Improving procurement for emergency response

Untimely response remains one of the main factors constraining the effectiveness of FAO emergency programmes. Decentralizing procurement – with fast-track procedures and additional support to country offices – can help address this limitation while strengthening local value chains.

⦿ This is exemplified by a cluster evaluation of five FAO projects in Cameroon, Chad, Mali and the Niger, where internal disbursement and input procurement procedures, as well as drawing up memoranda of understanding with partners, slowed the implementation of some activities. The evaluation recommended to strengthen collaboration and synergy between the programme and procurement units to limit delays in issuing input supply contracts and the contracting of partners.

⦿ The real-time evaluation of FAO’s response to the desert locust upsurge highlighted how procurement processes hampered FAO’s effort to ensure timely supply of equipment and pesticides, affecting the effectiveness of control operations. Specifically, a limited supplier pool for pesticides and other equipment, as well as overly complex FAO procurement procedures, presented a challenge for frontline actors as the 2020–2021 locust upsurge evolved rapidly. The evaluation identified areas for improvement in the procurement and pre-positioning of pesticides and essential equipment for locust upsurges. In the context of the outcomes of this evaluation, it should be noted that strong ownership of the evaluation results and recommendations on the part of Management of FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER) has been evident, and the evaluation has been utilized to strengthen the rapport with the Desert Locust Control Committee (DLCL).

Somalia - Workers of the Ministry of Agriculture spray plants with pesticide. © FAO/Arete/Ismail Taxta

⦿ The multi-country programme evaluation for the Pacific Islands found that FAO’s cumbersome administrative rules hindered efficient project implementation, particularly due to procurement and recruitment delays. The consistent six-to-eight-month delay in emergency project implementation was flagged as risking FAO’s reputation and resource mobilization.

⦿ The real-time evaluation of FAO’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Programme found that, while the Programme response was generally timely, input procurement actions were delayed as a result of lengthy internal procurement procedures as well as the disruption of supply chains and the limited availability of inputs locally. The evaluation recommended the application of fast-track procurement procedures for future similar situations and to improve timeliness in procurement processes through the support provided to country offices by International Procurement Officers.

⦿ In Malawi, the evaluation of a project on community resilience to climate change highlighted implementation delays that occurred as a result of cumbersome procedures for the procurement of services through letters of agreement with implementing partners, with protracted initial engagement, short contracts and delayed renewals impeding efficiency and effectiveness.

⦿ The evaluation of an agri-business promotion programme implemented since 2012 in a deprived and remote province of Pakistan found that procuring value chain inputs at the local level tends to be more timely, builds upon the local market system and strengthens market relationships. In contrast, procurement on the international market is often less timely and discourages local distributers in a fragile environment where they strive to survive. The “procurement for development” approach to build capacity of local markets and service providers for delivery of quality inputs to farmers was seen as central to the programme’s success.