Logistics/Supply chain specialist (National)

Contract

This is a National Consultant contract. More about National Consultant contracts.

Background

UNDP is a key partner to the Global Fund (GF) in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In Zimbabwe, UNDP is the UN agency serving as Principal Recipient (PR) of Global Fund HIV/AIDS grants. In its role as PR for the HIV grant, UNDP responsibilities include ensuring quality financial management, accountability, transparency, timely procurement of health products and supplies, and efficient monitoring of service delivery. Implementation of the grants is done through Sub-Recipients (SRs), and UNDPs responsibilities include oversight and capacity strengthening of these SRs. Also, since 2015, UNDP has provided Fund Administrator (FA) Support Services to the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), the PR for the Malaria and Tuberculosis (TB) grants in Zimbabwe.

Procurement and Supply Management (PSM) of health products form a major portion of the budget and expenditure of the Global Fund grants. As the PR for the HIV grant, UNDP’s responsibilities include the proper storage and distribution of the health products procured using grant resources throughout the in-country supply chain down to the last mile and service delivery. In the past few years, verifications and audits conducted by UNDP and external entities have raised concerns about conditions under which health products are stored at the central stores at NatPharm and at health facilities. In addition, expiries of health products and variances in stocks at both health facilities and NatPharm stores have been reported. In partnership with the MoHCC and other Health Development Partners, there are ongoing efforts to strengthen the supply chain system, improve and optimize inventory management to ensure that health products are accounted for and also kept under recommended standard conditions and to ensure the interrupted availability at service delivery level throughout the country.?

In an effort to strengthen its oversight on health products end to end supply chain, UNDP recently recruited a Procurement and Supply Chain Analyst (PSCA) who is stationed at NatPharm. The officer supports the oversight of the contractual agreement between NatPharm and UNDP to store and deliver health product procured with grant funds and the ongoing implementation of the NatPharm warehouse management Improvement Master Plan. To complement that role, UNDP is now seeking the services of a Health Product (HP) Logistics/Supply Chain Specialist to oversee the downstream supply chain system of products procured with grant funds to ensure that products are adequately delivered, stored and distributed according to the needs down to the last mile.

Under the overall guidance of the Procurement and Supply Management (PSM) Specialist of UNDP/PMU, the HP Logistics/Supply Chain Specialist will be responsible for oversight of health products procured with grant resources and delivered from NatPharm to all HFs to ensure uninterrupted availability of health products at service delivery levels according to good storage and distribution practices. The officer will also work in close collaboration with the NatPharm Operation Manager and the PSCA to coordinate efforts, in particular, monitoring and reporting activities

The HP Logistics/Supply Chain Specialist promotes a collaborative, client-focused, quality and results-oriented approach in the team and works in close collaboration with the programme, the logistic department of the MoHCC and other operations staff within the Global Fund Project Management Unit (PMU) of UNDP, the Procurement Support Office in Copenhagen, Health Implementation Support Team (HIST) and the Sub-Recipients.

Duties and Responsibilities

The HP Logistics/Supply Chain Specialist will undertake the following tasks:

1. Provide oversight on all health products’ inventory management, logistics and supply chain processes at the Health facility level with regular facility visits to.

• Ensure that all pharmaceutical and other health products and equipment delivered to health facilities are received as per the national procedures and records are well kept;
• Ensure adequate recording of stock at health facilities level, including but not limited to health products redistributed among health facilities and Natpharm branches;
• Review reports submitted by PSM stakeholders, and Service Agents; prepare monthly reconciliations of stock received and delivered, and follow up on discrepancies to close them with relevant agencies;
• In collaboration with PSCA and MoHCC Logistics team, ensure that the health facilities store, distribute and maintain an efficient logistics management information system (LMIS) for pharmaceutical, health products and equipment in line with WHO’s Good Storage and Distribution Practices;
• Conduct spot checks and liaise with the national oversight/Monitoring and Evaluation body, when required;
• Provide advice and technical support to HF personnel on storage good practices and other health products management activities;
• Ensure that equipment is correctly installed, user training is provided, optimally utilized, and maintenance is implemented at health facilities;
• In collaboration with the PSCA manage and coordinate the implementation of action plans to address management actions communicated through GF Management letters.
• Manage and coordinate action plans to address LFA, OAI, OIG and other audit recommendations at facility level and related to health product management
• In collaboration with PSCA, MoHCC Logistics team and other stakeholders, ensure progressive and significant reduction in the quantities of health products that expire at all levels of the supply chain through introduction of relevant mitigating measures

2. Provide support to the downstream supply chain management

• Perform field visits to warehouses /pharmacy stores at health facilities to monitor adherence to quality standards for storage conditions as per the Global Fund and UNDP rules and regulations as well as QA policies.
• Conduct on-site data verification for supply chain such as completeness and accuracy of stock recording and reporting.
• In collaboration with the SCA, develop a measurement and monitoring tool for selected supply chain KPIs, create dashboard to visualize KPIs and follow up on implementation and reporting on the KPIs
• Liaise closely with Engineers from UNDP and Public Works in the implementation of ongoing infrastructure activities to strengthen the supply chain system e.g. construction/renovations to improve storage spaces and conditions, installation of solar systems, etc.
• Attend all PSM TWG meetings, including the semi-annual quantification exercises

3. Working with PSM Manager, provide support to quality monitoring activities:

• support downstream quality monitoring activities as per the Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) developed by the drug regulatory authority at the health facility level such as temperature monitoring and control, adequate storage space, expiry products management.
• Draft relevant audit responses for observations in the area of PSM and SR management;

4. Other Tasks required include the following:

• Support the downstream implementation of eLMIS projects down to the health facility level.
• Support the implementation of national waste management plan.
• Work with relevant parties to ensure health product safety and stock accountability at health facility level
• Participate in all PSM stakeholders meeting and provide technical support to mitigate risks of stock outs and overstock at health facility level.
• Perform other health products management related tasks as may be determined.

Results/Expected Outputs

• Efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to the management of Global Fund grant by the UNDP PMU and its partners in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including:
• Effective oversight of partners’ PSM processes through reviewed and reconciled monthly reports from PSM Logistics Agents on logistics performance, health product stock status, including stock on hand, products received, consumption and distribution data, quality assurance reports, expiries, near expiries and other inventory management reports;
• Quality monitoring activities through field visits and completion of reports and on-site data verification reports from conducted visits.
• Risks managed and corrective measures are put into practice in a timely manner following audit and review, with completed reports on follow-up with Sub-recipients’ and implementation of audit and Local Fund Agent (LFA) recommendations.
• Comprehensive Quarterly report on the downstream supply chain KPIs
• The development of capacity through coaching, mentoring and formal on-the-job training, when working with (including supervising) national staff or (non-) governmental counterparts, including Implementing Partners (IPs).
• Provide quarterly report on the status of implementation of LFA, OAI, OIG and other audit recommendations.

Expected deliverables:

Each Month the consultant is expected to share the following deliverables with UNDP, upon the level of satisfaction mon the payment will be made

Area 1: Provide oversight on all health products’ inventory management, logistics and supply chain processes at the Health facility level with regular health facility visits?

Deliverable 1: Reports on health products received by the health facilities addressing points A to F.

Payment: 50%

Area 2: Provide support to the downstream supply chain management

Deliverable 2: Field report + KPIs report + any work done during the month to improve the storage conditions.

Payment: 25%

Area 3: Provide support to quality monitoring activities

Deliverable 3:

1. Report on work done on implementation of eLMIS projects.
2. Report on work done on implementation of national waste management plan and QA plan at HFs level.

3. Documents supporting the Work with relevant parties to ensure health product safety and stock accountability at health facility level

   Payment: 25%

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN values and ethical standards
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

Functional Competencies

• Demonstrates capacity to plan and organize ones work effectively, including support to design, planning and implementation of projects, management of data and reporting.
• Strong analytical skills and strategic thinking, including a sound understanding of the framework of UNDP’s cooperation with the GFATM.
• Focuses on impact and results for the client and responds positively to feedback.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
• Demonstrates resourcefulness, initiative and ability to meet tight deadlines.
• Builds strong relationships with internal and external clients, including the Global Fund and the UN family of agencies.
• Uses knowledge and reasoning to identify the strength and weaknesses of alternate solutions, conclusions and approaches to problems.
• Ability to perform a variety of specialized activities related to contract and procurement management.
• Ability to provide input to business processes re-engineering.
• Remains calm, in control and good humoured even under pressure.
• Demonstrates openness to change.
• Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development.
• Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture in the office.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in Public Health, Pharmacy or Supply Management, Experience and skills:

• Minimum of 7 years professional experience in similar capacity, preferably in humanitarian context.
• Experience and knowledge of the national supply chain system
• Technical background and/or experience in medical logistic and inventory management systems
• Experience in Health Logistic Management Information Systems/ERP
• Effectively manages own work related to multiple tasks or activities.
• Responds quickly to emergencies with a solution or a decision.
• Strong IT skills.
• Knowledge of UN or UNDP procurement policies and procedures is an advantage
• Good communication skills

Language Requirements: Fluency in English

Application Procedure

Step 1: Interested individual consultants must include the following documents when submitting the applications in UNDP job shop (Please note that only 1 (one) file can be uploaded therefore please include all docs in one file):

Personal History Form (P11), indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references (the template can be downloaded from this link:

http://sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc

Technical Proposal indicating prosed approach to the assignment

Step 2: Submission of Financial Proposal

Applicants are instructed to upload their financial proposals using the Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability indicating an all-inclusive daily rate in USD using the financial proposal template available on the attached documents

The term ‘all-inclusive” implies that all costs (monthly professional fees, travel related expenses if applicable, communications, utilities, consumables, insurance, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the financial proposal

ANNEX 2 - INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS is provided here:

https://popp.undp.org/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc=/UNDP_POPP_DOCUMENT_LIBRARY/Public/AC_Anti-Fraud_General Conditions of Contract for Individual Contracts.pdf