Through the AHF contribution, UNHCR will procure and preposition up to 4,634 UNHCR tents in UNHCR warehouses in Kabul, Herat, Balkh, Nangarhar and Kandahar, so that in the event of a crisis, the emergency shelter/NFI cluster can provide urgent, timely and lifesaving response for up to 32,438 beneficiaries. The procurement of the tents will be carried out in line with UNHCR’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) which aim to
Ensure compliance to IPSAS 12
Ensure proper receipt of the tents delivered by air amp road freight at the various destinations
Securing the tents against physical damage and loss
Ensure inventory visibility in MSRP and maintain a record of receipt amp issuance
Analysing the demand for tents and forecasting their release from arriving stock
Monitoring the delivery performance of air amp road freight service providers and taking corrective action/s
If necessary, maintaining stock records and ensuring the accuracy of these records
Keeping records of all activities and providing reports on inventory management performance
Ensure timely flow of accurate information between all stakeholders (UNHCR SMLS, UNHCR Afghanistan, suppliers of the tents, transport service providers, local authorities, NFIs/Shelter Cluster Partners, etc)
The procurement of the tents is carried out under through established vendors/factories in Pakistan and arrange transportation from Pakistan through existing global frame agreements. As mentioned above the tents will be stored at the five UNHCR online warehouses Kabul, Herat, Balkh, Nangarhar and Kandahar until distribution takes place. UNHCR is able to track the items in its online warehouses through its internal monitoring systems and given the high value of the items, the tents procured through the AHF contribution will be stored in those warehouses. In the event of a crisis and the needs arise, UNHCR will ensure distribution through its partners and in coordination with the emergency shelter/NFI cluster. UNHCR has 25 implementing partners in 2019, which includes partners specifically for assessments and distribution. However its important to note here that UNHCR reviews its implementing partners on annual basis and this activity focuses on prepositioning only with an as yet undecided distribution date, which has an impact on the implementing partners for distribution. For logistics activities UNHCR’s implementing partner in 2019 is the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and in 2020, it will be the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Through global frame agreements spearheaded through UNHCR HQ, UNHCR ensures that the tents meet global standards. Each tent consists of an inner and out tent. The inner tent is square shaped and is hanging inside the outer tent structure. All dimensions are meant to allow a 10 cm air gap betweenthe outer tent and the inner tent. At the ground sheet level it is hooked to the outer tent D-rings with 6 elastic webbings and plastic hooks of 20 mm width. The inner tent can be partitioned with the same material in the middle dividing the tent into two equal segments in shorter transverse direction. The inner tent has a chimney reinforcement, 2 windows, 2 doors and 2 vents. General specifications on UNHCR tents can be found here (https://bit.ly/2ptl2xE) . The tents will part of the emergency shelter package provided to beneficiaries that also includes two pieces of plastic tarpaulin, as per the standards of the emergency shelter/ NFI cluster which is led by UNHCR, and co-chaired by IOM. In addition to the procurement of tents 4.634 tents, the project also covers the transportation of the tents to Kabul via road from Pakistan in 15 containers (40 foot) as well as inspection services and the insurance for the cargo during internal transportation from the warehouses to final distribution points .