Free Practice Questions for CIPS L4M4 Exam

KPIs must be realistic, measurable, and achievable to drive performance improvement without creating unfair or unworkable expectations. Requiring delivery and returns within one hour is unlikely to be practical, even for a local supplier, and could increase costs, operational strain, or service failure. Ethical and responsible sourcing promotes setting proportionate KPIs that support continuous improvement and sustainable supplier relationships. Unrealistic KPIs undermine collaboration, damage trust, and may result in non-compliance rather than improved performance.

Explanation

The correct answers are; currency exchange fluctuations, ethical behavior and cultural differences.

Shortened lead times is not correct because sourcing internationally would result in longer lead times. Export tariffs is not correct as Elaine is importing the items into the UK, not exporting them.

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.

Governance of ethical and sustainable behaviour focuses on ensuring suppliers have the right systems, policies, and transparency measures in place. Reviewing insurance clauses ensures suppliers are prepared to manage liability and risks responsibly. Checking conflict of interest registers promotes transparency and prevents corruption. By contrast, NDAs protect confidentiality but are not primarily ethical governance tools, and simply checking “up-to-date policies” without context may not guarantee compliance. CIPS highlights governance mechanisms such as audits, policy reviews, and conflict registers as integral to monitoring ethical performance and ensuring accountability.

Explanation

So you can immediately discount the options starting with yes.

Quoting in GBP / £ rather than the supplier's currency reduces the risk to the buyer. It will not re-duce the cost of the import, and will probably increase it as the supplier is then taking on the risk of currency fluctuations.

A weighted scorecard provides astructured, objective, and transparentmethod of evaluating supplier bids against pre-agreed criteria such as price, quality, sustainability, and delivery. Weightings reflect the relative importance of each criterion, ensuring decisions are aligned with organisational priorities and value-for-money principles. This approach reduces bias, improves consistency, and creates an auditable record of the decision-making process. It does not focus solely on price, nor does it increase subjectivity when designed correctly. Ethical and responsible sourcing promotes the use of weighted scorecards to support fair competition, transparency, and defensible procurement decisions.

In a restricted tender process, only pre-qualified suppliers are invited to bid, ensuring that participating suppliers have met necessary qualifications. This approach helps in managing high-value contracts by focusing on capable suppliers. Ethical and responsible sourcing in the public sector demands supplier pre-qualification to ensure compliance, transparency, and quality.

Competitive tendering is ideal for high-value contracts where technical expertise is essential. This method supports responsible sourcing by ensuring quality and aligning the supplier’s capabilities with the buyer’s needs, as required in more complex procurement scenarios.

Sourcing services locally can deliversocial and economic benefits, including the creation oflocal employment opportunitiesandeconomic stimulation within the community. Local suppliers often reinvest in the local economy, supporting regional development and social value objectives. While reduced environmental impact may occur, it is not guaranteed for services, and contract management requirements remain regardless of supplier location. Ethical and responsible sourcing encourages consideration of social value outcomes, particularly where procurement decisions can positively impact local communities and stakeholders.