Individual National Logistics Consultant (Essential Health Equipment and Vaccines) with UNICEF in Uzbekistan

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, protect!

UNICEF supports the Government of Uzbekistan to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals through the framework of the UNICEF Country Programme Document (2021-2025). In particular, within the health sector, UNICEF endeavors to strengthen the healthcare system, ensuring its responsiveness to the unique requirements of the most marginalized children, adolescents, and women. To ensure the achievement of the above UNICEF has provided extensive support to the Government in the supply of vaccines and other essential medical commodities, implementation of the national immunization programme, strengthening supply and cold chain system, improving WASH/Healthcare Waste management services and implementing quality improvement interventions for maternal and perinatal care.

During the period from 2023 to 2025, UNICEF has made a series of commitments to the Government aimed at providing extensive assistance in the procurement and distribution of crucial vaccines, including those targeting COVID-19. Additionally, UNICEF is dedicated to facilitating the acquisition of medical waste management equipment, as well as essential perinatal and maternal health equipment. The total value of these commitments exceeds 20 million USD.

As such, UNICEF’s Health and Development Section requires a Logistics Consultant to provide technical support to UNICEF in logistics and customs issues related to the supply of vaccines, healthcare waste management machines, lifesaving maternal and neonatal care equipment and other essential medical commodities.

Scope of Work: Under the overall guidance of the Chief of Health and Development and the direct supervision of the Programme Officer: Procurement Services, the Consultant will:

• provide technical assistance on timely handling of logistics and customs issues related to the supply of vaccines, essential medical commodities, essential health equipment, as well as support for the introduction of digital platforms being proposed by SD. Provide technical assistance in COVID-19 and routine vaccines demand planning and digitisation of forecasting process.
• provide support in preparation of shipment documents and customs related applications to get vaccines, medical devices and equipment, as well as other essential medical goods cleared from customs duties and arranging proper warehousing when required. Contribute to monitoring vaccine and other essential medical commodities arrival at the national level, including monitoring of distribution.
• be responsible for conducting regular inventory check-up of vaccines and other medical goods and equipment and timely preparation of hand over documents to transfer to the beneficiary agencies.

The Consultant will provide technical/operational support throughout all the stages of WASH, waste management and Vision 2030 projects implementation to facilitate the management and delivery of results and to strengthen process that ensure efficiency, quality assurance and value for money.

Duration of assignment: Initial duration of the assignment is 12 months from 28 August 2023 – 27 August 2024 and can be extended for additional 24 months, subject to budget availability.

Work Assignments Overview

1. Provide assistance in preparing vaccine, logistics and vaccine management budget in lines with the logistics and vaccine management plan for the routine immunization and COVID-19
2. Prepare logistics and management plan, which include procurement and distribution of perinatal care equipment, vaccines as well as monitoring of the functionality of cold chain and logistics (cold box, vaccine carrier, ice packs, fridges) in all levels, waste management, and disposal
3. Provide technical support on conducting inventory and gap analysis for cold chain, perinatal care, healthcare waste management equipment and consumables, and preparing transfer documents
4. Orientation and capacity development of national, regional and district level stakeholders in the area of vaccine logistics management
5. Provide technical support to the government partners under procurement services platform to determine the product specification, service requirement, and delivery plan
6. Work closely with freight forwarder to ensure the accuracy of shipping documents before forward to the procurement service partner for processing the custom clearance
7. Technical assistance in preparation and submission of documents pertaining to the supplied vaccines, healthcare waste management machines and other essential medical devices and commodities to obtain permission of pharmacy and customs authorities for importation
8. Assist in monitoring vaccine and other essential medical equipment and commodities arrival at the national level, including monitoring of the distribution of vaccines and related supplies
9. Provide technical support to procurement service partners in completing information required in the Request Form for Procurement Services (RFPS)
10. Provide technical support in preparation for the workshops, seminar and training on WASH, healthcare waste management, immunization, cold-chain and other areas of health
11. Work closely with the UNICEF operations team to ensure that vaccines and other medical supplies are adequately stocked, accounted for in a timely manner and that storage space is released through transfer.
12. Support and assist in the design, implementation, scale up and maintenance of digital platforms being introduced by SD and Health Section

Deliverables

1. Accurate budget of logistics and vaccine management plan is submitted
2. Logistics and vaccine management plan with timelines and measurable outputs is provided on monthly basis
3. Inventory and gap analysis is carried out and material assets are timely handed over to the end-users
4. At five one orientation and capacity development activity is carried out per month for the national, regional and district level stakeholder is delivered
5. Procurement services partners received support in determining specifications for the required goods and services
6. Shipping documents are accurate and correct, and accepted by the national partners
7. Vaccines, essential medical equipment and devices and other supplies are cleared from custom duties in due time
8. Vaccine arrival report (VAR) and other similar receiving reports to complete the upstream shipment process are submitted no later than 3 working days after receipt of consignment
9. Information in the RFPS is complete and accurate
10. Technical support in market review, obtaining quotations, liaising with service providers is provided
11. All health section supplies stored in the warehouses are properly accounted and released in due time.
12. Digital platforms and software designed by SD for effective vaccine management and enhance health system are studied, discussed with technical team of national partners and introduced.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• University degree in one of the disciplines relevant to the following areas: supply management, logistics, computer and information engineering, supply chain or other relevant technical areas..
• More than 5 years of experience in supply management and/or logistics, in-country delivery.
• Knowledge and experience of local requirements on supply clearance, customs codes, customs clearance system in the country.
• Working experience with international organisations, Ministry of Health and/or other health institutions.
• Good command of written English and Russian. Knowledge of Uzbek language is an asset.

Consultants will be asked to stipulate all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable. The Consultant will receive direct payment to his/her indicated bank account in Uzbek Sums based on the UN currency exchange rate.

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.