Programme overview
Introduction:
Marketing and agency procurement covering agency selection, remuneration and media audit is a 1-week course for procurement category teams and marketing functions that buy creative, media and digital agency services together, ending with a Marketing Services Sourcing and Agency Governance Plan for a case organisation. Marketing spend leaks when agency pitches lack scoring discipline, fee bases go unchecked, media rebates stay undisclosed and programmatic fees are never audited. Nominees already manage agency spend or contracts and learn through case studies on pitch files, fee proposals and audit reports. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this marketing and agency procurement course.
Course Objectives:
- Segment marketing services spend into agency categories and set a sourcing strategy and roster model for each
- Run an agency search and pitch with RFI and RFP documents, weighted scoring and a defensible award decision
- Compare retainer, project fee, commission and performance-based remuneration and select the basis for each agency scope
- Negotiate media buying agreements covering rebates, principal-based buying, data ownership and audit rights
- Commission and interpret media and programmatic audits on pricing, supply-path fees, viewability and invalid traffic
- Build a Marketing Services Sourcing and Agency Governance Plan with scorecards and review cycles for a case organisation
Target Audience:
- Procurement category functions responsible for marketing, advertising and communications spend
- Marketing operations functions that hold agency budgets, scopes of work and purchase orders
- Brand and communications functions that brief agencies and sign off agency deliverables
- Media management functions accountable for media investment and agency media buying value
- Finance business partner functions that reconcile agency invoices and media pass-through costs
Course Outline:
Day 1: Marketing Services Spend, Agency Landscape and Buyer Roles
- Marketing Spend Cube by Agency Category and Business Unit
- Agency Landscape Map of Creative, Media, Digital and Production Suppliers
- Supply Positioning Matrix for Marketing Services Categories
- RACI Chart Splitting Marketing and Procurement Decision Rights
- Current Agency Roster Health Check and Contract Inventory
Day 2: Agency Sourcing Models, Pitch Process and Remuneration Frameworks
- Roster Model Options From Single Lead Agency to Specialist Panel
- Agency Search RFI Long List and Credentials Screening
- Pitch RFP Pack With Brief, Scope and Commercial Template
- Remuneration Model Comparison of Retainer, Project Fee and Commission
- Performance-Based Incentive Design With Measures, Weighting and Caps
Day 3: Pitch Evaluation, Fee Benchmarking and Media Buying Agreements
- Weighted Pitch Scoring Matrix Balancing Chemistry, Capability and Price
- Agency Staffing Plan Review Using Full-Time Equivalent Rate Cards
- Production Cost Estimate Challenge Against Line-Item Benchmarks
- Media Buying Agreement Clauses on Rebates and Volume Bonuses
- Audit Rights, Data Ownership and Principal-Based Buying Disclosure Clauses
Day 4: Media and Programmatic Audit, Transparency Risks and Agency Performance
- Media Pricing Audit Against Benchmarks and Committed Rates
- Programmatic Supply Path Fee Waterfall From DSP to SSP
- Viewability and Invalid Traffic Checks in Verification Reports
- Media Reconciliation of Plans, Invoices and Proof of Delivery
- Agency Performance Scorecard With Bilateral Review and Remedy Steps
Day 5: Case Study Work on a Marketing Services Sourcing and Agency Governance Plan
- Case Organisation Agency Spend and Roster Diagnosis
- Case Creative Agency Pitch Scoring and Fee Basis Decision
- Case Media Agency Contract Redline and Rebate Recovery
- Case Programmatic Audit Findings and Corrective Action Log
- Marketing Services Sourcing and Agency Governance Plan Completion
Skills You Will Gain:
- Marketing Spend Categorisation
- Agency Pitch Management
- Agency Remuneration Design
- Fee and Rate Card Benchmarking
- Media Contract Drafting
- Programmatic Fee Analysis
- Media Audit Interpretation
- Agency Relationship Governance
Why Attend This Course:
- Hand a Marketing Services Sourcing and Agency Governance Plan to the chief marketing officer and the procurement director for joint approval
- Choose which agencies to pitch, retain or consolidate and which fee basis fits each scope of work
- Avoid undisclosed rebates, inflated production estimates and hidden programmatic fees that drain media value
- Share the pitch scoring matrix, fee comparison model and contract clause checklist with marketing and finance colleagues
Conclusion:
Once back at work, the participant presents the Marketing Services Sourcing and Agency Governance Plan to the marketing leadership, the procurement director and finance. Marketing and procurement use it to decide which agency contracts to renew, re-pitch or consolidate, which remuneration basis to offer and which audit rights to insist on in the next media agreement. After the first pitch or media audit run under the plan, the joint team should review scorecard results, recovered rebates and audit findings, then adjust the roster and fee bases.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What should participants know before a marketing and agency procurement course?
Participants should already manage agency budgets, scopes of work or supplier contracts in marketing or procurement. No media planning background is needed. Bringing an anonymised agency contract, fee proposal or media invoice helps them apply the case work to their own organisation.
How does marketing and agency procurement differ from agency management or campaign planning training?
It is taught from the buyer's seat: sourcing, contracting, paying and auditing agencies. Agency management training covers running an agency business, and campaign planning training covers briefs and media schedules, so neither covers pitch scoring, rebate clauses or programmatic fee audits.
Why does marketing and agency procurement include media and programmatic audits?
Media is often the largest share of marketing spend and passes through several intermediaries. Audits compare paid rates with benchmarks, trace supply-path fees, check viewability and invalid traffic, and test whether rebates and volume bonuses were passed back as the contract requires.
What do participants take back from marketing and agency procurement training?
Participants take back a Marketing Services Sourcing and Agency Governance Plan with a spend map, a pitch scoring matrix, a fee basis comparison, a media contract clause checklist, an audit scope and an agency scorecard ready to adapt.