Walk-In Cold and Freezer Rooms for Vaccine Storage
Please find below guidance on the procurement of Walk-In Cold and Freezer Rooms for vaccine
storage and supporting technical assistance for UNICEF Country Offices and Procurement
Service partners:

Procurement and Installation Checklist

Procurement Reference Guide

Technical Reference Guide
Procurement and Installation Checklist:
The following checklist provides a list of questions and related action points to consider before
and during the procurement process.
I. Considerations for ordering walk-in cold and freezer rooms (WIC/WIF)
a. What is the planned timeline for having the rooms operational?
b. What is the realistic actual timeline for getting the rooms fully installed and ready for use,
taking into consideration:
- Funding
- Order process at country level
- Order process at UNICEF Supply Division (SD) level
- Supplier lead time
- Shipment from supplier port to port of delivery
- Clearance of goods
- In-country transport
- Site-readiness for installation
- Availability of technical personnel with installation capacity (alternative: consider external
installation services and/or training)
c. What related activities rely on the full installation and functioning of the room(s)?
Note: To help identify the correct size of cold or freezer room size to be procured, the Cold
Chain Weight and Volume Calculator may be of use.
II. Ordering installation services for WIC/WIF rooms
If there is insufficient in-country capacity of qualified technical staff for the installation of
WICs/WIFs, ordering installation and/or training services from SD is possible. To request SD
assistance with installation, the following questions need to be addressed and communicated
to SD in a timely manner:
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a. When do the rooms need to be in place (timeline for installation)?
b. What are the Terms of Reference (TOR) for this project? Include all relevant information
regarding the expected extent of the work and whether additional work is required such as
training, repair of existing rooms etc.
c. What WIC/WIF room types and sizes are to be installed, and what is the refrigeration unit
type (plug-in or split-type)?
d. When were the rooms delivered and what is the purchase order (PO) reference?
e. What is the exact address of the installation site(s)?
f. Who can be contacted for queries (contact details)?
In order to ensure the timely installation of cold and freezer rooms, the following
should be considered:
i. Lead time for the arrival of the rooms:
The standard supplier lead time from placement of the PO to delivery to port of shipment is
6-10 weeks. In addition, sufficient time needs to be added to allow for the transit time by sea
to the port of destination.
ii. Installation location(s):
Does the equipment need to be distributed to one or more destinations other than the
delivery location defined in the PO? The necessary local resources for transportation and time
required should be considered.
iii. Site preparations/site readiness
III. Pre-installation instructions for cold and freezer rooms
The following guideline provides instructions for site readiness to allow for the contracted
technician to start working on installation immediately upon arrival at the installation site:
General considerations for COs and PS partners:
a. Ensure that the goods are on site and located within carrying distance from the final
installation area before the arrival of the technician (if the supplier is carrying out the
installation).
b. Goods should be stored in a covered and secured area.
c. Ensure the intended installation site is cleared and ready for immediate installation to
commence.
d. Equip installation space with adequate ventilation/windows which can be opened on the
top of existing wall(s) with netting/burglar proof grills.
e. Equipment crates should be opened by engineers from the service supplier to verify
that all components have arrived as packed by the supplier.
f. Ensure there are local unskilled labor available for carrying the materials and doing
minor work such as installation of floors, wall, ceiling panels, doors and shelving under
the supervision of the supplier’s engineer.
g. It is recommended a local electrician is available on site to assist with the installation
and connect equipment to the local power supply network.
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h. It is recommended that all technical personnel responsible for the future daily
operation, maintenance and service of the room(s) are present at the installation and
participate in the installation work to help them gain a thorough understanding of the
equipment.
Considerations for COs and PS partners: Prefabricated rooms:
a. The doors of the WIC are located in the middle of one of the long walls. A space of 2.5
– 3 meters should be left free in the front of the door wall for easy access to the room
as well as handling and possible repacking of the stored goods.
b. When planning the room lay-out, please note that the side and back of the room can
be installed with a minimum distance of 100 mm from the existing building wall.
c. Preferably installation should be done on a leveled concrete floor.
d. As rooms are made of prefabricated insulation panels, the leveling/base evenness
requirements are +/- 3 mm / 3 m and +/- 5 mm / 5 m.
e. The door entrance to the installation area should be approximately 900 mm wide to
allow for access to prefabricated panels and other.
IV. Electrical supply and power consumption for WICs and WIFs
Ensure electricity is available at the installation premises (380-400 V, 50 Hz, 3-phase) and that
a proper switch box/distribution board with fuses and a main switch for the local national grid
is available.
V. Timing of installation commencement
Allow for 4-5 weeks of preparation time from declaration of site readiness to the arrival of the
technicians. This time varies from case to case depending on visa and medical requirements,
flight availability, etc. To assist the supplier with planning, the customer should provide all
relevant facts regarding these issues to the supplier, and provide support to help minimize
potential delays. This can include recommending and booking suitable hotel accommodation,
and should always include the provision of local transport to and from the installation site(s).
Please contact the Supply Division Cold Chain Unit for any related queries.
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Procurement Reference Guide: Walk-In Cold and Freezer Rooms
This section offers specific commercial guidance and useful references to UNICEF Country
Offices (CO) and Procurement Service (PS) partners for ordering Walk-In Cold and Freezer
Rooms (WIC/WIF) and related installation services. For technical details, please refer to the
Technical Reference Guide for WIC/WIF below. All UNICEF procurement of WIC/WIF rooms is
to be done through UNICEF Supply Division (SD).
I. Preparing the procurement of walk-in cold and freezer rooms
a. Assessing suitable WIC/WIF rooms
Please refer to the Procurement Checklist and Technical Reference Guide for WIC/WIF rooms
for related guidance.
b. Identifying available standard cold and freezer rooms
UNICEF exclusively supplies WICs/WIFs that fulfil the minimum quality requirements set by
WHO. UNICEF SD procures five WHO standard sizes via Long Term Arrangements (LTA) - WIC
10 cbm, WIC 30 cbm, WIC 40 cbm, WIF 20 cbm, WIC/F 40 cbm. SD is also able to assist with
the supply of non-standard sized rooms.
c. Calculating timelines for receiving standard sized WIC/WIF rooms
SD has standard tools to assist with calculating realistic arrival times at point of unloading that
can be used prior to ordering.
Standard supplier lead times for WIC/WIF rooms available on established LTAs are 4-12
weeks. This is calculated from the supplier’s receipt of the UNICEF Purchase Order up to
delivery to the point of shipment (INCOTERMS FCA).
If the project is time critical, please contact Supply Division’s Cold Chain Unit who can provide
more specific information on estimated supplier lead times. Estimated weight and volumes for
standard WIC/WIF rooms are listed in the item specifications in UNICEF’s Supply Catalogue.
Considerations for COs and PS partners:
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As WIC/WIF rooms require installation, it is important to take into consideration the
time required for installing and making equipment fully operational.
If technical in-country expertise for installation of WIC/WIF rooms is limited or
unavailable, it is recommended SD be alerted as early as possible.
Requests for non-standard sized WIC/WIF rooms may require an additional 2-3 months
for procurement due to the necessary tender processing. Please note, supplier lead
times may be longer than for LTA standard-sized rooms.
Based on technical review of incoming country requests for non-standard rooms, SD
may suggest a standard sized WIC/WIF rooms to be procured instead, unless specific
reasons prevent the use of a standard size.
The following questions need to be addressed and communicated to SD in a
timely manner:
i. When do the rooms need to be in place (timeline for installation) according to the CO
programme? This will enable SD to alert the country programme/partner through the CO if
the proposed timeline is deemed unrealistic.
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ii. What refrigeration types and sizes of WIC or WIF rooms are to be installed? (See
Technical Reference Guide for WIC/WIF for guidance).
iii. What are the requested Terms of Reference (TOR)? If the project goes beyond
installation of WIC/WIF rooms, SD can explore favourable options with the service provider
to optimize the project outcomes if communicated early (see Technical Reference Guide
for WIC/WIF for more details).
II. Ensuring timely installation of ordered WIC/WIF rooms
a. Assessing in-country technical capacity
Timely preparation of installation projects can save considerable time and resources. If a
country has insufficient capacity to conduct the installation of WIC/WIF equipment,
procurement of installation services through SD is an option.
Where in-country installation capacity is unavailable or limited, the installation of WIC/WIF
rooms by a supplier’s technicians can be an opportunity for in-country capacity building on the
installation, use and maintenance of WIC/WIFs. SD can assist in co-coordinating and ordering
training services.
b. Communicating need for installation assistance
Please provide early communication to SD if support is needed for the installation of
procured WIC/WIF rooms. This will help minimise the risk of potential bottlenecks, in
particular relating to the availability of external technicians, practical preparation of travel
and organizing additional training if required.
Considerations for COs and PS partners:
i.
What is the expected outcome of the services?
ii.
Are local staff with suitable base level qualifications available for training if required? If
so, what would is the estimated number of training participants?
iii.
Is there outstanding repair work or maintenance that could be connected to the
project?
iv.
When were the rooms delivered and under which PO reference?
v.
What is the exact address of the installation site(s)? If different locations are involved,
information about distances and travel times between the sites, the number of rooms
per site etc. should be provided to SD.
vi.
Is there a need to distribute the equipment to one or more destinations other than the
place of delivery defined in the PO? Inform SD whether the rooms are already available
on-site or what the estimated timeline is for in-country distribution to the installation
site(s).
vii.
Are the installation sites ready for installation? (See Technical Reference Guide for
WIC/WIF for guidance).
Approximately 4-5 weeks from declaration of site readiness to arrival of the installation
technicians is required. This will vary on a case-by-case basis.
viii.
Who in the CO can be contacted for queries (please provide contact details)? The
contact(s) should be available for clarification on procurement related aspects of the
projects and for technical enquiries (e.g. site preparation, energy sources, logistics,
etc.).
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c. Assessing realistic timelines and budget
SD should be consulted at an early stage with regards to the setting of a realistic target arrival
date and determining the necessary budget. SD, in consultation with the CO /PS partner and
the service provider, needs to establish a realistic timeline for commencing and finalizing the
project, based on the information as listed above. Provided the necessary information is
available, SD can provide a cost estimate.
III. Realization of the installation project:
a. Starting the order process
Once all elements are clarified, the Sales Order/formal Cost Estimate request can be
forwarded. Please use the applicable UN-code (U439102) for services in the request. The
requests should contain the TOR and any other conditions that have been agreed upon
beforehand. SD will as share the PO copy with the CO / PS partner when being placed with the
service provider.
b. Post-order co-ordination
Based on the placed PO, direct communication between the service provider and the CO/PS
partner is helpful to organize and co-ordinate specific project details. SD should be kept
informed at all stages, as SD is the contractual counterpart to the service provider, and needs
to monitor the progress of the service delivery.
c. Service provider support
The service provider will regularly require assistance in organizing the project based on
national/local conditions. This is likely to include the CO recommending and booking suitable
hotel accommodation.. Assistance with physical work, such as lifting equipment, is also
regularly required by the service provider.
Please note that the CO/PS partner is responsible for the provision of local travel to and from
the installation site(s).
d. Finalising the project
UNICEF requests that service providers issue a completion report, also called an Installation
Completion Check. This document is to be duly signed by a CO/PS partner representative.
-Any customer concerns, claims or other issues related to the satisfactory delivery of the
service must be raised before signing the completion report. A signed report serves as
confirmation that service delivery was satisfactory, and triggers the release of financial
settlement of related invoices.
Please contact the Supply Division Cold Chain Unit for any related queries.
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Technical Reference Guide: Walk-In Cold and Freezer Rooms
This section provides specific technical guidance and references for Walk-In Cold and Freezer
Rooms and related installation information. For procurement related guidelines, please refer to
the Procurement Reference Guide for WIC/WIF above. All UNICEF procurement of WIC/WIF
rooms is to be done through UNICEF Supply Division (SD).
I.
Types of walk-in cold and freezer rooms (WIC/WIF):
Two distinct types of WICs and WIFs exist in the cold chain market - Plug-In and Split-Type
models:
a. Plug-in model
This is an easy to install system which has all the controls, the compressor, condenser and
evaporator as a complete unit, assembled and ready for installation. Each WIC/WIF room is
supplied with two complete plug-in refrigeration units to provide 100 per cent stand-by
cooling. These are hung on the prefabricated panel walls of the WIC/WIF, or mounted on the
ceiling panels.
The main disadvantage of plug-in models is the refrigeration units generate hot air in the
vicinity of the cold room which affects the efficiency of the refrigeration system if sufficient
ventilation is not provided. In humid countries this could also cause formation of condensate in
WICs with the potential for vaccine wastage through peeling of labels on vaccine vials.
Isolation of the condenser section is therefore recommended and fitted with ducting and air
extract fans to remove the hot air from the room.
b. Split-type model
Unlike the Plug-in refrigeration units, the Split unit refrigeration model consists of two main
parts - the condensing component for installation outside the WIC/WIF room and the
evaporator component for installation inside the cold room. These two parts of the
refrigeration system are not operational on receipt from the supplier. They have to be wired,
piping connections made and charged with refrigerant gas after installation. At the site of
installation, these parts are linked with solid leak proof connection tubing to the evaporator
and the condensing unit. The installation process requires an experienced refrigeration
technician to make leak proof connections as well as the electrical wirings.
The advantage of this design is that the condensing unit can be located where noise generated
from the condenser/compressor causes minimal disturbance, and where heat emissions
generated by the compressor and condenser units do not affect the ambient temperature of
room where the equipment is installed.
The Quick Reference Repository contains information with regards to:

WHO recommended volume factors for WICs and WIFs
These are applicable to the gross volumes of WICs/WIF rooms for indicating net actual
storage capacity.
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
Dimensions and power consumption of standard WICs and WIF rooms currently
procured through UNICEF SD. The purpose of these parameters is to assist in preinstallation prepositioning, advising on power requirements and programme planning
for power costs required for running the WICs and WIFs.
Please note, all WIC and WIF rooms should be installed with ample space to allow for sufficient
air circulation and the WICs and WIFs should be protected against adverse weather conditions
(please see Cold Store Dimensions in the Quick Reference Repository).
The following are WHO recommended components for primary and intermediate vaccine stores
to meet international norms for WICs and WIFs.
a. Temperature data logger (international standard requirement)
This should be a programmable electronic temperature and event logger with integral alarm
and auto dialer and meet WHO E6/TR03 PQS product verification protocol.
The data logger should have the following main features:
 Temperature sensor for specific locations within the cold room.
 Door open sensor for detecting whether door is open or closed.
 Logger unit for recording data received from the individual sensors.
 PC to store, display and print temperature and event records (or recommended PC
model which is compatible to the data logger including any software required).
 Alarm sounder triggered whenever sensor records a temperature or event excursion
outside programmed norms.
 Auto dialer which dials preprogrammed telephone numbers.
 System software designed to drive all system elements described above.
b. Alarms (standard):
Alarms should be mains operated and audible with battery back-up with automatic recharge
and triggered in the event of mains failure or when cold/freezer room temperatures are outside
set limits
c.
Alarms (optional):
Audible alarms forming part a of programmable electronic temperature and event logger
system with an auto dialer to specific personnel responsible for the cold chain store (described
in E6/TR03 WHO performance specifications)
WICs and WIF rooms: fundamental requirements (standard):
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Thermostat must be calibrated to ITS-90(International Temperature Scale) and should
be accurate to +/- 0.5°C.
Holder over time must remain above +2°C for cold climate zones, +10°C for hot and
temperate zones for WIC rooms and must not rise above -10°C for WIF rooms for at
least 8 hours for both WIC and WIF rooms respectively.
Lighting must be ceiling mounted tungsten filament light fitting with external switch and
pilot light (fluorescent lighting must not be used).
CFC Free refrigerant gas must be used.
All compressors to be fitted with hour meter to record the running duration for each
unit.
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II. Accessories for WICs and WIFs:
a. Temperature monitoring for WIC and WIF rooms
i. Wall mounted pen recording thermometers (optional):
This is an option for developing countries where computers for use with data loggers are
not feasible. A 7-day pen recorder should be included as optional back-up for countries
without reliable power for PCs.
The following performance specifications should be met:
 Upper and lower limits + 50oC to – 30oC.
 Accuracy +/- 1oC.
 Resolution +/- 0.5oC.
 Refillable or inkless pen.
 Minimum acceptable recording period between chart changes is 7 days.
 Power source 110/240 volts 60/50 Hz mains operated with rechargeable and
replaceable battery backup with 48hrs charge capacity (PQS E06/TR04).
ii. Dial thermometer (optional):
A vapor or gas pressure dial thermometer for ease and quick reference of temperature to
be mounted on the front face of the WIC/WIF in line with WHO/PQS/E06/TH01.1
performance specifications. This is intended for visual temperature monitoring/checking
where electronic data temperature data logger could be installed at a secluded and not
readily accessible location.
b.
WIC/WIF wiring options
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Change-over Switch can be requested with specification for either:
- Manual change
OR
- Switch with an automatic duty sharing circuit with 7 day change over
and manual override in the event of mechanical failure.

Alternative to the switch is a thermostatic control for the dual units through differential
settings of the thermostat. This allows for the dual cooling units to be in the `ON’
position all the time but set at staggered temperature. In the event of temperature rise,
the one on higher setting takes up the cooling.
c. Voltage stabilizers
WICs and WIFs have electronic components and controls systems which are susceptible to
power fluctuations. Intermittent national grid power supply, as well as stand-by generators
during start-up on heavy load pick-up and shut down, results into transients that also
contribute to system failure. This creates high surges that are detrimental to sensitive
components and accessories, leading to their failure and consequently that of the WICs/WIFs.
It is therefore recommended to have the power supply for WIC and WIF rooms with stabilisers
which only allow power to the system when pre-set conditions are met. Diverse cold chain
store loads will require appropriate sizing to match the equipment installed. This should take
into account refrigerators and freezers installed in the cold chain store.
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N.B. A non-exclusive overview of some main accessories can be accessed in the Quick
Reference Repository. Please contact the Supply Division Cold Chain Unit for further guidance.
III. Installation of WIC/WIF rooms
For countries intending to conduct the installation of received cold and/or freezer rooms
themselves, the Pre-Installation Guide may provide useful additional reference. It should be
noted that the guide does not replace the necessity of qualified and knowledgeable personnel
to conduct the installation. At the end of an installation project the Installation Check List
serves as conclusive documentation and proof for completion.
In order to build local capacity in installation, use and maintenance of WIC/WIF, it is
recommended to attach a training session with local technicians while the installer is present
on site. Further information can be obtained from the Supply Division Cold Chain Unit.
Should a country identify a need for assistance in installing the received Cold and/or Freezer
Rooms, SD can be contacted. SD has experience in contracting suppliers of WIC/WIF for
carrying out the installations and commissioning of the systems as well as for providing
training.
An animated installation video is available here and a real-life installation video here. The videos
visualize the installation process of a prefabricated cold room with plug-in type refrigeration units
and serve as additional help tools.
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