CIPS L5M6 Practice Test Questions Answers

The three key enablers are People, Tools, and Technology. Each plays a distinct but interconnected role in making category management effective:

People: Skilled category managers and cross-functional teams provide the expertise, negotiation skills, and stakeholder engagement needed for success. Without trained professionals, strategies cannot be executed effectively.

Tools: Analytical frameworks like Kraljic’s Matrix, spend analysis, TCO, and risk assessment tools enable informed decision-making. These provide structure and evidence for procurement strategies.

Technology: Digital platforms such as e-procurement systems, data analytics software, and supplier relationship management [SRM] tools support efficiency, transparency, and scalability.

By contrast, options such as “Place” and “Environment” are not formal enablers within CIPS’s framework. While environmental and cultural context matter, they are not listed as the three foundational enablers.

The study guide emphasises that category management can only be effective when these three enablers work together—skilled people using appropriate tools and supported by the right technology.

[Ref: CIPS L5M6 Study Guide, p.6 – Enablers of Category Management]

The correct answer is Maturity. In the industry lifecycle model, markets evolve through stages: birth, growth, maturity, and decline. Tulipa Ltd initially saw high growth, reflecting the growth stage, where demand is rising, and market share is expanding. However, for the past two years, share has plateaued, suggesting the market has stabilised, which is a key characteristic of the maturity stage.

At maturity, the market is often saturated, with limited opportunities for expansion. Competition becomes more intense, innovation slows, and firms compete largely on efficiency, branding, or incremental improvements. Unlike decline, the market is still viable and profitable, but growth rates are flat.

The study guide also introduces an intermediate stage called shakeout, occurring between growth and maturity, where weaker competitors exit. Tulipa’s situation has passed growth but has not yet entered decline, making maturity the correct classification.

[Ref: CIPS L5M6 Study Guide, p.175 – Industry Lifecycle and Procurement Strategy]

Supply chain risks are risks that involve suppliers or logistics networks and have a direct impact on procurement performance. Poorly defined contract terms (Option A) may cause service failure, while delays due to port strikes (Option D) disrupt inbound logistics. These are classic supply chain risks because they are linked to supplier performance or external logistics factors. By contrast, lightning striking HQ is an internal operational risk, and a consultant giving poor advice is a professional service risk rather than a direct supply chain issue. For procurement, identifying supply chain risks is critical to developing mitigation strategies such as alternative suppliers, buffer stock, or stronger contractual clauses. Risk assessment frameworks like the likelihood/severity matrix help prioritise which risks to address first.

Category Management is a strategic approach to procurement. According to CIPS, it is defined as “a rigorous fact-based, end-to-end process for proactively collaborating with stakeholders to develop and implement sourcing strategies that deliver significant value from an organisation’s external spend.”

Unlike tactical or reactive procurement, which focuses on immediate needs or firefighting, category management emphasises long-term planning, data analysis, supplier relationships, and alignment with business objectives. It goes beyond simply planning purchases in advance [which could apply to “planned procurement”] by integrating market intelligence, risk assessment, and value optimisation.

Being strategic means that category management seeks not only cost savings but also innovation, sustainability, and resilience. It requires cross-functional collaboration and the use of analytical tools like Kraljic matrices, total cost of ownership, and supplier segmentation.

Therefore, the most accurate categorisation is strategic procurement, not merely tactical or planned.

[Ref: CIPS L5M6 Study Guide, p.2 – Category Management as a strategic approach]

The correct stage is Market/commodity and options [including make vs buy assessment], which is Stage 2 of the CIPS Procurement and Supply Cycle. This stage focuses on analysing the external market, internal requirements, and identifying whether to make a product in-house or source it externally.

A Make vs Buy assessment helps determine whether the organisation has the capacity, skills, and resources to produce the item internally, or whether outsourcing would deliver greater value. Factors such as cost, risk, quality, lead time, and strategic alignment are evaluated.

Other stages differ:

High-level specification [Stage 1]: Focuses on defining what is needed, not sourcing decisions.

Develop strategy/plan [Stage 3]: Comes after options are analysed, where the sourcing path is chosen.

Market engagement [Stage 4]: Involves engaging suppliers, which cannot happen until the Make vs Buy decision is made.

This makes Stage 2 the most accurate point for such an assessment.

[Ref: CIPS L5M6 Study Guide, pp.35–36 – Procurement Cycle, Make vs Buy analysis]