OECS Media Release
Friday, March 17, 2023 — The OECS Pooled Procurement Service (PPS) convened its 1st Meeting of the Tenders and Technical Advisory Committee in Saint Lucia on March 7 – 8, 2023. The Meeting reviewed Bids and Tenders submitted by suppliers, the award of contracts for Laboratory and Diagnostic Commodities for the Tender cycle 2023 – 2025, and Quality Assurance.
The meeting was chaired by the Head of the OECS- Pooled Procurement Services, Roselyn Opel and was attended by Laboratory Managers, Directors, Pathologists, and other Laboratory Personnel from each of the nine participating OECS Members States: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“The Importance of Essential Invitro Diagnostics List” by Valerie Wilson, Director, Caribbean Med Labs Foundation (CMLF).
The Tenders Committee awarded tenders for 47 products from the list of 129 submitted products and agreed to re-tender for the rest of the products. The committee also agreed to expand the list of products to be included in the re-tender and future tenders through the Pooled Procurement Mechanism.
The head of the OECS-PPS also requested that Member States commit to timely funding of their ECCB accounts to ensure that suppliers are paid on time to avoid any service disruptions.
The Technical Advisory Committee agreed to pursue a strategy to oversee the harmonization of Laboratory Products, standardization of equipment and contracts where possible, and development and ratification of both National and Regional Essential Diagnostic Lists in line with WHO guidelines.