About
Paul Gulston and Caveat Emptor
One purpose: advancing procurement through expertise, knowledge sharing and professional development.
The person behind the brand
Paul Gulston
Director, Caveat Emptor LLC · Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Paul Gulston, MSc, MCIPS, is Director of Caveat Emptor LLC, a procurement and supply chain training hub based in Abu Dhabi. He has more than 25 years' experience delivering CIPS qualifications from Level 2 to Level 4, working with partners including PwC Academy Middle East, LEORON Training Institute, Taaeen and AG Global.
Beyond CIPS, Paul designs, writes and delivers bespoke programmes in negotiation, strategic sourcing, inventory management, contract law and humanitarian procurement, with recent work in India, Indonesia and across the Gulf. His teaching is practical and interactive, using role-play, gamification and real case studies.
Paul holds an MSc in Procurement from the University of South Wales (UK) and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education from the University of Greenwich (UK), is a CIPS Direct Associate, and is a DBA candidate at Swiss Business School. He co-founded the CIPS Trinidad branch, now CIPS Americas, serving as Vice Chair, and shares free procurement content on LinkedIn and TikTok.
Qualifications and memberships
- MSc in ProcurementUniversity of South Wales, UK
- MCIPSMember of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply
- Postgraduate Certificate in Higher EducationUniversity of Greenwich, UK
- CIPS Direct AssociateChartered Institute of Procurement & Supply
- DBA candidateSwiss Business School
Paul presents the short video lessons on this site and prepared its free CIPS practice papers.
What we do
Two commitments, one profession.
- For organisationsBring practical procurement expertise to the tableHelping buying teams negotiate, contract and manage suppliers with more confidence.Explore our expertise
- For the professionHelp people learn, qualify and grow in procurementFree, independent learning for students, aspiring buyers and working practitioners.Visit the Procurement Hub
The name
“Let the buyer beware.”
Caveat emptor is the old principle that the buyer is responsible for checking what they buy. In procurement and supply chain, that responsibility is the job. Caveat Emptor exists to help the people doing it make better-informed decisions.
What we cover
- NegotiationPreparing, reading the other side and reaching agreements that hold.
- Supplier managementLeverage, supplier preferencing and building relationships that deliver.
- InventoryStock decisions, from surplus and obsolescence to demand signals.
- Market dynamicsHow market structure shapes bargaining power and buying strategy.
How we teach
Practical first
Ideas are explained through the decisions buyers and supply-chain teams actually face.
Clear, not complicated
Concepts like the bullwhip effect or supplier preferencing are made easy to apply.
Buyer beware
The name is the mindset: question assumptions, read the market, and protect value.