SAME Medical Vehicle Project
Request for Proposals
Introduction:
In an attempt to improve the quality of living for the citizens of Sub-Saharan
Africa, South Africa Mobile Enterprises (SAME) has been commissioned by the World
Health Organization (WHO), and as such we hereby issue this request for proposals for
the design and manufacture of special high tech medical vehicles. These specially
modified vehicles will bring life saving vaccinations and medical awareness training to
the less developed regions of Africa.
Project Goals:
The goal of SAME is not only to improve the overall medical state of SubSaharan Africa, but it is also to improve the general social conditions of its inhabitants.
Since the abolition of Apartheid, there have been efforts by its now democratic
government to balance out the income inequalities. South Africa is still a nation where
only one seventh of the population, namely the white inhabitants, enjoy incomes, material
comforts, and health and educational standards equal to those of Western Europe. Most
of the remaining population suffers in Third World conditions. There is vast
unemployment, lack of job skills and other bleak living conditions.
SAME, with the implementation of these mobile hospitals, hopes to aid in the
government’s efforts to improve the quality of living for this underprivileged group. The
goal is to utilize as much of South Africa’s native human resources as possible. They
will be employed not only in the manufacturing of the vehicles, but also in the
management of the workers and in the development of the company. It may also be
possible to recruit workers to operate the vans in the field from several local universities,
which have medical programs.
In so doing, SAME hopes to aid in the development of a skilled and well-trained
South African work force. The long-term goal is to invite investment into not only South
Africa’s white population, but also into its native inhabitants. This will eventually
facilitate the education of the majority population and therefore improve its living
conditions.
Management Characteristics of the Project:
SAME is looking to create a joint venture with a company who shares its goals;
scientifically, environmentally and socially. With this in mind SAME proposes that the
capitalization structure for this project be: 40% Equity and the final 60% be debt in
Bonds. SAME also proposes that the ownership structure of this venture be divided in a
60:40 ratio with the SAME holding the larger portion. SAME proposes that the board of
this venture have a total of 9 directors 6 from SAME and the other three from the partner,
and the CEO will be a SAME employee. Furthermore due to the nature of the project and
the familiarity that SAME has with the local conditions and other requirements, SAME
proposes that it will maintain the projects leadership
Intent:
The SAME desires the creation of flexible and mobile medical entities which
have the ability to administer basic vaccinations and medical treatment and training for
extended periods of time in less developed regions. These vehicles (likely taking the
form of modified RV’s) must be outfitted for long term isolated operation via extra fuel
tanks, a photovoltaic array and batteries, and a maximization of the interior for storage of
medical supplies and food for on-board personnel. Provisions should be made for offroad travel (four wheel drive, secure equipment mounting, etc.). The photovoltaic array
is a key feature of this project as it is environmentally friendly and its usefulness in
providing portable renewable energy is unsurpassed. The use of recycled and recyclable
materials and processes is encouraged wherever practical (a good example is a needle
sterilizer as opposed to disposable syringes). It is also crucial that there be enough cold
storage space for a sufficient quantity of vaccinations and treatments (Cholera, Polio, and
Yellow Fever are three of the most prevalent). The field personnel will also serve as
educators for the populace on topics such as hygiene, STD transmission and infection,
and other health related issues.
Specific Criteria:
Proposals should cover the following criteria that will be used for evaluation by SAME:
 A modular design that can be implemented without the need for extremely
customized tools or materials.
 Design must allow the creation of a minimum of 100 vehicles during a oneyear time span.
 The design must also allow for the easy repair and/or replacement of defective
components by field personnel with a minimum of down time. This will be
aided by the use of commonly available materials and parts in the design (i.e.
minimize the amount of custom-built components).
 Workspace for preparing vaccinations. (Mixing chemicals, sterilizing
syringes, paperwork, etc.)
 All internal energy requirements (except propulsion) will be met by
photovoltaic cells that utilize the abundant solar energy available in those
regions.
Examples of on-board systems are:
 GPS, cellular phone, laptop computer, and/or satellite communications
equipment
 Vaccination refrigerator and freezer (minimum of 6 cubic feet, larger
size is strongly encouraged)
 Internal electric lighting sufficient for lighting the workspace. Also,
investigate the possibility of low consumption exterior lighting.


An onboard fan for ventilation in the vehicle which should be on all the
time
 A second small refrigerator to be used by the crew for food storage.
Extra fuel tanks to extend the vehicle’s range and duration of independent
operation (500+ miles).
Deadlines:
Proposals must be submitted by November 18, 1998. Besides detailed technical
content, proposals should include a budget and a time frame for implementation.
Notes:
It may be possible to secure sources of foreign aid from Transnational
Organizations such as the IMF, or the World Bank, and nations such as the United States,
UK, Japan, and members of the EU. The project may also attract the attention of
governments and organizations in other parts of the world such as Asia or South
America, for orders at a later date. This would result in a much larger scale of
manufacture. Therefore, the design should incorporate easily found and readily available
components. The closer to a flexible assembly line production the project is, the better.