Here are the Sunday Times questions and UNICEF’s response
Q. The Sunday Times would like to know from whom in the Health Ministry the "formal" request came? Was it an official letter or an email and who has signed it?
UNICEF received a formal request from the Ministry of Health via email.
Q. What was listed on the list of surgical consumables, medical consumables and medical equipment including 300 air purifiers/sterilizers? How many items were on the list please?
Over 161 different items were listed.
Q. Did UNICEF seek clarification/ confirmation whether due process had been followed by the Health Ministry -- whether state hospitals in fact had requested these items? Who provided the specs and technical details for the required items please (do we have a list of people involved)? Did UNICEF seek clarification/confirmation whether experts had been involved in the process? Eg. In the case of the air-purifiers whether any microbiology views had been sought or did UNICEF just take the formal request at face value?
We would suggest that you contact the Ministry of Health, who are best placed to outline their internal and technical process prior to submitting their request for procurement support.
Q. What is the price of an air-purifier and what kind of air-purifier was to be purchased? Was it the UVC type?
The technical evaluation is currently in progress with the Ministry of Health. Therefore with the procurement process currently in action, no final price has been determined. For technical specifications we suggest you contact the Ministry of Health directly.
Q. Did UNICEF check with an international agency such as the WHO whether such air-purifiers have worked in other countries, whether they are harmful etc? Or once again does UNICEF take the "formal" request of the Health Ministry at face value?
As an international UN agency, UNICEF works closely with sister agencies, including utilizing their expertise for procurement. As this procurement request came from the Ministry of Health, we suggest you contact them directly regarding the agencies they engaged.
Q. As the procurement agency, what is the responsibility of UNICEF? Is it just to act as a mailbox without any responsibility or obligation to the people of the country?
UNICEF works to protect the rights of every child in Sri Lanka. Our goal is to ensure that all of our children survive, thrive and fulfill their vast potential. As outlined in our statement, as a partner of the Government of Sri Lanka, UNICEF is working to support the Government’s emergency response to COVID-19. This support includes utilizing UNICEF’s global expertise to help procure essential medical items.
Q. How were bids invited, with no newspapers or postal services? Is it right to say that 3 days (April 14-17) were given for the bids? Were any companies approached by UNICEF or the Health Ministry to submit bids? If so, how many and how were they chosen?
Over 74 companies in Sri Lanka were invited to bid by UNICEF, with most submitting bids. All items were also submitted to UNICEF’s Supply Division and Warehouse in Denmark for costing. As mentioned, the procurement process is currently in action and has not yet been finalized.
Q. Our understanding is that specs and technical inputs should be in place before bids are entertained and that once bids are made, they are sent for technical evaluation to confirm whether those specs/technical aspects have been met. Did that not happen in this proposed procurement?
Relevant technical specifications were provided prior to the bidding process by the Ministry of Health. As outlined in our statement (3 May 2020) the Ministry of Health is currently undertaking a technical evaluation based on their specifications. We suggest you contact the Ministry of Health for further details.
Q. Why did it take a week for the bids to be forwarded by UNICEF to the Health Ministry? Did UNICEF have any processes to follow in-between?
Yes, there are several processes that UNICEF must undertake following the submission of bids. These are in-line with our global procurement.
Q. How many companies have bid for the air purifiers? Has the bid-evaluation process been finalized? Were any technical people such as microbiologists involved in this?
Multiple companies have submitted bids. The procurement is currently still in process and therefore not finalized. We suggest you contact the Ministry of Health for more details on the experts they engaged.
The follow-up questions directed to UNICEF and its response:
Q. As this is of national importance because these purchases are ultimately for the men, women and children of Sri Lanka, could UNICEF give the name of the Health Ministry official (they are PUBLIC OFFICIALS and NOT private individuals working for the benefit of the people) who signed the "formal" email please or from whom the email emanated? If UNICEF declines to do so, could the Sunday Times have reasons why this international agency is declining to do so?
UNICEF received a formal request from the Project Director, Primary Health Care System Strengthening Project, Ministry of Health via email.
Q.How did UNICEF invite over 74 companies in Sri Lanka to bid, without newspapers being printed and the postal service not working please? What was the method used? How many were asked for bids for the purchase of air-purifiers?
UNICEF contacted all 74 companies via email and telephone. As stated in our response yesterday (5 May 2020) multiple companies have submitted bids for the air-purifiers.
Q. To assure our readership of fairness, transparency and integrity with regard to bids when making procurements on behalf of Sri Lanka, could the Sunday Times know briefly what processes are followed by UNICEF in line with global procurement?
The procurement of supplies and institutional services are subject to competitive bidding following the UNICEF procurement rules and principles as outlined in the Supply Manual. UNICEF’s global procurement guidelines and information can be found online at UNICEF. org/supply
Q. Having submitted all items to UNICEF’s Supply Division and Warehouse in Denmark for costing, has the local UNICEF office got the costing for the air-purifiers? If so, what is the costing?
Yes, as outlined previously, we have sought and received costings from UNICEF’s Supply Division. As outlined in the UNICEF statement ( 3 May 2020) and previous response ( 5 May 2020) as this is an ongoing live procurement process UNICEF is unable to share the costing publicly, as this would impact the fairness and integrity of this ongoing process.