Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Supply Service (EPSS) is one step closer to expanding its cold room used for pharmaceutical storage and completing its seven-storey building, hoping to increase the storage capacity of vaccines, insulin, laboratory reagents and cancer medicines safely.

According to Solomon Nigussie, deputy head of EPSS, the basement of the incomplete building is functional as a cold warehouse with a capacity of 800 cubic metres of storage with plans to expand it to 2,000 cubic metres.

The current cold chain warehouse features three independent cold rooms that function at a temperature ranging from two to eight degrees Celsius at a 2,210 cubic metres capacity.

The deep-freeze room with -25 degree Celsius temperature has a 200 cubic metres storage capacity.

According to Solomon, the new building is expected to foster 700 of its 3,000 employees when it is complete.

Ministry of Health is evaluating contractors that have expressed interest to take part in the second phase of the construction, following a bid floated on October 25, 2022.

Unofficially, sources said that Santa Maria Construction is edging closer to bagging the contract, again.

The grade-one company has been in business since 1983, taking on projects for over two decades, including St. Peter, Eka Kotebe, and St. Paulos hospitals maternity ward. It is also responsible for the 1.2 billion Br vaccine laboratory construction project.

With Abel Hailemariam as a major shareholder, Santa Maria has plans of engaging in a joint venture.

Tilahun Abebe General Construction is among the companies that showed interest. However, the major shareholder, Tilahun Abebe, said they have not gotten an official response.

"I've given up," he said.

The 1.2 billion Br worth second phase is financed by the World Bank and is part of the 495 million dollar COVID-19 emergency response project that started in April 2020 continuing until the end of 2025.

The former Agency floated a bid to hire contractors for the first phase six years ago with Santa Maria Construction bagging the contract for 100 million Br. However, the structure of the building on Swaziland Street in front of St. Paulos Hospital has taken close to three years.

The manager of the consulting firm Virtual Consulting Plc, Biniyam Weldeabezgi, said the construction period was pushed by a year from the deadline due to unforeseen circumstances such as a delayed bid process and clearing of the plot.