Donation procedure
As a result of a restricted European tender procedure in 2008, Flection – International BV – was re-elected as Close the Gap’s preferred logistics and refurbishment partner. Flection makes the equipment collected from Western companies ready for reuse. This procedure offers Close the Gap the guarantee that a high-quality end product is supplied at all times.
The “refurbishing” procedure consists of four important steps:
- check-in and registration
- reconditioning of the PC’s/monitors/other IT material;
- final inspection;
- logistics
During the check-in, the status of the received equipment is checked, the computer’s serial and asset numbers are registered and every asset is given a unique bar code to enable an easy track and trace. The reconditioning of the computers consists of a power on switch test, internal and external cleaning, a Blancco certified data wiping process, virus scanning, upgrading of the computers and a durability test. When the received computers have a high-quality label, Windows XP or an open source operating system is added as requested by the project concerned. The monitors go through durability and colour testing, are cleaned and damage checked. Thanks to the reconditioning process, Close the Gap is able to use more than 60% of the computers that have been donated by donors.
After refurbishing the computers and monitors, a final inspection takes place and a new keyboard, a new mouse and new speaker boxes/headphones are added. Subsequently, the computer equipment is packed for air or sea transport to the developing country. For smaller orders, air transport is used. Bigger lots of computers (starting from 150 full computer systems) are transported via container sea-freight.
All partners and donors of Close the Gap receive a complete overview of the computer examination and refurbishment process. A detailed status report informs the donor on the quality of every asset given, containing all the original tracking numbers of the IT-equipment that can be used by companies for inventory purposes. Furthermore, a data wipe certificate is always given to the donors, guaranteeing that all personal and/or other confidential files have been erased. This data removal process complies with the strictest requirements of NATO and the U.S. Ministry of Defence. Enterprises put their trust in this data wipe process when donating systems to Close the Gap. In case of recycling, a certificate is given to the donor.
When Close the Gap is unable to use specific computers from donations – e.g. due to mismatch of quality for minimal specifications or because of a significant short time overstock of implacable computers which would lead to high storage costs - the computers are recycled or offered to third brokerage parties respecting any specific conditions agreed on with the computer donors. The generated income will be used either to source computer assets that are not available in donations and need to be sourced through commercial ICT suppliers, or to finance Close the Gap’s operations and project development.
Flection, refurbishing partner of Close the Gap, uses following environmental and quality systems:
• NEN-EN-ISO 9001:2000 certified
• NEN-EN-ISO 14001:2004 certified
Flection also holds the most recent licenses concerning transport, collection, processing and sale of EEE and WEEE material conform the local and EU-legislation.
How - Companies that choose to put in a donation offer can contact us at info@close-the-gap.org with the essential information (company, contact and pick-up details, details about the specifications and volume of IT equipment, etc.) that Close the Gap requires to start the procedure. That information is evaluated by our Project Management Team, who will then get in touch with the contact person to organise the pick-up.
Donation requirements - Close the Gap only accepts donations from enterprises for a number of reasons. Enterprises usually donate more uniform IT equipment (e.g. a larger number of computers from the same brand and with the same specifications), which helps Close the Gap in furnishing its projects with a specification-uniform IT network. This also helps with the overall management and maintenance of the project’s network. In addition, enterprises usually work with top brands for which replacements parts are more readily available, even in developing countries. Thanks to very sound maintenance contracts with computer companies, large enterprise networks are also very well maintained and all IT equipment is generally in top condition. Finally, enterprises tend to replace entire IT networks at once, which means donations are larger. This allows Close the Gap to minimise the overhead cost per unit (transport, administration, refurbishing, etc.) by handling large numbers of units simultaneously. For these reasons, donations are limited to at least two euro pallets of IT equipment (about 20 computers, incl. monitors) per collection. Since Close the Gap engages itself to only provide the highest quality computers to its beneficiaries, the minimum specifications for computers are set to Pentium IV 2.4GHz computers, 15″ TFT flat screen monitors, laser printers and Pentium Centrino 1.6 GHz laptops.
Reporting - Following the pick-up, the donor receives a full status report, including data erasure certificates and possible disposal certificates. Once the IT equipment has been allocated to one or more projects, the enterprise will also receive donation reports, which specify where and how the IT equipment will be deployed. These reports can be used for internal and/or external corporate communication.
Alternatives - Enterprises can also adopt a specific project by financially covering the full running costs of the project (incl. electricity, printer cartridges, paper, etc.).
Enterprises who adopt or donate specific projects are also given the opportunity to visit the project themselves to see how their support and efforts are making a real difference to communities and individuals.