Procurement of WHO-prequalified immunization products contributes to WHO's goal of increasing the uptake and use of appropriate, quality-assured immunization equipment and devices. WHO-prequalified products offer procurers:

• assurance that the products procured meet international standards for quality and safety and the evolving needs of national immunization programmes
• better value for money because evaluation of products for prequalification takes into account the various and challenging operating conditions of the environments within which the Expanded Programme for Immunization (EPI) operates as well as the need to minimize product maintenance and running costs.

The procurement of WHO-prequalified products helps safeguard the potency of vaccines used in national EPI programmes. Moreover, the introduction of newer and more expensive vaccines is more secure when supported by WHO-prequalified products.

Useful prequalification outputs and information for procurers

UN and other procurement partners will find useful information about the procurement of IMD-PQS prequalified products on this website:

• Benefits of WHO immunization devices prequalification ― what WHO immunization devices prequalification brings to its different stakeholders
• Procurement of prequalified products ― complete instructions on how to procure prequalified products
• Catalogue of IMD-PQS prequalifed products ― extensive information on the different categories of immunization devices that WHO prequalifies, on those products that are prequalified, as well as category documentation, prequalification guidance for manufacturers and suppliers, and supporting information for users
• Recently-withdrawn products ― information about products that have recently lost prequalified status and that can no longer be procured by UN agencies
• Guidance on selecting appropriate products ― guidance and tools for exploring comparative performance figures and prices, and find products to meet the operational needs and challenges of EPI environments
• IMD-PQS performance specifications ― each specification describes the specific environment in which the relevant prequalified product will operate and the functional requirements that it must fulfill in order to operate successfully in that environment
• Post-marketing monitoring ― collection of information and operational feedback about product performance in immunization operating environments
• Market information ― information about the markets for quality-assured immunization devices
• Product innovation ― how IMD-PQS and users contribute to improving the quality and reliability of immunization products
• Key contacts ― the key persons who can be contacted regarding different aspects of prequalification of immunization devices.