72066922Q00001_eSigned (1).pdf

Issuance Date: January 31, 2022 Clarification/Questions Due Date: February 11, 2022 Clarification/Questions Due time: 5:00 GMT Closing Date: February 28, 2022 Closing Time: 5:00 pm Liberia Time (GMT)

Subject: Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for the Counter Verification and Quality Assessment of Liberia’s Health Service Delivery System (CVQAL)

Solicitation Number: 72066922Q00001

Dear Potential Offeror, The United States Government represented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in Liberia is seeking proposals for the Counter Verification and Quality Assessment of Liberia’s Health Service Delivery System activity as described in the attached Request for Quotation (RFQ). USAID anticipates the award multiple awards for a performance period of three (3) year base and two (2) one (1) year option periods. This will be a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) set aside to local organizations in Liberia.

BPA-Ordering procedures will be in accordance with Section F, Ordering procedures.

Section C of this solicitation sets the activities required to be implemented. USAID estimates that the ordering ceiling for BPA’s resulting from this RFQ will be approximately $5,000,000 over the 5-yea r (Base and options) ordering period. The ceiling is a current estimate and may be exceeded. This ceiling is not being subdivided among the number of awardees nor is it being multiplied by the number of awardees. There is no guarantee on the number of BPA-Call Orders that the successful contractors will receive.

Section L sets forth instructions for the preparation and submission of the proposal and specifies the required contents of the proposal. Please submit your proposal in accordance with the requirements in Sections C and L of this Solicitation. Section M States the criteria by which the proposal will be evaluated, and the award will be made. Please refer to Section L for information regarding proposal requirements. Offerors should take into account the expected delivery time required by the proposal transmission method they choose, and they are responsible for ensuring proposals are received at USAID by the due date and time as specified in Section L. Failure to comply with the submission date will deem any submission unacceptable and it will not be reviewed or evaluated. Faxed proposals are not acceptable, nor will they be reviewed or evaluated.

Section L of the RFQ sets forth all instructions for the preparation and submission of required proposal contents, including critical dates/times for the submission of questions, and the proposal submission closing date and time. Section M states the criteria by which proposals will be evaluated. Oral explanations or instructions given before award of the BPA will not be binding.

This is a limited competition, limited to local entities/local Liberian firms and organizations as defined in Section 7077 of Public Law 112-74, the Consolidated Appropriation Act, 2012 (P.L.

112-74), as amended by Section 7028 of the Consolidated appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-76).

Only Liberian firms or organization will be considered for award. For the purpose of this solicitation, local entities include an individual, corporation, commercial organization and nonprofit organization that:

1. Is legally organized under the laws of Liberia

2. Has as its principal place of business or operations in Liberia;

3. Is majority owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Liberia; and

4. Is managed by a governing body the majority of who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Liberia

This RFQ in no way obligates USAID to award a contract nor does it commit USAID to pay any cost incurred in the preparation and submission of a proposal. Award of a Contract under this RFQ is subject to availability of funds and other internal USAID approvals.

This RFQ can be viewed and downloaded from https://sam.gov/content/home. USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes. Further, be aware that amendments to solicitations are occasionally issued and will be posted on the same website from which you downloaded the solicitation. USAID advises to regularly check the above website for amendments.

Questions and comments related to this RFP must be in writing only and submitted electronically no later than the questions due date/time stated above to Edward Lamin, Contracting Specialist at elamin@usaid.gov with a copy to Rukmal S. Perera, Contracting Officer at rperera@usaid.gov. No questions will be accepted after the stated date.

New to USAID? Specific instructions to receive U.S. Federal Government funding:

The Contracting Officer highly recommends to all new offerors willing to work with USAID to follow the link at Workwithusaid.org to learn more about working with USAID, specifically regarding registration in System for Award Management (SAM.gov).

Sincerely, Rukmal S. Perera Contracting Officer Office of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA) USAID/Liberia

Rukmal Srikantha Perera (affiliate) Digitally signed by Rukmal Srikantha Perera (affiliate) Date: 2022.01.31 15:39:38 Z

72066922Q00001

SOLICITATION, OFFER AND AWARD

4. TYPE OF SOLICITATION2. CONTRACT NUMBER 3. SOLICITATION NUMBER

7. ISSUED BY CODE 8. ADDRESS OFFER TO (If other than Item 7)

ORDER UNDER DPAS (15 CFR 700)

6. REQUISITION/PURCHASE NUMBER

NOTE: In sealed bid solicitations "offer" and "offeror" mean "bid" and "bidder".

NEGOTIATED (RFP)

SEALED BID (IFB)

5. DATE ISSUED

1. THIS CONTRACT IS A RATED RATING PAGE OF PAGES

1 62

C. E-MAIL ADDRESS

EXT.NUMBERAREA CODE

B. TELEPHONE (NO COLLECT CALLS)A. NAME

10. FOR

INFORMATION

CALL:

CAUTION: LATE Submissions, Modifications, and Withdrawals: See Section L, Provision No. 52.214-7 or 52.215-1. All offers are subject to all terms and conditions contained in this solicitation.

(Date)(Hour) local timeuntildepository located in copies for furnishing the supplies or services in the Schedule will be received at the place specified in Item 8, or if hand carried, in the

SOLICITATION

9. Sealed offers in original and

PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

INSTRS., CONDS., AND NOTICES TO OFFERORS

REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND

LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

CONTRACT CLAUSES

PART III - LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACH.

I

J

K

L

M SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

PACKAGING AND MARKING

DESCRIPTION/SPECS./WORK STATEMENT

SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS

SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM

PART II - CONTRACT CLAUSESPART I - THE SCHEDULE

H

G

F

E

D

C

B

A

SEC. DESCRIPTION PAGE(S) (X) DESCRIPTION SEC. (X)

11. TABLE OF CONTENTS

18. OFFER DATE17. SIGNATURE

SUCH ADDRESS IN SCHEDULE.

IS DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE - ENTER

15C. CHECK IF REMITTANCE ADDRESS

EXT.NUMBERAREA CODE

15B. TELEPHONE NUMBER

(Type or print)AND

ADDRESS

OF

OFFEROR

CODE FACILITY

16. NAME AND TITLE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO SIGN OFFER15A. NAME

DATEAMENDMENT NO.DATEAMENDMENT NO.

and related documents numbered and dated):

amendments to the SOLICITATION for offerors

(The offeror acknowledges receipt of

14. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF AMENDMENTS

CALENDAR DAYS (%)30 CALENDAR DAYS (%)20 CALENDAR DAYS (%)10 CALENDAR DAYS (%)

(See Section I, Clause No. 52.232.8)

13. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT

designated point(s), within the time specified in the schedule.

by the offeror) from the date for receipt of offers specified above, to furnish any or all items upon which prices are offered at the price set opposite each item, delivered at the

NOTE: Item 12 does not apply if the solicitation includes the provisions at 52.214-16, Minimum Bid Acceptance Period.

OFFER (Must be fully completed by offeror)

IMPORTANT - Award will be made on this Form, or on Standard Form 26, or by other authorized official written notice.

28. AWARD DATE

(Signature of Contracting Officer)

27. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

25. PAYMENT WILL BE MADE BY

26. NAME OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)

CODE 24. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 7)

ITEM

(4 copies unless otherwise specified)

23. SUBMIT INVOICES TO ADDRESS SHOWN IN

41 U.S.C. 253 (c) ( 10 U.S.C. 2304 (c) (

22. AUTHORITY FOR USING OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION:

21. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION20. AMOUNT19. ACCEPTED AS TO ITEMS NUMBERED

AWARD (To be completed by government)

CODE

REQ-669-22-00001601/31/2022

720669

USAID/Liberia 00000

1400 D 02/28/2022

Rukmal Perera 301 rperera@usaid.gov

490-1042

PAGE(S)

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

Previous edition is unusable

STANDARD FORM 33 (Rev. 9-97)

Prescribed by GSA - FAR (48 CFR) 53.214(c)

12. In compliance with the above, the undersigned agrees, if this offer is accepted within _____0_________ calendar days (60 calendar days unless a different period is inserted

Rukmal Srikantha Perera (affiliate)

Digitally signed by Rukmal Srikantha Perera (affiliate) Date: 2022.01.31 15:48:29 Z

SECTION B

PART I - THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE

The Counter-Verification and Quality Assessment of Liberia’s Health Service Delivery System (CVQA) under Performance Based Financing (PBF) will contribute to ensuring that USAID’s Health development objective in Liberia achieves its intended results through strong performance management service provision, in an efficient and cost-effective manner, with a focus on monitoring and counter-verification of Ministry of Health (MOH) health services and quality delivery milestones;

qualitative data collection; and monitoring, learning and adaptive management services.

B.2 AWARD TYPE AND SERVICES

This is a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) type award. The Government will issue BPA- Call Orders that are Firm Fixed Price (FFP) type. The Contractor must perform the services set forth in BPA- Work Orders at prices consistent with Section B of this BPA.

B.3 ESTIMATED AWARD CEILING

This is a single or multiple award Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with an estimated overall ceiling price of $5,000,000 for CQVA. The ceiling is a current estimate and may not be exceeded. This ceiling is not being subdivided among the number of awardees nor is it being multiplied by the number of awardees.

B.4 AWARD LINE ITEMS (CLINs):

Firm Fixed Price (FFP) Items for Base and all Option Years:

CLIN Title Price

Component 1 - Monitoring and Counter-verification of health service delivery milestones

Component 2 - Monitoring Quality of Care through Primary Data

Collection

Component 3 - Evaluation and Learning Services

Component 4 - Reports, Presentations and Reporting

Total $5,000,000.00

Verification and Quality Assessment of Liberia’s Health vice Delivery System

001 $5,000,000.00

B.5 LABOR

The Contracting Officer has determined that a key (full-time) technical manager is not necessary or required to administer the basic BPA. Contractors will not be authorized to bill USAID directly for BPA management costs under this BPA or under BPA-Work orders.

B.5 (a) Burdened Ceiling Daily Rates (CDR)

(1) The BPA-Call Order rates must not exceed the ceiling daily rates set forth in the table below.

(2) The CDRs set forth below are fixed for the BPA period and is for a productive eight (8) hour day, and apply to all subcontractors set forth in clause 52.244-2 in Section I. If a new subcontractor is proposed for a specific BPA-Call order on other than a fixed-price basis, the CDRs set forth below will apply, and the subcontract is subject to consent by the BPA-Call Order CO in accordance with FAR Part 44.

Base Period Year 1:

Base Period Year 2:

Labor Category Unit Hourly Rate Loaded Daily Rate

USD

Project Director Hour

Head of Finance and administration Hour

Head of Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Hour

Quality of Care Specialist Hour

Field Coordinator Hour

Data Collectors - category 1 Hour

Data Collectors - category 2 Hour

Data Collectors - category 3 (quality of care) Hour

Labor Category Unit Hourly Rate Loaded Daily Rate

USD

Project Director Hour

Head of Finance and administration Hour

Head of Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Hour

Quality of Care Specialist Hour

Field Coordinator Hour

Data Collectors - category 1 Hour

Data Collectors - category 2 Hour

Data Collectors - category 3 (quality of care) Hour

Base Period Year 3:

Option Year 1:

Option Year 2:

[Note 1: The burdened Ceiling Daily Rates apply to any BPA-Call Orders(s) that are awarded under this BPA and are based on negotiated rates.]

[Note 2: The burdened Ceiling Daily Rates apply to all labor (the prime contractor, subcontractor and consultant salaries]

Labor Category Unit Hourly Rate Loaded Daily Rate

USD

Project Director Hour

Head of Finance and administration Hour

Head of Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Hour

Quality of Care Specialist Hour

Field Coordinator Hour

Data Collectors - category 1 Hour

Data Collectors - category 2 Hour

Data Collectors - category 3 (quality of care) Hour

Labor Category Unit Hourly Rate Loaded Daily Rate

USD

Project Director Hour

Head of Finance and administration Hour

Head of Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Hour

Quality of Care Specialist Hour

Field Coordinator Hour

Data Collectors - category 1 Hour

Data Collectors - category 2 Hour

Data Collectors - category 3 (quality of care) Hour

Labor Category Unit Hourly Rate Loaded Daily Rate

USD

Project Director Hour

Head of Finance and administration Hour

Head of Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Hour

Quality of Care Specialist Hour

Field Coordinator Hour

Data Collectors - category 1 Hour

Data Collectors - category 2 Hour

Data Collectors - category 3 (quality of care) Hour

B.5 (b) Minimum Qualifications

In order to perform the statement of work set forth in Section C, the Contractor must provide personnel that meet the minimum education and experience requirements set forth in “Section C.7.1 Key Positions”.

B.6 TRAVEL

Local travel will be reimbursed under the BPA and subsequent BPA-Call Orders for each county-based Orders. Local travel will be negotiated under each Call Order and inserted to the Call Order as a FFP line item. Examples of local travel which will not be subject to reimbursement are travel to and from home of record to job sites. Personnel temporarily working at a Government site or alternative facility will consider such facility his/her normal job site.

Local travel will be negotiated and awarded on individual BPA-Call Orders. Travel will be reimbursed in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations and applicable cost principles.

[END OF SECTION B]

SECTION C - DESCRIPTION/SPECIFICATIONS/STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 PURPOSE

The Counter-Verification and Quality Assessment of Liberia’s Health Service Delivery

System (CVQA) under Performance Based Financing (PBF) will contribute to ensuring that USAID’s Health development objective in Liberia achieves its intended results through strong performance management service provision, in an efficient and cost-effective manner, with a focus on monitoring and counter-verification of Ministry of

Health (MOH) health services and quality delivery milestones; qualitative data collection;

and monitoring, learning and adaptive management services.

C.2 BACKGROUND

Since 2013, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has implemented a Performance-Based

Financing (PBF) program to improve the quality of health services provided to the population. The PBF program has been supported by various donors including the

MOH’s Pooled Fund (which ended in 2018), the World Bank, and the United States

Agency for International Development (USAID). The MOH PBF program is being revised to build on lessons learned over the past nine years. The MOH in collaboration with donors, will from January 2022, implement the revised PBF program across the country.

The Ministry of Health is revising its strategic documents which are geared towards accelerating gains towards improving quality health care delivery as well as decreasing preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths. One of the strategic documents to improve the quality of health services is the PBF guideline. The PBF guideline, will from January 2022, expand on the number of services under MOH PBF program, harmonize PBF implementation across all counties, promote accountability at all levels of the health system, and provide funding for service delivery in line with the Liberia Health Equity Fund.

MOH has agreed with its sub-units (central MOH offices and County Health Teams, District Health Teams, and Health Facilities) to disburse a stipulated amount to them upon accomplishment of agreed-upon milestones. Many of the milestones are the same among the MOH, USAID and other donors activities, and they will rely on a single, common verification (or counter verification) from the contractor.

Data will be collected and verified through MOH Health Management Information

Systems. On a monthly or quarterly basis (depending on the type of data), data is summarized and entered into the Ministry of Health’s Health Information System (HIS).

The HIS is a suite of different systems and applications that collects and stores data which are required for national decision making. The systems include: the Community-based Information System (CBIS) which collects and stores community level data; the

District Health Information System version 2 (DHIS2) which houses health facility data;

and the Electronic Logistics Management Information System which houses data for the supply chain. Additionally, there are reports of activities and meeting notes of the various structures established by the Government of Liberia (MOH and other government Agencies) for the effective management and oversight of health services.

These reports are submitted to the higher office in accordance with the MOH decentralized structures – community, health facility, district health team, county health team, central MOH. Disbursements within the health system will be made against results generated through these systems. Quality milestone reimbursement will be based on counter-verification and primary data collection by the contractor.

As with PBF programs globally, the health facilities service delivery milestones will need to be counter verified by a third-party. Additionally, the quality of services at the point of care (health facilities, providers, clients), and administration, oversight, and management from within the Health System (County Health Teams and the central

MOH divisions) will need to be assessed. In addition, this activity will support learning, adaptive management, and capacity building processes that will greatly benefit all PBF stakeholders while emphasizing strong core monitoring and evaluation capabilities.

The Counter Verification and Quality Assessment Activity is a five-year contract, with a two-year base period and three one-year option periods. It is designed to capitalize on the experience derived from past PBF projects (both USAID and non-USAID), programs, and policies in order to contribute to improvements in project or program performance and promote organizational learning. Based on significant stakeholder feedback, and a critical review of the Mission’s past and current experience, the key objective of the Activity is to provide high quality counter-verification and primary data collection as part of monitoring, evaluation, and learning support services to USAID’S PBF stakeholders and ensure the robust integration of M&E and learning to inform PBF programming and health service delivery in Liberia.

C.3 OBJECTIVES

The Activity will contribute to the U.S. Government’s Development Objective whereby the “Foundation for Growth Strengthened through a Healthy, Productive and Educated

Population” by providing high quality counter-verification and primary data collection as part of monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) support services to USAID’S PBF stakeholders and ensure the robust integration of MEL to inform USAID’s management of its flagship health service delivery government-to-government (G2G) agreement as well as PBF programming and point of care service delivery in Liberia. Third party counter-verification and health system performance monitoring under PBF will enable project managers and PBF stakeholders to manage better adaptively to improve results. The data collected and analyses performed will inform learning to support integration of evidence and best practices, enabling USAID/Liberia and other stakeholders to adjust programming to better achieve desired goals and objectives. The Contractor must provide high-quality, objective, and reliable performance management support services that will allow the Mission to effectively collect performance and development related data

(particularly in environments that pose challenges to accessibility) to ensure the achievement of the Mission’s development objectives. The three key objectives of this contract are described below:

1. Monitoring and Counter-verification of health service delivery milestones:

The contractor will counter verify PBF outputs in a sample of health facilities in all counties implementing MOH’s PBF program each quarter. The number of counties implementing MOH PBF Program will increase from eleven in the first year, to thirteen in the second year, and to fifteen in the third year and beyond. The contractor must counter verify outputs within the primary and the secondary levels of the Liberian Health

Care System. Data which is collected at each level of service delivery using Ministry of

Health approved registers/ledgers must be counter verified.

The contractor must counter verify a maximum of 27 service delivery outputs in 20% of all primary health facilities in each county per quarter and 29 service delivery outputs in all secondary health facilities (i.e., hospitals) in each county per quarter. Additionally, the contractor must verify achievements in point of care improvements (versus planned) in all the selected primary and secondary health facilities per quarter. Point of care improvements (referred to as quality improvement bonus under MOH PBF program) may include but are not limited to minor renovation and infrastructural improvements at the health facility. USAID expects that a team of at least two data collectors will use a maximum of four days to counter verify all outputs in each health facility. Data collectors serving as supervisors, will supervise at least three teams during field work to ensure data integrity. It is expected that the contractor will complete field work to counter verify outputs at the health facilities in a maximum of ten working days (i.e., two weeks). The list of service delivery outputs for primary and secondary health facilities is available in Appendix 1.

The total number of health facilities in each county is available in Appendix 2. Through a co-creation process, described in Component 3, USAID will provide the contractor with the scope which will include the list of facilities selected for quarterly counter verification by the contractor. Appendix 4 provides the selected list of health facilities for the first quarter of counter verification (January to March 2022) in eleven counties - a total of 89 health facilities (69 primary health facilities and 20 secondary health facilities).

2. Monitoring Quality of Care through Primary Data Collection:

The contractor shall monitor the quality of health care services through primary data collection of satisfaction; opinions; and/or recommendations related to quality of services provided from clients, providers and other stakeholders associated with sampled primary and secondary health facilities.

The contractor must assess the quality of care, using the Ministry of Health approved checklist, in half (i.e., 50%) of the number of primary health facilities selected under

Component 1 and all secondary health facilities mentioned in Component 1. Through the co-creation process, described in Component 3, USAID will provide the contractor the list of facilities to collect data on quality of health care. The Ministry of Health quality of care checklists (for primary and secondary health facilities) is available in Appendix 3.

USAID will expect that field work to collect data on the quality of care provided by health facilities be completed in ten working days.

The contractor must also collect data on client satisfaction using MOH approved tools

(tools available in Appendix 3). On a quarterly basis, the contractor must interview a minimum of 75 (not to exceed 100 clients) and a minimum of 40 clients (not to exceed

50 clients) respectively accessing all primary health facilities and all secondary health facilities selected in Component 1. A maximum of five days is estimated to collect data on client satisfaction with the catchment communities of all selected health facilities.

The contractor must also collect qualitative data from stakeholders through focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and workshops. The scope/details of the stakeholder engagements will be developed through the co-creation process mentioned above. A maximum of five days is estimated to engage stakeholders.

3. Evaluation and Learning Services:

Prior to each quarterly data collection effort, the contractor will organize a co-creation workshop which will bring together stakeholders implementing or supporting the MOH

PBF program each quarter. The stakeholders will include USAID, the MOH, donors, USAID technical assistance partners, and other multilateral agencies providing technical support to the MOH. The workshop will be held for a maximum of two days with a virtual option for remote participation of county and other stakeholders. The major output of each quarterly co-creation workshop will be the scope of the next quarterly verification which will include: (1) the number of counties; (2) list of primary and secondary health facilities in each county; and (3) methodology to engage stakeholders to collect quality of healthcare services data.

The Contractor will be expected to provide analysis of findings and recommendations using multiple data sources through quarterly reporting which may involve primary data collection as stated above, analysis of related MOH data and counter verification and/or desk review of documents. Findings will be presented to USAID, County Health Teams and MOH technical divisions.

Additionally, the Contractor will be required to prepare (1) mid-term evaluation and (1) Final Evaluation of USAID’s G2G Partnership for Improved Health Outcomes Activity.

With approval from USAID, the contractor may hire local consultants to conduct the mid-term and final evaluation. The scope and methodology for each evaluation will be approved by USAID. Upon final clearance of the mid-term and final evaluation reports, the Contractor must submit the report to the Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC) within 30 days.

For the G2G evaluation, the contractor, in collaboration with USAID/Liberia, must use the host government systems for data collection, but be prepared to supplement this data with additional data to be collected by the contractor. The G2G evaluation must support a close working partnership with government officials and may require specialized approaches.

C.4 STATEMENT OF WORK

The CVQA mechanism will support USAID’s Health Office management of its flagship service delivery G2G agreement with the GOL within the context of the MOH PBF program. The MOH PBF will be implemented in all 15 counties in Liberia. It is critical that the Contractor engages USAID technical staff and activity managers, as well as with

Ministry of Health central level and county administrators and other stakeholders and donors for the success of this contract. This engagement will provide an opportunity for the Contractor to develop a comprehensive understanding of challenges and opportunities in MEL across health service delivery in Liberia and foster a more collaborative working relationship with both USAID, the GOL and external partners.

The Contractor must abide by applicable USAID principles and requirements, including

USAID’s Evaluation Policy; the ADS 200 series (found at https://www.usaid.gov/who-weare/ agency-policy/series-200) (Attachment J.12); and the Mission’s performance management policies, particularly its Mission Orders on Performance Monitoring and

Evaluation. The Contractor must provide sector-specific expertise and employ the most recent and innovative techniques and approaches in quality health assessment, M&E and learning, while ensuring cost-effective provision of services.

The Contractor must provide direct services and operational support to fulfill all potential requirements for three (3) components illustrated below.

In advance of each periodic data verification data collection effort, the contractor will organize and hold a co-creation workshop with relevant stakeholders (as indicated by

USAID) to develop the scope of the work to be performed, the specific counties to be reached and the specific facilities to be visited. The contractor will use the information

(specific counties or facilities reached and scope of work for the period) to develop and present a work plan and budget for USAID approval.

1) Component 1 - Monitoring and Counter-verification of health service delivery milestones:

The contractor will counter verify PBF outputs in a sample of health facilities in all counties implementing MOH’s PBF program each quarter. The number of counties implementing MOH PBF Program will increase from eleven in the first year, to thirteen in the second year, and to fifteen in the third year and beyond. The contractor must counter verify outputs within the primary and the secondary levels of the Liberian Health

Care System. Data which is collected at each level of service delivery using Ministry of

Health approved registers/ledgers must be counter verified.

The contractor must counter verify a maximum of 27 service delivery outputs in 20% of all primary health facilities in each county per quarter and 29 service delivery outputs in all secondary health facilities (i.e., hospitals) in each county per quarter. Additionally, the contractor must verify achievements in point of care improvements (versus planned) in all the selected primary and secondary health facilities per quarter. Point of care improvements (referred to as quality improvement bonus under MOH PBF program) may include but are not limited to minor renovation and infrastructural improvements at the health facility. USAID expects that a team of at least two data collectors will use a maximum of four days to counter verify all outputs in each health facility. Data collectors serving as supervisors, will supervise at least three teams during field work to ensure data integrity. It is expected that the contractor will complete field work to counter verify outputs at the health facilities in a maximum of ten working days (i.e. two weeks). The list of service delivery outputs for primary and secondary health facilities is available in

Appendix 1.

The total number of health facilities in each county is available in Appendix 2. Through a co-creation process, described in Component 3, USAID will provide the contractor with the scope which will include the list of facilities selected for quarterly counter verification by the contractor. Appendix 4 provides the selected list of health facilities for the first quarter of counter verification (January to March 2022) in eleven counties - a total of 89 health facilities (69 primary health facilities and 20 secondary health facilities).

2) Component 2 - Monitoring Quality of Care through Primary Data Collection:

The contractor shall monitor the quality of health care services through primary data collection of satisfaction; opinions; and/or recommendations related to quality of services provided from clients, providers and other stakeholders associated with sampled primary and secondary health facilities.

The contractor must assess the quality of care, using the Ministry of Health approved checklist, in half (i.e., 50%) of the number of primary health facilities selected under

Component 1 and all secondary health facilities mentioned in Component 1. Through the co-creation process, described in Component 3, USAID will provide the contractor the list of facilities to collect data on quality of health care. The Ministry of Health quality of care checklists (for primary and secondary health facilities) is available in Appendix 3.

USAID will expect that field work to collect data on the quality of care provided by health facilities be completed in ten working days.

The contractor must also collect data on client satisfaction using MOH approved tools

(tools available in Appendix 3). On a quarterly basis, the contractor must interview a minimum of 75 (not to exceed 100 clients) and a minimum of 40 clients (not to exceed

50 clients) respectively accessing all primary health facilities and all secondary health facilities selected in Component 1. A maximum of five days is estimated to collect data on client satisfaction with the catchment communities of all selected health facilities.

The contractor must also collect qualitative data from stakeholders through focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and workshops. The scope/details of the stakeholder engagements will be developed through the co-creation process mentioned above. A maximum of five days is estimated to engage stakeholders.

3) Component 3 - Evaluation and Learning Services:

Prior to each quarterly data collection effort, the contractor will organize a co-creation workshop which will bring together stakeholders implementing or supporting the MOH

PBF program each quarter. The stakeholders will include USAID, the MOH, donors, USAID technical assistance partners, and other multilateral agencies providing technical support to the MOH. The workshop will be held for a maximum of two days with a virtual option for remote participation of county and other stakeholders. The major output of each quarterly co-creation workshop will be the scope of the next quarterly verification which will include: (1) the number of counties; (2) list of primary and secondary health facilities in each county; and (3) methodology to engage stakeholders to collect quality of healthcare services data.

The Contractor will be expected to provide analysis of findings and recommendations using multiple data sources through quarterly reporting which may involve primary data collection as stated above, analysis of related MOH data and counter verification and/or desk review of documents. Findings will be presented to USAID, County Health Teams and MOH technical divisions.

Additionally, the Contractor will be required to prepare (1) mid-term evaluation and (1)

Final Evaluation of USAID’s G2G Partnership for Improved Health Outcomes Activity.

With approval from USAID, the contractor may hire local consultants to conduct the mid-term and final evaluation. The scope and methodology for each evaluation will be approved by USAID. Upon final clearance of the mid-term and final evaluation reports, the Contractor must submit the report to the Development Experience Clearinghouse

(DEC) within 30 days.

For the G2G evaluation, the contractor, in collaboration with USAID/Liberia, must use the host government systems for data collection, but be prepared to supplement this data with additional data to be collected by the contractor. The G2G evaluation must support a close working partnership with government officials and may require specialized approaches.

4) Component 4 - Reports, Presentations, and Reporting:

The contractor must train all personnel involved in data collection (component 1-3), analysis (component 3) and reporting. The contractor must provide all logistical support

(per diem, travel, tools and equipment, etc.) for in-country teams carrying out analytical work; provide quality control for all deliverables; facilitate presentations to the Mission, and other donors and partners on the findings; and finalize assessment reports in coordination with the Health Office.

The Contractor will also be required each quarter to present findings from Components

1 and 2. Reports should present summary information from counter-verification and primary data collection with analysis and recommendations. A maximum of four presentations of these findings per quarter per year.

The Contractor must also develop dissemination materials, such as infographics of counter-verification findings and short summary briefs that incorporate visuals, organize dissemination/learning events, and propose dissemination approaches that encourage the utilization of counter-verification findings.

C.5 SPECIFIC CONSIDERATIONS

In implementing this SOW, the contractor shall take into consideration the following in the development and delivery of orders issued under this BPA.

Use of electronic systems

The Contractor shall be responsible for their established uses of electronic systems, including information and communication technology to save client (USAID) time and effort.

Methods for maintaining quality control over materials

The Contractor shall be responsible for their methods for maintaining quality control over data and reports. The Contractor shall be responsible for quality production of data and reports. Quality is defined as high degree of clarity, correctness, timeliness, accuracy, and appropriateness of produced data.

Section 508 Compliance

Contract reports, deliverable and information/intellectual products must be submitted in electronic form. Electronic documentation must comply with Section 508 of the

Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

C.6 REQUIREMENTS

The Contractor's duties primarily include, but not limited to, the four major functional objectives below:

Component 1: Monitoring and Counter-verification of health service delivery milestones

Component 2: Monitoring Quality of Care through Primary Data Collection

Component 3: Evaluation and Learning Service

Component 4: Reports, Presentations, and Reporting

The Contractor shall furnish services that include individuals having experience and expertise, both practical and conceptual, in the subject matter required by each order.

USAID will define its needs in orders, which will be managed by Contracting Officer’s

Representative (COR).

C.7 POSITIONS & STAFFING QUALIFICATIONS

The Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring qualified staff are available for performance of this BPA. The contractor must engage qualified staff with the experience and requisite qualification(s) to undertake this scope of work. All staff, listed in C.7.1 and

C.7.2, except for the field data coordinators and field data collectors, must be approved by USAID prior to the assuming duties with the contractor.

Descriptions of the Positions and Staff are found below in C.7.1 and C.7.2.

C.7.1 Positions

The Contractor shall provide the following positions for this award, as described below.

Position

Project Director

Head of Finance and Administration

Head of Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

Quality of Care Specialist

Field Coordinator

Data Collectors - category 1

Data Collectors - category 2

Data Collectors - category 3 (quality of care)

C.7.2 Key Positions and staff required qualifications

A Master’s degree in public health, epidemiology, statistics or related field with at least five years’ experience managing complex donor funded projects. Experience in research, monitoring and evaluation is desired. Experience working with government stakeholders is required.

A Bachelor’s in accounting or business administration with at least seven years of experience overseeing the finances of institutions. Experience in operations management will be an added advantage.

A Master’s degree in epidemiology, public health, statistics, monitoring and evaluation, or related fields with at least five years’ experience leading research, data visualization, monitoring and evaluation and learning projects.

A Clinical degree (medicine, nursing, physician assistant, midwifery) with five years of experience providing technical assistance to government institutions around quality of healthcare. A certificate in health care quality from a recognized institution will be an added advantage.

Field Coordinator

A Diploma in business administration, nursing, public administration, public health or related field with at least five years’ experience in project management including coordination and supervision of teams.

Data Collectors - category 1

High School Diploma with at least two years of experience collecting data, research, and monitoring and evaluation.

Data Collectors - category 2

A clinical diploma (nurse, physician assistant, midwife, etc) with three years of work experience in their respective fields in Liberia.

Data Collectors - category 3 (quality of care)

A health professional (medicine, nursing, physician assistant, midwifery, laboratory technologist) with at least four years’ experience working in Liberia. A good understanding of the MOH quality management system and tools will be an added advantage

[END OF SECTION C]

SECTION D - PACKAGING AND MARKING

D.1 AIDAR 752.7009 MARKING (JANUARY 1993)

(a) It is USAID policy that USAID-financed commodities and shipping containers, and project construction sites and other project locations be suitably marked with the USAID emblem. Shipping containers are also to be marked with the last five digits of the USAID financing document number.

As a general rule, marking is not required for raw materials shipped in bulk (such as coal, grain, etc.), or for semi-finished products which are not packaged.

(b) Specific guidance on marking requirements should be obtained prior to procurement of commodities to be shipped, and as early as possible for project construction sites and other project locations. This guidance will be provided through the cognizant technical office indicated on the cover page of this contract, or by the Mission Director in the Cooperating Country to which commodities are being shipped, or in which the project site is located.

(c) Authority to waive marking requirements is vested with the Regional Assistant

Administrators, and with Mission Directors.

(d) A copy of any specific marking instructions or waivers from marking requirements is to be sent to the Contracting Officer; the original should be retained by the Contractor.

D.2 BRANDING STRATEGY, IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND MARKING PLAN

The cover page of all report deliverables required in Section F. must include the USAID Identity (or the name of the Agency written out) prominently displayed, the Award number (see the cover page of this award), contractor name, name of the USAID project office, the publication or issuance date of the document, document title, author name(s), project number, and project title. Descriptive information is required whether contractor-furnished products are submitted in paper or electronic form. All materials must include the name, organization, address, and telephone/fax/internet number of the person submitting the materials.

[END OF SECTION D]

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 NOTICE LISTING AWARD CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The following clauses pertinent to this section are hereby incorporated by reference (by Citation Number, Title, and Date) in accordance with the clause at FAR 52.252-2 CLAUSES

INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE" in Section I of this award. See http://acquisition.gov/far/index.html for electronic access to the full text of a FAR clause.

NUMBER TITLE

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION

DATE

(48 CFR Chapter 1)

52.246-4 Inspection of Services – Fixed Price Aug. 1996

E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE/RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL

USAID inspection and acceptance of services, reports and other required deliverables or outputs must take place at USAID Liberia and reports and deliverables or outputs are produced or submitted.

The Contracting Officer Representative (COR) identified in Section G has been delegated authority to inspect and accept all services, reports, and deliverables required by the basic BPA.

BPA-Call Order CORs may be designated for a specific call order. In accordance with the clauses of this award entitled ―Inspection of Services –Fixed-price, (FAR 52.246-4), inspection of results or other deliverables required by each BPA Call Order issued hereunder must be made by the cognizant BPA- Call Order COR for that BPA-Call Order. Acceptance of goods/services and reports or other deliverables by the cognizant BPA-Call Order COR for that BPA-Call Order must form the basis for payments to the contractor and will form the basis of the contractor’s permanent performance record with regard to this award.

[END OF SECTION E]

SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 NOTICE LISTING AWARD CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

The following contract clauses pertinent to this section are hereby incorporated by reference (by Citation Number, Title, and Date) in accordance with the clause at FAR 52.252-2 “CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE" in Section I of this contract. See

FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION

DATE

(48 CFR Chapter 1)

52.242-15 Stop-Work Order AUG 1989 52.242-17 Government Delay of Work APR 1984

F.2 PERFORMANCE PERIOD

a. The base period of performance is three (3) years for the BPA, including all BPA-Call Orders, is from XX/XX/2022 to XX/XX/2025. The first option period if exercised will be from XX/XX/2025 to XX/XX/2026 and for the second option period will be XX/XX/2026 to XX/XX/2027. (an additional 2 years for any ongoing BPA-Call Orders awarded during the final Option period of the main BPA award).

b. The ordering period is from:

Base year:

Option Year 1:

Option Year 2:

Option Year 3:

Option Year 4:

c. BPA-Call order performance may continue up to 2 years after the ordering period of

XX/XX/20XX but must be completed by XX/XX/20XX which is the end of the period of performance.

The ordering period of the award is limited to five years. BPA-Call Orders may be issued during the ordering period specified in paragraph b with a maximum period of performance of no more than 5 years not to exceed the BPA end date set forth in paragraph a. above. For example, BPA-Call Orders issued during Years 1 and 2 may have a five-year period of performance, whereas Call orders issued during Years 3, 4, and 5 will have less than a five-year period of performance.

F.3 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Performance of this BPA and BPA-Call Orders issued hereunder must be primarily at USAID identified sites, Contractor’s Offices, Contractor Facilities if applicable, and delivery at USAID Liberia.

F.4 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Evaluation of the contractor's performance must be conducted for each Call order in accordance with the performance standards set forth in the BPA-Call Order, if any, the Contractor's overall performance toward achievement of the objectives in Section C and provision of deliverables in Section F of the BPA-Call order, and the Contractor's compliance with all other terms and conditions of the BAP and BPA-Call order. Each evaluation will be conducted jointly by the BPA COR and the BPA-Call Order CO, and must form the basis of the contractor's permanent performance record with regard to this BPA and BPA-Call orders as required in FAR Part 42.15 and AIDAR 742.15.

The Contractor’s performance will be evaluated annually and at contract completion, utilizing at minimum, the following factors:

(i) Technical (quality of product or service).

(ii) Cost control (not applicable for firm-fixed-price or fixed-price with economic price adjustment arrangements).

(iii) Schedule/timeliness.

(iv) Management or business relations.

(v) Small business subcontracting (as applicable).

(vi) Other (as applicable) (e.g., late or nonpayment to subcontractors, trafficking violations, tax delinquency, failure to report in accordance with contract terms and conditions, defective cost or pricing data, terminations, suspension and debarments).

Evaluations will be tailored to the BPA-Call order type, size, content, and complexity of the requirement.

F.5 REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES OR OUTPUTS

In addition to the requirements set forth for submission of reports in Sections C, I and J, and in the AIDAR clause 752.242-70, Periodic Progress Reports, the Contractor must submit required deliverables or outputs as specified in individual BPA-Call orders to the COR specified in Section G with a copy to the Contracting Officer.

Within 10 days of award of this BPA, the Contractor and BPA COR shall meet and agree on specific format/content for the reporting, invoicing and procedure documents (such as Call Order template, call order format, work plan format, logistics documents, etc.) to be used throughout the duration for this BPA and all Call Orders. Within 15 days of the meeting, the Contractor shall submit templates for reporting, invoicing and procedure documents. (BPA-Call order awards will contain separate reporting requirements).

F. 5.1 Component 1 - Monitoring and Counter-verification of health service delivery Milestones

The Contractor must provide the deliverables specified in the table below per year.

A maximum of four rounds of counter verification at selected primary and secondary health facilities in accordance with the schedule outlined in Round 1.1 to 1.4:

Schedule Deliverable Submitted to

Round 1.1 Field work to

Counter Verify data for the period January to

March of Year under review

● Training (or refresher training) of data collection teams

● Field work by data collection teams to collect data from health facilities (counter verification of outputs

● Summary report, not more than five pages, on training and field work to collect data

Summary providing details on field work submitted to

COR

Round 1.2 Field work to

Counter Verify data for the period April to June of

Year under review

● Training (or refresher training) of data collection teams

● Field work by data collection teams to collect data from health facilities (counter verification of outputs

● Summary report, not more than five pages, on training and field work to collect data

Summary providing details on field work submitted to

COR

Round 1.3 Field work to

Counter Verify data for the period July to

September of Year under review

● Training (or refresher training) of data collection teams

● Field work by data collection…