Practical Guidelines on Pharmaceutical Procurement for Countries with Small Procurement Agencies

Procurement is an important step for efficient drug management and supply, and has become a routine procedure in the existing drug management system in many countries. An effective procurement process ensures the availability of the right drugs in the right quantities, at reasonable prices, and at recognizable standards of quality. Problems can often be encountered if procurement is carried out without such a systematic process, for instance the needed medicines are out of stock, overstocks and wastage of resources, and purchase of low quality products. This booklet is especially intended for countries with small procurement agencies. It is intended to provide practical guidelines for the procurement process.