The Procurement Section was charged with the development of the physical and support infrastructure of the Court and of obtaining value for the money spent, a critical task given the Court’s reliance on voluntary contributions which often resulted in the underfunding of budgets.
Beginning in 2003, Procurement focused on the temporary courthouse and detention facility on Bonthe Island and the consolidation of the Special Court in New England. In 2006, the Section worked to set up the Special Court’s sub-office in The Hague, where the trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor took place.
The efficiency of the Court’s procurement plan was enhanced with the introduction of an online Procurement Management System, which allowed all users to channel and monitor their activity through one integrated source. It played a crucial role in obtaining value-for-money in respect of goods and services provided to the Special Court.
Throughout the work of the Court, the Procurement Section continued to provide operational support services for the Court as a whole.