Tamil Nadu floats global tender for 3.5 crore doses of Covid vaccine

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC)has floated global tenders for 3.5 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines - oral, injectable, liquid or freeze dried -- that can be stored at 2 to 8 degrees celsius. The vaccines should have a shelf life of at least six months.
The TNMSC, which procures medicines and equipment for government hospitals, has specified that winning bidders should complete delivery of the stock within 180 days of the purchase order. "Time is the essence in a pandemic. We want supplies to reach us early so we vaccinate maximum people at the earliest," said a senior official.
The tender says that if the bidder is a vaccine manufacturer, the company should have delivered at least 200 million doses - 50 million in the last one year - to any of the countries. Bidders who are not manufacturers must have supplied at least 50 million doses -- 25 million doses in the last one year-anywhere in the world.
The TNMSC reserved the right to split the order to more than one bidder depending on factors such as delivery schedule, and the right to purchase more than one vaccine at a differential price based on cost, efficacy and availability. The technical bids will be opened on June 5. "There are 3.65 crore people in the 18-44 age group. The aim is to cover 70 per cent of them. This means we will need 5 crore vaccines for 2.5 crore people. While 1.5 crore doses are being procured by Tamil Nadu through the Union government's allotment from the two Indian manufacturers, the remaining 3.5 crore doses are being tried through the global tender," a senior official said.