Preparing for an assessment

When conducting a maturity assessment, it is important to assemble a diverse team of assessors from the sub-national level, other government agencies, donors or other partner organizations that are contributing to the national supply chain. Having a multi-stakeholder group helps to ensure a balanced assessment that eliminates potential bias and influence that can come from various angles – whether internally within the government or from outside partners/donors.  

Before the assessment is conducted, it is recommended that the assessors are oriented on the concept and use of the assessment toolbox and its methodology. The maturity model is modular and can be applied whole or in parts, meaning that countries can decide the specific individual functions they want to assess i.e. partial or full assessment, as countries tend to have multiple supply chains at various tiers. Therefore, the scope of the assessment must be defined (e.g. immunization, essential medicines) prior to the assessment workshop so that the relevant assessors can be nominated to participate. 

Defining a framework for a procurement system assessment involves the identification of the purpose, the scope and the methodology to be used for such an assessment. Any assessment undertaken by a country, should consider at what level they need to be assessed to define appropriate and practical indicators that contribute to the overall functionality of the system.  

Assessments can be designed to be conducted as a self-assessment or to be carried out with participation of external experts. Both approaches have their own benefits and drawbacks, but ideally an assessment methodology should be adaptable for self-assessment, as this requires a very clear definition of indicators and assessment criteria to avoid open interpretations and eliminate potential bias. The selection of indicators to include in the assessment and analysis methodology should be made in consideration of the capacity available to conduct the assessment. 

Here is a quick link to all the procurement dimensions the user may want to consider for the assessment.