Sourcing fuel and maintenance services (in-house or outsourcing)

Sourcing fuel

The way fuel is purchased for operations will vary widely. In certain contexts, it is widely available through standard commercial services such as filling stations, but in other contexts it is less widely available and is distributed through local traders and networks.

Procurement of fuel

Like any other commodity or service, fuel must be purchased following the applicable procurement, fraud and corruption and counter-terrorism policies. However, due to the importance of fuel to the success of the operation, it usually requires more control than the procurement of other items or services after it is purchased. Both the quantity and the quality of the available fuel must be monitored closely.

Where possible, at least one contract should be in place to ensure the supply of fuel – multiple contracts will mitigate the risk of shortage.

The contract(s) should detail the expected quality of the fuel provided, and supplied fuel should be checked regularly against agreed quality standards (by an independent laboratory if necessary).

Where contracted suppliers cannot supply fuel, alternative options can be explored, in which case the purchase must follow the applicable procurement policy. For example, where a supplier has been contracted but is facing a one-week shortage, the fuel for that week must be purchased through the applicable procurement process, determined by the cost of the estimated total amount required for the week.

Fuel suppliers’ performance must be closely managed, and periodic contract reviews are recommended due to the criticality of fuel availability.

Fuel purchasing cards

In urban contexts, fuel purchasing cards are widely available. These cards are usually connected to an online platform, through which the fleet manager can track consumption.

Fuel cards can be pre- or post-paid, and they allow drivers to refill vehicles without having to request cash. Fuel refills must still be recorded in the logbook, and receipts must be kept for traceability and reconciliation purposes.

Fuel purchase vouchers

Where filling stations cannot provide purchasing cards, the IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies recommends the use of fuel purchase vouchers.

Each vehicle should have a purchase voucher booklet in which drivers can record fuel purchases. Each voucher must have a unique number, which should be recorded by the fleet manager.

The fuel purchase vouchers must be signed by the driver, the filling station attendant and the fleet manager, with copies kept by all parties.

At the end of the month (or of a pre-defined period), the filling station can issue an invoice against all fuel purchase vouchers in the period. The fleet manager must then reconcile the vouchers against his own records (including the vehicle logbooks).

Fuel deliveries to point of use

In other contexts, fuel may need to be delivered periodically to one or several operating sites.

In this case, the delivery site must ensure that storage facilities are available to safely stock and issue fuel (an isolated, locked storage area only for fuel, equipped with fire extinguishers and sandbags, permanently staffed and with ideally only one staff member issuing and reporting on fuel distribution, and proper fuel issuing equipment).

Having the right refuelling system, with fuel vouchers and proper approval scheme in place under the supervision of the fleet manager, is critical in this context, to ensure consistent consumption control see the Daily checks on vehicles and generators section.

Where fuel is delivered directly from a supplier, they should provide a set of documents including certificate of quality, certificate of origin (especially if fuel is imported) and delivery note.

Fuel should be sampled and tested, ideally on site. Fuel testing does not require sophisticated equipment; a used fuel filter and a tube of Kolor Kut water finding paste are often enough to detect dirty or water-cut fuel. Kolor Kut paste should be smeared on a dipping stick, which is then plunged into the fuel container for two seconds. If the colour of the paste changes, the fuel contains water. Other brands of water-finding paste work in similar ways.

Sourcing maintenance services

Depending on the context of the operation, maintenance services can be provided in different ways. Each presents advantages and risks:

Available to download here.

Where maintenance services are outsourced, they should be sourced through the appropriate procurement process. Ideally, a contract or framework agreement should be in place with at least one service provider, detailing a service level agreement and performance management principles.

Vehicle and driver schedules, generator running hours

Vehicle and driver schedules

Office hours drivers must work in accordance with local legislation regarding working hours and length of duty. Drivers should ideally be assigned to a single vehicle, to ensure traceability and accountability of resources.

In locations where no personal or public means of transportation are available, a duty driver system can be implemented to provide transport services outside of working hours, within a designated area. This ensures that delegates have means of transportation outside working hours.

Duty drivers should remain on standby for designated shifts in evenings and at weekends. IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies recommends:

Duty driver allocation should be based on a rotation system and in line with local labour law.

Generator running hours

Just as logbooks track usage of vehicles, a generator’s running hours must be monitored, to ensure regular maintenance and follow-up regarding consumption.

A generator logbook should be available for each generator in use, tracking the number of hours it is used, maintenance services and refuelling (time, date and litres).

In operations that rely on generators to provide more than 50 per cent of the electricity requirements, it is recommended that the use of generators is alternated either with batteries (which can be charged by the generator when in use) or with spare generators, to limit wear and tear, allow for rest periods and guarantee back-up in case of servicing or breakdown.

Daily checks on vehicles and generators

Daily checks on vehicles

With all vehicles, it is usually the responsibility of the driver to carry out the necessary checks. Ideally, a daily inspection checklist should be available for the driver to fill out, but verbal follow-up or a note on the vehicle logbook can be sufficient in smaller operations.

The minimum daily inspection should be based on the FLOWER technique:

A FLOWER diagram is available to download here. A more detailed vehicle inspection checklist is available to view and download here.

Daily inspections on generators

Like vehicles, generators should be inspected daily and any defects should be flagged as early as possible.

View and download a generator inspection checklist here.

Following fuel consumption

Taking stock of fuel

As the volume of fuel fluctuates depending on ambient temperature, the use of metric tons (MT) is recommended as the unit of measure for ordering, receiving and taking stock of fuel (fuel issued can be recorded in litres but quantities should be included in metric tons for stock taking).

To avoid discrepancies, use a calibrated, non-metallic dipstick.

For fuel stock takes, a temperature correction of fuel volume calculation table exists to advise how to adjust the fuel quantity according to temperature.

Where the fuel is managed by the organisation at the operation’s level, fuel stock reconciliation must be made across fuel requests, vehicle logbooks, fuel deliveries and by a physical count. Where fuel is purchased directly from filling stations, no stock take is required, but invoices must be reconciled against logbooks and receipts.

Monitoring fuel consumption

A variety of tools is available to monitor fuel consumption:

To calculate fuel consumption, use the below formulas:

For vehicles:

Consumption = litres consumed ÷ distance covered (km) x 100 = XXX litres per 100 km

For generators:

Consumption = litres consumed ÷ hours operated = XXX litres per hour

Generally accepted consumption rates can be found here.

Maintenance planning and tracking

Ensuring the proper maintenance of fleet reduces the risk of accidents, and of damage or loss of goods handled by logistics and delays to the delivery of items.

The importance of preventative maintenance

Preventative maintenance encompasses all actions taken to prevent vehicle failure. Regular maintenance where vehicle and generator parts are lubricated, adjusted, tightened, or otherwise checked will prevent most of the common mechanical failures. Preventative maintenance guarantees staff safety, while also saving time and money.

Benefits of preventative maintenance:

Planned maintenance

The fleet delegate or manager must ensure that all vehicles and equipment are maintained and serviced according to instructions in their user manuals.

All vehicles should carry and maintain up-to-date records of maintenance, including a maintenance schedule. Drivers or other users of fleet must inform the fleet manager of planned maintenance on the equipment they are responsible for.

The IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies fleet management system allows the tracking of maintenance history and planning. Where FleetWave is not in use, this information can be kept in the vehicle file or on a vehicle follow-up spreadsheet.

Service schedule

Below is an indicative table of recommended maintenance milestones. Local regulations may require a stricter maintenance schedule and it is not uncommon for governments to require maintenance records to be kept on file for a number of years.

Engine oil should be replaced every 10,000km, depending on the quality of lubricants in use.

Unplanned maintenance

Planned maintenance should ensure that unplanned maintenance is required as rarely as possible. However, where a malfunction is reported by a driver or other vehicle user, usually following usage or a daily check, unplanned maintenance may sometimes be required immediately, leaving the vehicle unavailable for the duration of the service.

Defects or malfunctions should be reported through a maintenance request form, signed off by the requestor, the fleet manager and the budget holder (usually the logistics delegate or programme manager) and logged in the vehicle file or on a follow-up spreadsheet.

Where no logistics staff are available, country representatives/delegates should seek support from HNSHost National Society/IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or UKOBRC headquarters in London - UK Office logistics coordinators to advise on maintenance requests and cost recharges.

Incident reporting

All incidents involving British red Cross staff must be reported – refer to the British Red Cross incident reporting procedure for further information. 

Where delegates are seconded into another organisation such as the IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or the ICRCInternational Committee of the Red Cross, or where they are working under another organisation such as a HNSHost National Society, this organisation’s incident reporting procedure must be followed in parallel to that of the British Red Cross.

Reporting on fleet

Managing and reporting on fleet performance is an important component of operations management. Where it is in use, FleetWave can produce monthly performance reports, but this requires disciplined submission of source data. For more information about using FleetWave, contact the UKOBRC headquarters in London - UK Office -based logistics team or the global logistics services team in Dubai.

For information on calculating basic fleet performance, see Fleet productivity: utilisation and performance and Monitoring fuel consumption sections.

The Fleet Forum has developed performance-measuring tools that cover these indicators, among others. The group has also proposed a fleet management reporting format, which supports monthly data collection and analysis.

Fleet performance can be reported as part of the logistics monthly report, or separately where the fleet size is more than 30 vehicles and where a fleet manager oversees a dedicated fleet department or team.

Read the next section on Fleet disposal options here.

Download the full section here.

Budgeting for fleet

Fleet management budgets should include the full costs associated with running fleet, including:

Fleet management typically includes fixed costs and running costs.

When budgeting for fleet, both cost types must be included in the budget (preferably separately), and expenses against each must be tracked, reported and analysed in monthly reports.

It is helpful to consult with HQHeadquarters offices or the HNSHost National Society regarding information about fixed costs, as they will have data from past operations.

For vehicles supplied via the IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies VRPVehicle Rental Programme, monthly reports are required to be submitted to the IFRC fleet base (usually via their ‘FleetWave’ system) – the required data forms part of the VRP contract.

Note: data for the monthly logistics reports should be provided by finance, but the logistics or fleet unit are responsible for checking the reported expenses against approved purchases, maintenance orders or fuel requests.

Procuring fleet: process, selection criteria, delivery

In general, it is recommended to use existing framework agreements (FWAs) to purchase vehicles (FWAs can be held globally by the ICRCInternational Committee of the Red Cross or IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or locally by the HNSHost National Society) as this allows centralised purchasing and management, and economies of scale.

Where there are no FWAs in place, the procurement of fleet will generally be done through a tender process, due to the high value of the acquisitions.

Refer to the procurement chapter for details on the tender process, in particular the Tendering for goods or services and Using the Movement’s resources sections.

*For specifications, see the Fleet options and modalities section of Defining fleet needs.

Note: buying second-hand vehicles is not permitted by all donors – check with your programme team which procurement rules apply under the funding used.

HR resources for fleet

The staff required to run the operational fleet depends on the size of the fleet, the number of daily vehicle movements and the operational context of the project.

Available to download here.

The operation should align budgets to activity levels to determine the fleet department’s resourcing structure. The following are roles to consider in a fleet team:

Standard role descriptions, with detailed competency and tier requirements, are available from the UK-based logs team.

Read the next section on Vehicle usage here.

Download the full section here.

Available to download here.

Note: operational constraints include security context and regulations that may apply (import options, labour law, etc).

Vehicles

The number and type of vehicles should always be aligned to the operational needs and conditions, including security, terrain, and team movement patterns. Operational fleet decisions must be compliant with IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies safety and security guidelines (as stated in the IFRC Fleet Manual), with any deviation requiring approval from UKOBRC headquarters in London - UK Office.

The vehicles selected must comply with IFRC standards, unless approval for the use of non-standard vehicles has been obtained from UKO.

The IFRC standard products catalogue contains full technical specifications of Federation-standard vehicles.

The key point for organising fleet is knowing what the needs are for the programmes in the country office (including any sub-delegations) and for general operations. It is the role of logistics to analyse these needs and then optimise the fleet. This, combined with the national regulations (i.e. load limits for trucks) and the limitations of the surrounding area (i.e. infrastructure) will provide the necessary information to choose the most effective set-up of fleet.

Defining the number and type of vehicles depends on the volume of the workload and the material or number of passengers to be transported, as well as the distance and terrain covered.

The below table will help define the type of equipment needed in operations. To help calculate the number required of each type of vehicle, see Annex 9.1, vehicle set-up evaluation in the ICRC fleet management manual.

Combining and analysing these needs into a summary table will help constitute the fleet (in number and type), in a way that meets the needs of each team and minimises the cost of operation. The vehicle pool system (see the Requesting a vehicle and cost recharge section of Vehicle usage) should be considered, as it maximises vehicle utilisation through avoiding the taking of vehicles without justification.

Available to download here.

Power supply

Generators must be set up and maintained by qualified staff – a mechanic or a head driver. Support is always available from locally available staff from other PNSPartner National Society, IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or ICRCInternational Committee of the Red Cross or from UKOBRC headquarters in London - UK Office-based logisticians.

Note: specialist skills are required to manage generators. Staff involved in plant management processes must be trained electricians or experienced logisticians.

The output of a generator is measured in KvA (kilovolt-ampere) and volts. They can be air or water-cooled and can be soundproofed (silent) or not. Generators are either petrol or diesel-powered.

The British Red Cross uses hybrid generators when deploying their logistics or MSMMass Sanitation Module Emergency Response Unit teams (see the ERUs chapter for more details on the ERUs). These provide standard power generation and simultaneously charge a set of batteries, which can be used to provide power once the generator is turned off. The batteries’ power demand must therefore be included in the load calculations. Details of the generator specifications as well as a user manual are available from the international logistics team upon request and provided to the ERUEmergency Response Unit teams when they deploy.

 It is important to match the power generated to your electrical needs as closely as possible: if the load is too high, the generator will stop and be damaged. But when the generator is supplying less than 40–50 per cent of its power capacity, fuel consumption increases, the lubricant deteriorates more quickly, and the engine’s life cycle is reduced.

Without any power demand to it, a generator will typically already be using 25-30 per cent of its rated power.

Available to download here.

It is a good idea to have batteries as part of an electricity provision setup, so that they can be charged while the generator is turned on. Critical appliances (communication systems, fridges, alarm and/or security systems) can then work in case neither city power nor the generator can supply power. If the generator is used to charge batteries, make sure their rated kVA is calculated into the total power requirements.

To calculate your power supply needs and to choose the right generator, use the power calculator table. The generator size (in kVA) must be equal to or greater than the total consumption of all appliances. The higher starting requirement must be considered when calculating the generator size.

Available to download here.

Fleet options and modalities

The RCRCRed Cross Red Crescent’s aim regarding fleet management is to standardise fleet as much as possible, allowing for easier tracking, resource-sharing, and maintenance management. It also allows different parts of the Movement to benefit from competitive pricing from manufacturers.

Vehicles outside the list of standard fleet should only be purchased after approval from a centralised fleet management team (usually HQ logistics, IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or ICRCInternational Committee of the Red Cross).

The IFRC standard products catalogue and VRPVehicle Rental Programme include the list of standard vehicles.

Fleet to be used in field operations should always be procured centrally and through the existing agreements with manufacturers.

Standardisation and compliance to environmental regulations should also be applied to the choice of generators. In general, ensure that the brand is well-established, that fuel type matches local fuel availability and that spare parts and maintenance are widely available.

Different types of fleet sourcing solutions

British Red Cross own fleet

In this option, the British Red Cross purchases the vehicles and uses them for its operations.

The decision of what vehicles and how many to buy will be based on operational needs and the procurement must be controlled and managed through UKOBRC headquarters in London - UK Office. Such vehicles would be purchased and imported under the HNSHost National Society and the British Red Cross would donate the vehicles to them once the British Red Cross-supported programme ends.

In these cases, the British Red Cross usually covers all the costs associated with the vehicles, including maintenance, drivers’ charges including per diems, local insurance, registration and fuel.

The maintenance of British Red Cross-purchased vehicles outside the UK is done following the IFRC maintenance guidelines, unless it is agreed that the vehicle is managed under the HNSHost National Society‘ fleet management procedures.

Commercial rentals

Renting vehicles or outsourcing their maintenance can be a requirement for an operation either temporarily (during a short-term surge in activity) or as a long-term solution (where ownership is not an option).

If renting vehicles, the applicable procurement procedure should be followed. The selected rental company must be reputable and offer value for money. See the Sourcing for procurement section for more details.

IFRC vehicle rental programme

For step-by-step guidance on sourcing vehicles through the VRPVehicle Rental Programme, refer to the VRP service request management/business process document.

The vehicle rental programme

The International Federation’s vehicle rental programme (VRP) was established in 1997 to ensure a cost-effective use of vehicles and fleet resources. Revised in 2004, it continues to be an effective means of providing vehicles to International Federation and National Society operations. The programme is run as a not-for-profit service within the International Federation; monthly vehicle rental charges are calculated to cover the vehicles and the operating costs of the VRP.

Depending on the estimated period of vehicles’ requirement, it may be cheaper or more straightforward to rent them through the VRP, but a full cost comparison should be done before a decision is made. Cost comparison must cover the cost of the vehicle, shipping, registration, insurance and local insurance, maintenance and PSR of 6.5 per cent.

The overall aim of the VRP is to provide good-quality vehicles as quickly as possible, and with maximum bulk discount. It also enhances standardisation, centralises control and minimises costs, through end-of-lease sale. Vehicles on this programme are managed through the fleet base in Dubai and remain the property of the IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. All leases must be organised through the IFRC.

The vehicle rental programme is managed through the global fleet base in Dubai, but a lot of the fleet management team’s responsibilities are delegated regionally and implemented through regional fleet coordinators in the Operational Logistics procurement and supply chain management units (OLPSCM, also known as Regional Logistics Units).

Note: monthly VRP invoices are processed through UKOBRC headquarters in London - UK Office.

The VRP agreement is materialised through a vehicle request form, which must be signed off by the British Red Cross country manager and submitted to the global logistics service (GLS) team in Dubai.

Global fleet base vs regional units: roles and responsibilities

VRP system – roles and responsibilities are as follows:

VRP rental costs

To encourage forward planning, cost incentives have been built into the VRPVehicle Rental Programme. Rental rates are based on a sliding scale, in which longer rentals benefit from cost savings (i.e. a sliding scale, based on the duration of the contract).

Available to download here.

These rates are indicative and may change – quotes can be requested from the global fleet team when considering renting vehicles through the VRP. The latest version of the rate sheet is available here.

An additional 6.5 per cent programme support recovery cost must be added to the total cost of the contract with the VRP, as well as delivery and return shipping costs (including any applicable import duties).

VRP system – cost structure

Using another National Society’s vehicles

Most National Societies (NS) use a mileage rate that they charge for the use of their vehicles by Partner National Societies (PNS). Alternatively, they may charge a monthly fee or let PNS use their vehicles and only charge them the cost of fuel.

Mileage rates and what they include often differ, and it is recommended to clarify what is covered (fuel, driver costs, maintenance, etc), and how the amounts to be recharged will be calculated.

Choosing the best vehicle ownership solution

Read the next section on Resourcing for fleet management here.

Download the full section here.

Definitions

Learn more in the Definition of fleet section.

Building a fleet strategy

Learn more in the Defining fleet needs and Resourcing for fleet management sections.

Fleet sourcing: procurement and rental

Learn more in the Resourcing for fleet management section.

Fleet management

Learn more in the Vehicle usage and Managing fleet sections.

Fleet disposal

Learn more in the Fleet disposal options section.

Fleet documentation

Learn more in the Fleet audit trail section.

British Red Cross driving procedure

Learn more in the British Red Cross domestic fleet management systems and procedures section.

Download the whole Fleet chapter here.

Assets must be identified as such in the procurement plan and estimated lead times as well as processes (for example, quote-based, national or international tenders) must be defined in the procurement plan, so that the procurement processes can begin in time. If an asset must be procured through an international tender, the delivery lead time will be longer than if it only requires the collection of quotes. The procurement plan should also identify which assets or groups of assets will require procurement waivers, where derogations are required.

Before procuring new assets, make sure there are no existing assets that can fulfil the same role. Sharing assets between projects is a way of achieving value for money, but not all donors will allow it.

Seek advice from your regional logistics coordinator, as they will be aware of the donor requirements and can tell you about assets that could be used for your project (this is particularly true for vehicles).

For details about the different procurement processes and respective requirements, refer to the Procurement chapter.

Read the next section on Registering, tracking and reporting assets, and filing here.

Download the full section here.

Assets, stock, equipment: definitions

Learn more in the Definition of an asset, Categories of assets and Items not to be managed as assets sections.

Asset procurement

Learn more in the Procuring assets section.

Asset management

Learn more in the Registering, tracking and reporting assets, and filing section

Asset donations

Learn more in the Asset donations section.

Asset disposal plans

Learn more in the Asset disposal section.

Assets ownership

Learn more in the Note on asset management and partnerships section.

Download the whole Assets chapter here.

Medical procurement

Read more about medical procurement here.

Consultancy services procurement

In the British Red Cross, this is currently not managed by logisticians, although this is under discussion as it technically is a procurement process – contact international HR for details on the process to recruit consultants.

A process flowchart is available from international HR for more details on consultancy services procurement.

Facilities rental services procurement

The needs definition phase should focus on:

Seek recommendations from peer organisations or rental agencies, with options compared in a CBAComparative Bid Analysis format.

The CBA and the recommendation should then be approved by a budget holder, procurement manager and finance manager, with the security focal point included for information.

Negotiations with selected supplier or service provider should ensue.

Negotiation points should confirm:

Due diligence must be carried out before the contract is issued to the supplier or service provider.

Rental invoices should be sent directly to the finance team (or SSCShared Services Centre in British Red Cross UK) for payment with a copy of the rental contract.

Facilities management in the UK

In the UK, the facilities team at SSCShared Services Centre will support the selection and contracting process. The facilities team should receive invoices for all property rentals and process property-related payments directly.

SSC holds a framework agreement covering maintenance and services to property rented by the British Red Cross. Service requests must be placed through SSC’s support desk, who liaise with the facilities management company and allocate a level of urgency to every request.

Requestors of building services will be informed of the timeline for service delivery directly. More information on the facilities team and their support can be found on Redroom.

There is a requirement for the British Red Cross to have specific documents available on British Red Cross-run sites at all times, in a “statutory documents folder”. More information about the statutory documents folder can be found on Redroom.

Selection criteria for rental premises

In general

Given the status of PNSPartner National Society in country (working for the IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and not having legal authority in country), whenever considering property rentals, make sure the legal authority in country is involved in the process and kept informed at all stages.

The lease agreement must eventually be signed by the legal authority in country.

Warehouse selection

See the Building a stock strategy and Sourcing a warehouse sections of the Warehousing chapter.

Accommodation

As a rule, prioritise secure facilities such as an apartment, house or other fully self-contained area, or containers or prefabricated buildings in a compound. Considerations listed in the In general section apply.

Office space

Where the British Red Cross works in partnerships, it is usually possible to be hosted by either the NSNational Society, the IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or the ICRCInternational Committee of the Red Cross, following the terms of an integration or service agreement (IA). The use of office equipment is usually provided on either a free or cost-sharing basis, or as part of the service/integration agreement.

Sharing premises within the Movement

As a PNSPartner National Society, it is usually not possible to acquire land or property in a country other than the PNS’s own; however, where relevant, a business case should be put together to provide a costs-benefit analysis to compare acquisition and rental options. A PNS willing to rent premises outside their own country would have to go through the HNSHost National Society or IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to rent spaces for them.

If renting space from the IFRC, service charges must be defined as part of the integration agreement or through a separate agreement.

See the Policy and Procedure for Provision of Integration and Administrative Services for National Societies from the IFRC for more details on integration and service agreements.

If renting space from the HNS, service charges can either be defined in the GADGrant Agreement Document or agreed locally.

Any examination of a new site should use the NSNational Society security audit checklist and ideally be carried out by a security adviser from the IFRC.

Clearing and forwarding services procurement

Read about the procurement of clearing and forwarding services here.

Procurement to support cash programme delivery

For more details and useful resources about cash programming, refer to the British Red Cross Cash Hub.

The Cash Hub platform, hosted by the British Red Cross as a shared leadership initiative with International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent SocietiesIFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and ICRCInternational Committee of the Red Cross, has been launched as a global resource for the Movement to help increase the Movement’s capacity to deliver cash assistance. All templates referred to in this section are available on the Cash Hub via the search function, mostly from the Cash and logistics section.

Visit the Cash Hub here and join the online cash community of the Movement: the platform offers support to expand our knowledge, skills and networks in different ways, such as searching through a range of resources, training opportunities, programme guidance and tools, or accessing interactive cash maps with key data on cash programmes.

The vast majority of cash programmes will require tendering for financial services and/or voucher services. The requirements for cash services must be defined by the programme team, using the scope of work template and the response sheet as a reference. Note that there are separate response sheet templates to use for FSPFinancial Service Provider procurement and voucher vendors procurement. Using these resources will ensure that you collect the minimum information necessary to ensure the tender is successful.

The modalities of cash distributions must be defined in a supply chain strategy and associated services must be captured in a procurement plan, so they can be sourced, contracted and monitored by procurement experts with consultation of finance and programme experts.

Cash services providers must be evaluated jointly by programme, finance and logistics, through a tender process or a simple CBAComparative Bid Analysis.

The most common services that cash programmes require are:

*Although beneficiaries can choose what they want to buy, the choice will still be limited to the products a certain shop offers, and often limited to a pre-determined set of items.

To define the procurement process to follow, refer to the flowcharts in the Quote-based procurement section of Sourcing for procurement, making sure the distinction is made between the value of the vouchers or amount of cash distributed and the cost of delivery.

The ICRC have published a step-by-step guide to cash transfer programmes tendering on the Cash Hub which helps planning for the entire procurement process.

Take the Cash assistance through Financial Services Provider training, a 90-minute online modular training outlining critical steps and tools to successfully contract an FSP. The training is accessible from the Cash Hub here.

Cash procurement rules:

See the Assessment section on the Cash Hub for guidance on tendering for financial service providers.

The following applies to all services:

Sourcing a financial services provider

Look up existing resources on the Cash Hub, under the assessment section, to find guidance on how to assess service providers and lay out a risk register for a cash response.

The roadmap at the start of the assessment section gives useful general information, and the “financial service providers baseline checklist” and the “mapping service provider template” are also available. There is also an “assessing FS topics and sources template”. All templates are available from the Cash Hub.

Other information sources that can support the selection of an FSPFinancial Services Provider:

There are strong regulatory controls around financial transfer services including (but not limited to) anti-money laundering (AML); counter-terrorism financing (CTF) and know your customer (KYC) procedures. Due diligence is therefore a key mitigating action against the risk of using an FSP for the delivery of a cash programme and will ensure both compliance and the technical quality of the services delivered.

A pre-qualification step should occur before the tender is published, with a Request For Information (very similar to the EOIExpression of Interest) sent to potential suppliers (the supplier registration form can be used as an RFIRequest For Information when accompanied by background information on the future tender). The FSPs who respond should be evaluated against a pre-defined set of criteria. Pre-qualified suppliers should then be invited to tender (see the Tendering for goods and services section of Sourcing for procurement for more details on restricted/open tenders). This is the preferred option, but if there is insufficient time to undertake two steps, an open tender can be the preferred route to select an FSP. Technical and financial proposals must be requested and received from suppliers or FSPs and after the technical evaluation only those eligible will be considered for the financial evaluation.

Standard selection criteria for FSPs

Check the Cash Hub’s Procurement tools and templates section for guidance on the selection of service providers and use the CBA template for Financial Services Providers (FSPs) available in the section resources to define criteria and requirements.

Standard criteria include:

A standard contract for FSP has been designed by the ICRCInternational Committee of the Red Cross. It will require adapting to the contracting organisation’s specific requirements.

For a voucher programme, retailers need to be contracted as service providers and all usual contracting requirements should be followed. A tip sheet for voucher programmes is available from the Cash Hub. A standard template for voucher printing services is also available from the Cash Hub under the Procurement tools and templates section.

Regular monitoring of the retailers and voucher providers is important from the procurement side, to ensure they hold the right items (in quantity and quality), offer fair and transparent prices, etc. The information collected from the retailers must then be triangulated with the beneficiary monitoring data to initiate payment of the retailers and of the voucher provider (reconciliation).

When using FSP services to transfer cash to beneficiaries, logistics must be involved in the reconciliation process before payments are processed. Logistics also supports the performance management of the selected FSP(s) throughout the contract implementation phase – see the Managing the performance of contracts and suppliers section of Managing procurement).

The reconciliation process should be formalised with a Certificate of completion and/or a service delivery note, available from the procurement tools on the Cash Hub.

Construction material

Where construction activities aren’t subcontracted, the organisation takes responsibility for conducting the procurement of construction materials.

A supply chain strategy is important for any programme requiring supplies but is crucial for construction projects. An analysis of the supply options needs to be included in the programme design.

Some points to consider when procuring construction items:

Note that all procurement of construction items or services done under IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies procurement rules MUST be approved by the procurement authority in Geneva before issuing a contract.

Food and seeds

The British Red Cross rarely supports the procurement of food and seeds. National Societies would typically seek advice from the IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or ICRCInternational Committee of the Red Cross purchasing teams for such procurements, to manage the risks associated with procurement of food and seeds (mostly phytosanitary). For further information, see Section 3.4 of the IFRC’s procurement manual, which is dedicated to the procurement of food and seeds.

In many ways, the standards for procuring food and seeds are similar to those that apply to procurement of medical items: strong controls are in place to ensure goods are fit for consumption, and to protect national production – some countries will not allow food and seeds to be imported for example.

Always refer to your regional logistics coordinator for advice on procuring food or seeds.

Vehicles

See the Fleet chapter for details on the procurement of fleet.

Read the next chapter on Warehousing here.

Download the full section here.

Tracking procurement

Use a procurement tracker to monitor and report on the progress of requests and procurement processes, and to highlight and communicate obstacles and delays. This should be shared with the programme team and requestors at an agreed frequency and should inform monthly project meetings. Where there are significant obstacles to timely procurement, the programme team and requestors must be consulted.

Looking at the procurement tracker, procurement leads should also be able to highlight procurements that need to be initiated in order to meet the requested delivery timeline on the procurement plan.

Supplier database

In the UK, CPTCorporate Procurement Team does not keep a supplier database but they maintain lists of pre-qualified suppliers for specific items who can be called upon for higher-value procurement, so it is good practice to contact them or international logistics to check with one or both when sourcing items.

Managing the performance of contracts and suppliers

Maintain a separate list of ongoing contracts, including their validity dates and total value.

Monitor supplier performance against a contract’s service-level agreement and hold one or two meetings each year to review performance and amend contracts where necessary. The supplier performance matrix can be a good guide for these supplier performance meetings.

Suppliers can be appraised against the terms of the contract: standard indicators to track include “On Time In Full” (OTIF), order turnaround time and delivery claims. When managing long-term contracts, it is recommended to have standard key performance indicators in place, against which performance can be measured over time.

Managing the performance of financial services providers (FSPs) in cash programmes is critical as they play such a key role in the successful implementation. See the Procurement to support cash programme delivery section of Procurement of special items and services for more details.

Contracts in the UK are managed and reviewed by the CPTCorporate Procurement Team. They will contact the logistics team when contracts are expiring or a supplier performance meeting is due and the logistics team can give feedback either through the supplier performance matrix and taking part in review meetings or by working with stakeholders to decide on contract extensions or terminations.

Contact the corporate procurement team for more information about the supplier scorecard and supplier management in the UK.

Managing deliveries

The delivery of goods or services against approved POsPurchase Orders and contracts must be planned, prepared and documented.

Agreeing deliveries can be done in the contract or PO, through a schedule and agreement of responsibilities.

It is good practice to agree delivery terms against the official list of international commercial terms (incoterms) to ensure all parties understand their responsibilities, particularly in cases where the goods or services are sourced internationally.

The expected receiver of physical goods (the warehouse officer, storekeeper or receptionist) must be informed at least 48 hours in advance of the planned delivery so they can ensure they have got space, resources and time to process the delivery.

To learn more about incoterms, refer to the Specifics of international movement section of Types of Movements: local and international.

Documenting deliveries

Delivery of goods must be accompanied by a delivery note prepared by the supplier and a goods received note (GRN), raised by whoever is processing the delivery internally. The GRN, which will eventually have to be signed by the requestor of the goods, should mention any discrepancy in quantity or in quality against the expected delivery and be signed by the delivering party, the receiver and the requestor.

What is stated in the GRN must match what is reported in the stock records. See the Transport chapter for more details.

The delivery of services must be confirmed with a qualitative appreciation of the services delivered. In the UK, where there is no form to confirm receipt of a service, this is done through the Agresso tick-box process, or with a GRN where the procurement has been conducted outside of Agresso.

A separate document such as a certificate of completion (also called a service delivery note in the IFRCInternational Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies procurement manual) should be used to confirm the quality of the service, but a simple note can be added to the GRN to confirm that the services delivered met the agreed standards. This must be signed off by the requestor of the service and a technical expert. Note that this is the form to use when confirming receipt of cash transfer or voucher distribution services.

Once approved, the GRN and all affiliated documents become part of the procurement file. Where there are discrepancies recorded at delivery, these must be detailed on a claims report, signed by both parties. Partial deliveries must be specified on the GRN, or the certificate of completion if used.

Processing payments

Payments can only be processed by finance staff, based on a fully documented procurement process.

Invoices for delivered services or goods must be addressed to finance (not to the signatory of the GRNGoods Received Note/certificate of completion) and matched with the procurement files handed over to the finance focal point. Where a claims form is attached to the procurement file, finance should consult with the receiver to ensure the contents of the claim matches the payment amount. No payment can be issued to suppliers without a completed GRN/certificate of completion.

Invoices for delivered services or goods in the UK must be addressed to APInvoices@redcross.org.uk (not to the signatory of the GRN/certificate of completion) and matched to an Agresso purchase order. The invoices are then posted on Agresso and a notification is sent to the person who raised the purchase order to post a GRN against it to authorise payment. As the requestor is likely to be different from the receiver, the requestor must ensure they have a copy of the receiver’s GRN before authorising it on Agresso and they should attach a copy of the GRN to the procurement file. See the UK Procurement processes flowchart for a summary of the process to follow from requisition to payment.

Where the supplier has failed to deliver on a product or a service, the outcome of this must be agreed before they post the GRN on Agresso. If the supplier accepts liability, they can issue a credit note that must be sent to SSCShared Services Centre and posted to Agresso. The requestor can then post a GRN against the purchase order and the credit note at the same time, so when payment is approved it takes off the value of the credit note.

The preferred payment terms of the British Red Cross are 30 days after invoice against delivery and issuing of a clean GRN. Exceptions can be made (see the “advance payments” information below), in particular in cash transfer programmes.

Where the invoice amount differs from the Agresso POPurchase Order amount by more or less 20 per cent, SSC will ask for the PO amount to be modified and for the PO to be approved again through the Agresso workflow.

Advance payments can be agreed but need to be flagged to finance.

Advance payments must be supported by partial GRN or pre-agreed contractual terms. A partial GRN or certificate of completion can be submitted to SSC for payment against partial invoices, but the original purchase order should be split into lines to match the expected schedule. Where advance payments are required, it is advised – although not always possible – to pay a maximum of 30 per cent of the contract or PO value.

Exceptions apply for pre-financing of cash transfer services with financial services providers (see the Procurement to support cash programme delivery section of Procurement of special items and services.)

Documenting and filing

Procurement files must be completed and handed over to finance for payment and filing.

Copies of original requisitions, POsPurchase Orders, contracts and GRNsGoods Received Notes must be kept by logistics, either by procurement file or by type of document.

The UK procurement process flow diagrams show which documents are mandatory by threshold – always check for donor requirements in terms of retention time and specific documents to include in the procurement file.

Available to download here.

Procurement files should be kept on archive for various durations, depending on the requirements that apply.

The CPTCorporate Procurement Team in the UK retains copies of the tender documents and procurement process as well as documents relating to ongoing frameworks and supplier performance. International logistics can retain a local copy as well, for reference. Copies of original requisitions, POs, contracts and GRNs are kept by logistics in separate files in the British Red Cross international quality methodology filing system (PIMS).

Read the next section on Procurement of special items and services here.

Download the full section here.

When working on a project, make sure the workload that procurement represents is clearly identified so it can be absorbed by your team. The standard roles involved in procurement are as below (see the IFRC logistics competency framework for reference):

Available to download here.

Standard job descriptions for procurement-focused positions can be requested from the international logistics team.

The logistics team’s structure should be defined in the early stages of the implementation phase, as per the IQMInternational Quality Methodology process. Based on the project plan and other planning tools, such as the procurement plan and budget, a resource plan should be defined and implemented to support the programme’s activities.

At that stage, the programme team should define:

In terms of cost of procurement: the cost of items and services to be procured will often be budgeted while other costs related to procurement may be overlooked, such as delivery, administrative or handling costs. The identified procurement lead should make sure that these costs are budgeted for.

Read the next section on Procurement processes in the British Red Cross here.

Download the full section here.

As part of the implementation phase* of the project, where the design phase* has helped identify needs that cannot be fulfilled with British Red Cross-owned resources (such as stock, staff, licenses or premises), the programme team and procurement lead will need to raise a procurement plan. This will capture sourcing options and manage the programme team’s expectations in terms of what should be available and when and enable the fulfilment of the activities that the programme has defined for itself.

The procurement plan is as much a work plan for the procurement team as a communications tool, and it will act as a service-level agreement between the procurement team/lead and the programme team/lead.

* These refer to the different stages identified in the British Red Cross International Quality Methodology (IQM) process. Details available from British Red Cross staff if required.

The procurement plan

How a procurement plan is designed

An indicator of likelihood of change should be included in the programme plan for each activity and objective.

Roles and responsibilities in developing a procurement plan

Available to download here.

Who can help develop a procurement plan?

What to consider when developing the procurement plan

How to obtain the goods

There are different methods to ensure that the material needed for the delivery of a programme are made available to the programme team.

Waivers must be submitted to the UKOBRC headquarters in London - UK Office head of logistics and approved on an individual basis, regardless of the value of the procurement. For procurement conducted in UKO, this is the role of the CPTCorporate Procurement Team but UKO logistics can always advise and inform.

All waivers requested and obtained must be logged on the procurement plan. For UK-based procurement, a list of the waivers requested/obtained must be kept on a list of exceptions.

Where to obtain the goods from and where to deliver them

Note: the procurement plan also needs to define the exact delivery point for all the goods or services to procure.

Defining responsibilities

The below table displays an example of how the procurement process can be broken down into steps, matching each step with responsible, accountable, consulted and informed stakeholders.

This matrix should be completed, formally or informally, for each large procurement that is undertaken. There can be as many steps added to the matrix as necessary!

Available to download here.

When to conduct procurement

Documents to support the procurement plan development

The scope of the required a market assessment (how deep and how wide does it need to be?) needs to be identified at the idea stage of the project (see British Red Cross IQMInternational Quality Methodology guidance document) in alignment with both the available time and resources and the objectives defined for the project.

There are several tools available in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to support logisticians and programme teams in the market assessment and analysis process:

For more details on market assessment and monitoring for cash programmes, refer to the Cash Hub and the logistics support to cash programmes RACIResponsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed matrix matrix, from the Market Assessment and Analysis Principles paper.

Validating a procurement strategy

Based on the procurement plan and the estimated costs of items or services to be procured, it is helpful to identify the procurement lines that will consume the biggest share of the total cost at the design phase. This is useful for understanding where the efforts to conduct procurement should be focused.

A good rule of thumb to use is pareto analysis: calculate the total estimated spend on procurement, identify the 20 per cent highest-value procurement lines and invest 80 per cent.

There are other considerations to take into account, such as the urgency of the requirements. However, based on the pareto analysis, it will be critical to define and plan the procurement process of those lines which make up more than 80 per cent of the expected spend.

The pareto analysis can be based on expected amount to be spent, or on expected quantities to be procured. Typically, items that are purchased more than 50 per cent more often than others (and at regular intervals) should be purchased through long-term procurement agreements such as framework agreements.

In the UK, this is the role of the CPTCorporate Procurement Team at SSCshared services centre – the UK logistics team act as an adviser or stakeholder in the procurement planning and strategy, driven by similar analyses. See the pareto step-by-step tool for more details on how to build your own pareto analysis into your procurement strategy.

The procurement strategy will flow from the procurement plan and from the pareto analysis and evolves based on the procurement reports that are available throughout the lifecycle of a project.

View and download a diagram of the procurement strategy flow here.

Read the next section on Planning resources for procurement here.

Download the full section here.