Presentation of SUMA

Humanitarian Supply Management
System
for natural and man made disaster situations
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Some chaos is an integral
part of all disasters
The mismanagement of the
humanitarian assistance often
leads to a
‘secondary disaster’

Common scenario in a
disaster...
Fast mobilization of the donor community
Massive arrival of international assistance
OR
No donor assistance
Arrival of inappropriate, unsolicited
supplies

A most usual scenario in this
second phase of the
disasters...

A recurrent scenario of a
secondary disaster:
Fast saturation of access points (airport,
border, seaport…) ) with relief supplies
Lack of a proper logistical system to
manage the relief supplies:
– receiving
– warehousing
– sorting
– transport
– distribution

A recurrent scenario of a
secondary disaster:
Warehouse space and means of
transportation are either scarce or not
immediately available.
Time is short and there is pressure from
public opinion demanding the rapid
distribution of the assistance.

A recurrent scenario of a
secondary disaster:
Loss of relief aid
– Deteriorated products due to poor storage
– Expiration dates
– Material can not be sent, or is sent too late
Offers from donors of important supplies
are not adequately followed up

When humanitarian
assistance
becomes a problem!

When humanitarian assistance
becomes a problem
Aid hasn’t t been requested (unsolicited)
Items are not appropriate for the country such as
Clothing i.e.: winter clothes in the tropics
Types of food i.e.: pork in a Muslim country
May not be needed in present situation
Parcels are not labeled / contents are unknown

When humanitarian assistance
becomes a problem?
Parcels contain:
Different categories of supplies
mixed in the same parcel (food,
sanitary items, pharmaceuticals,
clothing)
Expired products (drugs, food)

When humanitarian assistance
becomes a problem?
There isn’t t a supply
management system in place
to deal with the incoming
supplies

SUMA
Designed from the perspective of
the countries

Not only an electronic tool but a
whole system for supplies
management :
Trained local staff
Specific training and supportive
materials
Software to manage the information on
relief supplies
Flexibility: used for several types of
disasters, small or big emergencies

GRAPHIC OVERVIEW OF SUMA
DONORS
Supplies
POINTS OF ENTRY
FIELD UNIT
Information
Government or NGOs
Information of Needs,
Pledges
Supplies
CENTRAL LEVEL
Distribution
at the point of
entry
WAREHOUSES
Distribution
Information
Information
Supplies
Local donations or purchases
Reports
Reports

The SUMA system allows
authorities and humanitarian
agencies to:
Manage large quantities of relief supplies
Record the flow of supplies (no “commodity
tracking system”)
Record pledges of donors and provide follow-up
(national or international)
Increase coordination and information sharing
among all partners
Demonstrate transparency and accountability

SUMA is about
INFORMATION

What the SUMA system does?
1. Registers
2. Classifies
3. Sorts
4. Inventory
5. Warehouse management

1. Registers
Every shipment arriving in
the country is registered by
the system at a entry point

2. Classifies
…incoming incoming supplies regardless
of ownership
What is it?
A construction tool or a surgical
piece of equipment?
Pre-established categories OR
Create new categories

3. Sorts
…the supplies by assigning a
level of priority
Priority # 1 - Urgently Needed
Priority #3 - Landfill?
Priority #2 –
Nice but can wait

4. Inventory
…the items accordingly to:
Technical features
Presentation (syrup, tablets,
ampoules …)
Packing unit (bottles, boxes, bags...)
Total quantities

5.Warehouse Management
SUMA Stock Management Module
- A module for warehouse
inventory control

1. Registers: the donation received
2. Classifies : what is it?
3. Sorts : assigning a priority
4. Inventory: how many?
5. Warehouse
management:
controlling stock
6. Pledges: follow up on offered and
assigned items

Provides snap shot of the flow of supplies
at several stages
Assists in inventory control within each
agency
Does not track a particular item from
arrival to distribution (different from a
control tracking system)

Who manages the
SUMA system when
a disaster occurs?

The SUMA Team
Regional deployment teams (people
and equipment)
Trained local staff

The SUMA Team
Technical personal previously trained
with experience in supply management
in emergency situations:
– Volunteers health sector (practitioners,
nurses, pharmacists)
– Volunteers other sectors with logistical
experience (customs, military forces)

Information gathered by the SUMA
system, belongs to whom?
SUMA designed for
local authorities to
strengthen their
capacity for a better
disaster
management.
The information
generated by SUMA
belongs to the
recipient country.

SUMA IN THE
AMERICAS

Adopted by all countries for
various reasons:
Technical contribution to logistics management
Contribution to transparency and accountability to donors
Unavailability of other affordable tools to register the
incoming supplies
Available free of charge
Easy and flexible to use
Technology requirements easily fulfilled in any region
(hardware, basic communication system, diskettes)

SUMA IN THE AMERICAS
Over 3.000 people have been trained
in SUMA throughout the region
including:
National SUMA Teams
Instructors who provide
training in their own
country and abroad
Regional deployment
teams (SUMA Response
Team Caribbean)

SUMA IN THE AMERICAS
The SUMA system is not only used for
disaster supply management but also for
routine warehousing operations:
warehouses
hospitals
health districts

INSIDE THE REGION
Argentina
Barbados
Bolivia
Brazil
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Eastern
Caribbean
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Peru
USA
Venezuela

OUTSIDE THE REGION
Afghanistan
Armenia
Bangladesh
Bosnia
East Timor
France
India
Mozambique
Rwanda
Spain
United Kingdom

SUMA BEING
USED...

By the UN System:
• Haiti humanitarian operation
• UNDAC training (simulators)
• WHO
• UNICEF

By International NGO´s:
• Red Cross Federation
• MSF (Medicins(
Sans Frontières
res)
• CARITAS
• CARE
Others:
• CDERA
• CEPREDENAC
• European Union (ECHO)

Not just a computer
program
but an integral
management and
training system

SUMA
Foundation for the development and
improvement of humanitarian supply
management systems at global level
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SUMA
Satisfactory relationship for both parties:
Response experience; opportune and
good response
Know-how in logistics
Good volunteer networking (3000+
volunteers: instructors, experts)
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SUMA
Training program:
Training in application software
Integral Logistical Management of
Emergency Supplies
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SUMA ON INTERNET
www.disaster-info.net/SUMA
info.net/SUMA
suma@paho.org
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