AMEND CONTENT

11. Additional guidelines for non-presence operations

When an initial assessment is conducted in a country where CARE does not have an established presence, procurement must be represented in the assessment team. Ideally, this will be a dedicated procurement specialist, but if this is not possible, the most relevant programme support team member must assess procurement requirements. Given that all relief activities are dependent on effective procurement, the involvement of procurement personnel in the initial assessment and start up team is key to mobilise an effective response.

For assessing procurement requirements, see the checklist in section 5, as well as the following additional considerations:

  • Identify potential manufacturers, vendors or agents for the most essential items required, their location and capacity to meet CARE’s needs, including delivery times.
  • Assess port and airport infrastructure, including import agents, and customs and forwarding agents.
  • Procedures for duty-free importation of commodities, especially vehicles, communications equipment, computers and/or other project material that is not readily available in-country.
  • Assess the possibilities of cross-border operations, in case of land-locked countries.
  • Assess internal transport capacities.
  • Assess warehousing capacities and locations in possible areas of CARE’s operations.

For start-up of procurement operations in a non-presence situation:

  • When a decision has been made for CARE to engage in emergency operations in the country, establish the initial procurement team with the recruitment of local staff headed by an international staff member.
  • Train newly recruited staff in the essentials of procurement and proper orientation of staff on CARE’s vision, mission and core values.
  • Document the policies and procedures to be applied, including authorisation limits, bidding thresholds and vendor selection procedures, as approved by the emergency team leader.
  • Put in place standard systems and tools for procurement procedures, including necessary documentation and filing systems (refer to section 10).