History
That question came from seasoned humanitarians with backgrounds in operations, supply chain and logistics. Having worked with humanitarian agencies close to field realities, they had seen how much effort goes into getting the right goods, services and solutions to the right place, often under pressure, with limited resources and high accountability.
They also saw a structural problem. Across the aid sector, valuable procurement knowledge (specifications, quality or sector standards, designs) existed everywhere, but it was fragmented. Product specifications, supplier information, sourcing lessons, local market knowledge and practical procurement experience were often stored in separate spreadsheets, reports, inboxes and individual memories.
The idea was simple but ambitious: make practical procurement knowledge more visible, reusable and accessible, so that organisations working in aid and development could buy better, faster and more responsibly.
2016, the idea takes shape
AidInnov focused on opening up expert knowledge for the aid sector. The aim was to help organisations find relevant products, services and solutions more easily, understand what was needed to use them responsibly and avoid recreating the same procurement knowledge again and again. A novel type of open catalogue.
A core belief was that procurement knowledge developed with public or donor funding should not sit on someone’s desk or disappear into internal systems; wherever possible, it should become open, reusable infrastructure for the wider sector.
The starting point was not technology for its own sake. It was a sector problem: organisations needed to buy better, faster and more responsibly, but too much knowledge was locked away or repeatedly recreated.
2019, establishing the Foundation
In 2019, the AidInnov Foundation was formally established, with support from Philips Foundation. The Foundation was created to promote freely accessible knowledge, sustainability, effectiveness and efficiency in the planning and spending of funds in international aid and development cooperation.
Its early role was to support open-access knowledge for the aid sector: making product and solution information easier to find, share and use, so that organisations did not have to start from scratch each time they needed to procure goods or services.
This public-benefit purpose remains central to the Foundation today.
From open knowledge to digital infrastructure
As the work developed, it became clear that knowledge alone was not enough. The aid and development sector did not only need better information. It also needed better ways to turn that information into action: structured sourcing, supplier visibility, comparable product and service information, and more transparent procurement workflows.
This led to the development of Solvoz as a broader digital procurement infrastructure. The technology was built from within the humanitarian and development sector, responding to structural procurement challenges such as fragmented knowledge, limited supplier visibility (espeically of local suppliers and SMEs), duplicated specifications, inefficient sourcing processes and limited access to local and regional markets.
2021, the name Solvoz Foundation
In 2021, the AidInnov Foundation changed its name to Solvoz Foundation. The new name reflected the broader Solvoz ecosystem: a combination of open-access knowledge, digital procurement tools and a mission to improve how organisations spend funds in aid and development contexts.
The name Solvoz was inspired by the idea of solving. The team had looked at Esperanto, a language designed to be neutral and international. In Esperanto, “solvi” means “to solve”. The future tense would become “solvos”. By changing the final letter, Solvoz became more distinctive, while keeping the same intention: helping organisations find the right solutions for the needs they face.
The name captured the mission: to open up knowledge, support better decisions and help actors in aid and development find responsible solutions.
How the organisational structure developed
As the work developed, separate non-profit and commercial entities emerged around different aspects of the original Solvoz initiative. Solvoz BV developed and operated proprietary procurement technology, while Solvoz Foundation retained the public-benefit purpose around open procurement knowledge and responsible use of funds in aid and development.
This structure reflected an earlier phase in the development of the organisations. The relationship between the two entities has since evolved further, alongside the Foundation’s transition into an independently governed and operational public-benefit organisation.
During this earlier phase, Solvoz BV developed and operated proprietary procurement technology, including software development, hosting, maintenance, support and security. Solvoz Foundation remained focused on its public-benefit purpose around procurement knowledge, responsible use of funds and the needs of the humanitarian and development sector. One of its core roles was safeguarding and sharing open-access procurement knowledge so that specifications, guidance and other non-confidential resources could remain available for public-benefit use.
During this period, the Foundation itself remained relatively limited in its operational activities. As the sector and the organisations developed further, it became increasingly clear that the Foundation could play a broader role in its own right: supporting local and regional markets, supplier inclusion, shared sourcing initiatives, market assessments, capacity strengthening and other public-benefit programmes.
This became the basis for the Foundation’s renewed operating model in 2026. Under this model, Solvoz Foundation independently determines its programmes, partnerships and operational requirements according to its statutory public-benefit purpose.
Technology, specialist expertise and other external services may be used where relevant to a programme, but they are treated as programme inputs rather than as the purpose of the Foundation. Providers are selected according to programme needs and the Foundation’s governance framework, and no commercial provider has an automatic, exclusive, preferred or default role.
Learn more here: One origin, two organisations: the next chapter for Solvoz
2019–2025, safeguarding knowledge and mission
Between 2019 and 2025, the Foundation’s role evolved from early open-access knowledge development into a broader guardian role for the Solvoz mission. The Foundation helped ensure that work developed for the aid and development sector could be shared as open-access knowledge where appropriate. It also provided a public-benefit anchor for the wider Solvoz vision: using procurement not only as an operational process, but as a lever for transparency, localisation, sustainability and more effective use of public and donor funds.
During this period, Solvoz BV continued developing the technology and proving the need for professional procurement infrastructure in complex, mission-driven environments. This professional technology role was essential. Building, hosting, securing and maintaining digital procurement infrastructure requires a dedicated technology company with the capacity to develop and scale.
The question for the next phase became how the Foundation could move from safeguarding mission and open knowledge towards operating programmes in its own right, under independent governance and with a clearer public-benefit mandate. This became the basis for the Foundation’s renewed operating model in 2026.
2026 and beyond, a renewed Foundation model
From mid-2026 onwards, Solvoz Foundation entered a renewed operational phase as an independently governed, mission-led non-profit foundation serving humanitarian, development and wider public-benefit actors.
Its programmes are determined by its statutory objective and may include open-access procurement knowledge, supplier and SME inclusion, local and regional market development, shared sourcing initiatives, market assessments, capacity strengthening and grant-funded programmes.
Technology and other external services may form part of these programmes where needed. Providers and partners are selected according to programme requirements and the Foundation’s governance framework; no commercial provider has an automatic or preferred role.
Mission first, programme needs determine delivery
The renewed model places the Foundation’s public-benefit mission and programme objectives at the centre.
Solvoz Foundation has its own governance, programmes, partnerships and financial decision-making. Where a programme requires technology, hosting, specialist expertise or other external services, these are treated as programme inputs and contracted under the Foundation’s governance and related-party safeguards.
This allows the Foundation to combine open knowledge, local market development, programme expertise and appropriate tools while remaining independent in how programmes and providers are selected.
With thanks
The Foundation’s journey has been shaped by many people and organisations who believed that procurement knowledge should be more open, practical and accessible.
We are grateful to the early supporters, partners, experts, NGOs, suppliers and funders who contributed knowledge, feedback, resources and trust along the way. Their involvement helped turn an initial idea into open-access knowledge, practical tools and eventually a broader infrastructure for more responsible procurement.
In particular, the early support from Philips Foundation helped make the establishment of the AidInnov Foundation possible in 2019. Since then, many partners and contributors have helped shape the Solvoz mission and its continued evolution. Thanks to FMO / InvestInternational, Pieter Bastiaan Stichting, HELP Logistics, Innovoation Norway, IDA foundation and many others.
As the Foundation enters its renewed phase, we continue to welcome collaboration with organisations and individuals who share the belief that procurement can be a lever for localisation, transparency, sustainability and better use of public and donor funds.
Founder’s reflection
For Claire Barnhoorn, the Foundation’s story is also personal. The idea grew out of years of working in and around humanitarian logistics, supply chains and procurement. Again and again, the same pattern appeared: organisations wanted to do good, but the systems around them made responsible action harder than it needed to be. Want to learn more about what drove Claire to start this organisation and the work we do? Read this interview by Hague Humanity Hub in 2021. If you are interested to learn more about how Claire have explained about our mission from day one, read this interview of Impact city (also 2021)
Procurement often looked technical, but in reality it shaped everything: what reached people, whose businesses became visible, how donor money was spent, and whether local markets were strengthened or bypassed.
The Foundation was created from the belief that good intentions are not enough. Better systems are needed. Better knowledge is needed. Better access is needed. And procurement, when structured well, can become one of the most practical levers for change.