1. ABOUT GARDP FOUNDATION 

The Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP Foundation) is a not-for-profit global health organization registered in Geneva, Switzerland. GARDP’s mission is to accelerate the development and access of treatments for drug-resistant bacterial infections. It does so by forging public-private partnerships all over the world to develop and expand access to treatments for serious bacterial infections and sepsis in adults, children and newborns, as well as sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

GARDP Foundation responds to the crisis in antimicrobial resistance. In 2015, the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO), adopted the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance. The following year, to deliver on this plan, WHO and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative created GARDP. In 2018, the GARDP Foundation was legally established as an independent entity.

Since then, GARDP Foundation has developed a portfolio of antibiotic treatments that targets WHO priority pathogens, priority diseases and key populations/regions that are especially affected by drug resistance. It is also pioneering new access initiatives with innovator, manufacturing and distribution partners.

As of 2024, the GARDP team consists of about 100 people who collectively share extensive cross-sector R&D and access experience. They work with the key public and private sector stakeholders and partners, such as the research and development community, donors, industry and implementing countries.

2. PROJECT BACKGROUND & PURPOSE OF THE RFP

2.1 Background to project 

GARDP is a global life science not profit organisation committed to responsible antibiotic stewardship and supply chain sustainability. In line with our corporate ESG strategy and obligations to donors, regulators, and global health stakeholders, we are commissioning an independent third-party environmental and social audit of our partners’ antibiotic manufacturing facilities. This RFP forms part of our broader commitment of curbing AMR by promoting environmental and social responsible and sustainable practices in antimicrobial manufacturing.

2.2 Purpose of RFP 

The purpose of this RFP is to identify and engage a qualified, independent third-party audit firm to conduct environmental and social compliance audits of our partner antibiotic manufacturers. The audits will assess compliance against the key and applicable World Bank Environmental and Social Standards (WB ESS 1,2,3, 4 and 10), PSCI Principles, and AMRIA manufacturing standards, which are integrated into GARDP’s audit checklist. They will also verify ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 certification status and check their plans for 3^rd party AMR certification (e.g. BSI AMR Certification). This RFP will cover a 3 years period during which we plan to carry out at least one initial audit or follow up of prior audits. For 2026, we anticipate the audit  commence in Q3 2026, with all site visits completed ideally be end of Q3 2026 or latest by end of October 2026. The engagement covers 2 facilities for one of our manufacturing partner in India.

3. SCOPE OF WORK

In 2026, the audit firm shall conduct a four-phase environmental and social compliance audit for the facilities of our Indian antibiotic manufacturing partner. The scope encompasses:

• Phase 1, Desktop Review: Pre-audit questionnaire, document review (environmental permits, existing certifications, previous audit reports, discharge monitoring records, OHS statistics), and facility risk profiling.

• Phase 2, On-Site Audit: Physical inspection of all relevant environmental systems (effluent treatment, waste storage, emissions controls) and social systems (OHS infrastructure, worker accommodation where applicable, grievance mechanisms, HR documentation). Duration: minimum 2 auditor-days per facility.

• Phase 3 Workers’ Interviews: Confidential worker interviews conducted without management presence. Minimum sample: 10% of total workforce or 20 workers per site (whichever is greater), ensuring representation of permanent staff, contract workers, migrant workers, and female workers, and to ensure proper coverage, distribute the interviews amongst the shifts ( day and night) and in different departments with more from high risk department sand high-risk roles.

• Phase 4, Reporting: Consolidated audit report per facility, including risk-rated findings, certification status matrix, corrective action plan (CAP), and executive summary.

If you are interested to receive the complete documentation, please read and sign attached compliance self declaration  and send it to: RFP_Procurement@gardp.org.

Due/closing date: April 27th, 2026