The Department of Health and Aged Care is responsible for supporting the health and wellbeing of Australians by managing policies, programs, and services to deliver essential health resources across the nation.

The Department is seeking to procure warehousing and logistics services for the storage, transportation, and distribution of immunisation products, including vaccines such as the COVID-19 vaccine, throughout Australia. This contract is critical for maintaining the efficacy and safety of vaccines during distribution.

The service provider will be responsible for:

• Managing warehousing facilities that comply with all regulatory and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements.
• Handling vaccines with varying temperature requirements and providing regular reporting on temperature stability throughout the distribution process.
• Ensuring timely deliveries to 1,600 to 2,500 sites weekly, including remote and very remote locations.
• Addressing urgent delivery needs, conducting thorough analysis and reporting on any cold chain breaches, and managing inventory levels to prevent bottlenecks.

Tenderers will be evaluated on:

1. Capability (50%): Ability to handle large scale warehousing operations, maintain temperature sensitive logistics, and manage a complex supply chain
2. Capacity (30%): Sufficient resources, skilled personnel, and the infrastructure required for national distribution
3. Experience (20%): Demonstrated track record in managing similar logistics contracts, with emphasis on cold chain management
4. Compliance (20%): Adherence to the Indigenous Procurement Policy, Modern Slavery Act, and commitment to the economic benefits within Australia.

There will be an industry briefing on the 21^st of October 2024 via a webinar.

The closing time and date for responses will remain open until the 2nd of November 2024.

If you are after further advice on this topic or any tender opportunity, feel free to contact us. You can also subscribe to this newsletter for regular weekly updates.