Medical supply is a complex and competitive area. A buyer is not only expected to obtain the right goods at the right price but to be aware of the many other key factors impacting on the procurement process. It is therefore important to acquire as much information as possible on basic requirements and to consider these in relation to other operational issues affecting the purchase of medical goods and pharmaceuticals. The following text has been prepared by Dr Bonface Fundafunda at ECHO International Health Services Limited in the United Kingdom and does not yet represent the views of WHO nor reflect current WHO terms and definitions. It sets out to provide an aide memoire of the procedures to be followed and standards which can be expected of suppliers of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Comments are invited on the text with a view to its further development. These should be addressed to: Quality Assurance and Safety: Medicines, Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, or by e-mail to: dmp@who.int.