CIPS Exam L4M2 Topic 8 Question 57 Discussion

The procurement team in the scenario is analysing the difference between the plan and actual spend. This activity is known as variance analysis. The sum of all variances gives a picture of the overall over-performance or under-performance for a particular reporting period. For each item, companies assess their favorability by comparing actual costs to standard costs in the industry.

For example, if the actual cost is lower than the standard cost for raw materials, assuming the same volume of materials, it would lead to a favorable price variance (i.e., cost savings). However, if the standard quantity was 10,000 pieces of material and 15,000 pieces were required in production, this would be an unfavorable quantity variance because more materials were used than anticipated.

- CIPS study guide page 57-58

- Variance Analysis - Learn How to Calculate and Analyze Variances (corporatefinanceinsti-tute.com)

LO 1, AC 1.4