Page 51 - Procurement guidelines for smart sustainable cities - A U4SSC deliverable

Table 2: Dos and don’ts-planning for an emergency (Digital Buying Guide)
Don’t
do not expect staff to respond to

set up a team to respond to emergency

situations
access to appropriate digital tools
identify strategic suppliers that provide

critical services

review previous emergency spending
with suppliers Do emergency situations without training and
Table 3: Dos and don’ts-Prioritize needs (Digital Buying Guide)
Do Don’t
base requirements on valid user needs, do not assume that you know the
discovered through speaking to impacted challenges your users might face, or that you
communities will be able to recognize if someone is more
• adjust payment schedules to pay suppliers faster once an invoice is submitted; and
vulnerable than others
follow international guidance on priority

• use government-issued purchase cards or “procurement cards” to enable instant payments, up
emergency supplies to buy
to a reasonable limit.
test any assumptions you have about
products or services you are intending to buy
Dos and don’ts
Table 4: Dos and don’ts-Engage with and support suppliers (Digital Buying Guide)
Table 4: Dos and don’ts-Engage with and support suppliers (Digital Buying Guide)
Do Don’t
contact suppliers at the beginning of an do not terminate a contract during an
emergency to discuss any challenges they are emergency without first considering all the
facing alternatives

encourage new suppliers to register
with you

provide extensions or other forms of
relief to help suppliers during an emergency

3.2.3 Use emergency or accelerated procedures

Use emergency procedures to ensure that products and services can be bought faster than usual.

Why it’s important

Emergency or accelerated buying procedures allow buyers more flexibility to source essential
products and services during a crisis. Procurement guidelines for smart sustainable cities | May 2023 1

This can include:

• bypassing or speeding up the normal buying process;

• extending or modifying contracts;
• centralized or aggregated buying.

While these methods can be essential to deliver goods or services faster, they should be used with
caution to avoid risks of corruption, uncompetitive pricing and a lack of transparency.

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