Local Resources and Procurement Practices in Humanitarian Supply Chains: An Empirical Examination of Large‐Scale House Reconstruction Projects

Abstract

Different procurement decisions taken by relief organizations can result in considerably differentimplications in regards to transport, storage, and distribution of humanitarian aid and ultimately can influence the performance of the humanitarian supply chain and the delivery of the humanitarian aid.In this paper we look into what resources are needed and how these resources evolve in the delivery of humanitarian aid. Drawing on the resource-based view of the firm we develop a framework to categorize the impact of local resources on the configuration of humanitarian supply chains. In contrast to other papers, the importance of localizing the configuration of the humanitarian supply chain is not only conceptually recognized, but empirical investigations are also provided. In terms of methodology, this paper is based on the analysis of secondary data from two housing reconstruction projects. Findings indicate that the use of local resources in humanitarian aid has positive effects on programs' overall supply chain performance and these effects are not only related to the macroeconomic perspective, but benefits expand to improvements related to the use of knowledge. At the same time it was found that local sourcing often comes with a number of problems. For example, in one of the cases significant problems existed, which were related to the scarcity of local supplies. Both housing reconstruction projects have indicated the continuous need for changes throughout the programs as a dynamic supply chain configuration is important for the long-term sustainability of reconstruction aid.

Supply chain and logistics competencies in humanitarian aid

“…The next step employed the same approach to appraise and code two practitioner competency listings to distinguish additional competency domains, and, in so doing, acknowledge the reality that secondary data often have to be used in the area of humanitarian logistics because of limited access to primary actors (Banomyong, Beresford, and Pettit, 2009; Altay and Ramirez, 2011; Matopoulos, Kovács, and Hayes, 2014). The practitioner competency lists were from (i) People that Deliver (PtD)— an agency that focuses on delivering medical supplies through sustainable supply chains in developing countries (PtD, 2015)—and (ii) Oxfam’s competency framework for its logisticians.…”

From disaster to development: a systematic review of community‐driven humanitarian logistics

“…Such organisations have been used increasingly by HOs because of the inefficiencies of traditional hierarchical, centralised approaches (Kapcu and Garayev, ). Often these partners are local NGOs or local chapters; the latter are most commonly associated with organisations such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Matopoulos, Kovács, and Hayes, ). These decentralised bodies support locally‐run branches in numerous districts across a country.…”

“…Traditionally, research has concentrated on the ways in which large NGOs, militaries, and third-party logistics providers have addressed HL challenges. However, the role of community and religious networks in affecting social change has emerged in recent literature, owing to recognition that they act as channels through which accurate information on needs and priorities can be disseminated, and that greater efficiency can be ensured by utilising local material and intellectual resources (Méheux, Dominey-Howes, and Lloyd, 2010;Matopoulos, Kovács, and Hayes, 2014). The use of external actors can also reduce costs and relax time restraints (Sheppard et al, 2013), as well as lessen the pressure (Méheux, Dominey-Howes, and Lloyd, 2010).…”

Using life cycle sustainability assessment to trade off sourcing strategies for humanitarian relief items

“…Beneficiary empowerment (e.g., aid that encourages beneficiaries to make decisions themselves) and community-based supply chain design (e.g., that regards beneficiaries as active members of the supply chain) have been proposed as solutions incorporating social aspects (Kovács and Spens 2011a). A sustainable economic approach requires local rather than global partnerships in order to respect local businesses (Matopolous et al 2014). Regarding the environmental aspect, the greening of humanitarian supply chains is not straightforward and there is still a gap in this practice (Haavisto and Kovács 2014).…”