Sources Sought-Request for information - 72051722RFIRSCH00002.pdf

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

RFI NUMBER: 72051722RFIRSCH00002

ISSUANCE DATE: January 28, 2022 DUE DATE AND TIME: February 18, 2022 2:00 PM Santo Domingo time SUBJECT: U.S. Agency for for International Development (USAID) / Dominican

Republic; Request for Information (RFI). Qualitative and Quantitative Research Activity

Dear Interested Parties, The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission in the Dominican Republic posts this Request for Information (RFI) to collect information and feedback on a potential research activity, as described in section IV of this RFI. This RFI also aims to identify potential local organizations technically capable and qualified to perform the qualitative and quantitative research as described in the Activity Description (section IV). The potential USAID/DR research activity will generate evidence to inform program decision making.

This RFI is issued solely for information-gathering and planning purposes. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) nor a Request for Application (RFA) and is not be construed as a commitment by the United States Government (USG) to issue any solicitation or Notice of Funding Opportunity, ultimately award a contract or assistance agreement on the basis of this RFI, or pay for any information voluntarily submitted as a result of this request. Responses to this RFI must not be portrayed as proposals and will not be accepted by the USG to form a binding agreement. It should be noted that responding to or providing comment on this RFI will not give any advantage to any organization in any subsequent procurement(s), if such procurement(s) is released. USAID will not provide answers to anything submitted in response to this request. USAID posts its competitive business opportunities on www.beta.sam.gov or www.grants.gov . It is the potential offeror’s/applicant’s responsibility to monitor these sites for announcements of new opportunities. Responses to this RFI may be used by USAID without restriction or limitation.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted by email to Ms. Oscarina Pujols, at opujols@usaid.gov and Javier Castano at jcastano@usaid.gov no later than the date and time shown above. Please include RFI Number 72051722RFIRSCH00001 in the subject line. Responders will not receive individualized feedback. All inquiries concerning this RFI must be directed only to the email addresses identified above.

Hard copy submissions will not be accepted nor will phone inquiries be entertained.

Thank you for your interest in USAID/DR programs and we look forward to your comments.

Sincerely, /s/ Javier O. Castano Supervisory Contracting Officer http://www.beta.sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:opujols@usaid.gov mailto:jcastano@usaid.gov

ATTACHMENT I: QUESTIONS FOR RESPONSE

SECTION I: RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS

USAID/Dominican Republic seeks to collect information and feedback, and identify capable sources on the following questions in relation to the Activity Description (Section IV). When preparing your response to the following questions, please ensure comments are concise and specific to the question asked.

Please be as specific as possible and do not submit requests for funding, proposals in response to this request as they will not receive a response.

A. RESPONSE FORMAT:

-Cover page

A cover page not to exceed one (1) page, that includes:

a. Organization name and address, including point of contact name and contact information;

b. Organization type (e.g., non-governmental organization, social enterprise, civil society organization);

c. Legal registration status in the Dominican Republic;

-Capability Statement (Not to exceed 3 pages)

Please Include a statement of qualifications that supports your organizations capabilities to implement this activity that includes the following:

● Brief description of your organization capacity (knowledge, experience, and ability) to successfully implement the quantitative and qualitative research described in the Activity Description (section IV).

● Brief description of your organization’s experience in successfully implementing quantitative and qualitative research with Haitian migrants and Dominicans of Haitian Descent in the DR.

● A list of all research performed and define your organization’s experience and capacity gathering primary data to successfully respond to USAID research questions described.

-Questions and comments on the Draft/Activity Description

Comments on the draft Activity Description (Section IV), not to exceed five (3) pages.

1. Comments on the research questions and methodologies described below. In particular, provide feedback on whether it captures the critical data needed to advance HIV epidemic control in the Dominican Republic, with a focus on Haitian migrants and their descendants.

2. Please describe any promising/successful innovative approaches/methods your organization has recently implemented that could be useful for the proposed activity.

3. Based on your experience and knowledge of the HIV epidemic in the DR, please suggest any additional research questions to complement current illustrative questions that are critical to this activity’s main objective.

4. If your organization were to apply for a funding opportunity within described activity, do you anticipate subcontracting any other organization? If yes, please describe which ones and provide the rationale.

5. What implementation challenges do you envision, including those related to the global COVID-19 pandemic? How can these challenges be mitigated during activity implementation?

6. Any other comments or inputs you may have.

All responses should be based on the information contained in this RFI and limited to 7 pages.

SECTION II: ELIGIBILITY

We are reaching out to all local stakeholders and interested parties, including but not limited to public and private health service providers, industry associations, faith-based organizations, private corporations, academia, and community and civil society groups to obtain comments/suggestions.

*Note that the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) and the Global Health Diplomacy mandates to accelerate the transition to local recipients and to diversify the recipients that implement programs funded by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).USAID is contemplating the possibility to restrict competition of this instrument to local entities. Nevertheless, international organizations may be included as members of potential consortiums led by local organizations.

SECTION III: SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Please send responses to this RFI via email to the addresses listed on the cover page by the closing date listed on the same cover page. Please keep your submission to no more than six (7) pages in length, 12 pt, Times New Roman font. USAID values concise, issue-specific comments. Any pages beyond the 7 requested may not be reviewed. Responses may be submitted in English. Please number each page consecutively and please relate your responses to each question included in Section I of this RFI.

Please remember that you will only receive an electronic confirmation acknowledging receipt of your response. No feedback or debrief will be provided on comments received. Phone calls or hard copy responses will not be accepted.

SECTION IV: ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

The Dominican Republic (DR) has a concentrated HIV epidemic, with an estimated HIV prevalence of 0.9% in adults aged 15-49. The 2021 Global AIDS Monitoring Report (UNAIDS GAM) estimates that in 2020, 74,995 adults aged 15 years and above were living with HIV in the DR, 82% of whom were aware of their HIV status. Of all individuals diagnosed, 38,270 (62%) are receiving treatment and of these, 23,688 (62%) are virally suppressed. The 2020 Spectrum model estimates that the number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) has been increasing slightly every year, as new infections remain higher than all-cause mortality in PLHIV.

Populations disproportionately burdened by HIV include men who have sex with men (MSM), with an HIV prevalence between 2.4-6.4%; female sex workers (FSWs), with an HIV prevalence between 1.1-5.9%; and transgender women (TGW), with a prevalence estimated at 28%. The HIV prevalence among focus clients (FCs), which includes Haitian migrants and their descendants, is between 3-5%; FCs account for 46% of all newly infected individuals in the DR.

According to the National Immigrants Survey (NIS), the number of migrants living in the DR was estimated at 570,933 in 2017. Among them, 497,825 (or 87.2%) were born in Haiti, an 8.6% increase since 2012. In addition, 253,255 persons born in the DR had at least one parent born in Haiti, a 20.6% increase since 2012. Per the 2018 Surveillance and Behavior Survey with serological linkage of key populations, HIV prevalence among migrants from Haiti ranges from 3% to 5% across the five provinces surveyed (La Altagracia, Barahona, Puerto Plata, Santiago, and Santo Domingo). The 2020 Spectrum model estimates that there are 25,410 Haitian-born PLHIV living in the DR, of whom 13,108 (52%) are men. PLHIV of Haitian descent now represent 33.8% of all PLHIV, the single largest priority group in the

DR.

Certain subgroups within the Haitian migrant population have increased risk of contracting HIV infection.

The 2018 Integrated Biological and Behavioral Surveillance Survey (IBBSS) shows increased risk of HIV infection and poor access to services among Haitian migrants: 25-41% of respondents, depending on the province, reported never having been tested for HIV even though 17-35% considered themselves at risk for HIV infection, primarily for having unprotected sexual intercourse (48-89%) or having sex with multiple partners (11-45%).

Information on HIV status among descendants of Haitian-born parents in the DR is scarce. The unresolved legal status or citizenship of many Haitians and Haitian-descendent families already living on the Dominican territory (Wooding, 2018) makes them formally ineligible for social protection policies and services, increasing their vulnerability to extreme poverty and structural violence. Based on results from the 2017 NIS, 95% of Haitian migrants and 80.9% of their descendants lack any type of health insurance.

While Haiti and the DR have nearly the same population size, the DR’s economy is approximately 10 times larger than that of Haiti and therefore remains attractive for Haitians who cannot find employment or health services at home. Recent study findings reflect significant improvements in HIV-related services for Haitian immigrants and their descendants over the past decade due to initiatives and policy adjustments, including extensive PEPFAR-funded efforts aimed at this priority population. Nonetheless, significant gaps remain to achieve the 95-95-95 cascade (95% of all people living with HIV/AIDS know their status, 95% of those are on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 95% of those in treatment are virally suppressed). In addition to HIV-specific barriers and resilience factors, national level migratory policies, health system limitations, and social determinants of health continue to be ongoing challenges for FCs to access HIV services.

USAID/DR’s Health Office has been funding research activities to produce evidence-based responses to key research topics on FCs and other population dynamics relevant to the HIV epidemic and PEPFAR-funded interventions in the DR. Previously implemented activities includes, but is not limited to:

● Primary-data gathering and data triangulation (qualitative and quantitative) to define socioeconomic and political context as well as major determinants for HIV services access/usage by Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent at the national level.

● In-depth analysis of health determinants, including barriers to access and resilience factors in access to services in four (4) PEPFAR prioritized provinces (Santo Domingo, La Romana, Puerto Plata and Valverde), triangulating data from qualitative interviews and focus groups, structured face-to-face interviews in services and community settings, and available programmatic data in selected sites.

● Secondary analysis of the available quantitative national and sub-national site level data sets to extract information relevant to the characterization of FCs and social determinants of health related to the HIV epidemic and health services in the DR. Analysis included: access to sexual and reproductive services; HIV status and access to HIV services; socio-demographic indicators and social determinants of health (focused on women and children under 5 years); knowledge, actitudes and practives; health-seeking behaviors and barriers to health service provision, including antiretroviral treatment; and behavioral and social determinants of health relevant to HIV transmission risk and access to health services.

SCOPE OF THE ACTIVITY

Main Objective:

To strengthen USAID’s systematic knowledge and available data on focus clients, and other priority populations, to continuously provide reliable and relevant evidence for activities and interventions aimed at sustainably controlling the HIV epidemic in the Dominican Republic.

Time frame:

The period of performance of the activity will be three (3) years (2022-2025)

Illustrative research questions

To effectively respond to the main objective of the activity and considering aforementioned background, USAID considers the following potencial guiding research questions:

● What are the cultural and religious beliefs that influence FCs’ health seeking behaviors, especially with regards to HIV services?

● What socio-economic profiles can we identify amongst Haitian migrants and their descendants living in the DR at the individual, family and community level? (e.g., education level and access to education, literacy in Creole and Spanish, employment, income and expenditure level, major social and economic needs, family composition and living conditions, health needs and health seeking behaviors, and access to health services).

● What is the level of food security among FC and their families? (food consumption, food poverty, food diversity) What are common coping strategies used by FCs: rationing, dietary changes, prioritization of children/men, decreasing number of people in the household through short term migration, short term increased access (borrowing)?

● What are the links between household economic stability and food security, and health seeking behaviors and initiation/continuity on HIV treatment?

● What are the individual, community, and system barriers and bottlenecks limiting access of focus clients to HIV care & treatment services?

● What are the bottlenecks and barriers faced by FC when navigating the legal and inmigration systems in the DR?

● What are the migration patterns of Haitian migrants and their descendants within the DR and between the DR and Haiti?

● What are common HIV risk factors among FCs? Under what conditions and in what geographic areas is sex work involved?

● Have supported service delivery models impacted FC access to HIV services (prevention, testing, care, antiretroviral therapy and viral suppression activities)? To what extent can HIV outcomes be attributed to models supported by USAID interventions?

● What operational changes (e.g., management and supervision approach, team composition and technical capacities, community vs facility priorities, use of tools and job-aids) are needed to improve HIV service delivery based on FC conditions and needs?

● What health seeking behaviors in the migrant population can be used to create a targeted mix of strategies to identify and retain Orphans and Vulnerable Children and their families in USAID-supported social support activities?

● What strategies are impacting access of adolescents to HIV services (based on their special needs)?

Illustrative research methodologies

USAID intends to respond to research questions through a mixed and complementary research approach, using quantitative and qualitative methods and tools, and primarily using primary-data gathering and analysis.

USAID intends to use observational studies (e.g., cross-sectional surveys, cohorts, case-control studies) and ethnographic approaches using in-depth interviews and focus groups among clients, populations at risk, and health service providers.

The contractor must ensure the research protocols and final instruments are approved by at least one internationally accredited Institutional Review Board. The geographic scope of this research includes Santo Domingo, Monte Plata, San Pedro de Macorís, La Romana, Valverde, and Puerto Plata. Research studies will always include gender-disaggregated data collection, gender sensitive data collection methods, and gender-considerate analysis.

Activity Deliverables

Through activity implementation, USAID will receive the following illustrative deliverables as appropriate:

● Study protocol and tools for each approved research study;

● Preliminary progress reports for each approved study that includes background information, methodology, and analysis implemented; findings; discussion; concrete/detailed recommendations; and conclusions (including study limitations). IRB documents and additional tables or graphs should be included as appendices;

● Final report for each approved study that includes all elements described in ADS 201mah, USAID Evaluation Report Requirements ; and

● All materials used to perform the research activities: Approved protocol, IRB approval, tools, informed-consents, data-bases (without Personally Identifiable Information (PI)), and recorded material (without PII), and any additional analysis performed as part of these activities.

[END OF ATTACHMENT I: QUESTIONS FOR RESPONSE]

https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/201mah.pdf https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1868/201mah.pdf