Context

Building on the U.S. Government Global Health Supply Chain Program-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project, the U.S. Government identified an opportunity to further strengthen Zambia’s public sector supply chain, with a focus on enhancing transportation and distribution management through third- and fourth-party logistics services. The objective was to improve distribution planning, optimize distribution networks, provide effective logistics management for last-mile delivery, enhance information sharing across the supply chain, and promote stronger ownership and sustained investment from the Zambian government. The Program for Advancing Supply Chain Outcomes (PASCO) was a commodity distribution initiative designed to strengthen existing supply chain systems and improve the availability of healthcare commodities in remote communities across Zambia.

The Opportunity

Connexi provided comprehensive supply chain expertise across Zambia’s ten provinces, including remote areas. We established key performance indicators and developed optimized distribution frameworks to enhance process efficiency and provide risk management insights. Additionally, Connexi developed a robust Commodity Security Risk Management plan to track and classify supply chain incidents. To strengthen the sustainability of local operations, Connexi stood up a team of Zambian logistics and managerial staff responsible for ensuring the implementation of effective standard operating procedures.

Results

Connexi successfully coordinated logistics for over 1,140 destinations, issued more than 190 purchase orders, and managed 3,746 deliveries with 3PL subcontractors from the Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency warehouses – all while maintaining a 90% on-time delivery rate. A robust Commodity Security Risk Management plan was established alongside these deliveries to identify and classify 61 supply chain incidents, revealing crucial insights for effective supply chain management and root cause analysis. More broadly, Connexi established operational procedures and empowered the local workforce, optimizing performance and supporting the U.S. Government’s long-term goals.