Hands-On Insights into International Procurement!

In January, I had the honor of collaborating with master’s students in the International Management program at Technische Hochschule Rosenheim/Rosenheim University. As part of the elective course International Sales Management, led by Professor Eckhard Lachmann, we conducted a one-day workshop simulating the typical process of awarding large contracts in international B2B business.

The students stepped into the roles of decision-makers in international companies, participating in a realistic tender process—specifically for the procurement of rotor blades for large wind farms. They had to define product features, pricing, service components, and other key parameters to create compelling offers. And, as is standard in international business, everything was conducted in English.

Beyond the simulation, I shared insights into how procurement actually works, including the tools and methods used in real-world scenarios. This gave the sales-focused students a valuable change of perspective, helping them understand how procurement teams evaluate offers—and how they can prepare better, more competitive quotations in their future careers.
What stood out most was the students’ feedback at the end of the day: “This method allowed us to learn more—and in a much more practical way—than traditional lectures, because we gained real-world experience in a specific industry.”

A big thank you to Prof. Dr. Lachmann and TH Rosenheim for the invitation and the opportunity to share my decades of experience in procurement and international business with the next generation of leaders. It was an inspiring day—and further proof of how valuable hands-on learning formats are in preparing students for the professional world.