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Case Study - Procurement Systems Evaluation
An international donor is preparing to launch a new strategy to combat malaria. Procurement practices are consequently identified as a business challenge that will severely affect the success of the project. As procurement can either ease or complicate the delivery of needed supplies, DFI is hired to review past procurements of malaria commodities and make recommendations for more efficient, transparent, and client-responsive procurement practices and tools.   Read more

The effectiveness of international aid projects can be undermined in the absence of well-designed and managed procurement processes. Utilizing our proprietary systems, DFI undertakes evaluations of procurement and accountability systems to help international aid agencies ensure that their funds are being used to procure goods and services in a fair, competitive, and transparent manner.

          •  Stronger adherence to procurement rules
          •  Removal of bottlenecks
          •  Improved clarity of procurement rules

International aid agencies are in the business of delivering development results. Often, there are limits to their capacity to undertake comprehensive and objective evaluations of their internal systems and activities. For these clients, DFI leverages its own tools and expertise to evaluate procurement and financial management systems, based on a structured methodology:

While harmonization efforts are underway, international development agencies have adopted unique procurement procedures to guide the purchase of goods and services for their projects. DFI keeps abreast of procurement rules and related developments, and leads industry efforts to inform changes under consideration.

An assessment of an institution’s procurement system is often best considered through an investigation of individual tenders. DFI has developed its DFInsight^TM tool to guide evaluations and to distill out key findings from the analysis.

While an institution may adhere to its own procurement guidelines, the rules themselves may be outdated or fall short of international best practice. DFI’s extensive knowledge provides procurement approaches and international standards across development institutions as a one-stop source for development institutions looking to improve their procurement activities.

Institutional aid agencies are required to reject a company’s bid if the procedures have not been followed – thus hampering the ability to secure quality and cost-effective goods and services. DFI helps design information “toolkits” for aid agencies interested in ensuring that all those who are interested in bidding, have an open, fair and transparent opportunity.

Oversight of the financial management of donor resources is not limited to the procurement of goods and services. DFI advises on a range of actions that can be taken to optimize grant performance and fiduciary responsibility.