Head in the Cloud: new tech partner to support FP supply chain data visibility platform

E2open has been selected to provide the technology to support the Global FP VAN (Family Planning Visibility and Analytics Network) virtual collaborative platform. SaaS provider E2open works to enable the largest and most complex supply chains to better plan, execute and collaborate. Using this platform, family planning (FP) supply chain players, from procurers to national warehouse managers, will be able to see the same data and make supply chain decisions together.

Using this platform, FP supply chain players will be able to see the same data and make supply chain decisions together

The platform will capture data from many sources, facilitate data harmonization and consolidate tools for supply chain players to use. With the platform, these players will be able to collectively estimate and prioritize supply needs, take action more easily when supply imbalances loom, and advocate for funding when necessary.

Since September 2017, RHSC has been working with the FP community on system selection for the Global FP VAN. E2open and all the other bidders underwent a rigorous tendering process that included a collaborative requirement-setting phase, proposal submission, demonstrations, and review by an evaluation committee. 

How did the various Global FP VAN stakeholders, each with their own needs and priorities, choose a single technology vendor to satisfy them all? As part of the tendering process, both stakeholders and bidding vendors received access to an interactive web-based software called Basecamp. Basecamp allowed partners to see different documents simultaneously as they were developed, formulate questions, share feedback, and develop final system requirements together. These requirements were then validated by 23 community endorsers and steering committee members and used in proposal development and scoring.

The tendering process took teamwork to a new level

The process took teamwork to a new level. “For the Global FP VAN – and for that matter the RHSC – collaboration and a level playing field are key priorities,” says Global FP VAN Director Julia White. “Through the selection process, we wanted to forge a transparent, collective “ask” of the vendors and see, objectively, who could offer the best solution in response.” 

E2open hosts more than 60,000 trading partners on its network

The process led naturally to the selection of E2open. It hosts more than 60,000 trading partners on its network – from raw material suppliers to retailers and consumers – and a range of solutions to support mission-critical supply chain activities. It supports global corporations such as Dell, HP, Microsoft, Nokia, Procter and Gamble, Unilever, and Intel, to run complex and responsive multi-enterprise supply chains. “We are a company founded on the principle of collaboration amongst community members,” says Senior Vice-President of Product Management and Strategy, Pawan Joshi. “We’re honored to support the family planning community and to help assure product choice availability to the end user, while giving visibility to partners so they can effectively allocate supply.” 

With E2open on board, next steps will involve launching and field-testing the Global FP VAN in Malawi and Nigeria, with four manufacturers (Bayer AG, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp, Mylan Laboratories Ltd. and Shanghai Dahua Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd) and two product families -- implants and oral contraceptives.

For more information, please contact Julia White on jwhite@rhsupplies.org.