About the UN Procurement Capacity Development Centre (PCDC)
Background
UNDP, in partnership with Danida (the Danish International
Development Agency), launched the UN Procurement Capacity
Development Centre (PCDC) in January 2008 in response to the
growing demand for a resource centre to support procurement
capacity development.
The idea for PCDC emerged out of a global network
that developed initially through the OECD-DAC/World Bank Roundtable
on Strengthening National Procurement Systems and later through its
successor the OECD-DAC Joint Venture for
Procurement, now known as the Task Force for Procurement.
This network, which includes procurement specialists from partner
countries and their development partners, is united behind a common
goal to increase the development of national procurement capacity,
including strengthening of procurement systems, with a view to
improving aid effectiveness and achieving development
goals.
Objectives
The main objectives of PCDC are to support
the development of national and sub-national
procurement capacities through advocacy and field-based advisory
support services as well as through developing and disseminating
guidance materials, tools, methodologies and approaches relating to
procurement capacity development.
The PCDC is part of the UNDP
Capacity Development Group and works closely with and
through partners to achieve its objectives and visions for the
future. In addition to expanding its advisory
support, the PCDC strives to become a leading resource and
networking centre within the field of procurement capacity
development.
Our Approach to Capacity Development
At PCDC we apply the UNDP approach to capacity development,
adapted specifically for public procurement. UNDP defines capacity
development as 'the process through which individuals,
organizations and societies obtain, strengthen and maintain the
capabilities to set and achieve their own development objectives
over time'. This definition reflects the viewpoint that capacity
resides within individuals, as well as at the level of
organizations and within the enabling environment. These three
levels of capacity are mutually interactive which, in practice,
means that whether the focus of a capacity development intervention
is on a single procurement entity, a sector or the entire national
procurement system, capacity issues at the other levels also need
to be considered.
The five steps captured in this diagram illustrate our core approach to
capacity development. In every case the process begins by jointly
establishing the need for a rigorous approach to capacity
development. Conducting assessments to establish the capacity
baseline, suggesting responses based on the assessment outcomes,
providing implementation support to the responses and helping with
measuring change in capacity are the fundamental steps to be
followed. This generic approach is always adapted and tailored to
the specific situation.
Our Values - ownership, participation, sustainability, performance, brokering, holistic viewpoint
The PCDC shares the UN's value base: Integrity, Professionalism and
Respect for Diversity. The centre has, however, also formulated a
set of additional, unique values or guiding principals, which
underpin our approach to capacity development and inform our
work.
National Ownership - we believe that strategies,
decisions and choices relating to public procurement capacity and
its ongoing development should be nationally lead and grounded in
priorities that are nationally determined.
Participation - drawing in all relevant government and
country-level stakeholders helps create legitimacy and ownership
and contributes to sustainable change.
Sustainability - capacity development is a long-term
process and usually requires fundamental changes in behaviour,
norms and values that go beyond quick fixes that focus only on
strengthening skills, processes and systems.
Performance & Efficiency - providing value for money
to government and delivering public services requires a pragmatic
approach that balances long-term sustainable change with "quick
wins" that improve delivery immediately.
Brokering - connecting people and their ideas, solutions
and concepts, both innovative and tried and tested, within
countries, regions or around the globe.
Holistic Viewpoint - procurement capacity development
requires much more than a "training and workshops perspective": to
be effective it should involve not just the individual, but the
organization and the enabling environment.
