[e-drug] Contracting Procurement, Storage and Distribution to Private Supplier (3)

["Kasia Wawiernia" <kasia.wawiernia@undp.org>]

E-DRUG: Contracting Procurement, Storage and Distribution to Private Supplier (3)
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Dear E-druggers, 

On the involvement of private firms in procurement, storage and
distribution, the Angolan National Institute AIDS (INLS) and the
Global Fund (GFATM) project in Angola have looked for ways to
improve supply of medicines. Although the existing logistical system
was sufficient for storage and distribution of limited quantities of
essential medicines kits, the increased volumes of medicines financed
by the Global Fund project required a more reliable and efficient
system. Especially anti-retroviral medicines ARVs have been procured
in significant quantities and a better solution was necessary especially for these medicines.

INLS and the GF Principal Recipient (UNDP Angola) looked for
options that would guarantee proper stock control, expiry date
tracking, appropriate packing and registry of distributed medicines to
the health centers. A Brazilian private company in Angola with
impressive storage and distribution capacity was selected through a
competitive process to provide these services. The company was
contracted late 2006 and the system has been functioning very well
until now. The involvement of this private party allowed INLS to
focus on management, evaluation and planning related to
forecasting, consumption analysis and other efforts to improve
supply. The overall control and management continues to be with
INLS, which has direct online access to stock information with in the
company's inventory control system. Services from the company
have been found to be very professional.

>From the Angolan point of view, this public/private mix has proved to
be very successful. 

Kasia Wawiernia
UNDP Angola
E-mail: kasia.wawiernia@undp.org