Public procurement refers to the process through which governments or public agencies acquire goods and services to undertake its daily operations, and deliver basic services to its constituents. Governments buy, lease and/ or secure goods and services through other means of exchange in order to implement their plans and programs. In its simplest form, public procurement programs enable governments to secure resources needed to help them fulfil their functions.  However, beyond this basic use of public procurement, there is an increasing awareness regarding its importance as a tool for helping governments and countries achieve key development goals, such as environmental sustainability, food security and poverty reduction and helping small scale men and women farmers to organize themselves, to build their capacities to engage their governments, to meet the demands of a sustainable market and to increase their members’ incomes and well-being.