L4M4 CIPS Ethical and Responsible Sourcing Free Practice Exam Questions (2026 Updated)

Explanation

total life-cycle costs include; acquisition costs, maintenance and training.

Added value and functional fit are quality criteria that should also be evaluated when selecting a supplier, but do not fall under total life-cycle costs.

Note: total life cycle costs and whole life asset management are the same thing. You may see both terms used in the exam. I think CIPS is moving more towards Whole Life Asset Management now as the preferred vocabulary but they're the same thing.

Explanation

EXW- exworks is a suitable incoterm for transporting goods both by rail and boat. It can be used regardless of the mode of transport. The other three are for transport over water. P. 143 Shipping Incoterms: the Complete Guide - Guided Imports

Some students report a lot of questions on Incoterms in the exam, some say they only had 1. Best bet is to learn them if you possibly can.

Multi-sourcing allows organisations to diversify their supply base, providing flexibility, and reducing risk by having multiple suppliers. It is an effective strategy to prevent over-dependence on a single source and allows for competition among suppliers, promoting quality and ethical standards in the supply chain.

In the public sector, procurement activities exceeding certain financial thresholds are required to undergo competitive tendering processes. The anticipated expenditure of £950,000 surpasses the threshold that mandates a formal tendering procedure to ensure compliance with public procurement regulations, promote competition, and achieve value for money.

Exact Extract from Study Guide:

"Public sector procurement activities that exceed specified financial thresholds must follow formal competitive tendering procedures to ensure transparency and compliance with regulations."

In a restricted tender process, suppliers are pre-qualified through a selection process before being invited to submit tenders. This approach is suitable when there is a need to ensure that only capable suppliers are considered, often due to the complexity or high value of the procurement. It is not limited to situations with few suppliers, and direct negotiations typically occur after tender submissions, not before. Contracts are awarded based on multiple criteria, not solely on price.

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.

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.

Explanation

the correct answer is 'marketplace competition'.

Ethical practice is about prohibiting corrupt and unfair practice, rather than issues of supply and demand. Although being in a cartel is 'unethical behavior' this option doesn't fully answer the question which talks about limiting supply- this is related to marketplace competition.

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.

A Request for Information (RFI) is utilized during the early stages of the procurement process to gather general information about potential suppliers' capabilities, products, or services. It helps in understanding the market and narrowing down supplier options before moving to more detailed requests like RFQs or RFPs.

Option B:Obtaining indicative prices helps in budgeting and understanding market rates.

Option C:Gathering details about products or services allows the buyer to assess the supplier's offerings and suitability.

Options A, D, and E are more appropriate for later stages in the procurement process, such as during RFQs or contract negotiations.

Explanation

security, consultancy and cleaning are services which are often tendered as they tend to be high value and complex opportunities.

Office supplies and raw materials have less variables so you could use a RFQ for these instead.

A hint for this is also the word services. Security, consultancy and cleaning are services. Raw Materials and Office Supplies are goods.

A credit rating is a useful but limited indicator of financial health. It reflects a supplier’s likelihood of meeting short-term obligations but may not capture context such as investment stage, government backing, or corrective strategies. Responsible sourcing requires holistic assessments, including liquidity ratios, profitability, gearing, and qualitative factors like market position and management capability. Automatically rejecting suppliers with lower scores can unnecessarily restrict competition or exclude SMEs in emerging markets. Instead, CIPS advocates proportional risk assessment and, where necessary, mitigation measures such as shorter contracts, phased payments, or guarantees.

Protectionist measures are designed to shield domestic industries from foreign competition. The most common form is import duties (tariffs), which raise the landed cost of goods entering the country. This creates a barrier to trade by making imports less competitive compared to local products. Arbitration is a dispute resolution method, not a trade barrier. Carnets are documents for temporary duty-free movement of goods, and inward processing relief is an exemption for goods imported for re-export. Responsible sourcing requires buyers to anticipate the cost and risk implications of protectionism when engaging in international supply.

Explanation

The correct answer is the CIPS Code of Conduct. This is a voluntary document about doing 'good procurement' i.e. treating suppliers with respect.

EU Procurement Directive is legislation, so isn't voluntary

ISO9001 is about quality management

ILO is an organisation rather than a document

Thecurrent ratiomeasures a supplier’s ability to meet short-term financial obligations and is calculated astotal current assets divided by total current liabilities. Current assets include cash, receivables, and inventory, while current liabilities include overdrafts, trade payables, and short-term debt. Equity capital relates to ownership, not liquidity, and sales income and cost of goods sold appear in the income statement, not the balance sheet. Ethical and responsible sourcing requires procurement professionals to assess supplier liquidity to reduce the risk of supply disruption caused by cash-flow problems.

Strategic sourcing focuses onlong-term value creation, alignment with organisational objectives, and cross-functional stakeholder involvement. Reviewing product design modifications with stakeholders directly influences cost, sustainability, quality, and supply risk over the product lifecycle. Similarly, evaluating quotations for major systems such as accounting software represents a high-value, long-term sourcing decision with strategic impact. In contrast, sourcing office chairs and routine stationery purchases are low-value, repetitive activities and are therefore classified as tactical sourcing. Ethical and responsible sourcing requires procurement professionals to prioritise strategic activities that affect long-term performance, risk management, and sustainability outcomes.

Explanation

Request for Quotations can include more details than just prices. They can include specs and technical drawings and samples. It's like saying 'we can give you this price with these conditions'.

The other no answer is wrong because RfQ don't always include samples. A sample wouldn't be possible for a quote for an IT consultancy piece of work.

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.

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.