News: Chemonics Recognized as Industry Innovators for Second Year in a Row

The Government Innovation Awards, presented by Federal Computer Week, Government Computer News, Washington Technology, and Defense Systems, showcases the best examples of innovation in government IT. This year, Chemonics earned recognition under the industry innovators category for its contributions and leadership to advance the private sector’s vital role in the government IT community. The award recognizes Chemonics for advancing technologies critical to tomorrow’s government, such as a transport management tool called TransIT and an electronic proof of delivery app (ePOD).

These tools enable transportation information — anytime and anywhere — and facilitates distribution planning and delivery by harnessing the power of the cloud in remote, under-resourced locations that lack infrastructure and are often cut off from national health systems. IT has the potential to solve some of these logistical challenges and deliver essential commodities that can end poverty and contribute to vibrant markets, and Chemonics is leveraging technology’s transformative power to strengthen the health supply chain and promote meaningful change around the world.

USAID and the GHSC-PSM project are being recognized as innovators for the second consecutive year. Last year, the award recognized USAID under the public sector innovations category for its use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, to deliver lab samples and other health commodities to hard-to-reach health facilities on the GHSC-PSM project. USAID received a second award for GHSC-PSM’s introduction of new temperature and humidity monitoring sensors along health supply chains in Africa. And Chemonics was also recognized last year as an industry innovator for its “Blockchain for Biodatas” solution.

“TransIT has enabled ease to access information from the usual manual processes. It has become easy to access information and monitor [third-party logistics] 3PL performance and follow up on executed monthly distribution plans to ensure all is done within the required timeframe,” said Bawinile Moyo, GHSC-PSM’s distribution and tracking expert in Angola.

To date, the TransIT and ePOD tools have been rolled out in Angola, Cameroon, and Mozambique to track performance, location, and costs of commodities as they move through in-country networks to reach rural areas. TransIT streamlined 235 deliveries in Angola — with over 83 percent of those being on time. In Cameroon and Mozambique, both tools were used to distribute more than 320,000 long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and for tracking deliveries to a combined 803 rural health centers in real time through an Android app to date.

“Our impetus to develop TransIT was to provide a transport management system that is suitable for the context in which our supply chains function. One which enhances visibility into in-country transportation and distribution of health products, which reduces errors, enables better supply chain management decisions, digitizes and automates documentation, and mitigates audit risks,” said Scott Dubin, Warehousing and Distribution Team lead for GHSC-PSM.

Chemonics initially developed these tools with engineering help from Arizona State University to increase access to medicines and other essential commodities, empower stakeholders, and enable health supply chain actors to make data-driven decisions that fit within their geographical context. Through its innovations in drone technology, temperature sensors, and cloud-based platforms, Chemonics is optimizing the global health supply chain and advancing its mission to help people live healthier, more productive, and more independent lives.

The formal recognition for Chemonics will happen during the Government Innovation Awards dinner on November 7, 2019 at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner in Tysons Corner, Virginia.