Ukraine's Defence Ministry Launches Procurement System Based on NATO Standards
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has launched a new procurement system in line with NATO standards. It has completely replaced the post-Soviet system, where all powers were concentrated in the Ministry of Defence, the press service of the Ukrainian security agency reports.
"Our goal is strategic planning. We are minimising procurement on a 'here and now' basis. The Ministry of Defence should buy, for example, winter uniforms in summer and summer uniforms in winter. Such planning will improve both quality and cost, respectively," Deputy Defence Minister Dmytro Klimenkov was quoted as saying in the report.
According to him, the first level of the new system is the Procurement Policy Department. It will be responsible only for the development of procurement policy, coordination of financial activities of agencies and development of procurement regulations.
At the second level, the Ministry appoints a new deputy, Vitaliy Polovenko. He will be in charge of communication with the rear of the Armed Forces, accepting proposals, adjusting lists of goods for procurement, quality control, prioritisation and calculation of estimated costs.
Klimenkov noted that a separate state-owned enterprise, the State Logistics Operator, will be responsible for the procurement of logistics equipment. It is also called the Defence Procurement Agency.
"That is food, clothing, bulletproof vests, helmets, fuel and lubricants - all this will be purchased by them," he explained.
The Defence Procurement Agency is responsible for arms procurement on a similar principle. It has already started contracting all defence agreements.
"The first result is that the time for reviewing commercial proposals has been halved. This is very important in times of war. In addition, the agency directly contracts with our international partners. We have already used 97.9% of the 2023 budget in this area. These two agencies work according to modern corporate standards," Klimenkov added.
Earlier, the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine stated that it was following the NATO course, and therefore the procurement of products for the Armed Forces would be carried out in accordance with NATO standards. The product catalogue will include 409 items.
The ministry explained that the new approach will allow to engage manufacturers directly and ensure fair competition in various product categories.
As The Gaze previously reported, in early December, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that supporting Ukraine in its defence against Russia is in the direct interest of the bloc and its allies.