We are thrilled to announce that Crown Agent’s global procurement team are shortlisted for three categories at this year’s World Procurement Awards for our work in Ghana and Ukraine.

Well done to our team for being nominated for:

• The Procurement Consultancy Project Award – for saving the Ghanian Government USD 91.9 million in hospital constructions
• The Supply Chain Initiative Award –for reforming medical procurement in Ukraine
• The Ivalua Procurement Excellence Award – for our response to the breakout of war in Ukraine

Saving the Ghanian Government $1.18 billion Value for Money Auditing in Ghana

In Ghana, Crown Agents work on VFM auditing provided an independent, third-party assessment of contracts between the government of Ghana and its suppliers, ahead of sole-sourced projects being finalised. The goal of this was to identify savings which could be inputted back into the country.

Crown Agents worked in partnership with Ghanaian Government’s Ministry of Finance, and since the beginning of the programme, we have identified total savings of over $1.18 billion on contracts worth $8.36 billion. We saved the Ghanaian Government $91.9 million in hospital constructions. This is equivalent to the total construction costs of five hospitals which will improve Ghanaians quality life and create jobs in the country.

Creating a competitive and affordable medical market in Ukraine

In 2015, following the Revolution of Dignity, the Ukrainian government faced endemic corruption within the healthcare sector, resulting in lack of competition and high costs for medicines and medical equipment. The unaffordability of medicines and lack of regulation meant that 80% of the out-of-pocket payments from the public went to buying medicines, with patients in hospitals not receiving the medicines required.

Political mismanagement led to just a handful of suppliers controlling the procurement of vital medicines in the healthcare sector, increasing costs to unsustainable levels.

A key factor in our approach was to drive down costs of vital medicines and medical devices by building a wider international network of trusted suppliers. This created a more competitive market for government contracts and brought the cost of essential medicines down to affordable levels.

Our Ukraine Medical Procurement Reform Project which we implemented before the war, lead to a 40% reduction in net price of oncological medicines in the first year. The success of the programme was described by The Guardian as “one of the most successful hands-on anti-corruption interventions in history.”

Delivering life-saving equipment to Ukraine 

Our experienced supply chain team were able to successfully navigate the challenges of operating in a war-torn country to deliver life-saving medical equipment, responding directly to acute needs and working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health.

In total, Crown Agents has procured and delivered over 97,000 trauma kits, 50,000 food kits, 153,000 medical devices, 36,000 hygiene kits, over 800 items of personal protection equipment, 2,000 special needs kits, 400 oxygen concentrators, 91 baby incubators, including 26 portable, lightweight incubators, along with 30 baby warmers and phototherapy lights, 125 patient monitors and additional specialist equipment for elderly care homes to meet the needs of civilians and health professionals caught up in the conflict.

We want to thank all our incredible partners including the European Union, Ministry of Health Ukraine, UK Foreign, Commonwealth, Development Office and Ministry of Finance Ghana and international donors and foundations who help make our work possible.

We hope to see you at the awards ceremony on 25 May 2023.

Take a look at the shortlist here.