Norway will help Ukraine establish a defense procurement organization

Ukraine and Norway signed an agreement of intent between the Defense Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency.

This letter of intent describes the support the Ukrainian Defense Procurement Agency will receive from Norway.

The agreement is designed for three years.

“This letter of intent is the start of a long and fruitful collaboration between our agencies. I am impressed that Ukraine is able to prioritize the creation of a new agency in such a difficult time of war. I think it says something about the commitment and professionalism you show in defense of your country,” the NDMA website quoted Gro Jære, Director of Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency, talking during the signing of the agreement in Oslo.

Last summer, the Ukrainian side visited Norway to learn more about how to establish a defense procurement organization in Ukraine.

In December, the Ukrainian agency asked the Norwegian counterparts for support in development in accordance with Western standards and methods of operation.

Therefore, the collaboration will also contain information about NATO standards and how other NATO countries conduct their procurement.

“For us, the issue of creating integrity and transparency in procurement and other procedures is unwavering. Any corruption risks must be eliminated, and the sector must be reformed. The trust of partners and joint reforms are the best evidence that we are moving in the right direction,” said Oleksii Reznikov, Defense Minister of Ukraine.

The Norwegian agency also added that they will use Ukraine’s experience in their work.

The Defense Procurement Agency was established in July last year under the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. It is the only national body that conducts centralized procurement of goods, works, and services in the field of national security and defense.

The agency was established with the goal of creating an integrated procurement system for the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, ensuring the life cycle of defense products, concluding compensation (offset) agreements, and determining the stages of contract implementation for the provision of defense products.

The agency is also involved in implementing state target programs as the state customer in the field of defense, implementing state defense procurement, implementing cooperation with specialized organizations, and ensuring the effective use of state property and funds of the State Budget of Ukraine.