Logistics Marketplace Launches Transparency In Fragmented Market
Did you know that up to 50 per cent of vaccines are wasted due to poor logistics systems? A pervasive problem where frequent stockouts of critical medicines sometimes affect more than a third of essential supplies.
Tragically, lives are lost not solely because essential products don’t exist, but because they cannot be seamlessly delivered. Despite increased spending from donors and governments on essential health services, a staggering amount of all purchased products never reach those who need them most. Unlike in more advanced economies, where logistics providers are easily found, Africa and other underserved markets lack centralised infrastructure for connecting those in need with reliable logistics services.
Conceived by public health supply chain expert and global good advocate Scott Dubin, The Logistics Marketplace, a first-of-its-kind global good designed to strengthen health and humanitarian supply chains in Africa and underserved markets, has officially launched. This innovative digital platform centralises the discovery of logistics providers. It streamlines the procurement of logistics services, making it easier for public health stakeholders – governments, global health partners, humanitarian response organisations, international and UN organisations, manufacturers and distributors – to find, assess, and engage logistics providers.
It addresses long-standing inefficiencies in health and humanitarian supply chains rooted in limited provider identification, service offerings, access, and slow procurement workflows.
Through an openly accessible Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform, this global good connects buyers and logistics providers, streamlines procurement processes, and brings transparency to fragmented logistics markets. By centralising provider discovery, engagement and tendering within a single, secure interface – at no cost to eligible organisations – the platform contributes to strengthening health and humanitarian supply chains and empowers governments, global health partners, humanitarian response organisations, and others in their activities to improve access to quality logistics services.
Dubin, Supply Chain Private Sector Engagement Advisor at The Global Fund, said, “In too many low- and middle-income countries, it’s not a lack of infrastructure that slows the movement of life-saving health and humanitarian products, it’s the difficulty of finding the right logistics partners. The Logistics Marketplace is designed to solve that problem. By giving buyers real-time visibility into the range of providers operating in a country, and giving providers a platform to showcase their capabilities, we’re reducing friction, increasing competition, and ultimately helping supply chains run smarter and faster.”
Designed to evolve as supply chain needs grow, the platform serves the full ecosystem of health supply chain stakeholders including:
- Buyers – Seek and manage outsourced logistics services. Use the platform to discover logistics providers, post logistics tenders, and manage logistics sourcing in one place.
Eligible organisations: governments, global health partners, humanitarian response organisations, manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors, and others.
- Providers – Seek business opportunities and offer logistics services. Showcase your services in your company profile, respond to tenders, and grow your business. It helps you stand out and compete, especially in health and humanitarian supply chains.
Eligible organisations: transporters (road, air, rail, water), warehouse providers, cold chain specialists, and others offering specialised logistics services.
- Hybrid users (coming soon) – Seek, manage, and offer logistics services. Organisations that play dual roles – sourcing logistics while also delivering services – can use the platform flexibly. Submit tenders and bid on them, partner with providers, or promote your services.
Eligible organisations: freight forwarders, 3PL and 4PL providers, and technical assistance providers.
Lantos Pin, Health Supply Chain Expert, said this was, “exactly the kind of solution health supply chains have needed for years, saving time and money to identify and engage providers – a much-needed step to solving these systemic challenges at scale.”
