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AEES

AEES Executive Certificate in Public procurement and contracts

Frame a need, hold the procedure and own a gap. This AEES certification attests public procurement and contracts.

  • AssessmentProfessional assessment
  • Attempts2
  • PreparationIncluded
  • France
  • Canada
Description

Public procurement and contracts

A vague familiarity with “Public procurement and contracts” is no longer enough. This belongs with Law and integrity. You handle business, an alert, a public contract, a sanction or a dispute. People are hired to decide, not just to name the topic. This AEES certification is for professionals, managers and leaders who want to frame a need, hold a procedure and own a procurement gap. No diploma is required. What is required is a working command of written French, and the will to show the subject on a real file, in a company, a public body or a partner organisation.

You are not joining a long degree. You take “Public procurement and contracts” seriously enough to use it, and seriously enough for someone else to read it on a file. Everything happens online, around a job you already have. You prepare if you need to, then you sit a professional assessment. The AEES Executive Certificate, if it is issued, is proof in your name, and it can be checked. It holds in a CV, a move or a cooperation. It is a short specialisation, issued by a higher-education institution. You see at once what you are buying: a targeted title, not a course catalogue.

Afterwards you can carry “Public procurement and contracts” into a team, a file or a new responsibility, and explain your choices to a manager, a funder or a partner institution. Others will see that you can frame a need, hold a procedure and own a procurement gap, including outside your own organisation. If you succeed, AEES issues an AEES Executive Certificate in your name, with a unique serial number that can be checked in the public register. The award stays in your workspace. It shows a professional judgement you have demonstrated, useful for a CV, a new post or work in common.

Skills

What this certificate attests

The capabilities the assessment attests if you pass.

  • Frame a need
  • Hold a procedure
  • Own a procurement gap
  • Read an abnormally low price as a risk
  • Make the contract live after award
  • Handle a change or amendment without disguising it
ESCO classification — European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations

ESCO, the European skills vocabulary

This is the European Commission’s classification of skills, competences, qualifications and occupations. This certificate is linked to it through the skills below. Each link opens the official record.

Preparation included

To prepare for the assessment

After purchase, a preparatory course is available: 6 written modules, without an instructor, at your own pace. You are not required to follow it before opening the assessment. Each module sets out the notions, a commented case, the points to keep and a FAQ. It covers Need, Procedure, Equality and Bid.

When you are ready, you enter the assessment: a file already open, incomplete facts, conflicting views. You move through successive decisions. This is not a full taught programme with pedagogical supervision.

Structured written course

Notions, objectives and concrete examples, organised progressively.

Applied case

A commented professional situation to anchor the theory.

FAQ and preparation

Frequent doubts, then questions to go further on your own.

  1. Module 1, Defining the Need in Public Procurement and Contracts Great procurements begin long before publishing a notice or sending out a request. They begin with a disciplined statement of need that anyone in the market can respond to. In public purchasing, this is not a stylistic choice. It underpins equal treatment, effective competition, and value for money. A clear, neutral need definition prevents disputes, saves time during evaluation, and improves contract performance after award. Writing what you buy, not who you buy from, is the guiding line of this module. You will learn to describe outcomes, functions, and measurable performance rather than a vendor name or a proprietary catalogue. You will also learn how to handle real-world constraints, like interoperability with existing systems, without closing the market to legitimate alternatives.
  2. AEES Executive Certificate in Public Procurement and Contracts, Module 2: Procedure This module focuses on the core engine of any public purchase, the procedure. You will learn how to estimate the value correctly, choose a lawful route, publish at the right place, timetable each step, and document decisions. The goal is practical control, not theory for its own sake. By the end, you will be able to hold both the threshold and the calendar so the contract withstands internal and external scrutiny. Thresholds and calendars are not clerical details. They decide whether you can use a simplified route or a fully advertised competition, how many days you must allow for bids, and when you may sign. They also structure the work of your evaluation team, your communications to the market, and your exposure to challenge. Getting them right saves time and avoids restarts.
  3. Equality in Public Procurement: From Principle to Practice Equality in public procurement is not an abstract ideal. It is a daily discipline that shows in emails you send, notes you keep, meetings you decline, and the questions you answer in writing for all bidders to see. In practical terms, equality means that you do not tilt the table for a friendly supplier, a former colleague, a local favorite, or the incumbent. It demands that information, time, and evaluation criteria apply to everyone in the same way. When you practice equality well, the process feels predictable and boring from the outside. That is a sign of competence. The principle is anchored in widely used frameworks. In the European Union it sits at the core of the procurement directives, with equal treatment, non discrimination, and transparency as baseline obligations. The UNCITRAL Model Law, the World Bank Procurement Regulations, and the OECD Recommendation on Public Procurement all converge on the same professional standard. None of these instruments can run your procedure for you. They do, however, define the outcome you must secure: a fair chance to compete on stated terms with a clear, documented trail of decisions.
  4. Module 4: Bid - Reading an Abnormally Low Price as a Risk Low price is attractive but it is not always good value. In public procurement, a price that looks too low for the required scope or market conditions often signals a risk. It can signal a cost omission, a misunderstanding of the specification, an unsustainable pricing strategy, an error, or a capacity gap that will surface during performance through delays, claims, or quality failures. Your role is to read that price as a risk, not as a shortcut to savings. Procurement rules in many jurisdictions require a formal check when a bid appears abnormally low. The check is not punitive. It is a structured enquiry into how the bidder can meet requirements at that level of price. You must seek explanations, assess them objectively, and only then decide whether to accept the bid, take mitigating measures, or reject it as unreliable. The integrity of your procedure depends on equal treatment, traceability of reasoning, and clear separation between permissible clarification and prohibited negotiation.
  5. AEES Executive Certificate (Public Procurement and Contracts) Module 5/6: Performance Award is a decision. Performance is a discipline. This module moves from competition to delivery, where the buyer’s job changes: you no longer compare tenders, you steer a supplier to meet the contract. That requires governance, data, and decisions made at the right time. Performance management protects value for money, service continuity, and public trust. You will learn how to prepare the first 90 days, build a control framework around service levels and key performance indicators, administer payments and securities, and handle issues like delays, non-conformities, and subcontracting. You will also learn how to assess and implement changes lawfully, without disguising them, and how to document and justify your decisions for audit.
  6. Module 6, Gap: Managing Contract Changes and Amendments Transparently In real projects, needs evolve after award. A regulation shifts, a system interface becomes mandatory, an unforeseen ground condition appears, or a policy decision adds scope. Each situation creates a gap between what the contract covers and what the contracting authority needs. Closing that gap correctly is a core professional skill. It protects competition, keeps the supplier relationship fair, and stands up to audit. This module shows how to choose the right path: can you modify within scope under a valid review clause, rely on a defined legal ground, or must you run a new competition? You will learn to evidence the decision with a traceable file, set a fair price and time adjustment, and publish what needs to be published. The priority throughout is to handle the change or amendment openly, never disguising it as an administrative tidy‑up.