Our customers broadly fit into two categories: internal customers and third parties.
Internal customers
Our internal customers include all members of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement – National Societies, secretariat zone offices and delegations, as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), our sister organization.
Third parties
In 2005, the International Federation was accredited as a humanitarian procurement centre by the Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid (DG ECHO). As such, we are expanding to third parties the service provision we already provide to National Societies and other internal customers.
Your status and funding
The diagram below shows how your status and funding affects the way that you can request our services. Find out more about the International Federation’s accreditation as a humanitarian procurement centre, and how your status and funding are related to service fees.
We currently provide procurement services for the following type of third parties:
- Governments
- Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
- United Nations agencies
- Other humanitarian agencies
We stipulate that our third-party customers:
- are a non-profit-making organization
- have a humanitarian objective
- act within the disaster relief and recovery field
- are impartial while providing assistance, without discrimination regarding race, religion, nationality, political opinion
- are neutral in controversial situations and independent from any military, political, religious or ideological influence
- specify any donor requirement that contradicts the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
- have signed the NGO code of conduct
As an International Federation customer, you will benefit from our procurement services in the following ways:
- cost savings on high-demand items that can be purchased collectively in large volumes
- access to a professional organization with dedicated resources and expertise, efficient processes and tools
- outsourcing of procurement activities leaves you free to focus on core operations
- faster response and delivery times thanks to pre-positioned stocks close to operations
- greater transparency of quality and price.