Procuring

2007 WHO’s A Model Quality Assurance System for Procurement Agencies

2008 UNDP’s Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures for Contracts and Procurement

2015 UNFPA's Procurement Procedures & Policies

 

2010 UNFPA’s Male Latex Condom: Specification, Prequalification and Guidelines for Procurement

2012 UNFPA's Female Condom: Generic Specification, Prequalification and Guidelines for Procurement

2003 WHO's Procuring Single-use Injection Equipment and Safety Boxes

2009 WHO's Management of Common Health Problems of Drug Users, page 116, Annex 2: Operational Issue: Staff, Facilities, and Equipment ;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            page 121, Annex 3: Antibiotics Used to Treat Infections in Drug Users

 

Step 1. Specifying
 a.  Specifying standard for quality
       i. Needles and syringes should meet WHO standard for quality: 
          - Manufacturing Quality standards : ISO 13485 or an equivalent standard established by an internationally recognized Stringent Regulatory Authority (SRA).
          See WHO’s requirements p.34.
          -  Product standards : ISO 7864, ISO 7886 or ISO 8537. See WHO’s requirements p.34,
          Note : Although WHO recommends auto-disable syringes for medical settings, they often do not suit needs of PWID.
          2007 WHO's Guide to Starting and Managing Needles and Syringes Programs provides evidence and guidance p.9.
       ii. Other paraphernalia (acidifier, filter, cooker, alcohol swabs,) should meet the same ISO 13485
       iii. Sterile Water for Injection : ISO 13485 
       iv. Condoms           
          - Manufacturing: ISO 13485           
          - Testing: undertaken by a laboratory accredited to ISO 17025.           
          - Performance Requirements : ISO 4074               
 b.  Deciding on product and package specifications           
       i. Needle with syringe : Low or lower dead space needle, gauge size, needle length, colored barrel/plunger or not, number in a box, inscription of "humanitarian, not for sale".
          Detached needles or syringes : Low or lower dead space needle/syringe, gauge/needle length, number in a box, inscription of "humanitarian, not for sale".
       ii. Alcohol swabs : Size, type of disinfectant, number in a box, inscription of "humanitarian, not for sale".
       iii. Cooker : Type (aluminium or steel), size (normal, deep, large, etc.), type of handle, individually packed or not, sterile or not, colored or not, with/without additional equipment in the pack, inscription of "humanitarian, not for sale".
       iv. Acidifier : Type of chemicals (ascorbic or citric acid), weight (50mg, etc.), inscription of "humanitarian, not for sale", number in a box
       v. Sterile water for injection : Volume (2mL, 3mL, 5mL, and not bigger), preferably not in a glass ampoule (if yes, need a snapper), inscription of "humanitarian, not for sale", number in a box
       vi. Filter (should be luer lock compatible) : Type (wheel, intermediary or else), filtering strength, diameter (4, 13, 25 mm), sterile or not, individually packed or not, inscription of "humanitarian, not for sale", number in a box
       vii. Condoms : Type (insertive or receiptive), size, and thickness, inscription of "humanitarian, not for sale".
       Note : These specification should ALWAYS be coming from a consensual discussion and agreement with representatives of PWID as ultimate users.
       For more details : 2015 Uk's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's Guidelines for Needle and Syringe Programmes, recommendation 1

 a. Quantifying with 3 methodologies:

     i.  Past usage : Using past data to estimate future needs under the assumption that the hypothesis have not changed

     ii. Adjusted past usage : Using past data to estimate future needs with an adjustment of hypothesis (efficient for an established program)

     iii. Target coverage : Population reached x 365 days x estimated daily usage of paraphernalia (effective for starting a program
          - Remember to quantify pairing paraphernalia such as hand cleaning material, pre-injection alcohol swab, cooker, water for injection, acidifier, post-injection dry wipe, and ointment.
          - An ideal pairing (depending on the type of drug) could be: 1 syringe/needle + 1 cooker + 1 WFI + 1 acidifier + 2 (or more) alcohol swab/wipe + 1 ointment
          - Remember that pairing proportions are never 100% (except for pre-set kits)

b. Quantifying and budgeting with existing forecasting tools

     i. 2014 Eurasian Harm Reduction Network' s Methodology to Assess Harm Reduction Funding, HR unit costing tool/ EN, tab "Commodities NSP".

     ii. 2012 USAID's Resource Estimation Tool for Advocacy (RETA) – IDU,
     iii. Others pending 
c. With both methodologies, don’t forget

    i. Any change in population and coverage over time

    ii. Any change in programmatic impact (blitz outreach, scale-up, or scale-down, etc.)

    iii. Any change in the trend of drug availability and/or change in drug consumption behaviour

    iv. To ensure that future consumption volumes are coherent with past consumption volumes (double control)

d. In the final quantities, always takes into consideration

    i. Available inventory at the central warehouse, regional warehouses (if any), and local sites’ storeroom at the beginning date of the quantification

    ii. Any orders already in the pipeline and their date of availability in the local stock (arrival date in country + customs clearance lead-time + distribution-to-local-storeroom lead-time)
    iii. A safety/buffer stock at the central, regional warehouses and local sites’ storeroom (3 months is a generally agreed principle)

e. Triangulate with existing budget
    i. By multiplying the quantities with prices/unit cost in the tools, make sure that their aggregated total does not exceed the existing budget ceiling. 
    Note : Catalogue prices of new paraphernalia can be requested of some of the manufacturers from the "sourcing supplies" page. Alternatively, paraphernalia already sold in the country might have a price known to other programs or distributors.
    ii. Don't forget that the catalogue price always depends on the quantity requested and does not always include customs and import taxes ; add expenses for customs clearance and import taxes ; consider including transportation expenses from customs to central warehouse.

 

 

a. Inform/invite as many suppliers are possible (use the “sourcing supplies” page  in order to know which competitors to inform) and increase competition

b. Describe the scoring criteria (see step 4. Selecting below) so that they are informed

c. Consider multi-year contract (or additional years as an actionable option in the contract) to:

    i. Increase quantity when the quantity of 1 year is not sufficient

    ii. Get additional discount and/or gain further economy of scale

    iii.  Make sure that the brand and/or specification does not change from year to year (It is proved that PWID dislike changes when the current paraphernelia is satisfactory)

d. To reduce risk of disruption, opt for split awarding (for example: 80% for the best bid and 20% for the second best). The percentage can vary depending on the risk. The inconvenience is that economies of scale and discounting might not be fully realized.

e. Insert flexibility to purchase less/more than the contracted quantity (-10%/+20%)

f.  Decide or recommend the best transportation mean according to the manufacturing place, the urgency and the available budget

       i. Train/boat is slow and cheap (good for bulky supplies) - convenient when when consumption is well planned and stock managed with expertise

       ii. Truck is faster but more expensive (still ok for bulky supplies) - more flexible 

       iii. Air is very fast but very expensive - convenient because very flexible

g. Depending on the transportation mean and the type of product, request shipments to be temperature monitored with “professional” temperature monitoring and recording devices. These 2010 WHO Guidelines on the International Packaging and Shipping of Vaccines can give a very good guidance. Temperature sensitive products are
       - Pharmaceuticals such as Naloxone and Methadone, and any ointment in unit-dose: should be kept at controlled room temperature, between 15 and 25 °C
       - Condoms: should not be exposed to freezing temperature or above 35°C
       - Vials of Water for Injection: should be kept at room temperature (according to monographs, not above 25°C for glass vials, not below 4°C or above to 40°C for plastic ampoules)
       Ensure that both tender and contract mention this request. In case of temperature excursion, make sure that the contract allows refusing the shipment upon arrival and mentions “immediate” replacement, and disposal of the compromised products, both at the supplier’s expense.