Procurement is absolutely critical in ensuring that humanitarian operations have the right supplies at the right time.
In times of emergency, standardization of relief and medical supplies is vitally important for relief workers and beneficiaries alike, particularly when operations receive items from different donors and organizations. The International Federation and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), with the support of National Societies, have been working towards the goal of standardization and harmonization with the emergency items catalogue. There are over 4,000 standard commodities listed in the catalogue with further information about the general specifications of the standard emergency items. A number of non-standard items can also be procured and delivered as requested.
Our full procurement services include:
- tendering
- supplier selection
- transportation to final port of entry
- import and export
- insurance
- inspection services
In 2001, we introduced framework agreements with selected suppliers for standard items such as kitchen sets, blankets, jerry cans, mosquito nets, health kits and vehicles. Framework agreements are used for commodities where there is a high demand for large quantities of the same commodity. Our experience shows that purchasing goods through a framework agreement is more effective in securing the right price, and guaranteeing the quality, quantity and delivery terms.
The procurement of medical supplies, construction contracting and global framework agreements is centrally managed in Geneva. All other procurement services are delivered by zonal logistics units according to geographical coverage.