On 14 July, a presentation was held in Kyiv of the study entitled ‘The capacity of the procurement function in military units and its impact on the development of decentralised procurement within the Ukrainian Defence Forces’, prepared by the ‘Project 100’ team.
In May 2026, the project team conducted a study of procurement activities within military units and a cross-sectoral analysis aimed at identifying capability gaps and current training needs within key institutions of the Ukrainian Defence Forces, in particular the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service, the State Special Transport Service and the National Guard of Ukraine. 
Opening the event, Phil Jones, Defence Policy Advisor at the NATO Representation to Ukraine, emphasised:
“Defence procurement reform remains one of the most important pillars of Ukraine’s defence capability. The procurement system must be capable of responding to operational needs, striking a balance between speed, integrity, transparency and accountability.”
Jones also highlighted the contribution of ‘Project 100’ to defence procurement reform, noting that the project strengthens the professional capacity of specialists and helps ensure that the reform is based on practical experience, institutional needs and factual data.
Richard Pearce, Capability Planning Advisor to the UK Special Advisory Team on Defence, added that Ukraine’s experience in developing decentralised procurement is already of great value to international partners.
“Ukraine is waging war in a completely different context and on a different scale, and its efforts to overcome these challenges using tools such as DOT-Chain and Brave1 are impressive. At the same time, the decentralisation of procurement allows centralised capabilities to be focused on meeting the most critical needs.” 
Artem Romaniukov, Director of the Procurement Department of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, outlined the Directorate’s key priorities, in particular the digitalisation of processes, which shortens the procurement cycle and ensures decision-making based on up-to-date data. He also emphasised that no information system can replace a professional specialist capable of ensuring the effective use of public funds; therefore, the professional development of procurement officers at all levels remains one of the reform’s key priorities.
During the event, Oleg Blinov, head of ‘Project 100’, presented the findings of the study. These confirmed that training has a positive impact on the procurement activities of military units and helps to improve the effectiveness of competitive procurement. However, the comprehensive development of the system is essential for sustainable procurement capacity.
A separate section was devoted to the recommendations drawn up based on the findings of the study. Nelly Stelmakh, defence procurement expert of ‘Project 100’, presented recommendations for the Ukrainian Defence Forces and NATO partners, aimed at further developing decentralised procurement, strengthening the professional capacity of authorised personnel and improving the defence procurement system.
Summarising the study’s results, the ‘Project 100’ team noted that sustainable procurement capacity is impossible without a comprehensive approach that combines training, effective coordination, methodological support and the career development of procurement specialists.
‘Project 100’ is implemented by the ‘Foundation for Support of Reforms in Ukraine’ and carried out by the Defence Procurement Reform Project in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence’s Reform Support Office. The project is funded under NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) for Ukraine, within the framework of the Ukraine-NATO Strategic Review of Defence Procurement, with the support and oversight of the UK Special Defence Advisory Team.