Working with New Vendors

In a new environment where vendors are not used to the NGO way of doing business, you can train potential vendors, or their staff, on how we work and how to fill out bid requests.

There are three things you should do if you choose to train vendors:

    1. Make sure that information about the training is available to all vendors in the area.
    2. Train vendors in groups. This will save time, but, more importantly, it helps keep the process transparent, consistent, and fair. You can have two or three sessions, so everyone can find a good time to come, but you should make sure you have a few vendors at each session.
    3. You should have more than one CRS representative at each session. This also helps with transparency, consistency and fairness.

It takes time to do these trainings, but we have found that in some difficult contexts the time you invest up front saves a lot of time and frustration later.