About Us

Solvoz Foundation is a Netherlands-based non-profit foundation established to strengthen responsible, effective and inclusive procurement in the humanitarian, development, charity and wider non-profit sectors.

We believe procurement is one of the most underused levers for impact. The way organisations buy determines not only what is delivered, but also how funding flows, which suppliers become visible, whether local and regional markets are strengthened, and how transparent and accountable aid and development spending can become.

The Foundation exists to strengthen access to procurement knowledge, fair market participation and shared procurement infrastructure for NGOs, non-profits, humanitarian actors and development partners.

Why we exist

Across humanitarian, development and non-profit sectors, organisations are under constant pressure to deliver more impact with limited resources. They need to source goods and services responsibly, often in complex environments, while meeting donor requirements, sustainability expectations and urgent operational needs. Yet procurement knowledge, supplier visibility and digital procurement tools remain fragmented. Organisations still work with separate spreadsheets, duplicated specifications and limited visibility of local and regional suppliers. This creates inefficiency, reduces transparency and limits the potential of procurement to contribute to localisation and long-term system change. Solvoz Foundation was created to address this structural gap.

What we believe

• We believe that procurement knowledge should be open and accessible.
• We believe NGOs and non-profit organisations should be able to access professional procurement infrastructure under conditions that match their mission and operating reality.
• We believe local and regional suppliers, SMEs and manufacturers should have fairer pathways to visibility and opportunity, without registration barriers.
• We believe donors and funders should be able to support more transparent, efficient and accountable use of funds.
• And we believe procurement should not be seen only as an operational process, but as a practical lever for localisation, sustainability, transparency and better use of public and donor funding.

What we do

Solvoz Foundation supports the non-profit sector by lowering barriers to better procurement knowledge, digital infrastructure and market access.

Our work focuses on four areas.

Open-access procurement knowledge

We support the development, maintenance and sharing of open-access procurement knowledge for humanitarian, development and non-profit actors. This may include product and service specifications, category guidance, sourcing templates, practical decision support, supplier information frameworks, sustainability guidance and procurement process knowledge. The aim is simple: knowledge that improves the use of aid, development and non-profit funds should not have to be recreated by every organisation from scratch.

Shared procurement infrastructure

The Foundation supports shared procurement and sourcing infrastructure where this contributes to a public-benefit programme. Depending on programme needs, this may include digital tools, supplier and market information, shared sourcing environments, onboarding, technical assistance or other infrastructure that helps non-profit organisations procure more effectively and responsibly. Programmes may be supported through grants, donor funding, programme contributions or other mission-aligned funding arrangements. The choice of technology, partners and external service providers follows from the needs and objectives of the relevant programme.

Fairer market access for suppliers and SMEs

In Foundation-supported deployments, supplier, SME and manufacturer registration is free. This lowers barriers for local and regional suppliers to become visible to non-profit buyers and funders. It supports more transparent market access and helps organisations discover relevant supplier capacity closer to where needs arise.

Free registration does not guarantee contracts, selection or preferential treatment. It means suppliers can become visible without being excluded by registration fees.

Sector collaboration and grant-funded programmes

The Foundation works with NGOs, donors, local organisations, suppliers, experts and mission-driven partners to strengthen shared procurement approaches.

Through partnerships and grant-funded programmes, the Foundation can support localisation, open knowledge development, supplier onboarding, capacity building, market assessments, reporting and non-profit access to procurement infrastructure.

Built for the sector, governed for public benefit

Solvoz Foundation operates independently as a non-profit foundation, with its own mission, governance, programmes and financial decision-making.
The Foundation determines its activities and partnerships on the basis of its statutory public-benefit purpose. Its work may involve open knowledge, market assessments, supplier inclusion, sourcing initiatives, capacity strengthening, shared infrastructure and grant-funded programmes.

Where external technology, expertise or services are required, providers are selected according to the needs of the programme and the Foundation’s governance framework. Related-party relationships are transparently identified and subject to additional conflict-of-interest and approval requirements. No commercial provider has an automatic, exclusive, preferred or default role within the Foundation.