Humanitarian Academy

Logistics and procurement

Humanitarian Logistics: Procurement, Stock, Transport and Fleet

Compliant procurement, warehousing, stock, transport and fleet: the field logistician's job, step by step.

  • 3 days · 18 hours
  • 3 levels · 3 certificates
  • 3 scenarios
  • Verifiable certificate
Start the course
  • Free, unlimited access
  • 3 one-day modules
  • 3 scenarios and 9 quiz questions
  • 3 graded case studies and 3 exams
  • Certificate in your name, verifiable online

What you will learn

  • Conduct a purchase from request to payment, in line with thresholds and procedures, without conflicts of interest.
  • Manage a warehouse: receipt, storage, stock cards, inventories and issues.
  • Organise transport and the fleet: planning, documents, maintenance, fuel and road safety.

Course information

Level
Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced (one certificate per level)
Study time
18 hours over 3 days (lessons, case studies, exercises)
Format
Online, at your own pace, free and unlimited access
Assessment
Per level: graded case study + 20-question exam (30 to 40 min, pass marks 70%, 75% and 80%)
Credential
Named, numbered certificate of achievement, verifiable online (QR code)
Reference frameworks
Logistics Cluster (WFP) · Sphere Association · International Chamber of Commerce

💼 Logistics and procurement jobs

Put this course into practice: the latest jobs in this field.

See all 163 Logistics and procurement jobs →

Prepare for the written test and interviewA model written test in this field, interview questions with sample answers and the STAR method.See the model test →

A 3-level certification pathway

Progress from Beginner to Advanced. Each level ends with a graded case study and a timed exam, and leads to its own verifiable certificate.

Level 1Beginner

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 70% to pass

Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Describe the humanitarian supply chain.
  • Know the steps and thresholds of a procurement procedure.
  • Keep a stock card and a delivery note.
  1. Day1ProcurementLogistics in support of the programme · The procurement cycle · Thresholds and procedures · Ethics, fraud and conflicts of interest · Planning procurement: from the procurement plan to the specification · Running a competitive procurement process from start to finish · Full example: procuring 2,400 household item kits in Doruma · Donor rules, sanctions and fraud control · Adapting procurement to the context · Common mistakes, the auditor's perspective and interview questions Scenario: The urgent purchase of hygiene kits
  2. Graded case study : The delivery note Field warehouse · 20 questions including a case study · 70% to pass
Level 2Intermediate

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 75% to pass

Intermediate certificate · Opens after the Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Run a compliant tender (quotes, comparison, committee).
  • Organise a warehouse (FEFO, inventories, storage conditions).
  • Plan transport and manage a fleet.
  1. Day2Warehousing and stock managementReceipt and storage · Stock cards, FIFO and FEFO · Inventories, issues and losses · Selecting, sizing and laying out a warehouse · Stock documentation: from the waybill to the monthly report · Planning replenishment: safety stock and reorder point · Full example: opening and managing the Kalemba warehouse · Adapting inventory management to the context · Common mistakes, controls and interview questions Scenario: The warehouse after the rainy season
  2. Graded case study : The tarpaulin tender Country office · 20 questions including a case study · 75% to pass
Level 3Advanced

Exam: 20 questions · 40 min · 80% to pass

Advanced certificate · Opens after the Intermediate certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Design an emergency supply chain (pre-positioning, corridors).
  • Manage the risks of stock-outs, losses and diversion.
  • Measure logistics performance (lead times, costs, service rate).
  1. Day3Transport and fleet managementOrganising transport · Fleet management · Road safety · Planning transport: modes, capacities and costs · Full example: the transport plan for the response in northern Vashta · Managing a fleet: indicators, costs and decisions · Road safety as a risk management programme · Adapting transport and fleet management to the context · Common mistakes, the auditor's perspective and interview questions Scenario: The fleet that uses too much fuel
  2. Graded case study : Emergency supply chain Cyclone on a coastal area · 20 questions including a case study · 80% to pass

Who is it for?

Logistics assistants and officers, storekeepers, fleet managers, procurement officers, base managers and candidates aiming for a first position in logistics.

The certificate

With at least 70% correct answers in the final assessment, you receive a certificate in your name, with a unique code that recruiters can verify on Humanitaires Jobs. A free Humanitarian Network account is required.

Key concepts

The vocabulary you need to master for this course and the exam.

Lead time
The time between placing an order and the goods being available in stock.
Reorder point
The stock level that triggers a new order.
Safety stock
A reserve that absorbs variations in consumption and delays.
FEFO
First expired, first out.
Waybill
A document that accompanies a transfer of goods.
Incoterms
Rules that allocate transport costs and risks between buyer and seller.
Cold chain
Keeping sensitive products within a controlled temperature range.
Bid evaluation committee
An independent group that analyses bids and awards a contract.

References and recommended reading

The official texts and sector reference works on which the course is based.

  1. Logistics Cluster (WFP) (2023). Logistics Operational Guide (LOG). log.logcluster.org
  2. Sphere Association (2018). The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response. spherestandards.org/fr/manuel-2018
  3. International Chamber of Commerce (2020). Incoterms 2020. iccwbo.org/business-solutions/incoterms-rules
  4. UNICEF Supply Division (2022). Supply Manual. www.unicef.org/supply