CHSCM 3.0 - Unit 1 - SCM in the Humanitarian World

This pair of terms comes from the operational aspect of planning. Needs, in this context, refer to
requirements for human existence, such as food, water, and shelter.
Resources are the human, financial, and material means required to meet needs.
Action planners will therefore be looking at a situation in terms of what is needed and what are the
available and required resources to meet needs of a group of people.
Standards are the means which enable planners to look at a situation, activity, results, or
performance, and make judgments about quality. Planners typically attempt to determine the
minimum acceptable standards to apply to the delivery and results of assistance activities.
Standards also play a role in enabling planners to make judgments in the assessment stage, in terms
of what problems the assistance program should address.
A standard is a statement of a level which provides a basis for measuring or judging quality,
particularly in terms of acceptable levels of service in protection and assistance programs.
An example showing how these terms might be used in an emergency response organization is
shown below.