SAME Medical Vehicle Project

SAME Medical Vehicle Project

Request for Proposals

Introduction:

In an attempt to improve the quality of living for the citizens of Sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa Mobile Enterprises (SAME) has been commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO), and as such we hereby issue this request for proposals for the design and manufacture of special high tech medical vehicles. These specially modified vehicles will bring life saving vaccinations and medical awareness training to the less developed regions of Africa.

Project Goals:

The goal of SAME is not only to improve the overall medical state of Sub-Saharan Africa, but it is also to improve the general social conditions of its inhabitants. Since the abolition of Apartheid, there have been efforts by its now democratic government to balance out the income inequalities. South Africa is still a nation where only one seventh of the population, namely the white inhabitants, enjoy incomes, material comforts, and health and educational standards equal to those of Western Europe. Most of the remaining population suffers in Third World conditions. There is vast unemployment, lack of job skills and other bleak living conditions.

SAME, with the implementation of these mobile hospitals, hopes to aid in the government’s efforts to improve the quality of living for this underprivileged group. The goal is to utilize as much of South Africa’s native human resources as possible. They will be employed not only in the manufacturing of the vehicles, but also in the management of the workers and in the development of the company. It may also be possible to recruit workers to operate the vans in the field from several local universities, which have medical programs.

In so doing, SAME hopes to aid in the development of a skilled and well-trained South African work force. The long-term goal is to invite investment into not only South Africa’s white population, but also into its native inhabitants. This will eventually facilitate the education of the majority population and therefore improve its living conditions.

Management Characteristics of the Project:

SAME is looking to create a joint venture with a company who shares its goals; scientifically, environmentally and socially. With this in mind SAME proposes that the capitalization structure for this project be: 40% Equity and the final 60% be debt in Bonds. SAME also proposes that the ownership structure of this venture be divided in a 60:40 ratio with the SAME holding the larger portion. SAME proposes that the board of this venture have a total of 9 directors 6 from SAME and the other three from the partner, and the CEO will be a SAME employee. Furthermore due to the nature of the project and the familiarity that SAME has with the local conditions and other requirements, SAME proposes that it will maintain the projects leadership

Intent:

The SAME desires the creation of flexible and mobile medical entities which have the ability to administer basic vaccinations and medical treatment and training for extended periods of time in less developed regions. These vehicles (likely taking the form of modified RV’s) must be outfitted for long term isolated operation via extra fuel tanks, a photovoltaic array and batteries, and a maximization of the interior for storage of medical supplies and food for on-board personnel. Provisions should be made for off-road travel (four wheel drive, secure equipment mounting, etc.). The photovoltaic array is a key feature of this project as it is environmentally friendly and its usefulness in providing portable renewable energy is unsurpassed. The use of recycled and recyclable materials and processes is encouraged wherever practical (a good example is a needle sterilizer as opposed to disposable syringes). It is also crucial that there be enough cold storage space for a sufficient quantity of vaccinations and treatments (Cholera, Polio, and Yellow Fever are three of the most prevalent). The field personnel will also serve as educators for the populace on topics such as hygiene, STD transmission and infection, and other health related issues.

Specific Criteria:

Proposals should cover the following criteria that will be used for evaluation by SAME:

·  A modular design that can be implemented without the need for extremely customized tools or materials.

·  Design must allow the creation of a minimum of 100 vehicles during a one-year time span.

·  The design must also allow for the easy repair and/or replacement of defective components by field personnel with a minimum of down time. This will be aided by the use of commonly available materials and parts in the design (i.e. minimize the amount of custom-built components).

·  Workspace for preparing vaccinations. (Mixing chemicals, sterilizing syringes, paperwork, etc.)

·  All internal energy requirements (except propulsion) will be met by photovoltaic cells that utilize the abundant solar energy available in those regions.

Examples of on-board systems are:

·  GPS, cellular phone, laptop computer, and/or satellite communications equipment

·  Vaccination refrigerator and freezer (minimum of 6 cubic feet, larger size is strongly encouraged)

·  Internal electric lighting sufficient for lighting the workspace. Also, investigate the possibility of low consumption exterior lighting.

·  An onboard fan for ventilation in the vehicle which should be on all the time

·  A second small refrigerator to be used by the crew for food storage.

·  Extra fuel tanks to extend the vehicle’s range and duration of independent operation (500+ miles).

Deadlines:

Proposals must be submitted by November 18, 1998. Besides detailed technical content, proposals should include a budget and a time frame for implementation.

Notes:

It may be possible to secure sources of foreign aid from Transnational Organizations such as the IMF, or the World Bank, and nations such as the United States, UK, Japan, and members of the EU. The project may also attract the attention of governments and organizations in other parts of the world such as Asia or South America, for orders at a later date. This would result in a much larger scale of manufacture. Therefore, the design should incorporate easily found and readily available components. The closer to a flexible assembly line production the project is, the better.