In Ukraine in recent years, failed rounds of centralized public tenders for pharmaceuticals and blockage of public funds in antimonopoly litigations were regarded as a harbinger of the impending crisis in the public health sector. The Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS) Program was requested to step in and provide technical assistance to improve the system of public pharmaceutical procurement and enhance the expertise of the selected regional health administrations and individual health care facilities. Framework contracting was viewed as the most effective procurement technique to ensure value for money in the contexts of decentralization and diverse regional specifics. SIAPS led the implementation of framework contracting into the oblast procurement practices in two oblasts, with the ultimate goal of bringing systemic changes into the national health procurement system.
