RFP – Rapid Assessment of the Tanzania Distribution of Vaccine and Related Supplies at USAID Global Tanzania

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Rapid assessment of the Tanzania distribution of vaccine and related supplies

September 2022

Background

The government of Tanzania through the Immunization and Vaccines Development (IVD) program among other interventions, has developed the Vaccine Information Management System (VIMS) to manage all vaccine logistics and information; installed cold chain storage facilities at different levels of the vaccine supply chain system; and established distribution systems for the vaccines from the central level to the last mile health facilities. Additionally, IVD has embarked on a plan to independently manage its own supply chain from central storage to distribution at last mile health facilities. This calls for the identification of areas of efficiency gains in the distribution of vaccine commodities. Furthermore, with the emergency of the COVID 19 pandemic, the need to further strengthen the vaccine supply chain management has come to the spotlight as an opportunity area to ensure continued effective service delivery to clients.
In this regard, IVD is collaborating with The USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program Technical Assistance – Tanzania (GHSC-TA-TZ) to conduct an assessment of the Tanzania vaccine commodities distribution from central to regions with focus on routing and scheduling of vehicles. The findings and recommendations from this assessment will inform the IVD program on required interventions around vaccines distribution to support the COVID-19 vaccination initiative as well as other vaccines.

Purpose:

The purpose of the rapid assessment is to assess and identify the areas of improvement based on current distribution planning approach for vaccine commodities including COVID-19.

Objectives.

• To identify the current practice of routing and scheduling of vehicles in the distribution of vaccines, from central to all regions; and highlight areas where efficiency gains can be made.
• To provide recommendations for improvement in routing and scheduling of vehicles in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines.
• Based on gaps identified develop a training package that can be used to train staff on an efficient way of routing and scheduling of vehicles in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines.
• Conduct training to identified staff on an efficient way of routing and scheduling of vehicles in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines.

Activities

The contractor for this work will:

• Develop and present an inception report
• Participate in a planning and progress meetings with IVD, GHSC-TA-TZ and other key vaccine stakeholders as needed
• Develop and present a plan of conducting the assessment with timelines
• Conduct desk review of reports on previous work on distribution planning
• Develop methods and tools for assessment on current vaccines distribution, particularly routing and scheduling for central and all regions
• Develop methods and tools for determining cost on current vaccines distribution from central to all regions
• Orient data collectors on the developed assessment tools
• Conduct data collection and analysis
• Present preliminary findings to stakeholders
• Prepare final assessment report with recommendations
• Develop a training package for staff on an efficient way of routing and scheduling of vehicles in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines
• Conduct training to identified staff on an efficient way of routing and scheduling of vehicles in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines.

Deliverables/Outputs

• The assessment report outlining findings accomplished and recommendations regarding improvement of vaccine distribution and route costing
• PowerPoint presentation of the assessment report
• Training package on an efficient way of routing and scheduling of vehicles in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines
• Training report

Qualifications and attributes required:

Applicants for this consultancy should be Tanzanian nationals or lawful residents/institutions that possess the following minimum qualifications and can provide documentation showcasing capabilities and past experience:

1. Demonstrated technical capabilities
   -Be a qualified professional or firm with a team comprised of qualified experts with a demonstrated track record in vaccines distribution
   -Extensive experience of developing and implementing vehicles routing and scheduling models for health commodities particularly vaccines
   2. Demonstrated project management and communications capabilities
   -Demonstrated experience leading and supporting similar projects
   -Strong experience managing projects of this scope and size, including meeting deadlines and managing risks
   -Experience in planning and executing communications efforts in support of projects of this scope and size
   -Be able to participate and lead in-person workshop(s)
   -Excellent verbal and written English and Swahili

Proposal Submission and Timelines

• All submissions should be sent to Vicent Manyilizu [email protected] with cc to Bwiro Magesa [email protected], and James Bagoka [email protected]
• Bid submissions have to be submitted by September 23rd, 2022 17:00 EAT.
• All quotes have to be valid for a period of 60 calendar days.
• All cost proposals should be broken down by description/type, hours, hourly rates, and deliverables.
• The work is expected to start once the contract is signed by the contractor.
• The duration of the contract is expected to be 70 work days. All work should be completed within the contract duration.
• We expect work to commence in September 2022.
• All proposals should be priced/quoted according to days and deliverables.
• All proposals should include references and contacts of institutions for which the bidder performed a similar assignment
• Examples of past work are required and should be shown when needed

Selection Criteria

• Past experience working with cold chain system commodities, particularly vaccines
• References checks
• Quality of proposal
• Pricing

Background Documents

Please contact Vicent Manyilizu [email protected] for further clarifications.