PROCUREMENT OF COVID-19 PPE IN THE USA
COVID- 19 is a pandemic that has disrupted normalcy in many parts of the world, including the United States of America. This being the response phase since the epidemic has already occurred, disaster logistics are expected to act fast to ensure that the gap between aid materials to the affected areas is narrowed to save lives and reduce the damage done. Logistics plays an essential role in relief operations that are part of COVD-19 management. The USA has over 70 tons of Personal Protective Equipment lying around in the warehouses since there is no one to handle the logistics. This is a significant challenge that the nation needs to address since people need these PPEs as a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Logistics in the USA need to come together to restore daily supplies of PPEs to sustain the basic needs of citizens who are facing this pandemic. This is important mainly because this disaster has disrupted the nation’s supply chains and prompted the ravaging of local stocks because of the calamity. Logistics efforts need to come together to bridge the gap between the PPEs availability and the affected areas and people by ensuring efficient flow systems. Given that COVID-19 8s highly unstable, Logistics in the country’s needs to be flexible in relation to change. They should expect the unexpected and when presented by such challenges be able to adapt as expected.
Logistics is at the center of management of COVID- 19 given that it serves as a link between preparedness and response, procurement and distribution systems. For successful disaster logistics it is essential that there is adequate planning and forecasting. Covid-19 outbreak is not something that could have been anticipated. The outbreak was unexpected and as a result there was no adequate time for the procurement of PPEs, filling of inventories, packaging in warehouses and transportation to various parts of the USA. The logistics in the nation was not just set to handle this kind of situation seeing that it is not one that can be forecasted.
The problems in purchasing of PPEs are driven by the long procurement processes. COVID- 19 is an emergency so when the process is not shortened to suit the market demands, a crisis is created. Shortages in essential equipment leads to purchase from traders who are not accredited causing accumulations of the products from approved producers. Most purchasing firms do not have huge budgets to meet such a crisis hence limitations in cash leads to delays in procurement of the equipment. With the increased immediate demand for PPEs it became a problem for the PPEs to be procured and distributed to the users. This implies that there is a need for situational case analysis and strategic planning to ensure that PPEs are purchased and supplied to the users all around the country.
For the white house coronavirus task force, it is essential that the gap existing between what the private health sector can make available for healthcare end users and what is actually needed to fight the pandemic is a key priority. To support this task force, FEMA created a supply chain task force as part of the response to this pandemic. This supply chain stabilization task force was formed to help in the sourcing of PPEs as well as ventilators along with critical resources that the nation’s states require to deal with Covid-19. The task force is set to find and execute solutions that meet the urgent demand of PPEs and enable the government to surge support to the arising COVID-19 hot spots.
The supply chain task force utilizes a four pronged approach to ensure that PPEs reach the healthcare end users. The task force is developing and verifying various techniques through which the PPEs can be recycled and encouraging people to follow Centers of disease control guidelines on how to use and reuse PPEs properly so as to preserve current PPEs supplies. To meet the demands of the market, the task force is accelerating the movement of PPEs from the market to suppliers and enhancing manufacturing industries by promoting stabilization of the supply chain through the engagement of manufacturers, distributors and healthcare networks. The task force is also focusing on ensuring that PPEs are allocated to the areas with the highest raising number of COVID-19 causalities while considering the at risk populations too.
Blind bidding is a common purchasing process that has proven to be unsuccessful in the procurement of PPEs to address COVID-19 crisis since states have been forced to compete against each other PPEs supplies. Blind bidding so far has not been a good idea given that it is prompting confusion on the suppliers’ part. Blind bidding may render the attempts being made by the task force in relation to resource allocation useless and many Americans may fail to get adequate access to the much needed PPEs. This is because contracts for the supply of PPEs will only be given to states with heavier checks with which they use to secure the supplies. It is therefore not advisable to use blind bidding as a method of purchasing.
The efficient coordination of logistics is very crucial in the management of the COVID-19 crisis. Every piece of PPE lying in warehouses could save lives. Huge investments ought to be made in preparations and preparedness responses as this predicts the outcome. During response initiatives, priorities must be set and fulfilled. Successful planning and implementation of logistics increases success in handling the pandemic.