September Newsletter Solvoz: Gender-Responsive Procurement, Local Tarpaulin Manufacturing, Training opportunities and more!

Gender Responsive Procurement Alliance Update

The GRP Alliance has been announced in an earlier edition of our newsletter. The GRP Alliance is an innovative partnership (co-founded by SheSupplies ) and forthcoming portal for key stakeholders to create fair and sustainable supply chains that foster gender equality, diversity and inclusion.

Most large international development and humanitarian NGOs spend their largest budget component on procurement (up to 60-80% of their budgets). Yet, less than 1% of this goes to women-owned businesses. This gap highlights a crucial opportunity for change! The GRP Alliance has been founded as a collaborative partnership, seeking new partners to join and provide value to members, funders, policy makers and suppliers globally.

Market Assessment - local manufactured Tarpaulins in Indonesia and Philippines (USAID - BHA)

Solvoz just launched a new RFI for local new local manufacturers of Tarpaulins in the Southeast Asia region (click here to access RFI). Solvoz has been working in collaboration with Resonance Global on local RFIs earlier, in order to demonstrate a simplified process to identify national and regional businesses that manufacture humanitarian core relief items and products (NFI's and Tarpaulins).

This week, an RFI of USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance was launched, to identify local suppliers capable of manufacturing Tarpaulins locally, ethically, and more sustainably. If you are a local manufacturer, or working with manufactures in Indonesia or the Philippines, and they are not yet part of the Solvoz supplier base, please make sure to access this RFI from USAID!

Procurement Training for NGOs

Over the last weeks Solvoz designed tailor-made trainings for humanitarian and international aid procurement and supply chain staff. The focus of the training is about improving procurement practices and guidelines regarding Humanitarian Procurement, procurement cycle management, how to select and validate suppliers, methodology for choosing RFQ-RFI and Tenders, bid evaluation, Additionally we designed some modules on how to integrate sustainability and logistic practices in the procurement process.

The scope of the training is to provide an understanding of the principles of effective public procurement, the generic procurement process in humanitarian aid. After completing the training, participants will be able to plan, implement and evaluate a sourcing process appropriate to the category being procured and respond to the rules and procedures from Donors and humanitarian aid procurement.

The training will be available and customized for NGOs in two different options: online or onsite with Solvoz Team. Contact us today if you want to learn more!

Case study: Water Filters - Delivery of emergency humanitarian supplies to Ukraine

Solvoz provided a Procurement Solution for a national NGO based in Germany, which typically operates locally. The NGO was tasked with procuring water filters and other household items in order to support their sister agency in Ukraine.

Solvoz supported in with crucial market assessment skills along with essential logistical and technical expertise. Supporting and developing precise technical specifications which clearly outlined the required standards for household water filters.

Equipped with these details, our Procurement Unit then launched a tender process through the Solvoz platform. The main outcomes after finalising the Procedure were:

1. enabling our partner NGO to deliver technically appropriate and cost-effective emergency items to a region experiencing ongoing humanitarian crisis.
2. adding valuable technical information to our open-access knowledge base for future use by other humanitarian organisations in aid sector.
3. expanding the Solvoz supplier base with an additional 100+ suppliers regionally.

Where to meet us next:

• World Cancer Congress, Geneva - 17 to 19th September 2024. Our CEO Claire Barnhoorn will join our Harm Veerkamp and his colleagues, from partner IDA Foundation to jointly represent and discuss NCDconnect at the World Cancer Congress of Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)ancer Congress, Geneva - 17 to 19th September 2024. Our CEO Claire Barnhoorn will join our Harm Veerkamp and his colleagues, from partner IDA Foundation to jointly represent and discuss NCDconnect at the World Cancer Congress of Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) . NCDconnect is an innovative and pioneering NCD diseases-focused procurement platform made-to-measure for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Making quality medicines, medical supplies and diagnostics for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accessible to all.

• General Assembly Horizon Europe - Bio-based humanitarian solutions - Ho Chi Min (Vietnam) - 7 to 9th October 2024. WORM is a Horizon Europe project with 18 partners, aiming to design guidelines and support actions for circular economy in the humanitarian sector. Integrating bio-based technological solutions, leverages procurement for waste reduction, improves waste management methods. At the General Assembly and for meetings in Vietnam, Yumiko ABE-SOULIER, Ph.D (Solvoz' Sustainablility Expert) and Claire Barnhoorn will be present.

• AidEx - the humanitarian aid and disaster relief event in Geneve - 23 and 24th October 2024. During this year's AidEx, which is centred around the theme ‘Revitalising Humanitarian Assistance – How do we deliver better aid in conflict-affected hot spots?’, both our NGO Partnership Manager Valentina Taglioni and Claire Barnhoorn will be around for meetings, demonstrations and workshops. Make sure to book a meeting today, contact us via DM or send us an email!