Administrative System Development
An advantage to using the Mali Service Center (MSC) is that it has a number of administrative specialists on staff with decades of experience in implementing, improving and managing administrative systems in Mali and throughout the sub-region.

The MSC’s task is to manage administrative activities and to design systems that improve efficiency, so that researchers have more time to focus on their area of specialization. In this role, the MSC essentially serves as an in-house consultant helping managers to design, develop and implement administrative systems that will promote an efficient use of project resources.

Contract Deliverable Assistance
The MSC has helped project managers respond to multiple requests from funding institutions/partners in establishing contracts. The complexities of contract requirements can often be challenging, and the MSC helps its clients to understand contract requirements by walking them through the processes so they can avoid making errors that could jeopardize their submissions.

International and Local Procurement Assistance
Biomedical program managers in Bamako, Mali, have increasingly been transferring their procurements over to the MSC. They have found that the MSC is able to identify and negotiate better prices for a wide range of goods required for their projects, and this intervention eliminates time spent on administrative matters.

The MSC provides international as well as in-country procurement assistance for programs. For example, it can order laboratory and medical supplies that are difficult to obtain locally. The MSC also provides assistance with local procurement of everything from computers to vehicle tires, from office supplies to lab supplies and reagents. The MSC has a dedicated administrative specialist whose primary focus is to assist clients in procuring what they need.