AFRICA successful in our health programs without dedicated suppliers like IMRES . One of our global suppliers for pharmaceuticals and medical suppliers , they have provided supplies to various countries in Africa and beyond , such as Mali , Kenya , DRC , South Sudan , Yemen , Nigeria , Central African Republic and Chad .”
Embedding quality controls within procurement operations has become imperative in order for the IRC to procure responsibly and implement a competitive bidding process . “ Even though the procurement activity could be happening in a certain country , we are able to review the procurement and make sure the quality is good before the contract is signed off by the suppliers ,” explains Kung ’ u . “ Our controls ensure that we have quality suppliers and we are managing the financing responsibly .”
However , with the location of some of the areas the IRC is situated , complex issues are apparent , such as lack of access and / or communication . Consequently , multiple means of communication are utilised to broker positive relationships with suppliers and stakeholders . Whilst email is the most frequently used communication tool , Kung ’ u adds : “ I make a point of meeting up with the supply chain teams in countries on a fortnightly basis to discuss what the priorities are , clarify , or give assurance to a particular task or initiative , and then we decide what is best in terms of strategy .”
Complex challenges Nonetheless , working within a humanitarian supply chain could be interpreted by many as increasingly hazardous in comparison to more traditional supply chain settings . Planning ahead and identifying potential needs is of course dependent on a variety of factors . Crises as a result of a recent mandate can be predicted , but with ones which are unexpected the supply chain needs to be flexible and respond as quickly as possible . To this effect , Kung ’ u explains that developing strong relationships with stakeholders has remained key : “ Our teams of programming staff identify the needs ahead of time so we can start preparing in supply chain ,
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