September 29, 2024

Invitation to Local Manufacturers of Liquid Oxygen in and around Zambia

The Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. (CHAI) hereby invites local manufacturers of medical liquid oxygen (LOX) in Zambia to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) for potential financial and technical support aimed at enhancing the accessibility and affordability of medical liquid oxygen in Zambia.

CHAI is a sub-grantee of FHI360 under the Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) project, an eight-year global initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This invitation for EOI should not be interpreted as a formal Call for Proposals or a Request for Tender. Any information submitted in response to this EOI is provided voluntarily and should be considered for internal purposes only. CHAI shall not be obligated to procure any goods or services described herein, nor does the issuance of this EOI constitute any commitment on the part of CHAI to engage in commercial or other business activities.

CHAI reserves the right to use the information provided by respondents for strategic decision-making, portfolio development, and internal planning purposes. This information may also inform the development of future Calls for Proposals or other solicitations. Responses to this EOI may be used as input in a potential Closed Request for Proposals (RfP) process, which could be issued at a later stage.

Eligibility Criteria

Companies interested in submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI) must meet the following criteria:

Demonstrate readiness and capacity to expand production and/or distribution capabilities to supply bulk liquid medical oxygen in domestic and/or regional markets, including Zambia or the broader SADC region.
Be capable of supplying, or have the ability to initiate the supply of, bulk medical liquid oxygen that meets the purity levels required for medical use.
Possess a proven track record as either:
- A manufacturer of high-purity oxygen, operating Air Separation Unit(s) (ASU) with liquid and/or gaseous outputs for medical or industrial purposes or
- A merchant supplier or distributor of liquid oxygen for medical or industrial use.
Hold a valid business trading license in the relevant jurisdiction.
Comply with the applicable quality assurance and regulatory standards governing their business operations.
Express a willingness to collaborate with CHAI, FHI360, and USAID to enhance medical liquid oxygen’s availability and affordability in domestic and regional markets. Companies committing to these goals may be eligible for technical and financial support to facilitate their efforts.

Submissions

When preparing your submission, please download and complete Annex A and Annex B. Additionally, ensure that your submission adheres to the CHAI Code of Conduct and Ethics for Suppliers, outlined in Annex C. All EOIs should be submitted in English and signed by an authorized representative of the respondent. A complete EOI will include the Company’s proposal (as detailed above in Section 2), and all relevant annexes requested therein. Following EOI submissions, CHAI may contact Companies individually, with requests for further information or clarification, if necessary.

Important Dates

Information Session: October 04, 2024 2 PM CAT (Link for the call will be provided a day before for those interested in attending the session)
- UPDATE: The information session will now be on October 11, 2024, 2 pm CAT
Query Submission Deadline: October 10, 2024, 5PM CAT.
- Any queries or requests for clarification regarding this EOI must be submitted via email to Zambia-tenders@clintonhealthaccess.org, quoting EOI/CHAIZM/LOX/001 in the subject line, by October 10, 2024, 5PM CAT. All responses to queries will be provided through the EOI solicitation channels and via email.
  - UPDATE: The query submission deadline is now October 15, 2024, 5 pm CAT.
Submission Deadline: October 24, 2024.
- Completed proposals must be submitted by October 24, 2024, 5PM CAT, via email to Zambia-tenders@clintonhealthaccess.org, quoting EOI/CHAIZM/LOX/001 in the subject line. If your submission exceeds 2MB and cannot be sent by email, please request an upload link by emailing Zambia-tenders@clintonhealthaccess.org with the subject line “Requesting upload link.”