The Procurement Support Service

Under the aegis of the Housing Service, a Procurement Support Service (PSS) has started and is now in its sixth month. PSS aims at supporting Auroville projects and Aurovilians by bulk purchasing of building materials, and by providing technology and services. In the process, it wants to ensure efficiency, transparency and accountability of transactions and resource utilisation. The initiative has shown positive results. During the first phase of the project, more than 20 projects were assisted by PSS, which resulted in savings in excess of 15% of the regular procurement prices. As a next step, PSS wants to support Auroville projects and residents who have smaller requirements by catering to their 'retail' needs, such as a few bags of cement, a few lengths of steel, DIY kits, a plumber for a few hours, etc. PSS has submitted a request for a site for a storage space, and ultimately a warehouse, in the Service Area, where in the near future Aurovilians can get their building materials and support at prices lower than in Pondicherry.