SOL-442-12-000005_HIV-AIDS Evaluation.doc

Issuance Date: June 22, 2012

Closing Date:

July 25, 2012

Closing Time:

4:00 P.M., Phnom Penh, local time

Subject:

Request for Proposals (RFP) No. SOL-442-12-000005

Cambodia HIV/AIDS Innovate, Evaluate, and Disseminate (Evaluation Project) To All Prospective Offerors:

The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is seeking proposals from qualified organizations interested in providing the services as described in the attached solicitation. USAID plans to award a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Term, Level of Effort contract.

You have received this document through the USAID Internet site. Some of the Attachment/Forms/ Appendices/Exhibits in Section J have been supplied to you electronically. Other Attachments/Forms/ Appendices/Exhibits, which may not be included electronically in this solicitation, may be found at http://www.USAID.GOV/procurement_bus_opp/procurement/forms/ or by contacting the person in block 10 on page 1 of the SF 33.

If you have received this RFP electronically, then you must notify the contact person listed in block 10 of the original SF33 of the original RFP by fax or e-mail. As the recipient of this solicitation document, you are responsible for ensuring that you have received it from the Internet in its entirety. USAID bears no responsibility for data errors resulting from transmission or conversion processes. Further, please be aware that amendments to solicitations are occasionally issued and will be posted on the same Internet site from which you downloaded the solicitation. Generally, the Contracting Officer will send copies of amendments to all those who have sent in the written confirmation of solicitation receipt. However, USAID does not guarantee that an amendment will be issued to you directly based upon written confirmation that you have downloaded the solicitation from the Internet. You are therefore advised to regularly check the FedBizOps website (http://www.fedbizops.gov/) for amendments.

Please pay careful attention to Section K - Representations, Certifications and Acknowledgements of the accompanying Request for Proposals. Offerors are now expected to comply with FAR clause 52.204-7, Central Contractor Registration, and complete the annual representations and certifications electronically via the Online Representations and Certifications Application website at http://orca.bpn.gov.

Offerors must carefully adhere to Section L - Instructions to Offerors and Section M - Evaluation Factors for Award. Sections B through J of the solicitation will become the basis for the contract. Any blanks in Sections B through J will be completed by the Contracting Officer before award.

You are strongly encouraged to submit any comments or questions concerning this RFP by no later than July 05, 2012. These should be directed to Ms. Rebecca White, Regional Contracting Officer, by e-mail at rwhite@usaid.gov and copy Ms. Mealea S. Prak at sprak@usaid.gov .

The Proposal shall be prepared in two separate parts: the Technical Proposal shall address technical aspects only while the Business (Cost) Proposal shall present the costs and address related issues such as responsibility. Offerors shall submit one (1) original and five (5) copies of their Technical Proposal in a sealed envelope which is clearly marked as being in response to this RFP. Offerors shall submit one (1) original and one (1) copy of their Business Proposal separately in a sealed envelope indicating that it is in response to this RFP and contains cost information. One copy each of the technical and business proposals shall also be submitted within the sealed envelopes on electronic medium (disk or CD) with text in WORD and budgets in EXCEL. Proposals must be signed by an official who is authorized to bind the organization.

The required closing date and time for receipt of proposals at the USAID/Cambodia office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia is 4:00 P.M. Phnom Penh local time on July 25, 2012. Point of required receipt is at USAID/Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia and not at USAID in Washington, D.C. or at any other location. Offerors should take account of the expected delivery time required by the proposal transmission method they choose, and are responsible to ensure that proposals are received at USAID/Cambodia by the due date and time specified above. The Offeror shall also submit an electronic version of the technical proposal and cost proposal to Ms. Mealea S. Prak and Mr. San Pot at the following e-mail addresses, respectively: sprak@usaid.gov and spot@usaid.gov. Faxed proposals are not acceptable. The normal method of transmission for proposals should be by international courier or by mail. (See Section L of the RFP.)

The offerors should send the original and copies of their proposal to:

Mealea S. Prak

Office of Procurement

USAID/Cambodia c/o US Embassy Cambodia

Box 47

APO, AP 96546

or Mealea S. Prak

Office of Procurement

USAID/Cambodia c/o US Embassy Cambodia

#1, Street 96, Sangkat Wat Phnom, Khan Daun Penh

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Oral explanations or instructions given before the award of the contract will not be binding. Issuance of this solicitation does not obligate USAID to award a contract, nor will USAID pay any costs associated with the preparation or submission of proposals. Furthermore, the Government reserves the right to reject any and all offers, if such action is considered to be in the best interest of the Government. Award of a contract under this RFP is subject to availability of funds and other internal USAID approvals.

Thank you for your interest in USAID programs.

Sincerely, /s/

Rebecca White

Regional Contracting Officer

USAID/RDMA, Bangkok

Table of Contents

Page

PART I - THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE (CPFF)

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE AND SERVICES (CPFF)

B.3 ESTIMATED COST, FIXED FEE, AND OBLIGATED AMOUNT

B.4 BUDGET SCHEDULE

B.5 INDIRECT COSTS (DEC 1997)

B.6 ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING ON CEILING INDIRECT COST RATES AND FINAL REIMBURSEMENT FOR INDIRECT COSTS

B.7 COST REIMBURSABLE

SECTION C - STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 TITLE OF PROGRAM

C.2 PURPOSE

C.3 BACKGROUND

C.4 PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED RESULTS

C.5 TECHNICAL DIRECTION AND COORDINATION

C.6 CONTRACTOR PERFORMANCE MONITORING

C.7 CONTRACTOR OFFICE

SECTION D - PACKAGING AND MARKING

D.1 AIDAR 752.7009 MARKING (JAN 1993)

D.2 BRANDING POLICY

SECTION E - INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

E.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

E.2 INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

SECTION F - DELIVERIES OR PERFORMANCE

F.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

F.2 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE (CPFF)

F.3 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

F.4 REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES OR OUTPUTS

F.6 KEY PERSONNEL

F.7 PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

F.8 AUTHORIZED WORK DAY / WEEK

SECTION G - CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DATA

G.1 AIDAR 752.7003 DOCUMENTATION FOR PAYMENT (NOV 1998)

G.2 ADMINISTRATIVE CONTRACTING OFFICE

G.3 CONTRACTING OFFICER’S TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVE (COR)

G.4 TECHNICAL DIRECTIONS/RELATIONSHIP WITH USAID

G.5 PAYING OFFICE

G.6 ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA

SECTION H - SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS

H.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

H.2 AIDAR 752.225-70 SOURCE, ORIGIN AND NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS (FEB 1997)

H.3 AIDAR 752.7004 EMERGENCY LOCATOR INFORMATION (JUL 1997)

H.4 AIDAR 752.7005. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE DOCUMENTS (JAN 2004)

H.5 INSURANCE AND SERVICES

H.6. AIDAR 752.228-70 Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) Services (April 2006) (Pursuant to class deviation OAA-DEV-2006-1c)

H.7 AUTHORIZED GEOGRAPHIC CODE

H.8 NONEXPENDABLE PROPERTY PURCHASES AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES

H.9 LOGISTIC SUPPORT

H.10 LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

H.11 SUBCONTRACTING PLAN AND THE SF 294 – SUBCONTRACTING REPORT FOR INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTS AND SF 295 – SUMMARY CONTRACTING REPORT

H.12 EXECUTIVE ORDER ON TERRORISM FINANCING (FEB 2002)

H.13 FOREIGN GOVERNMENT DELEGATIONS TO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES (JAN 2002)

H.14 REPORTING OF FOREIGN TAXES (March 2006)

H.15 AIDAR 752.7007, PERSONNEL COMPENSATION

H.16 HOMELAND SECURITY PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE-12 (HSPD-12) (SEPTEMBER 2006)

H.17 SALARY SUPPLEMENTS FOR HOST GOVERNMENT (HG) EMPLOYEES (OCT 1998)

H.18 USAID Disability Policy - (Dec 2004)

H.19 ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE

PART II - CONTRACT CLAUSES

SECTION I - CONTRACT CLAUSES

I.1 NOTICE LISTING CONTRACT CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

I.2 52.204-1

APPROVAL OF CONTRACT (DEC 1989)

I.4 52.216-7 ALLOWABLE COST AND PAYMENT (DEC 2002)

I.5 52.217-8 OPTION TO EXTEND SERVICES (NOV 1999)

I.6 52.227-23 RIGHTS TO PROPOSAL DATA (TECHNICAL) (JUN 1987)

I.7 52.232-25 PROMPT PAYMENT (OCT 2003)

I.8 52.247-67 SUBMISSION OF TRANSPORTATION DOCUMENTS FOR AUDIT (FEB 2006)

I.9 52.252-2 CLAUSES INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

I.10 AIDAR 752.7032 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL APPROVAL AND NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS (JAN 1990)

I.11 PUBLICATIONS AND MEDIA RELEASES (JAN 2004)

I.12 52.242-2 PRODUCTION PROGRESS REPORTS (Apr 1991)

I.13 752.7101 VOLUNTARY POPULATION PLANNING ACTIVITIES (June 2008)

PART III - LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACHMENTS

SECTION J - LIST OF ATTACHMENTS

ATTACHMENT 1

USAID FORM 1420-17 - CONTRACTOR BIOGRAPHICAL DATA SHEET

ATTACHMENT 2

SF LLL - DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES

PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS

SECTION K - REPRESENTATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER STATEMENTS OF OFFERORS

K.2 52.204-3

TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION (OCT 1998)

K.3 52.204-8

ANNUAL REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS (JAN 2006)

K.4 52.227-15 STATEMENT OF LIMITED RIGHTS DATA AND RESTRICTED COMPUTER SOFTWARE (MAY 1999)

K.5 52.230-1 COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS NOTICES AND CERTIFICATION (JUNE 2000)

K.6 52.230-7 PROPOSAL DISCLOSURE--COST ACCOUNTING PRACTICE CHANGES (APR 2005)

K.7 INSURANCE - IMMUNITY FROM TORT LIABILITY

L.1 NOTICE LISTING SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

L.2 FAR 52.215-1, INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS – COMPETITIVE ACQUISITION (JAN 2004)

L.3 52.204-6 DATA UNIVERSAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (DUNS) NUMBER (JUN 1999)

L.4 52.216-1 TYPE OF CONTRACT (APR 1984)

L.5 52.233-2 SERVICE OF PROTEST (SEP 2006)

L.6 52.252-1 SOLICITATION PROVISIONS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE (FEB 1998)

L.7 GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

L.8 INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

L.9. INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE COST PROPOSAL

SECTION M - EVALUATION FACTORS FOR AWARD

M.1 GENERAL INFORMATION

M.2 TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA (TOTAL OF 100 POINTS)

ATTACHMENT 1: USAID FORM 1420-17 - CONTRACTOR BIOGRAPHICAL DATA SHEET

ATTACHMENT 2: SF LLL - DISCLOSURE OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES

PART I - THE SCHEDULE

SECTION B - SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICE/COSTS

B.1 PURPOSE (CPFF)

The purpose of this contract is to provide services as described in detail in Section C, Statement of Work.

B.2 CONTRACT TYPE AND SERVICES (CPFF)

This is a Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) Term, Level of Effort contract. For the consideration set forth in the contract, the Contractor shall provide the deliverables or outputs described in Section C and comply with all contract requirements.

B.3 ESTIMATED COST, FIXED FEE, AND OBLIGATED AMOUNT

(a) For the five year contract period, the estimated cost for the performance of the work required hereunder, exclusive of fixed fee, is $________________. The fixed fee, if any, for the contract period is $______________. The total estimated cost plus fixed fee is $___________________.

The estimated cost plus fixed fee, if any, for the contract period is $_________________.

(b) Within the estimated cost plus fixed fee (if any) specified in paragraph (a) above, the amount currently obligated and available for reimbursement of allowable costs incurred by the Contractor (and payment of fee, if any) for performance of the contract period hereunder is $__________________. The Contractor shall not exceed the aforesaid obligated amount unless authorized by the Contracting Officer pursuant to the clause of this contract entitled “Limitation of Funds” (FAR 52.232-22). See Section I of this contract.

(c) Funds obligated hereunder are anticipated to be sufficient through the life of the project.

B.4 BUDGET SCHEDULE

Contract Period (Years 1 – 5)

Total

I. Operations Costs

Salaries and Wages

Fringe Benefits

Travel and Transportation

Equipment and Supplies

Subcontracts

Participant training

Other Direct Costs

Indirect Costs

Total Estimated Cost

Fixed Fee

TOTAL Estimated Cost Plus Fixed Fee

Note 1- Individual sub-contractors should include the same cost element break-downs in their budget as applicable.

Note 2- Either the standard cost element budget above or the Contract Line Item Number budget as illustrated in Section L.9.1 will be included.

B.5 INDIRECT COSTS (DEC 1997)

The contract clause entitled “Allowable Cost and Payment (MAR 2000)”, FAR 52.216-7, specifies that the indirect cost rates shall be established for each of the Contractor’s accounting periods that apply to this contract. Pending establishment of revised provisional or final indirect cost rates, allowable indirect costs shall be reimbursed on the basis of the following negotiated provisional or predetermined rates and the appropriate bases:

Description Rate

Base

Type

Period

1/

[To be determined]

B.6 ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING ON CEILING INDIRECT COST RATES AND FINAL REIMBURSEMENT FOR INDIRECT COSTS

(1) Reimbursement for allowable indirect costs shall be at final negotiated rates but not in excess of the following ceiling rates:

Description Rate

Base

Type

Period

[To be determined]

(2) The Contractor shall make no change in its established method of classifying or allocating indirect costs without the prior written approval of the Contracting Officer.

(3) The Government shall not be obligated to pay any additional amount on account of indirect costs above the ceiling rates established in the contract.

(4) This understanding shall not change any monetary ceiling, obligation, cost limitation, or obligation established in the contract.

B.7 COST REIMBURSABLE

The costs allowable shall be limited to reasonable, allocable and necessary costs determined in accordance with FAR 52.216-7, Allowable Cost and Payment, FAR 52.216-8, Fixed Fee, if applicable, and AIDAR 752.7003, Documentation for Payment.

- End of Section B -

SECTION C - STATEMENT OF WORK

C.1 TITLE OF PROGRAM

The title of the project is Cambodia HIV/AIDS Innovate, Evaluate, and Disseminate, hereinafter referred to as the Evaluation Project.

C.2 PURPOSE

The purpose of this Contract is to implement an Evaluation Project, which will support evaluations, operations research and assessments of U.S. government (USG) supported HIV/AIDS activities in Cambodia. The Contractor will utilize the best available methods to assess and evaluate innovations in HIV programs; disseminate findings to use for decision making and build the international evidence base for HIV programs in concentrated-epidemic settings; and build the capacity of a local research institution to conduct assessments and evaluations.

C.3 BACKGROUND

Sector Overview

Cambodia is one of Asia’s poorest nations and the health of its population is among the worst in the region. However, Cambodia is one of the few countries in the world that has achieved its Millennium Development Goals related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In the past decade, Cambodia has established itself as a global leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS – cutting adult prevalence by nearly 60 percent and currently providing HIV treatment to nearly 80 percent of individuals in need of antiretroviral treatment . A key factor in Cambodia’s successful national response to HIV/AIDS has been a high level of commitment and leadership within the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) of placing limited resources where evidence showed they would have the greatest impact.

The USG has contributed substantially to Cambodia’s success and, in fact, has funded almost 40 percent of the national response in the past decade. Historically, as the largest donor in HIV in Cambodia, USG investments have built local organizational and human capacity, helped develop standard operating procedures (SOP), and strengthened service delivery systems. Currently, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) is the largest HIV/AIDS donor placing substantial resources into drug procurement and service delivery. The Global Fund relies on USG partner innovations and models for scale up and replication. Despite the tremendous progress made in Cambodia, there remain many challenges to the current efforts to combat HIV/AIDS and many needs still exist.

Cambodia does not have a generalized epidemic, instead the HIV prevalence is concentrated in most-at-risk populations (MARPs), which include entertainment workers (EW), their prospective male clients and sweethearts , men who have sex with men (MSM), and injecting drug users (IDU).

Despite the clear success that Cambodia has had in preventing the spread of HIV, the burden of HIV infection remains high in marginalized and hard-to-reach sub-segments of MARPs. A substantial proportion of the next 1,000 HIV infections to occur in Cambodia will stem from unmet prevention needs in these subpopulations. HIV prevalence among brothel-based EW has declined dramatically from 44.7 percent in 1996 to 14.7 percent in 2006. However, the 2010 round of Cambodia’s HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS) found that while 4.1 percent of EW reporting 14 or fewer sexual partners per week were infected with HIV, 13.9 percent of those reporting 15 or more clients a week were infected. A 2005 subnational survey among MSM indicated substantially higher HIV infection rates among transgendered individuals (9.8 percent) than among other MSM (2.6 percent). In addition, a 2007 study among drug users found that 24.4 percent of IDU were infected with HIV, as opposed to 1.1 percent of non-injecting drug users. Infection risks are particularly high among individuals facing overlapping risks, such as EW who use drugs to work longer shifts and see more clients, and transgendered individuals who sell sex.

The primary driver of Cambodia’s HIV epidemic continues to be heterosexual transmission between entertainment workers and their clients and other sexual partners. High-risk men sometimes have multiple and concurrent partners which includes both commercial partners and sweethearts. Spousal transmission occurs when clients of EW infect their wives, and subsequently, the infants born to those infected mothers.

Progress has been made in the prevention of HIV in several areas, including establishment of technical working groups (TWGs) and development of SOPs for targeted interventions with most-at-risk populations (MARPs). Cambodia’s pragmatic approach to identifying the elevated burdens of HIV in groups most at risk and prioritizing resources for these sub-populations is likely to have led to some of Cambodia’s early successes.

With USAID support, the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has increased access to care and treatment services through a variety of innovations: 1) HIV testing and counseling (HTC) in non-workplace outreach settings through the Community/Peer Initiated Counseling and Testing (C/PICT); 2) a Linked Response for Prevention, Care, and Treatment of HIV/AIDS which has increased the coverage and quality of services, as well as referral linkages. The greatest achievements and innovations of late have been in the area of scale up of care and treatment using the Continuum of Care (CoC) approach which links HIV/AIDS/sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention activities with care, treatment, and the delivery of comprehensive services for people living with HIV (PLHIV).

Development Challenges and Opportunities

Cambodia is faced with numerous challenges with regard to its response to HIV/AIDS. Many of these challenges are faced by the entire health system, such as weak infrastructure, low human resource capacity, inadequate civil servant salaries and poor integration of health services. In addition, quality of care varies widely; there are limited numbers of service providers and care facilities; and financial barriers to care continue to be a problem. Other major challenges include the need for more timely and comprehensive strategic information to guide programming; the need to maintain low HIV incidence rates in the face of a likely reduction in available resources; and the need to improve the cost-efficiency and effectiveness of HIV interventions.

The vision for USG HIV/AIDS support to Cambodia is to establish intervention models and service-delivery systems that increase the impact and reduce the costs of Cambodia’s national response to HIV/AIDS. Against the backdrop of a global financial crisis, a changing HIV epidemic context, competing health and development priorities, and emerging innovations in HIV prevention, there is a need for the RGC and its development partners to make strategic decisions about how to make the most of limited resources. Given the current and anticipated PEPFAR planning budgets for Cambodia, it is no longer possible or strategic for Cambodia to depend on the USG to fund substantial elements of the national response to HIV/AIDS at scale.

Therefore, USG investments should help Cambodia to more efficiently, effectively, and independently achieve its overarching national HIV/AIDS goals:

1) To reduce the number of new HIV infections through scaled targeted prevention

2) To increase care and support to people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS

3) To alleviate the socioeconomic and human impact of AIDS on the individual, family, community and society

USAID Cambodia’s objective in HIV/AIDS involves building local individual, organizational, and systems capacity to use data to identify the right people to receive targeted interventions, the right package of services to address their needs and the most cost-efficient ways to deliver these services. This approach is consistent with a decline in available resources and with direction from the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) that the USG/Cambodia HIV/AIDS program transition from a service-delivery platform focused on addressing gaps in the national program to a technical assistance platform focused on enhancing the impacts and reducing the costs of the national response to HIV/AIDS. By generating and applying data to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the national response to HIV/AIDS, USG investments can address a critical need to reduce RGC's dependence on donor resources in the health sector.

Program and Research Issues

There is a strong culture of monitoring and reporting on activities in Cambodia and using this data to inform program development by the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology, and STDs (NCHADS), USAID/Cambodia, Cooperating Agencies (CAs), and USAID Implementing Partners (IPs). The RGC has used evidence to continuously revise strategic goals and objectives for policy and programs. However, issues still remain.

1. Research Capacity: Some IPs have demonstrated effective use of data and implemented formative and operations research as a tool to inform programming, but this has been minimal. Further work is needed to build evaluation and operations research capacity, including strengthening the ability to design and implement rigorous studies.

2. Data quality: Assessing and evaluating demonstrations of innovations as well as innovative approaches to taking programs to scale requires higher quality data than is typically used for program monitoring and reporting. The data quality issues as they relate to program research and evaluation stem from issues such as reliance on program data collected for purposes other the research/evaluation activity.

3. Coordination and Collaboration: CAs, IPs, and evaluation partners are expected to work together in order to implement comprehensive HIV/AIDS services with strong linkages and integration with other sectors of health such as family planning and reproductive health. For the purposes of research and evaluation, coordination efforts will be needed to reduce redundancies in data collection and analysis.

USG whole of government initiatives

The USG has always championed the application of data and the integration of key health services to reduce costs and improve the impacts of HIV and other health investments in Cambodia. The USAID/Cambodia’s new Global Health Initiative (GHI) strategy reflects an even deeper commitment to whole-of-government management of HIV and other health resources in a manner that enhances maternal and newborn health in Cambodia. The draft five-year U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) strategy specifically complements the GHI strategy by describing the ways in which the USG will use HIV funding and other resources to enhance the impact of RGC’s national HIV/AIDS program, while also reducing costs. Across both strategies, efforts to improve the use of data to guide the allocation of limited resources, and strategically integrate systems and services to improve program outcomes and efficiency are common key priorities. Illustrative examples of the ways in which the PEPFAR program will address overarching GHI goals are provided below:

1. Focusing on women, girls, and gender equality: Mitigating the risks faced by women and girls who exchange sex for goods or money is arguably the greatest HIV-prevention priority in Cambodia. PEPFAR activities support the delivery of a package of services that seeks not only to reduce the HIV risks faced by these individuals, but also to address the income and educational inequities that contribute to engagement in risky behavior. In addition, all programming for this population is peer-led, and is often peer-managed.

2. Encouraging country ownership and invest in country-led plans: The USG is continually engaged with the RGC in the development, management, oversight, and implementation of RGC’s national health and HIV/AIDS plans. The draft PEPFAR/Cambodia Five Year Strategic Plan is based on RGC’s National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS.

3. Strengthening and leveraging other efforts: The USG works closely with RGC counterparts to ensure coordination with Global Fund activities, to improve HIV/AIDS program quality through joint activity monitoring, participation in relevant committees and working groups to influence the incorporation of new models, practices, and research findings into Global Fund-supported activities, and to identify technical assistance needs through efforts of PEPFAR/Cambodia’s Global Fund Liaison. In addition, close collaboration exists with the World Bank and other partners engaged in the pooled Health Systems Strengthening Project II (HSSP2). HSSP2 prioritizes support for maternal and newborn health activities, and these efforts provide the PEPFAR program with opportunities to integrate HIV interventions with other health programs and systems.

4. Increasing impact through strategic coordination and integration: USG staff chair the Joint Government-Donor Technical Working Group for HIV/AIDS and play active roles on the donor coordination committee for health, the national health and HIV/AIDS technical working groups, and on the Global Fund Country Coordinating Committee.

5. Building sustainability through investments in health systems: The USG supports efforts to link client databases and health information systems, provides technical assistance to link and integrate vertical disease programs, and provides mentoring and training to build the leadership and management skills of local public health providers.

6. Promoting learning and accountability through M&E: USAID/Cambodia is committed to evaluating innovations in HIV/AIDS programs and disseminating the findings.

7. Accelerating results through research and innovation: A major focus of the draft PEPFAR/Cambodia five-year strategy is the identification of innovative, high impact, and more efficient service delivery models through improved use of routine program data.

USAID Forward

USAID has embarked on a reform effort, USAID Forward (http://forward.usaid.gov), to change the way the Agency does business—with new partnerships, an emphasis on innovation and a focus on results. USAID Forward gives USAID the opportunity to transform the agency and realize its full potential to achieve high-impact development. USAID Forward is based on the first Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) which was issued in 2010.

USAID Forward focuses on seven key objectives, of which four are directly applicable to this RFP:

Strengthening Monitoring and Evaluation: Learning by measuring progress is critical for high impact, sustainable development and therefore must be an integral part of USAID’s thought process from the onset of its activities. To achieve this, USAID introduced an improved monitoring and evaluation process through a new evaluation policy (http://www.usaid.gov/evaluation/USAIDEvaluationPolicy.pdf) that links systematic monitoring of performance and evaluation of impact in all program design, budgeting and strategy work.

Science and Technology: USAID has a proud history of transforming development through science & technology (S&T), from the successful use of oral rehydration therapies to the green revolution. As part of these reform efforts, USAID is upgrading its internal S&T capabilities, supporting the expansion of technical expertise and improving access to analytical tools like Geospatial Information Systems. It has developed the Grand Challenges for Development, a framework to focus the Agency and development community on key scientific and technical barriers that limit breakthrough development progress. Finally, USAID is building S&T capacity in developing countries through cooperative research grants, improved access to scientific knowledge and higher education and training opportunities.

Innovation: USAID has put into place a structure for fostering innovative development solutions that have a broad impact on people, wherever they may arise. To support innovation in its work, USAID is creating opportunities to connect its staff to leading innovators in the private sector and academia, and created the Development Innovation Ventures Fund—where creative solutions can be funded, piloted and brought to scale.

Implementation and Procurement Reform: USAID is changing its business processes—contracting with and providing grants to more and varied local partners, and creating true partnerships to create the conditions where aid is no longer necessary in the countries where the Agency works. To achieve this, USAID is streamlining its processes, increasing the use of small businesses, building metrics into its implementation agreements to achieve capacity building objectives and using host country systems where it makes sense.

USAID/Cambodia is aligned with USAID Forward. The Contractor must conduct evaluations and assessments as described by USAID’s Evaluation policy and in line with USAID Forward key objectives as well as disseminate the findings. The Contractor must build research, assessment, and evaluation capacity in Cambodia by training a local partner research institution in data triangulation, meta-analyses, synthesis and data dissemination, as well as through research training opportunities.

C.4 PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED RESULTS

C.4.1 Goal and Objectives

The goal of this contract is to build the evidence base for more impactful and cost-effective innovations in HIV programming to meet the needs of MARPs and PLHIV in Cambodia. Specifically, the contractor shall achieve this goal by accomplishing the following objectives:

· Objective # 1: Identify critical knowledge gaps and conduct formative research, operations research, and evaluations specifically linked to and based on activities conducted by USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project and other IPs within the PEPFAR/Cambodia portfolio;

· Objective # 2: Develop and implement a data dissemination plan at the national and global levels; and a plan to incorporate findings into programmatic recommendations for MARPs and PLHIV in Cambodia; and

· Objective # 3: Strengthen local partner capacity to conduct and implement research and evaluation activities.

C.4.2 Program Coordination The Contractor must collaborate and consult with key stakeholders in identifying research priorities for HIV programs in Cambodia. The contractor should coordinate and communicate with USAID/Cambodia, USG PEPFAR staff, NCHADS, the National AIDS Authority (NAA), CAs, IPs, public and private sector partners, and other donors as appropriate. The Contractor must coordinate with a range of organizations to implement the highest priority research in the specified areas and to disseminate the research results.

The Contractor must address critical gaps in the research and evidence base for program implementation in line with USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project activities, RGC national strategies, PEPFAR/Cambodia’s strategy, and PEPFAR goals of capacity building, health systems strengthening, and promotion of country-owned, country-led, and sustainable programs. The Contractor must ensure initial and ongoing consultations with USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project to develop an appropriate evaluation plan which includes both quantitative and qualitative research. The Contractor must not repeat activities such as program monitoring and reporting typically conducted by an IP. Process monitoring for evaluation purposes are integral to operations research and evaluation, but duplicative efforts in collecting other program data obtained for monitoring and reporting of USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project should be avoided. Data collection should be complementary to these other data sources.

The Contractor should collaborate with USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project to facilitate consistent and continual information exchange through ongoing data sharing between projects. The Contractor must prioritize evaluations of innovations implemented under the USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project and other IP innovations that are most likely to have important national or regional implications for program priorities or resource allocation.

C.4.3 Gender

Gender inequities contribute tangibly and substantially to economic vulnerabilities that are associated with engagement in HIV risk behavior in Cambodia. More than 25 percent of EW in Cambodia have no formal education, and half of women who enter into entertainment work do so because of the need to address health and education costs for family members or other financial commitments. According to the 2007 Behavioral Surveillance Survey among certain at-risk groups, about one-third of EW report having had an abortion in the past year, a clear indication of inconsistent condom use and high unmet family planning needs in a population at high risk for HIV infection.

Historically, all USG-supported programming in Cambodia has been informed by an acute awareness that understanding and addressing the impacts of gender is crucial to responding effectively to the HIV/AIDS epidemic given that EW and male who transact sex are MARPs populations in Cambodia. In addition, current investments in HIV/AIDS are aligned to the fundamental GHI principle that the health and well-being of women and girls is key to the health of all. Nevertheless, the Contractor must take gender considerations into account in order to achieve the results specified in this Statement of Work.

C.4.4 Geographic scope The Contractor should work where USAID Cambodia’s Flagship HIV/AIDS Project and other IPs within the PEPFAR/Cambodia portfolio operate but can include other areas as part of the pursuit of rigorous research methods.

C.4.5 Major Tasks

Task 1: Research and evaluate activities of USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project and other elements of the PEPFAR/Cambodia portfolio (Level of effort: 50%) Prevention

USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project will aim to reduce barriers at health facilities for MARPs so they receive key services such as confidential HIV counseling and testing, STI tests, and Reproductive Health/Family Planning (RH/FP) consultations. The Contractor must identify what barriers exist for MARPs and develop data collection and survey tools to assess the effectiveness of USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project’s intervention to increase service uptake by MARPs. The Contractor must collect data in non-intervention facilities in order to develop a comparison group to quantify measurable changes as a result of the intervention. The Contractor should advise USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project on intervention design so that sample size considerations are taken into account.

NCHADS has recently released guidance on community-based rapid HIV testing and counseling (CBRT). Using IP and RGC facility program data, the Contractor must conduct an analysis of the coverage and acceptance of CBRT among MARPs communities. In addition, the Contractor must conduct facility and consumer surveys to determine appropriateness and feasibility of CBRT in STI clinics, tuberculosis clinics, and through peer-initiated testing and counseling.

USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project will implement RGC’s Continuum of Prevention to Care and Treatment (CoPCT) model for EW to ensure that EW receive the broad range of services needed. The Contractor must conduct an impact evaluation of the CoPCT to demonstrate its effectiveness. The Contractor must advise USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project on sample size and control group considerations so that the impact of USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project’s implementation of the CoPCT can be quantified. Finally, the Contractor must survey participating EW to determine the suitability of USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project’s intervention and to identify human rights concerns associated with implementing a comprehensive prevention program that operates at community and facility levels.

NCHADS conducts censuses of EW intermittently. The Contractor must evaluate the current census system in Cambodia and provide recommendations to NCHADS for its improvement. In addition, the Contractor should determine if a well-designed routine census for MARPS can replace other EW enumeration strategies.

The Contractor must create a survey tool that assesses the acceptability of an MSM outreach program and the corresponding uptake of facility-based services. This tool should be stratified so that it can identify differences in uptake of services between sub-groups of MSM (transgender, men who have sex with both men and women, etc.).

Although the overall population of IDU in Cambodia is estimated to be small, HIV prevalence among IDU is the highest of all MARPs. The political and legal environment in Cambodia makes prevention efforts among IDU very difficult. USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project will develop a community-based model for drug treatment for IDU to: provide a lower cost and more effective alternative to drug detentions centers which have been shown to have a high rate of recidivism and can increase transmission of HIV and TB; increase access to confidential HIV counseling and testing; and improve linkages between community-based programs and clinical services, including HIV care and treatment services and approaches that address livelihoods. The Contractor must create a survey tool that will assess changes in health seeking behavior of IDU as a result of the community-based model. Finally, the Contractor must conduct a policy analysis on illicit drug use laws and regulations of the RGC and draft recommendations for USAID/Cambodia to use in future policy discussions with RGC officials and other development partners.

The Contractor must assess FP integration with HIV services at OI/ART facilities and home and community-based care to determine if PLHIV are receiving appropriate advice for FP. The Contractor must also conduct a survey of HIV-positive clients and their partners to determine if the intervention addresses FP needs of MARPs and PLHIV.

Care and Treatment

Currently USAID/Cambodia HIV/AIDS implementing partners are providing the standard national package for home- and community-based care (HCBC) for HIV-positive individuals. USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project will develop a new model for HCBC that is more efficient and sustainable than the existing national package with better referrals to clinical services. The Contractor must use program and survey data to quantify whether USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project’s innovative HCBC model is more cost-efficient and sustainable than the standard model currently being implemented.

HIV service delivery in Cambodia has historically depended on an extensive list of incentive payments to HIV service providers at every level of the health system. Under new RGC guidelines for salary reform for civil servants, the practice of incentive payments has changed considerably and there are possible negative implications for patient care. The Contractor must conduct a policy assessment regarding the range of incentives permissible under current MOH guidelines. Based on this policy analysis document, the Contractor should advise USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project on the design of a performance-based financing (PBF) scheme. In addition, the Contractor must conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the PBF scheme being implemented and evaluate the performance of facilities covered by the scheme versus the performance of facilities not participating in the scheme.

NCHADS recently released guidelines for Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). Through CQI, service-delivery sites will be able to use patient data to determine how well they perform in provision of the comprehensive range of clinical services to HIV-positive clients. Using a survey tool for clients and a survey tool for clinicians, the Contractor must assess the success of this approach in assuring the delivery of quality services. The Contractor must evaluate whether CQI leads to improved clinical outcomes for HIV-positive clients.

Strategic Information

In order to receive a complete range of services, MARPS and PLHIV have to access clinical services that may not be co-located. Provision of a patient identification number to individuals could track the delivery of services to one client at different facilities. The Contractor must assess the policy environment for confidential management information systems that can track individuals' access to HIV and other health services via codes.

In 2010, NCHADS, in collaboration with development partners, outlined a research agenda to address gaps in HIV/AIDS knowledge and practice. The Contractor must work with NCHADS and a range of development partners to review the current research agenda to determine how well it addressed HIV/AIDS research priorities. Finally, the Contractor must assess entities involved in research design to develop a technical assistance strategy that local institutions (governmental and non-governmental) can use to facilitate future HIV/AIDS research activities.

The Contractor is responsible for the following Task 1 Deliverables:

· Analysis of barriers for at-risk clients to access the broad range of clinical services at health facilities;

· Data collection and survey tool to quantify the success in delivering a broad range of clinical services to MARPs;

· CoPCT impact evaluation;

· Survey of EW participating in CoPCT intervention;

· Development of EW census methodology;

· Survey tool to interview MSM to assess the success of an outreach prevention intervention;

· Focus group analysis conducted among MSM to understand underlying determinants around their service utilization;

· Evaluation of the accessibility of prevention interventions for IDU;

· Survey tool to interview IDU to assess the success of IDU prevention activities;

· Policy analysis of the enabling environment for IDU activities;

· FP/HIV integration survey for services for PLHIV and MARPs;

· Survey to assess the acceptability and uptake of CBRT;

· Cost-effectiveness analysis of innovative HCBC models;

· Policy review of incentives in the HIV program;

· Cost-benefit analysis of the performance-based financing scheme implemented by USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project;

· Program evaluation of CQI;

· Policy analysis regarding patient information in Cambodia;

· Policy analysis of regulations related to patient coding systems; and

· RGC institutional capacity review regarding their research agenda.

Task 2: Disseminate findings from Task 1 to incorporate into HIV programs and policy (Level of effort 20%) The Contractor must conduct high-quality analysis of topics identified in Task 1 for dissemination at national and international seminars and meetings. Prior to dissemination, the Contractor must consult with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) and other partners including the RGC, USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project, other USAID/Cambodia HIV/AIDS IPs and other development partners as deemed appropriate by the COR. The final product for dissemination must reflect inputs from all of these partners as the deliverables are products of collaboration. In order to accomplish Task 2, the Contractor must: 1) present abstracts at local, national and international conferences; 2) write briefs of research findings for policy and program implementers in Cambodia and for dissemination to other countries globally and submit these documents to the Development Experience Clearinghouse; 3) submit papers for submission to peer-reviewed journals; and 4) prepare policy briefs related to HIV/AIDS and health service delivery in Cambodia. The COR will decide who, how, and where to disseminate each deliverable on a case-by-case basis after consultation with the Contractor. Given the long gestation period for the development and dissemination of research, USAID/Cambodia does not expect dissemination of documents within the first year of the Contract. The Contractor must provide the COR with a deliverable plan that proposes potential dates for dissemination over the life of the project.

The Contractor is responsible for the following Task 2 Deliverables:

· Task 1 deliverables(abstracts, manuscripts, articles submitted to peer-reviewed journals, etc.) documented and prepared for dissemination;

· An anticipated life-of-project schedule for dissemination of deliverables; and

· Task 2 deliverables will likely require global travel to attend national, regional, and international conferences in order to publicize advancements in HIV-related activities in Cambodia.

Task 3: Build capacity of a local institution to conduct HIV/AIDS research and evaluation (Level of effort: 20%) The shortage of individual and institutional capacity in Cambodia for program research adversely affects the use of data for decision making. In the first year of the contract, the Contractor must partner with a local research institution so that the local institution has the ability to generate hypotheses to test and analyze data independently without support from an internationally-based researcher.

The Contractor must develop a customized, in-country training plan for key staff of a local research institution and assess their current knowledge, skills, and abilities to conduct and disseminate research, assessments, and evaluations. The Contractor must organize learning opportunities that selected local research institution staff will enroll in and complete over two to three years. The Contractor must propose a life-of-project customized technical capacity index that will assess changes in local partner staff knowledge, skills, and abilities over time as a result of participating in the training plan. The Contractor should consider assigning the local partner one study to conduct with minimal supervision starting in year two of the contract and complete by year five of the contract in order to demonstrate that the local partner can work independently. The Contractor will provide complete details on this training plan to the COR for approval within six months of signing the contract.

The Contractor is responsible for the following Task 3 Deliverables:

· Development of one in-country life-of-project training plan that will increase the capacity of staff of the local partner research institution;

· Five staff members of the local partner research institution will complete the training plan; and

· By the end of the contract, achievement of a higher score in a technical capacity index that rates the local partner research institution’s ability to serve as a lead on an evaluation project.

Task 4: Overarching program management and coordination (Level of effort: 10%)

Overall Project Management Plan Within two weeks after award, the Contractor shall participate in an initial planning meeting with the COR and associated USAID staff in Phnom Penh (via conference call, video conference, or in person) to discuss the program strategy, the interface with other USAID and USG activities, and development of key deliverables including the Work Plan.

The contractor must coordinate and communicate closely with USAID/Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS Flagship Project through an initial and ongoing planning meetings including joint work planning; monthly meetings with the Evaluation COR, the HIV/AIDS Flagship partner, and USAID/Cambodia’s Flagship AOR; and active participation in a functioning HIV/AIDS Steering Committee or similar coordination mechanism.

The contractor shall provide contract management necessary to fulfill all the requirements of this contract. This includes cost and quality control.

Annual Work Plan The Contractor shall deliver a draft of the Project Work Plan within 30 days of the contract start date designed with input from USAID/Cambodia’s Flagship Project, the RGC, USG partners and USAID/Cambodia. The work plan must describe all contract activities and expected deliverables for all five years of the Project, as well as provide a more detailed annual plan for the first year.