Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi

Programme Overview

Agro-logistics hubs serve as essential infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses, maintain perishable produce quality, and connect smallholder farmers with regional export markets.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ This five-day training programme in Tbilisi provides professionals with comprehensive technical guidance on designing, operationalising, and managing modern wholesale collection centres and distribution hubs. Participants examine engineering specifications, temperature-controlled logistics, and phytosanitary management systems necessary to meet modern commercial buyer requirements across competitive regional corridors.

Tbilisi offers an ideal operational setting for examining modern agro-logistics networks, trade transit infrastructure, and phytosanitary border control integration. Through technical presentations and practical site analyses, the course reviews international facility standards, including HACCP, GlobalG.A.P., and UNECE produce quality norms. Delegates learn to balance public capital expenditure with commercial revenue models, ensuring that secondary city infrastructure investments remain financially viable and responsive to smallholder supply seasonality.

Designed primarily for public sector specialists and project implementation teams, this programme bridges civil works planning and downstream value chain development. Delegates review design briefs, calculate cold storage capacities, evaluate cross-docking operations, and design producer aggregation mechanisms. By completing practical exercises and standard facility templates, participants gain the capability to supervise agro-logistics sub-projects, align national regulatory controls, and improve market linkages for high-value agricultural produce.

Public agencies and international financial institutions are prioritising secondary city infrastructure to stimulate rural economies and integrate regional agricultural trade.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ In Central Asia, civil works investments, such as those targeted under the 60 million US dollar Kyrgyz Republic Regional Economic Development Project, require dedicated technical capacity to implement complex agro-logistics facilities. Without structured planning for temperature-controlled cold chains, sanitary and phytosanitary compliance, and transparent facility governance, physical markets risk underutilisation, commercial failure, and high post-harvest physical losses.

Delivered by Risalat Consultants International in Tbilisi, Georgia, it combines expert-led sessions, real cases and group work, so that participants can apply what they learn in their own institution.

The Programme Strengthens Institutional Capability

• Primary determinants of hub sizing based on catchment area yields and seasonality
• Cold chain technical specifications: precooling methods, forced-air cooling, and humidity control
• Refrigerant selection, energy efficiency measures, and thermal insulation engineering standards
• Layout design for multi-commodity cold stores, ripening rooms, and handling areas
• Reviewing civil works bills of quantities and technical specifications for donor projects
• Cross-docking operations, internal traffic circulation, and loading bay configurations
• Material handling equipment selection, palletisation norms, and staging operations
• Inventory tracking, warehouse management systems (WMS), and digital weighbridge integration
• Procurement planning and market analysis
• Choosing procurement methods and approaches
• Writing specifications and terms of reference
• Bidding documents and evaluation criteria

It is designed for agribusiness development specialists from national ministries of agriculture, regional development agency officers managing infrastructure sub-projects, municipal economic development planners from secondary and tertiary cities and others who want practical, current skills in procurement and contract management.

The Growing Importance of Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi

Procurement is where public money becomes roads, medicines, systems and services. Delays, weak specifications and poor contract management are among the most common reasons projects fall behind or fail their audits.

Financiers and governments now expect value for money, fair competition and well-documented decisions at every stage, from planning to contract completion. Teams who manage the full cycle well deliver faster and with fewer complaints.

Organisations increasingly require professionals capable of:

• Plan procurement that matches project needs and timelines
• Prepare clear specifications and evaluation criteria
• Evaluate bids consistently and defend the decision
• Manage contracts, variations and performance
• Keep complete records for audit and review

Strong procurement and contract management systems help organisations:

• Reduce procurement delays and failed tenders
• Achieve value for money
• Lower the risk of complaints and audit findings
• Deliver contracts on time and to quality

This Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi programme brings these elements together in a practical format, so that participants understand not only what good practice looks like but also how to introduce it in their own setting, with the people and resources they have.

Who Should Attend This Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi Training?

This programme is designed for:

• Agribusiness development specialists from national ministries of agriculture
• Regional development agency officers managing infrastructure sub-projects
• Municipal economic development planners from secondary and tertiary cities
• Project implementation unit (PIU) engineers and procurement specialists
• Public agricultural marketing board officials and trade facility supervisors
• National food safety and phytosanitary inspection authority inspectors
• Rural enterprise advisors supporting agricultural aggregation models
• Donor-funded project officers working on trade facilitation and market access
• Private sector managers operating rural cold storage and aggregation centres
• Procurement officers and managers
• Contract managers and administrators
• Project and programme managers

The programme suits experienced professionals as well as those moving into new responsibilities. Groups that mix institutions and countries are encouraged, because participants learn a great deal from each other’s experience.

Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi Training Objectives

Upon successful completion of this Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi Training, participants will be able to:

• Evaluate engineering parameters, cold room sizing, and refrigeration requirements for perishable horticulture
• Formulate operational models and fee structures for municipal wholesale collection centres
• Align national phytosanitary certification procedures with international trade standards and UNECE norms
• Design smallholder aggregation mechanisms and cold chain handling protocols to minimise post-harvest losses
• Assess public-private partnership models and commercial governance arrangements for municipal hubs
• Construct functional facility layouts integrating cross-docking, sortation, grading, and testing functions
• Draft comprehensive operational plans for secondary city aggregation points to support trade linkages
• Explain the procurement cycle and the rules that apply to it
• Prepare a procurement plan linked to project timelines
• Choose a suitable method and approach to the market

Each objective is practised during the programme through exercises, cases or group work, so that participants leave able to do it, not only to describe it.

Programme Contents and Structure

The programme runs over 5 days. Each day combines expert input, practical work and a closing workshop or case study:

• First Day: Hub Infrastructure, Sizing, and Post-Harvest Cooling Engineering
• Second Day: Wholesale Collection Centre Operations and Logistics Management
• Third Day: Quality Compliance, Food Safety, and Phytosanitary Integration
• Fourth Day: Farmer-to-Market Linkages and Secondary City Value Chains
• Fifth Day: Facility Governance, PPP Models, and Project Feasibility Plans

Full day-by-day contents

First Day | Hub Infrastructure, Sizing, and Post-Harvest Cooling Engineering

• Primary determinants of hub sizing based on catchment area yields and seasonality
• Cold chain technical specifications: precooling methods, forced-air cooling, and humidity control
• Refrigerant selection, energy efficiency measures, and thermal insulation engineering standards
• Layout design for multi-commodity cold stores, ripening rooms, and handling areas
• Reviewing civil works bills of quantities and technical specifications for donor projects

Workshop: Hub Infrastructure, Sizing, and Post-Harvest Cooling Engineering: Applying It to Your Institution

Working in small groups, participants apply the day's methods to examples from their own institutions and agree practical next steps.

Second Day | Wholesale Collection Centre Operations and Logistics Management

• Cross-docking operations, internal traffic circulation, and loading bay configurations
• Material handling equipment selection, palletisation norms, and staging operations
• Inventory tracking, warehouse management systems (WMS), and digital weighbridge integration
• Operating fee structures: stall rentals, throughput tariffs, and handling service charges
• Standard operating procedures for daily aggregation, wash-down, and bio-waste management

Workshop: Wholesale Collection Centre Operations and Logistics Management: Applying It to Your Institution

Working in small groups, participants apply the day's methods to examples from their own institutions and agree practical next steps.

Third Day | Quality Compliance, Food Safety, and Phytosanitary Integration

• Integrating HACCP principles and GlobalG.A.P. requirements into hub operations
• Phytosanitary inspection facilities, quarantine handling, and laboratory testing protocols
• Traceability systems from primary producer batching to final consignment export
• UNECE commercial quality standards for fresh fruit and vegetable sorting and grading
• Packaging standards, returnable plastic crate management, and labelling requirements

Case Study: Quality Compliance, Food Safety, and Phytosanitary Integration in Practice

Participants analyse a realistic case, compare the choices made with good practice and draw lessons they can use in their own setting.

Fourth Day | Farmer-to-Market Linkages and Secondary City Value Chains

• Producer organisation aggregation models, outgrower contracts, and delivery scheduling
• Secondary city distribution networks and consolidation for major export transit corridors
• Commercial contracting arrangements between collection centres and retail buyers
• Mitigating seasonal cash flow challenges and setting operational working capital buffers
• Gender and youth integration in post-harvest handling, sorting, and agro-processing jobs

Workshop: Farmer-to-Market Linkages and Secondary City Value Chains: Applying It to Your Institution

Working in small groups, participants apply the day's methods to examples from their own institutions and agree practical next steps.

Fifth Day | Facility Governance, PPP Models, and Project Feasibility Plans

• Public asset management vs concession agreements: selecting the appropriate operating model
• Financial modeling of hub operational costs, amortisation, and break-even points
• Key performance indicators for donor-funded infrastructure and facility operational audits
• Environmental and social management frameworks (ESMF) for rural infrastructure sites
• Participant presentations: secondary city agro-logistics facility operational designs

Capstone Exercise: Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi Action Plan for Your Institution

Participants bring the week together in an action plan for their own institution, with priorities, owners and first steps, and present it for feedback from peers and facilitators.

Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi Training Methodology

The training applies adult learning principles through interactive technical lectures, project case evaluations, engineering blueprint analysis, and facilitated group design workshops.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ Participants work directly with practical civil works specifications and logistics flow diagrams from live agricultural programmes. The curriculum incorporates field-level evaluation of operational Georgian logistics facilities, allowing delegates to assess mechanical installations, quality control checkpoints, and private concession models in practice.

The programme combines:

• Expert-led sessions on current practice
• Regional and international case studies
• Group work and practical exercises
• Simulations and role plays where relevant
• Discussion of participants' own challenges
• Peer learning across institutions and countries
• Practical tools and templates to take back to work
• Daily reflection and action planning

Before the programme, a short pre-assessment helps the facilitators understand each participant’s role and priorities, so that examples and exercises can be adjusted to the group. Each day ends with a short reflection in which participants note what they will apply at work.

Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of this Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi Training, participants will be able to:

• Capacity to evaluate and validate civil works technical specifications for rural cold storage
• Competence in designing sustainable fee models and operational structures for wholesale collection centres
• Practical skill in aligning hub layouts with international phytosanitary and food safety controls
• Detailed understanding of smallholder supply integration and outgrower delivery management
• Ability to audit donor-funded infrastructure projects against planned operational efficiency metrics
• A completed preliminary operational brief for a secondary city agro-logistics hub project
• Plan procurement that fits project needs and timelines
• Prepare clear specifications and evaluation criteria

Participants leave with a personal action plan and practical tools they can use in their institution from the first week back. Institutions that send several participants can use the programme to agree shared methods and templates across teams, which makes improvements easier to sustain.

Institutional Application of Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi Training

This programme supports organisations in strengthening:

• Procurement planning and strategy
• Evaluation practice
• Contract management
• Complaint handling
• Procurement records and audit readiness

Participants return with practical tools to improve:

• Procurement plans and timelines
• Specifications and evaluation criteria
• Evaluation reports
• Contract monitoring
• Variation and claims management

The programme is built so that learning moves from the classroom into the institution. Participants work on their own processes and documents where possible, and leave with an action plan that their managers can review and support.

Regional Relevance & Application

Europe

European institutions apply procurement and contract management within detailed regulatory frameworks and reform agendas. Participants from Europe can compare their practice with colleagues from other regions and test how established methods work under different conditions.

Africa

Across Africa, ministries, agencies and project teams working in procurement and contract management increasingly operate alongside donor-financed programmes that expect clear systems and evidence. The programme helps participants adapt good practice to the institutions and resources they work with.

Middle East

In the Middle East, national development strategies and diversification plans place growing demands on procurement and contract management. Participants explore how to build the capability these plans need inside public bodies and companies.

Asia

Institutions across Asia combine rapid growth with ambitious modernisation programmes. Participants from Asia can share their experience of scaling systems quickly and learn from approaches used elsewhere.

Pacific

Small island and Pacific states face particular constraints of size, distance and capacity. The programme highlights practical, proportionate approaches to procurement and contract management that suit smaller institutions.

Holding the programme in Tbilisi, Georgia brings participants together away from their daily pressures, so they can compare how procurement and contract management is handled in different settings. The same programme can also be delivered in-house for one institution, in its own country or online, with cases taken from its current work.

Host Country Profile – Georgia

Programmes, Workshops, Exposures, Training Courses in Tbilisi, Georgia by Risalat Consultants International

Studying away from their own country gives participants time to focus, a fresh view of their own institution and the chance to build a network with colleagues from other countries.

Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi Training Deliverables

Participants receive support before, during and after the programme, so that preparation, learning and follow-up form one continuous experience.

Before the Programme

• Participant Pre-Assessment
• Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi Readiness Assessment
• Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi Resource Pack
• Preparatory Reading Materials
• Complimentary Visa Support & Advisory

During the Programme

• Airport Pickup & Welcome Assistance
• Accommodation with Breakfast
• Welcome Networking Dinner
• Risalat Training Kit (Bag, Bottle, Mug, T-Shirt, Cap, Passport Cover, Pens, Notebook, Magnet & Keychain)
• Comprehensive Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi Training Manual
• Procurement Plan Template
• Bid Evaluation Scoring Sheet
• Contract Management Plan Template
• Variation and Claims Register
• Practical Workshops & Simulations
• Group Discussions & Peer Learning
• Daily Lunch and Refreshments
• Full Access to Training Venue Facilities
• Mini Pad / Tablet with Digital Learning Materials
• Field Visit (where applicable)
• Entertaining City Tour

After the Programme

• Certificate of Completion
• Risalat Programme Participation Recognition Award
• Post-Training Reference Materials
• Procurement Records Checklist
• Contract Performance Tracker
• Post-Training Support & Follow-Up Guidance
• Programme Report

Institutions can also request a tailored in-house version of this programme, delivered at their premises or online. Request a proposal.

Common Challenges in Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi, And How This Training Helps

How can institutions plan procurement that matches project needs and timelines?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Hub Infrastructure, Sizing, and Post-Harvest Cooling Engineering), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions prepare clear specifications and evaluation criteria?

The programme addresses this directly on the second day (Wholesale Collection Centre Operations and Logistics Management), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions evaluate bids consistently and defend the decision?

The programme addresses this directly on the third day (Quality Compliance, Food Safety, and Phytosanitary Integration), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions manage contracts, variations and performance?

The programme addresses this directly on the fourth day (Farmer-to-Market Linkages and Secondary City Value Chains), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions keep complete records for audit and review?

The programme addresses this directly on the fifth day (Facility Governance, PPP Models, and Project Feasibility Plans), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where does the Agro-Logistics Hub Infrastructure and Regional Value Chain Linkages in Tbilisi programme take place?

It runs from 11 Jan 2027 to 15 Jan 2027, in Tbilisi, Georgia. The registration deadline is shown at the top of this page.

Who should attend?

The programme is designed for agribusiness development specialists from national ministries of agriculture, regional development agency officers managing infrastructure sub-projects, municipal economic development planners from secondary and tertiary cities, project implementation unit (PIU) engineers and procurement specialists, and others who want practical skills in procurement and contract management.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes. Participants who complete the programme receive a Certificate of Completion from Risalat Consultants International.

Can this programme be delivered for our institution only?

Yes. We can deliver a tailored in-house version at your premises, in another city or online, built around your own cases. Use the proposal request on this page.

Do I need prior experience in procurement and contract management?

No specialist background is required beyond experience in a related role. A short pre-assessment helps the facilitators adapt the sessions to the group.

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