Procurement in humanitarian organizations: Body of knowledge and practitioner's challenges

The procurement of products and services is a critical and challenging process for humanitarian organizations (HOs), accounting for approximately 65% of the costs of relief operations. Despite its importance, procurement in humanitarian operations remains under examined. This study reviews 51 scholarly articles related to procurement in the context of humanitarian operations and analyzes them from multiple angles: specific procurement tasks, key problems/research questions, data sought, and methods used. We complement the insights from the literature review with those from a set of interviews of humanitarian practitioners and HO suppliers of products and services. This allows us to shed light into real practices of humanitarian procurement, and the critical challenges and dilemmas they face. Our dual lens combining an academic and practical perspective also suggests possible research avenues for future studies. The paper provides insights for researchers studying procurement within humanitarian operations.