Humanitarian and Development Procurement
The Humanitarian and Development Procurement Unit (HDPU) undertakes legal and policy research and offers advisory and consultancy services in the field of public procurement law and development.
The unit, led by Professor Annamaria La Chimia, works in all areas of law and development including capacity building and public procurement reforms in developing countries, food security and development aid assistance, tied aid and tied food aid, and development trade policies.
The unit adopts an innovative approach to development combining the legal expertise of its members with their longstanding experience in the procurement field. The unit is committed to enhancing research and promoting institutional and policy reforms in development law and procurement. Its work is of interest to academics, politicians and policy makers committed to devising strategies for fostering development and devoted to the fight against poverty.
The unit head, Professor Annamaria La Chimia, is the author of Tied Aid and Development Aid Procurement in the framework of EU and WTO Law: the Imperative for Change (published by Hart, 2013) and the co-editor with Dr Peter Trepte of Public Procurement and Aid Effectiveness: a Roadmap under Construction (Hart Publishing, 2019). This book is designed to fill the gap in the existing literature and provide an academic framework for consideration and discussion of the issues affecting public procurement and aid effectiveness. View information about the book launch.
Unit members regularly advices governments and international organizations on issues linked to procurement and development, looking at procurement reforms to foster good governance and accountability. Professionalization and capacity building programmes are high on the PPRG agenda and several PPRG members have contributed to important projects aimed at improving procurement practices in developing countries. For example, Professor La Chimia recently worked for the World Bank on a capacity building programme for the Caribbean countries, training government officials, senior policy advisors and suppliers. PPRG members have also taken part in a programme for high level policy dialogues and training on the public procurement system of Thailand, launched by the International Trade Centre, which is a joint agency of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and United Nations. the project was led by Honorary Professor Robert Anderson.
The unit's, senior fellow, Dr Peter Trepte, regularly advices and trains governments all around the world. Peter has recently represented the PPRG at the Procurement Innovation Challenge, a collaborative challenge to identify and showcase innovative approaches to procurement reform that aims to expand and strengthen an existing network of stakeholders and practitioners interested in public procurement reform.
PhD projects in this field
- PPP and Sustainable Development in Saudi Arabia
- Sustainable public procurement in Turkey
- The problem of multiple procurement regimes in Africa - a case study of Ghana.
For further information contact Annamaria La Chimia