bantu_SOW_sources_sought.docx

DRAFT

Health Technical Assistance Project (BANTU)

STATEMENT OF WORK

BACKGROUND

USAID/Indonesia works closely with The Government of Indonesia (GOI) and other local counterparts to help them achieve national goals and priorities towards a healthier Indonesia. USAID provides targeted support and expertise that complements the contributions of other donors and the significant investments of GOI. Improving the skills of the clinical and public health workforces as well as the quality of care in the facilities where they work is essential to improving the health status of Indonesians. Improving access to care and strengthening the capacity of health systems is also imperative. While USAID manages a number of programs to support the GOI in its efforts, there is frequently need for external short-term assistance to augment or work outside these programs on a temporary basis. To be able to quickly respond to such needs, USAID/Indonesia is seeking contractor services to provide USAID with ready access to the specialized and targeted technical expertise required for the implementation and evaluation of programs contributing to the achievement of USAID/Indonesia’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) and Global Health Initiative (GHI) targets. The three main targets under GHI are: Helping Indonesia achieve MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) 4, 5 and 6; building local capacity for research and evidence, and partnering to address regional and global threats of infectious diseases.

USAID/Indonesia partners with the Government of Indonesia (GOI) at national and sub-national levels, academic and private sector, and other donors to strengthen GOI’s national strategies for improved health outcomes, health system strengthening, and disease control. The Office of Health’s portfolio is comprised of two teams: 1) maternal and child health (MCH), 2) and infectious diseases (ID). Under MCH, USAID is primarily focused on improving maternal and neonatal survival by improving quality of services, reducing delays within the emergency obstetrical care referral system and otherwise improving access to care, improving the governance environment, and supporting health system improvements. Within ID, USAID supports programs to control tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS, avian and pandemic influenza/emerging pandemic threats, as well as selected neglected tropical diseases.

USAID/Indonesia CDCS drives the mission’s strategy for the next 5 years and is built around the overarching goal of creating a stronger Indonesia advancing national and global development. There are four Development Objectives that build up to this goal: democratic governance strengthened; essential human services for the poorest and most vulnerable improved; global development priorities of mutual interest advanced; and collaborative achievement in science, technology, and innovation increased. Most of USAID/Indonesia’s strategic vision involving health is focused on the following intermediate results that lead up to three of the four development objectives. These intermediate results include the following:

1. services to reduce preventable deaths, particularly among women and children, improved;

2. governance of essential services at the local level strengthened;

3. control of infectious diseases of regional and global importance improved;

4. academic capacity and scientific research strengthened; and

5. evidence-based decision making enhanced.

PROGRAM PURPOSE

The purpose of the Health Technical Assistance Project (BANTU) is to identify, recruit, hire, administer and support qualified individuals or organizations that will provide short or long-term technical assistance as needed and requested by USAID Indonesia’s Office of Health, in particular, to support USAID’s GHI and CDCS strategies and priorities. The BANTU project will provide specialized, high-level technical assistance to USAID, USAID-funded programs, the GOI (e.g., the Ministry of Health (MOH), National AIDS Commission, Indonesian Commission for Hospital Accreditation, the Office of the Special Envoy for the MDGs, etc.) parastatal organizations (e.g, Eijkman Institute), sub-national government (e.g., district health office), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), academic institutions, and other research institutes as required.

BANTU will identify a pool of diverse Indonesian, expatriate, and regional health, governance, information technology (IT), research, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and management professionals who are able provide specialized expertise that may be lacking in the health systems but which are critical to the success of Indonesian public health programs. BANTU will maintain an up-to-date database of professionals, consultancy firms, and other short-term technical assistance organizations; as well as develop and maintain a streamlined hiring or procurement process to allow for quick response to Mission needs.

This activity will primarily support the implementation of USAID/Indonesia’s GHI strategy and the accomplishment of its Development Objectives related to health under the CDCS. It will support current and future areas of strategic interest, including USAID Forward, USAID Evaluation Policy, and other directives. While the main purpose of this program is to support the Health Office in its goals, it may accept funding from other technical areas for short-term technical assistance to support USAID/Indonesia strategic goals.

SCOPE OF WORK

The Contractor must identify, contract and make available short- and long-term individuals, organizations, or subcontractors to perform the specific tasks identified and requested by the USAID/Indonesia Office of Health. For the purposes of the BANTU contract, short-term assignments will be those that last up to six months; long-term assignments will be six months to three years. The Contractor must identify appropriate consultants with the required expertise, availability, language proficiencies, and experience for each task. Placements, while primarily in Jakarta, may also be in other provinces of Indonesia or in some cases require significant in-country travel.

The Contractor must be responsible for maintaining clear lines of communication with USAID that ensure timeliness and responsiveness to project tasks, completeness of the database, regular feedback on performance of individual consultants and organizations on specific assignments, and satisfactory completion of deliverables and assignments.

USAID will plan, to the extent possible, all anticipated consultant and technical assistance needs and annually submit to the Contractor a plan for consultancies, upon which the Contractor will build their annual work plan. This will determine the level of effort and budget. However, within this plan, there will be planned allowances for short-term consultancies that may arise over the course of the year.

The Contractor must, as instructed by USAID, coordinate and collaborate with other identified partners and USAID programs. Furthermore, the Contractor must utilize local individuals and local organizations as appropriate in order to contribute to capacity development. If local individuals and organizations are used, the Contractor must manage the logistics, travel, per diem, and other such appropriate allowances as will be necessary to relocate these consultants domestically to their assignment location.

The Contractor’s responsibilities are comprised of three main project components:

COMPONENT 1. Short-term technical assistance. The Contractor must identify, recruit and place short-term and intermittent technical advisors and/or subcontractors for a range of assignments. Illustrative tasks include:

To meet the requested need for technical assistance, the Contractor may need to do the following:

For assignments requiring international experts or the domestic relocation of Indonesian consultants, the Contractor must obtain visas, lodging, and other allowances in accordance with USAID rules and regulations, and provide on-going logistic and administrative assistance. Some tasks may be requested by USAID on very short notice, requiring rapid response from the Contractor to ensure the effectiveness of the contract.

COMPONENT 2. Long-term technical assistance. The Contractor must identify, recruit, and hire appropriate candidates and/or subcontractors as long-term technical advisors in Indonesia. Illustrative tasks include:

To meet the requested need for technical assistance, the Contractor may need to do the following:

The Contractor must obtain all clearances and visas, manage relocation and housing school fees and other approved allowances, and provide on-going logistic support required by the consultants, including in-country travel and logistic support.

COMPONENT 3. Computerized database of technical experts and local organizations. In order to respond to the complete range of potential tasks, the Contractor must maintain a computerized database containing both national and international consultants, identified by areas of expertise, language abilities and experience. This database shall be available for searches and use by USAID. The Contractor must identify, recruit and contract with technical advisors and organizations, for a wide range of technical areas and expertise, including: maternal and neonatal health; child health; nutrition; epidemiology; evaluation; health information, monitoring and disease surveillance systems; research methodologies; biostatistics; reproductive health; HIV/AIDS; tuberculosis; influenza; emerging pandemic threats; neglected tropical diseases; writing and editing; financial and organizational management; curriculum development; gender; social science research, information technology, and other such areas. At the end of the contract the database and all information therein will remain the property of USAID.

Place of Performance. Performance of this contract shall be at the Contractor’s facilities in Indonesia.

Communication with USAID. The Contractor must establish a communication system that will provide regular updates to the COR (Contracting Officer’s Representative) and Office of Health on progress in identifying and recruiting consultants, provide USAID with opportunities to approve final selection of proposed candidates and allow for discussion and updated information on progress and performance of tasks.

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

The Contractor must establish a monitoring plan that tracks performance on all three components. At a minimum, the monitoring plan must describe how the Contractor will track the timeliness of placement of consultants or sub-contracts, the performance of individual tasks against defined objectives, ensures that objectives for database establishment and management are achieved, and that project deliverables are of high quality and received by USAID on time.

STAFFING

The Contractor must propose the necessary mix of staff to carry out the project. Asmall team of core staff may be required to manage the BANTU project, such as a Project Director, Senior Administrative Officer, Travel/Logistics Specialist, Budget and Financial Manager, Information Technology Specialist, and/or administrative support.

Key Personnel. At least one of the Key Personnel should be Indonesian.

The Project Director must be responsible for the overall management of the contract. In addition, s/he will be responsible for the technical supervision of all aspects of contract work, including development and management of the database, consultant identification and management, internal and external communication, and submission of reports and other contract deliverables. The Project Director is expected to take an active role in organizing consultancies.Other Staff. The Contractor must provide the necessary staff required to manage the administrative, financial, travel and logistics, contracting and oversight, and information technology requirements of the project.

Consultants and Organizations. The Contractor must identify, recruit and hire short- and long-term consultants, and technical assistance organizations, who have expertise in the following technical areas: maternal and neonatal health; child health; nutrition; breastfeeding; epidemiology; evaluation; health information, monitoring and disease surveillance systems; research methodologies; biostatistics; reproductive health; sexually-transmitted diseases; HIV/AIDS; tuberculosis; influenza; microbiology; emerging pandemic threats; neglected tropical diseases; writing and editing; finance and organizational management; strategic planning for health organizations; health curriculum development; gender; social science research; social marketing, organizational capacity building, civil society development, health communication, and other development areas. The Contractor must hire and place consultants in response to specific tasks as identified by USAID.

GENDER EQUITY

Gender equity is a guiding principle of USAID. The Contractor must operate in accordance with USAID’s Gender Equity and Female Empowerment Policy. The Contractor must demonstrate institutional commitment to gender equality and expertise. The Contractor must demonstrate that it takes gender balance seriously in its staffing and staff requirements, personnel systems, hiring, management and capacity development principles and approaches.