential suppliers

C.

Facilitate meetings between internal stakeholders and external stakeholders

D.

Compare the firm ' s vision and mission to potential suppliers ' capabilities

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Questions 62

BCD, Inc. manufactures a product for a highly regulated industry. All details of the product must be traceable. The firm ' s engineering team specifies the types and quantities of materials within

blueprints, but this is insufficient, as a record of material usage needs to be maintained. The product development group asks supply management to develop a system. Given this situation, which

of the following is the BEST course of action for supply management to take?

Options:

A.

Quarantine all inbound material for comprehensive mechanical and chemical testing prior to use

B.

Instruct the production team to verify the quantity and type of materials prior to processing

C.

Work with suppliers to ensure that test reports and certifications are provided for all materials

D.

Request that the receiving and inventory management departments file packing slips for all deliveries

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Questions 63

A manufacturer develops a new product that will be more efficient and easier to use than previous versions. Prototypes are created, evaluated, and approved, and the company begins large scale

production.

Three months into production, costs rise beyond expectations, due to one of the raw materials not providing the economies of scale predicted by the design team. This results in a net loss at the

recommended price point. Which of the following actions should the design team have taken to prevent this situation?

Options:

A.

Renegotiate price and find other suppliers to offset the high costs

B.

Collaborate with the supplier in the design process to understand the production method

C.

Create a larger number of prototypes for testing and evaluation before going to large scale production

D.

Buy the raw material in bulk

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Questions 64

The use of procurement cards to simplify purchases of low cost/low complexity items is BEST suited for which of the following categories of spend?

Options:

A.

Leverage

B.

Tactical

C.

Critical

D.

Strategic

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Questions 65

A procurement manager solicits bids for renovation of a building and writes a service level agreement. The agreement includes language regarding the proper disposal of waste. This is an example of a(n)

Options:

A.

regulatory requirement

B.

zead time requirement

C.

cost goal

D.

engineering specification

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Questions 66

A supply manager needs to develop additional raw material suppliers in support of a category management plan created for a specific region. The project has been approved by senior management and the team has been selected. Which of the following is the NEXT step the supply manager should take?

Options:

A.

Review the scope of the project in a team planning meeting

B.

Issue a contract to a current supplier who says it can service the region

C.

Conduct market research to identify possible suppliers

D.

Assign team members various activities within their disciplines

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Questions 67

A supply manager receives negative feedback from internal stakeholders about several suppliers. However, the scorecards for these suppliers have been positive over the past few quarters, and any diminished performance is not reflected. Which of the following MOST likely explains this situation?

Options:

A.

The stakeholder requirements changed over time.

B.

The stakeholders failed to attend quarterly review meetings.

C.

The scorecard metrics were calculated incorrectly.

D.

The stakeholders ' input to scorecards was improperly captured.

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Questions 68

As interest rates rise, what will MOST likely be the effect on supply?

Options:

A.

Suppliers will lock in raw material prices in anticipation of price increases.

B.

Suppliers will delay shipments by selling to other customers.

C.

Bond prices will rise, forcing suppliers to pay more for capital investments.

D.

The risk of supplier stock outs will increase due to higher costs of holding inventory.

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Questions 69

Items of low value and complexity are typically categorized as which of the following

Options:

A.

Tactical

B.

Leverage

C.

Strategic

D.

Critical

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Questions 70

At what point in the development of a category strategy should spend review occur?

Options:

A.

After key internal stakeholders agree on sourcing priorities

B.

After development of the sourcing team

C.

After presentation of the strategy to senior management

D.

During validation of the savings or contribution

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Questions 71

A supply management department is looking to standardize purchases across the entire organization and leverage spend with fewer suppliers. Which of the following will be MOST useful for determining historical baseline costs?

Options:

A.

Spend analysis

B.

Kraljic matrix

C.

Delphi method

D.

Box-Jenkins method

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Questions 72

A manufacturing company experiences an increase in returns due to product quality issues. A root cause analysis determines that the raw materials are the cause, not the production process. In order to resolve this issue and avoid similar problems in the future, the firm should FIRST do which of the following?

Options:

A.

Require current suppliers to submit samples to determine if any materials do not meet standards

B.

Stop production and halt any shipments until the problem is rectified

C.

Find new suppliers for the raw materials

D.

Offer replacement products from current inventory so that customers can get new products right away

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Questions 73

A firm purchases large quantities of parts from an overseas supplier in order to take advantage of volume discounts. The firm wants to delay paying duty on the parts until they are required for manufacturing. Given this situation, which of the following Is the MOST appropriate course of action for the firm to take?

Options:

A.

Facilitate direct entry of the materials by way of a customs house

B.

Engage the services of a customs broker

C.

Apply for a temporary import bond

D.

Store goods in a bonded warehouse and release as needed

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Questions 74

CDE Inc. is a metal casting manufacturer that uses a supplier performance scorecard to measure key performance indicators (KPIs) across the business. CDE ' s supply manager wants Supplier Y to improve on a number of the measured KPIs. Which of the following is the BEST approach for the supply manager to take in order to achieve this objective?

Options:

A.

Require the supplier to submit a written plan for how it plans to improve the KPI scores, and require management approval for the plan

B.

Conduct a plant visit at the supplier ' s location and look for ways to improve processes so that the supplier can meet CDE ' s standards

C.

Give the supplier a one-year timeline to improve scores on the KPIs and inform it that any new business will be put on hold if no progress is made

D.

Require the supplier to submit a written plan on how it will improve in each underperforming KPI, and monitor the supplier ' s progress

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Questions 75

Which of the following is the simplest form of supplier evaluation?

Options:

A.

Benchmarking

B.

Categorical

C.

Weighted point

D.

Scorecard

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Questions 76

A supplier manufactures toys of proprietary design for its customers. Since the company ' s customers are industry rivals, the supplier has mutual non-disclosure agreements with each of them. One of these customers has developed a new toy and put it out to bid. Before awarding the contract, the customer ' s procurement team conducts a site visit to the supplier ' s factory. During the tour, the supplier asks the procurement team to turn off and put away any cell phones that have cameras. Which of the following BEST describes why the supplier made this request?

Options:

A.

To protect the finished goods of other customers

B.

To protect the confidentiality of the manufacturing process

C.

To protect the production schedules of the other customers

D.

To protect the supplier ' s employee work practices

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Questions 77

The ability to explain how and why decisions are made in support of business plans is important because it allows a supply manager to

Options:

A.

influence internal stakeholders

B.

reduce the amount of needed input from key stakeholders

C.

align goals to supply management ' s mission

D.

prevent supply chain disruptions

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Questions 78

A U.S.-based supply manager wants to reduce the number of defective parts arriving from an outsourced supplier located in Malaysia. Which of the following is MOST likely to help achieve this goal?

Options:

A.

COPC 2000

B.

Six Sigma

C.

Sarbanes-Oxley

D.

Lean manufacturing

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Questions 79

A research company develops a tomato that grows in cold weather. The company agrees to sell ten thousand seeds to a broker for $5,000. However, an error is made on the contract which

misstates the price as $4,000. The research company and broker both sign the contract without noticing the error. Some weeks later, the broker discovers the error and refuses to pay more than

$4,000. In this situation, the FIRST course of action for the research company to resolve the dispute is to establish with the broker that

Options:

A.

there was a misunderstanding concerning price

B.

the written agreement constituted a partial integration

C.

the written agreement was a sham

D.

there was an administrative mistake

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Questions 80

Which of the following explains external category market conditions by describing competitive factors within an industry?

Options:

A.

SWOT analysis

B.

Request for information

C.

Supplier analysis

D.

Porter ' s Five Forces

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Questions 81

TUV Inc., a small manufacturing firm, hopes to rebuild its customer base and return to profitability after a period of losing market share. Negotiations with a key supplier will be an important factor in this turnaround if target costs and pricing can be worked out.

Given this situation, which of the following would create the MOST challenging constraints In negotiations?

Options:

A.

Demand for the supplier ' s products from competitors

B.

Need for flexible delivery schedules

C.

Troubled financial history of TUV

D.

Unpredictable future volume

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Questions 82

A university is evaluating its student registration software. The current system, purchased from Supplier A, has been in place for five years and works well, but may be outdated. A new system provided by Supplier B includes an online chat feature, which Supplier A ' s system currently does not have. While the costs for the two systems are essentially the same, Supplier B ' s system has an additional one-time implementation cost of $250,000. Supplier A informs the university It will provide its own online chat option for a one-time fee of $50,000.

The university calculates that switching to any new platform will involve migration costs. In this situation, the BEST course of action for the university is to

Options:

A.

negotiate with Supplier A to have the new platform implemented under $50,000

B.

continue with Supplier A, as the migration costs will be too high

C.

conduct an RFx stating new requirements, and add the migration costs to the evaluation criteria

D.

request Supplier A provide a single source justification, and implement the change by paying $50,000

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Questions 83

A machine that costs $200,000 is expected to realize an annual savings of $35,000. What is the simple ROI for this piece of equipment?

Options:

A.

57.5%

B.

31.5%

C.

20.0%

D.

17.5%

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Questions 84

With which group of suppliers is It MOST important to conduct regular performance reviews?

Options:

A.

Standard

B.

Key

C.

Strategic

D.

Commodity

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Questions 85

Smith is a supply manager for BCD, Inc. While planning for a solicitation involving high-volume parts, Smith learns that one of the potential suppliers has recently hired, as account executive, a close relative of Smith ' s. The relative owns a large block of shares in the supplier ' s company. In this situation, which of the following is the BEST course of action for Smith to take?

Options:

A.

Discuss the potential conflict of interest with the department supervisor and jointly determine how to proceed

B.

Advise the supplier that it cannot submit a bid, as it would create a conflict of interest

C.

Continue with the sourcing process and discuss the situation with the department supervisor if the supplier submits a competitive bid

D.

Prepare a memorandum outlining the situation and place it in the transaction file

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Questions 86

A company ' s accounting department implements a new system to track liabilities for capital assets. The reports developed by this system exclude some important indirect procurement data (e.g., transactions related to test equipment), as this information is tracked by another system. Which of the following is the BEST course of action for the firm to take in this situation?

Options:

A.

Estimate the total debts and assets being tracked outside the system and correct any large variances on a quarterly basis

B.

Notify senior management that reports from the new system may understate the company ' s debts and assets

C.

Notify the entire organization of the issue during the next iteration of the tool

D.

Take no action, as the aggregate numbers reported to shareholders will not be severely affected

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Questions 87

Consider the following supplier terms for the same product:

Supplier A: 2%/15, Net 30

Supplier B: 4°/o/5, Net 30

Which supplier ' s terms are more advantageous to the buying organization?

Options:

A.

Supplier B

B.

Cannot be determined based on the above information

C.

Supplier A

D.

The terms are equivalent

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Questions 88

A supply manager for JKL, Inc. finds a potential new supplier for an item included In a finished product. Quality and service are comparable to those of the current supplier, and the new supplier ' s cost per unit is $.03 lower than that of the current supplier. Making the transition to the new supplier will require changes to operations costing approximately $12,000. How many units would JKL need to buy in order to justify changing suppliers?

Options:

A.

400,001

B.

40,001

C.

36,001

D.

360,001

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Questions 89

A supply manager seeks bids on a new piece of capital equipment. The equipment is budgeted at $115,000. Three suppliers send in bids of $110,000, $114,000 and 5135,000. After receiving the bids, additional negotiations with the low bidder result in a final cost of $105,000. In this situation, what should the baseline value be for calculating cost avoidance?

Options:

A.

$114,000

B.

$135,000

C.

$110,000

D.

$115,000

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Questions 90

One of TUV Company ' s largest suppliers has been performing poorly, and the quality of its services does not meet the needs of a particular stakeholder. Which of the following is the BEST way for TUV ' s supply manager to evaluate how to establish service level agreements (SLAs) to improve the performance of this supplier?

Options:

A.

Request that the supplier provide a set of metrics to be used in measuring performance

B.

Develop measurements of supplier performance with the stakeholder, and include those measurements in an amendment to the contract

C.

Notify the supplier that its level of performance is not acceptable, and renegotiate contract pricing to reflect the supplier ' s performance

D.

Notify the supplier of the performance issues, and terminate the contract if the supplier does not correct performance within thirty days

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Questions 91

Which of the following is a factor to be considered in a Total Cost of Ownership analysis for fleet automobiles?

Options:

A.

Disposal

B.

Regulations

C.

Income

D.

Indemnification

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Questions 92

A sourcing manager is asked by a stakeholder to purchase electronic signature software. To avoid additional license fees, the stakeholder wants an inclusive price covering all of the software ' s functionality. However, the budget available for the purchase is limited, and an all-inclusive package will drive up price. Given this situation, which of the following is MOST important for the stakeholder to provide before the sourcing manager contacts potential suppliers?

Options:

A.

The complete project timeline

B.

A list classifying software functions as either " must have " or " nice to have "

C.

An explanation of why the avoidance of additional license schedules is justified

D.

A complete list of software functionality

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Questions 93

A US-based manufacturing firm receives a quoted price for an item from an offshore supplier of $.40 each (in US dollars), delivered duty paid to its US plant per Incoterms® 2020 rules, in minimum quantities of 20,000 units. The buying organization uses 80,000 units per year, and the carrying cost is 25%. The item price is fixed for one year. What are the total costs of purchasing annual requirements from this supplier?

Options:

A.

$36,000

B.

$33,000

C.

$32,000

D.

$40,000

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Exam Code: CORE
Exam Name: Supply Management Core Exam
Last Update: May 10, 2026
Questions: 312

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