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NATO Support and Procurement Organisation (NSPO)

What is NSPO?

The NATO Support and Procurement Organisation (NSPO) is a subsidiary body within the framework of NATO, established by the North Atlantic Council (NAC). On July 1 2012, the organisation was initially established as NATO Support Organisation (NSPO), as a result of the NATO Agencies Reform initiative and following the merger of three former NATO bodies. In April 2015 it was subsequently mandated by the NAC to undertake an acquisition role and was renamed NATO Support and Procurement Organisation (NSPO).

The mission of NSPO is to provide responsive, effective and cost-efficient acquisition, including armaments procurement, logistics, operational and systems support and services to the Allies, NATO Military Authorities and Partner Nations, individually and collectively, in time of peace, crisis and war, in order to maximize the ability and flexibility of their armed forces, contingents, and other relevant organisations, within the guidance provided by the NAC, to execute their core missions.

All NATO Nations are members of the NATO Support and Procurement Organisation.

NSPO Agency Supervisory Board (ASB)

The NSPO Agency Supervisory Board (ASB) is the NSPO's governing body, composed of a representative of each of the 30 NATO Member Nations. The ASB is the sole entity reporting to the NAC, it provides strategic direction and guidance to its Executive Body, the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), and oversees its activities.

The ASB elects by consensus a Chairperson among its representatives. The authority of the NSPO ASB Chairperson derives from the ASB, and his/her role is to facilitate the discussions and to assist the Board in making informed decisions. The NSPO ASB Chairperson does not have decision-making authority but the Nations have.

The ASB normally meets twice per year and takes all decisions by consensus. It approves policies and directives, budgets, the Organisation and Personnel Establishment (O&PE) and considers Agency plans and proposals. It provides the necessary framework, oversight and control to ensure the Agency has the direction and the resources to respond to customer requirements.

The responsibilities of the NSPO Agency Supervisory Board are set out in the NSPO Charter

Subordinate Bodies

The NSPO ASB has the authority to establish subordinate bodies of experts comprising national representatives to provide technical support and assistance in carrying out ASB's duties. Particularly, the ASB is assisted by the Logistics (LOG) Committee and the Finance, Administration and Audit (FAA) Committee, established to review technical logistics and finance related topics. The two Committees advise and assist the ASB by making recommendations and endorsements for ultimate ASB decision. Working groups may be established by the Board or by the Subordinate Committees as consultative bodies for specific tasks.

Multinational Programmes are established within NSPO following recommendation by the ASB, in consultation with the CNAD for NATO Armament Procurement Programmes, and approval by the North Atlantic Council. Multinational Programmes are governed trough a dedicated governance structure, which consists of a Programme Board (PB), directing the execution of the Programme and retaining full autonomy with regard to the requirements, priority settings and financial management.

The Central Europe Pipeline System (CEPS) and the NATO Airlift Management (NAM) are the two Multinational Programmes currently established within NSPO. Two separate Annexes within the NSPO Charter lay out specific provisions and responsibilities for both programmes.

Support or Procurement Partnerships may be established within the NSPO on the initiative of two or more NATO nations wishing to organise in common the support and services of activities within the scope of the NSPO's mission. NSPO currently comprises 32 Support Partnerships (SPs) , reporting to the ASB for approval of any decision of principle before measures are implemented within the NSPO.
Both Multinational Programmes and Support or Procurement Partnerships constitute an integral part of the NSPO and share in the juridical personality of NATO.
The NSPO may also conclude, subject to an advance approval in principle by the NAC, agreements or contracts involving a non-NATO Nation and agreements with an international organisation. Particularly, the NSPO ASB is authorised to conclude agreements on support cooperation with Nations that have received authorisation from the NAC to contribute to a NATO-led operation or Nations that have a partnership programme with NATO, such as such as Partnership for Peace, Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Co-operation Initiative.

Chairperson

The Chairperson of the NSPO ASB is selected by the ASB from among candidates proposed by the Nations with a tenure of duty of two years. He/she presides over meetings of the ASB and its Subordinate Committees.

The Chairperson derives his/her authority from the ASB
He/she must account to the Board for all actions he/she may take in accordance with the NSPO Charter

Annually, the ASB also elects a Vice-Chairperson, standing in and acting on behalf of the Chairperson in his/her absence. The Vice-Chairperson is also part-time and nationally funded.

NSPO Chairperson's Office & Secretariat

The mission of the NSPO Chairperson's Office & Secretariat is to support the Chairperson of the ASB, the NSPO Programme Boards, their Subordinate Committees and Working Groups by providing neutral advice. It is ultimately responsible to the ASB's Chairperson and funded by the 30 NSPO Nations, it is thus independent from the Agency.

The NSPO Chairperson's Office & Secretariat in a nutshell: