pooled procurement mechanism

ABSTRACT The shift to co-financing for many countries implementing Global Fund grants has civil society groups worried that as countries take over procurement of drugs and commodities, they may increase the risk of stockouts or the procurement of low-quality items. While acknowledging the difficulty of transition, Global Fund officials dispute this characterization, saying that protections are in place to help prevent this from happening.

ABSTRACT This article summaries the Office of the Inspector General’s OIG Audit Report on the Global Fund’s procurement and supply chain management in the period 2019-2020 and includes the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report covers a complex subject with clarity and shows that there is much to do to improve procurement and supply management and reporting.

ABSTRACT Procurement via the pooled procurement mechanism and Wambo.org reduces the purchasing capacity of national agencies and deprives them of resources necessary for their survival and activities. Those agencies then inflate the prices of commodities that are not subsidized, which raises equity questions for those requiring treatment for other diseases.

ABSTRACT Several developments relating to the Global Fund and COVID-19 in Africa have been published. These include the impact of COVID-19 on malaria control thus far; the measures the Global Fund has taken to address financial and procurement irregularities in Kenya; as well as the development of a quick and affordable approach to COVID-19 testing in Kenya.

RÉSUMÉ Cet article résume le rapport d'audit du Bureau de l'Inspecteur général sur la gestion des achats et de la chaîne d'approvisionnement du Fonds mondial pour la période 2019-2020 et inclut les effets de la pandémie de COVID-19. Le rapport couvre un sujet complexe avec clarté et montre qu'il y a beaucoup à faire pour améliorer la gestion des achats et des approvisionnements et le rapportage.

ABSTRACT The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) is the government body authorized to procure and distribute Global Fund-supported health commodities. KEMSA obtains competitive prices compared to the Global Fund’s Pooled Procurement Mechanism, stock-outs of health commodities happen rarely, and orders are delivered on time. This article shows how – in some cases – a country’s independent procurement, if well managed, can work as well as the Fund’s pooled procurement.

ABSTRACT An investigation by the Office of the Inspector General found that a local supplier in Burkina Faso delivered 35 counterfeit motorbikes to the principal recipient of a TB grant. The investigation also revealed that the PR did not take appropriate action in awarding a contract to the supplier and in responding to the fraudulent activities once they became known.

ABSTRACT The Global Fund’s online marketplace, wambo.org, will be allowed to facilitate, on a pilot basis, 10 procurements by principal recipients using domestic funding. Up to now, only implementers using grant funds have been able to place purchase requisitions on the platform.

ABSTRACT In addition to developing a new supply chain strategy, the Global Fund will conduct supply chain diagnostic studies in 12 countries and use these to develop specific plans to strengthen supply chain systems.