Foundation Certificate in Commercial Practice (FCCP)

Course vision

To give everyone who touches a contract the same reliable foundations, so that the basics are done right the first time and problems are spotted while they are still cheap to fix.

Who should participate?

People in their first two years of a buying, selling, contracts or finance role. Team leaders in operations who sign purchase orders. Founders and office managers of small firms who handle suppliers themselves. Career changers moving into commercial work. There are no prerequisites.

Course description

The FCCP is studied online through ten short modules, each with a worked example from a fictional manufacturer, Hollin Brook Components, and a quiz. You can sit the exam whenever you feel ready, at home with an online invigilator or at our Birmingham centre. Questions are scenario-based: you read a short email, clause or invoice and choose what to do next.

Course outline

• How contracts are formed, and when a quote or email becomes binding
• Purchase orders, terms and conditions, and the battle of the forms
• Pricing, quotations and basic cost breakdowns
• Choosing a supplier and the checks to run first
• Payment terms, invoices and their effect on cash flow
• Delegated authority: who may sign what
• Keeping records that survive an audit
• An introduction to compliance duties, including bribery and modern slavery
• Handling a late delivery or a disputed invoice
• Ending a contract properly

Course experts

The course was written by Hannah Cartwright, our Standards Lead, with Gareth Lowe, a procurement manager in the further-education sector, and Priya Nandakumar, a commercial solicitor who advises small businesses. Eleanor Whitfield reviewed the compliance module.

Key benefits

You will know what you are agreeing to before you sign, and when to ask for help. Passing the FCCP makes you a Certified member and lets you use the letters FCCP while your membership is current.