WHO PQS Vaccine Data Loggers & Cold Chain Monitoring Devices

WHO PQS publishes performance specifications and verification protocols for immunisation equipment, from refrigerators and cold boxes to the devices that monitor them. Equipment that passes laboratory verification is listed in the PQS catalogue. Because UN agencies and many national programmes buy against these specifications, WHO PQS is shorthand in tenders for a known minimum standard of accuracy, alarm behaviour, battery life and robustness.

Tender documents use PQS in two ways. Some require a prequalified model by catalogue code. Others ask for devices that meet the E006 specification without demanding catalogue listing, so that locally made equipment can compete on performance. Read the clause carefully before you prepare a bid: the evidence you submit is different in each case.

An RTMD earns its place by making excursions visible in time to save the vaccine. Programme specifications typically expect:

Ice-lined refrigerators (ILRs) and walk-in coolers hold most vaccines at +2 to +8 °C, while deep freezers and walk-in freezers keep ice packs and some vaccines at around -15 to -25 °C. A few newer vaccines need ultra-cold storage well below -60 °C. The monitoring probe must cover the full range with margin, and the alarm limits must match the equipment.

Ideabytes loggers cover all three. The MT120 (-50 to +120 °C) suits ILRs and deep freezers. The MT350 and OT350, with PT100 probes rated -200 to +350 °C, cover ultra-cold freezers. The MTH70 adds humidity for vaccine store rooms and dry stores, and the MT70 combines temperature with GPS for vaccine vans. Where a store already has dependable Wi-Fi, the WT350 offers the same PT100 range over Wi-Fi.

The two devices answer different questions. A 30DTR tells the health worker standing at the refrigerator whether anything went wrong in the last month. An RTMD tells the cold chain officer, wherever they are, that something is going wrong now. Facility-level refrigerators in programmes with limited budgets usually start with 30DTRs; stores holding thousands of doses, and sites that are not staffed around the clock, justify remote monitoring.

Many programmes now combine them: an RTMD on every cold room and the larger ILRs and freezers, with 30DTRs on smaller units. When you plan, list each piece of equipment with its temperature range, location, power reliability and network coverage. That list decides which device goes where, and it is the first thing we ask for when sizing a proposal.

Evaluation committees reject bids for missing paperwork more often than for performance. A complete technical bid usually contains:

Ideabytes 4G M2M loggers are designed to meet WHO PQS E006 RTMD requirements. The MT120, MT350 and MTH70 carry a built-in M2M SIM on 4G LTE with 2G fallback, store 90 days of readings at a 15-minute interval if the network is lost, and run for up to 20 hours on the internal battery during power cuts; the GPS-enabled MT70 uses LTE Cat-M1 and suits vehicles. Readings reach web and mobile apps with live alerts, app push notifications and optional SMS, and the platform produces 21 CFR Part 11 compliant PDF reports, alarm logs and MKT values.

Ideabytes does not claim WHO PQS prequalification for any model on this page. If your tender demands a PQS-catalogued device, check the current PQS catalogue; if it asks for devices that meet the E006 performance specification, share the clauses and we will respond point by point with supporting documents.