On 6 February 2023 , a catastrophic and deadly series of earthquakes struck southern and central Turkey , as well as parts of northern Syria , at 4:17 in the morning . Reaching 7.8 on the Richter scale and followed by aftershocks , one of which measured 7.5 on the Richter scale , their magnitude led to devastating losses .

Spanning across several regions , the tremors were felt as far away as Cyprus , Lebanon and Egypt . Millions of people dashed out of their homes , many in their nightwear and pyjamas , fleeing onto streets of ice and snow .

What became immediately clear is that procurement is not just about business . It pertains to the sustenance of life . The Turkish government ’ s delayed and sporadic efforts attracted widespread criticism , as digging equipment , blankets , food , medicine , pads , shoes , gloves , soup – the absolute essentials – only crawled their way to the needy ; mostly too little , too late .

Disaster relief supply chains emerged across the globe , as citizens the worldover rushed to fill in the government ' s unpardonable lapses . Procurement is about life .

14 February March 2023 2023