Provision of Warehouse Digitalization Solutions (RFI)
Contractor: United Nations Global Service Centre, Brindisi – Italy
Closing Date for Receipt of RFI: 12 November
The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to provide the UN Global Service Centre (UNGSC) with the latest knowledge and capabilities of the market with respect to newest technologies, solutions, systems, potential vendors on warehouse digitalization. The gathered information will be used to determine the technologies feasibility, scope, cost estimate, timeframe, and resources required by the UN. UN expects to follow this RFI with a Request for Proposal (RFP) for warehouse digitalization solutions that will be able to meet the operational requirements of the United Nations Global Service Centre (UNGSC).
Background information: The UNGSC acts inter alia as a depot of strategic goods in support of United Nations Field Operations. The assortment of such goods varies between high value fixed assets such as specialized plant and equipment such as transport or engineering kits, life support supplies such as furniture or medical equipment, or consumables of all sorts. The portfolio consists of approximately 8,000 SKU. The UNGSC facilities are made up by 16 different types of warehouses and considerable outdoor yard space where containers (approx. 1,500 TFE) are stored. Only a minority of goods are shelved with the majority stored in containers or on the ground (outdoor yards or inside hangars).
UNGSC is predominately a distribution center for goods to be forwarded to centralized warehouses in field entities for fulfillment. Some products are being customized or enhanced (e.g. vehicles) others being assembled or kitted (e.g. communication shelters) prior distribution. Turnover of goods varies between categories, but it is anticipated that a new concept of operations will accelerate inventory rotation in most categories and hence the workload of logistics activities on the base will therefore increase proportionally.
Currently all activities in the warehouse from receiving to outbound shipping are performed manually with electronic transactions (data entry) recorded in SAP post facto with the related disadvantages of delays and inaccuracies caused by the gap in time between physical activity and electronic recording and disjointed processes.
The UNGSC objective is to enhance and expedite its inventory/warehouse management, increase accuracies, and create real time visibility by means of technology. All solutions must be compatible with the available ERP system (SAP). The desired output is automatization of warehouse activities and digitization or processes with an outcome of enhanced accuracies and visibility throughout the supply chain.
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