Overview

Supply Chain Management System (SCMS), established in 2005, supplied lifesaving medicines to HIV and AIDS programs in 17 US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) countries around the world. Led by the Partnership for Supply Chain Management, a nonprofit organization established by MSH and John Snow, Inc., the 13 SCMS private sector, nongovernmental, and faith-based partners worked to strengthen supply chains, enable the scale-up of HIV and AIDS treatment.

Funded by PEPFAR, SCMS helped deliver an uninterrupted supply of high-quality, affordable products including antiretroviral drugs; drugs to treat opportunistic infections such as TB; and drugs and supplies for palliative and home-based care, HIV rapid test kits, and laboratory equipment.

The project focused on improving forecasting (to determine what drugs were really needed), aggregating demand and negotiating lower prices, and bringing the delivery mechanism closer to the point of use through regional warehouses.