In Action: Procurement and Delivery
of HIV Commodities

Uganda

Partners included: USAID, FHI 360, Uganda Quantification and Procurement Planning Unit (QPPU), Uganda National Drug Authority (NDA), Uganda Joint Medical Store (JMS), Uganda National Health Laboratory Services (UNHLS)

 

Background

The project was initiated to address the challenges related to the coordination of the supply chain system activities for HIV-related health commodities for the Private Not-For-Profit (PNFP) sector.

Medical Access was asked with helping to establish and operate a safe, secure, reliable and sustainable procurement management system for HIV/AIDS commodities (pharmaceuticals, supplies, laboratory reagents) needed to provide care and treatment of persons with HIV/AIDS in Uganda within the PNFP sector.

Our Intervention

The below-listed services are designed to drive successful and uninterrupted service delivery, improving supply and procurement planning accuracy, and ensuring that at least 85% of all orders are delivered on time and in full to the client:

✓ Procurement services including the solicitation, evaluation, negotiation, award, management, and administration of supply contracts for HIV/AIDS commodities to ensure efficient and timely procurement of commodities in compliance with USG regulations.

✓Supply Chain Management services, including supply and procurement planning, economical and timely shipping, forwarding, customs clearance, and transition management

✓Quality assurance (QA) services by collaborating with the USAID QA contractor (FHI360) to assure the quality of health commodities to help ensure compliance with USAID policies and regulations that govern procurement of restricted health products.

✓Freight forwarding and customs clearance services to ensure that the commodities are delivered on time and in full to the USAID-designated warehouse or laboratory.

Results

✓ Quality: 100% of products procured complied with USAID QA and ADS 312 requirements through collaboration with FHI360

✓ On-time-in-full (OTIF) Delivery: As of end of March 2023, we achieved:

  • 100% OTIF delivery for ARV medicines

  • 86% OTIF delivery for Opportunistic Infection and Sexually Transmitted Infection medicines

  • 93% OTIF delivery for Viral Load and Early Infant Diagnosis commodities

✓Cost Control: Through implementation of a fair, transparent, and competitive procurement processes and leveraging close relationships with suppliers and freight forwarders, MA has to date procured:

  • ARV medicines at lower prices compared to the international benchmark prices and attained savings of US$ 289,356.80.

  • 79% of the OI and STI medicines at equal or lower prices compared to the international benchmark price and achieved savings of US$178,174.89 on freight and logistics through strategic negotiations with freight forwarders and consolidation of shipments.

  • 93% of the Sample Collection Products at lower prices compared to the international benchmark prices and achieved savings of US$ 82,877.