SCOUT

The ever-changing landscape of WFP operations makes the global supply chain very difficult to analyse: where to buy food, where to send it, where to store it and how to best use limited financial resources and maximize food delivery. This upstream planning problem affects not only the countries with an erratic demand of funds but also new emergencies requiring responsive data-driven decision-making, where applying last time’s decision is not good enough.​​

SCOUT is transforming WFP’s supply chain by using optimization AI to enhance global food sourcing and delivery planning. It optimizes complex supply chain planning by modeling WFP's global supply chain network, focusing on upstream operations up to recipient countries. It provides data-driven insights to help WFP make informed decisions about where best to buy food, where to send it, where to store it and how to use limited financial resources efficiently to deliver the food needed on time. By precisely timing purchases and choosing optimal storage locations, SCOUT helps replan the corporate inventory supply chain.

With SCOUT, WFP saved USD 6.2 million in two years. In 2024, SCOUT saved WFP USD 2 million thanks to replanning the corporate inventory supply chain of only one commodity in WFP operations in West Africa. In 2025, these enhancements generated USD 4.2 million in savings, bringing the total to USD 6.2 million.

As a centralized tool for the region, SCOUT has effectively reached all WFP beneficiaries in the region. In 2023, SCOUT's rapid replanning capacity helped avoid an interruption of nutrition activities for 270,000 beneficiaries over the course of a month, saving lives and keeping many outside of the risk of starvation.

SCOUT's artificial intelligence forecasting engine cuts planning costs by 10 percent. As such, as it scales, SCOUT is projected to save over USD 25 million annually. SCOUT reduces lead time for supply chain emergency planning to one day instead of two weeks.