4.1 Procurement

UNICEF Supply Division (SD) has developed the Cold Chain Country Support Package (CCCSP) to assist country offices and Procurement Services partners in the effort to strengthen the immunization supply chain by providing commercial and technical information and guidance on the procurement process of cold chain equipment and services. Cold chain items available for ordering through UNICEF can be found under the Cold Chain Equipment section of the UNICEF Supply Catalogue. It contains the products included in Direct Order Arrangements (DOA) whereby UNICEF country offices can procure many cold chain items directly through suppliers, including refrigerators, freezers and spare parts, temperature monitoring devices, cold boxes and ice packs. Other items are available through LTA but should be ordered from Copenhagen: walk-in cold and freezer rooms, solar powered PV refrigeration systems, RTM systems and voltage regulators.

Supply Division procures WHO pre-qualified equipment (performance, quality and safety inspected) that conforms to WHO guidelines. Technical information about the products can be found in the WHO PQS (Product, quality & Safety) catalogue.

Due to limited availability of some products, as well as delivery lead times (around 4 months), it is critical to have a clear and forward plan for procurement and installation. Questions regarding product lead time and transit time, evaluation of quantities and emergency stock needed as well as spare parts can be addressed to Supply Division at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

 

30DTR

For 30DTR devices, a single annual procurement is recommended to benefit from bulk discounts and reduced transaction and administrative costs (staff, vehicle, fuel) linked with the picking up for reception of the goods and for further distribution. 30DTR devices may be stored for up to one year after the manufacturing date before activation, meaning that procurement should only be for units that will be activated within that year. 

Each fridge needs one 30DTR device. Additional units will be needed for buffer stock (of approx. 15 %), for training and replacement purposes in case of damage or failed devices. For countries planning to use LogTag and planning to use the download feature of the 30DTR data, some cradles must be ordered as well. One cradle is necessary to download the data at the location. The number of necessary cradles depends on the structure of the system of downloads. It could be one cradle per district if one technician is doing all the rounds within the district.

 

RTM

For RTM products to be deployed at national or regional storage facilities, it is recommended to include installation and “on-boarding” support in the contract for the procurement of equipment. If countries lack installation expertise or delivered goods are not being used for appropriate or intended purposes, the equipment can remain uninstalled or unused for a long period of time, resulting in damages and wastage. 

For countries where power supply is unreliable, it is critical to verify that both on-site generators are sufficient to also cover the power-based RTMD and that voltage stabilizers are available (either the ones used for the WICR or a dedicated one for the RTMD). If not, voltage stabilisers and generators should be ordered when procuring the RTMD. 

 

Receiving

All equipment must be thoroughly inspected upon arrival to check that everything is received and that all shipping cartons are in good condition. In case of problems, it is important to inform the supplier immediately as any delay could reduce the liability of the supplier or forwarder.  

 

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