The genesis of a technical cooperation project in procurement and supply chain management usually comes as a result of a request to ITC from an organisation in a partner country. This may be, for instance, a private sector body (e.g. an industry association or chamber of commerce), a professional purchasing association, an academic institution or a government agency concerned with, e.g. trade and/or enterprise development, public sector procurement, etc.

The organisation concerned may have found out about ITC’s services in this area of specialisation through our publications, through our website, through contacts with our staff or consultants while on mission, or through other organisations and countries that have benefited from our services in the past.

Requests for cooperation in purchasing and supply chain management may either come directly to ITC or – preferably – be channelled through the local UNDP office and/or the government body concerned with technical cooperation in the areas of trade promotion, local enterprise development, public sector management, etc.

Once a project idea has been conceived, the specific requirements need to be clearly identified. In some cases, the concerned local institution has enough experience to specify these well enough so as to serve as a good basis for project formulation. In other cases, ITC may have to field a technical mission to the country to undertake a needs analysis jointly with the local partner institution or institutions. ITC has developed certain tools and methodologies which help in determining and assessing technical cooperation requirements in areas such as procurement and supply chain management.

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Once the needs to be met have been clearly specified, the next step is to formulate a project proposal. As for the earlier stages, this stage is also best carried out jointly by ITC and the relevant local organisation(s). Project proposals usually follow the UN’s Logframe approach. This starts by specifying the various levels of objectives of the project. It then goes on to define which outputs and activities will best serve these objectives, and the required inputs and budget. Factors likely to influence the success of the project are also identified.
 

In some cases, potential donors will be involved at the very start of a project, and its funding is thus virtually assured. In other cases, a donor must be found. This can, once again, best be undertaken jointly by ITC and the interested local institutions, with the support of the country’s relevant government department and of the country UNDP office.
 

Once funding for the project is secured, implementation can be started. Many unexpected issues and situations can arise in project implementation, and close cooperation and understanding between ITC and its partner organisations in this effort are essential. Project progress must be closely monitored to ensure that the planned inputs, activities and outputs are delivered in a timely and cost-effective manner, and that these contribute in practice to meeting the project’s objectives.