Expression of Interest for consultant to develop ‘Nepal Aushadhi Limited five-years strategic action plan’

Expression of Interest for consultant to develop 

‘Nepal Aushadhi Limited five-years strategic action plan’

Date of publication: Friday, October 9, 2024

The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is a scientific nonprofit organization that sets standards for the identity, strength, quality, and purity of medicines, food ingredients, and dietary supplements manufactured, distributed and consumed worldwide. USP’s drug standards are enforceable in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration, and these standards are used in more than 140 countries.

The Promoting the Quality of Medicines Plus (PQM+) program, funded by USAID and implemented by USP, improves access to quality-assured priority medicines and addresses the proliferation of poor- quality medical products in low- and middle-income countries.  PQM+ provides technical assistance to build in-country capacity of medicines regulatory authorities and quality assurance systems in assisted countries.  PQM+ works to improve medical product quality through cross-sectoral and systems strengthening approaches and the application of international quality assurance standards across the pharmaceutical system - within regulatory agencies, quality control laboratories, private and public manufacturing facilities and other stakeholders. By sharing scientific expertise and providing technical support and leadership, PQM+ helps create resilient and robust local health systems that address diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases, as well as improves maternal, newborn and child health.

The program is supporting Nepal Aushadhi Limited (NAL), the only public pharmaceutical manufacturer in the country to improve the product quality and increase production capacity for self-reliance in manufacturing of essential medicines. 

Objective

The major objective of this activity is to develop NAL five-years strategic plan that will support addressing the existing gaps at NAL to support fulfill the national demand of manufacturing of quality assured essential medicines. It involves an active engagement and consultation with relevant stakeholders and a review of existing NAL regulations, national guideline(s), plans, policies that support enhancing domestic manufacturing especially from the public sector.

The five-years strategy with costed implementation plan should dissect the existing gaps and propose strategies to fulfill the gaps to support the national demand of essential medicines with capacity building of human resources, increasing products range and capacity. 

The strategic plan should be developed in Nepali language aligning with standard strategic plan developed and implemented by different public health institutions in Nepal. It should include vision, mission, goals, and strategic objectives along with a costed implementation plan with an expected output for each identified sector to attain strong public pharmaceutical manufacturer as an outcome. The consultant will work alongside the technical team of PQM+ to review and finalize the draft by February 14, 2025.

Key responsibilities

1. Conduct a desk review of NAL regulations, national guideline(s), plans, policies that support enhancing domestic manufacturing especially from the public sector.
2. Identify relevant stakeholders to conduct key informant interviews after preparation of interview guide and questionnaire for key informant interview.
3. Draft NAL five-year strategy with costed implementation plan.
4. Conduct consultative meetings with stakeholders for feedback to finalize the strategic plan (in collaboration with PQM+)

Deliverable

• Policy brief based on desk review
• Key informant interview guide, questionnaires and interviews.
• Nepal Aushadi Limited five-year strategic plan 

Expected Level of Effort (LOE) 

20 days

Basic Qualifications

• Master’s degree in pharmacy, chemistry, microbiology, or related field; a higher degree will be an advantage.
• At least 10 years of experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing, regulatory, academic, or related field with experience in developing health sector strategies in Nepal.
• Experience in establishing excellent interpersonal and professional skills to interact with public, private, development sectors, and related stakeholders.
• Fluency in Nepali and English with excellent command over written Nepali.
• Demonstrated ability to supply high quality deliverables within the stipulated timeline will be preferred.
• Person with prior acquaintance with Nepal Aushadhi Limited and its works will be preferred.
• Experience of working in USAID funded program will be preferred.

Application Process

Eligible consultant/s may submit an Expression of Interest based on the above basic requirements including their consultancy fees per day/ per hour basis, CV, sample of previous work in health sector strategy, and copy of PAN/VAT registration certificate. Application should indicate the subject as “Consultant for drafting NAL five years strategic plan” and submit to usp.nepal@usp.org by October 27, 2024 (5:00 PM).

Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted for further process.