| Overview : Procurement and supply management are key elements of the grants of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria managed by UNDP and other partners in Zambia. MSL/Medical Stores Limited is the central actor of the Ministry of Health for the storage and distribution of health commodities in Zambia. The supplies for the three diseases may cater for up to 40% of the total volume of supplies handled in the public sector. The last years have been marked by a dramatic increase of total volumes of health commodities handled by MSL. At the same time there have been plans to improve the handling capacity of this supply chain with enlargement of the Lusaka stores. The lack of sufficient space at the warehouse for storage and handling of supplies is affecting capacity and quality of operations and hampering the efforts of MSL to provide quality logistics services. The same can be said for office space required for its management: the increase in volumes to be handled, increased reporting and management requirements, and a steady obsolescence of hard- software available to MSL for management of the supply chain threatens the efficiency of the whole supply chain. UNDP financed the design of a Master Plan for MSL which describes requirements, layout and overall structure for the development of Lusaka central stores. MSL is now starting the process leading to the increase of its warehouse space and upgrading of its facilities in Lusaka. UNDP-GF provides an active support to this process financing the first phase of this development, which includes a new building for dispatch operations, with truck-bay and a cold room, a new office floor and a new gate for outgoing trucks. The increase of warehouse space will be accompanied by a modernization of the structures, equipment and systems, for long term sustainability. The use of energy efficient equipment have been identified as an essential element of the infrastructure enhancement strategy. | 
