As partial fulfilment of my Master of Engineering Management (MEM) qualification, I completed an unpaid internship within the Procurement Section at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) in Den Haag, The Netherlands. The internship provided an opportunity to work in a unique environment and apply practical skills taught through the MEM syllabus. The objective of the internship was to conduct a series of tasks and small scale projects that would assist the Procurement Section of the Registry Branch to effectively and efficiently discharge their duties. The internship was conducted in four stages, this included;

• Induction; an introduction to the Tribunal to gain a clear understanding of the mandate, structure and operating procedures;
• Automated Contract Administration and Monitoring System; a project to critically review the current Procurement process and design and develop an automated solution that will enable effective and efficient administering and monitoring of commercial contracts;
• Insurance/Liability Risk Management Review; a project to review the various insurance policies held by the STL to identify potential gaps, threats or vulnerabilities to the organisation; and
• Final report; capture key findings from the internship to provide the Chief of Procurement with recommendations and strategies to improve both the Procurement Process and Section. The primary focus of this report is the design and development of the Automated Contract Administration and Monitoring System. A critical review of the Procurement Section identified key design requirements and specifications for the system which are captured in the Terms of Reference at Appendix 1 to this report. Key observations and recommendations are also provided, these will further assist the Procurement Section to improve efficiency, reduce processing time, improve internal client relations and improve staff performance through training and professional development.