Consultant agency needed for HIV Program Cost and Unit Cost Analyses

Date of issue: May 15th 2012
Due date for questions: May 22th 2012
Due date for expressions of interest: June 1st 2012
Please email questions and expressions of interest to: [email protected]

Background
The HIV epidemic in Vietnam is chiefly concentrated among most-at-risk populations (MARPs), such as injection drug users (IDUs), female sex workers (FSWs) and men who have sex with men
(MSM). Through the (US) President’s Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), administered in Vietnam by USAID, FHI 360 has supported a variety of prevention, treatment, care, and support services targeting these populations and a quality assurance and improvement system (QA/QI) in 11 provinces.

Cost and cost-effectiveness analyses are a critical part of this work. From 2009 to 2010, an initial analysis of financial costs, unit-costs, and cost-effectiveness among USAID-supported sites provided preliminary estimates of costs per at-risk person reached, per client tested, and per patient on HAART for one year at various sites. FHI 360 Vietnam issues this call for expressions of interest (EOI) to conduct additional analyses on HIV prevention, care, and treatment sites in Vietnam related to cost types and opportunities in order to identify opportunities for greater cost efficiency in the context of reduced funding. This work will then be institutionalized as part of a program monitoring and evaluation system that allows partners to monitor the unit cost and marginal cost on a regular basis.

Objectives
The specific objectives of this project are:
• To analyze program costs and unit costs and to establish efficient, cost-effective models for a sustainable transition of HIV prevention, care, and treatment services to the local government.
• To make recommendations regarding the institutionalization of these analyses in the FHI 360’s monitoring and evaluation system and in as well as VAAC/Provincial monitoring and evaluation systems.

Timeline
The expected timeframe for this project is June 2012 to August 2013

Preparing expressions of interest
Technical component:
Expressions of interest should include the following parts:
1. Agency experience and capabilities: Should include a description of your agency and why it is qualified to undertake this project. Please include prior experience and provide a list of significant projects
accomplished in the past two years, including project names, brief description of the project and work performed as well as name, address, and telephone number of referees.
2. Background: A short description of your understanding of the response to HIV in Vietnam.
3. Approach you would take and activities you would carry out
- Describe agency’s approach and activities to implement the project.
- Should include a tentative work plan for each activity proposed.
4. Staff qualifications and management approach
- Should include names of staff who will work on the project.
- Should include CVs describing the educational background and work experiences for each of the key staff members who will work on this project. CVs should be attached and do not count towards the page limit.
- Indicate the percentage of their time that will be devoted to this project.

The above should consist of no more than five (05) single-spaced pages.

Cost Component: Agencies are requested to provide an estimated budget and a budget narrative explaining how it was developed.

Submission
Interested agencies should submit hardcopy and electronic versions of their expression of interest to FHI 360 Vietnam by close of business (5:00pm) on June 1st 2012.

Please send hardcopy to the following address:
FHI 360 Vietnam
Att: Nguyen Thu Van, Technical Officer
Hanoi Tourist Building, 7th floor,
18 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Electronic versions should be emailed to [email protected] with the subject line “Expression of interest for HIV program cost and unit-cost”.

Submissions received after the deadline will not be accepted. In fairness to all agencies, no extension will be granted under any circumstances.

Selection process

Evaluation will be conducted by a review and selection committee. Scores will be tabulated based on the following values:

- Technical proposal: 80 points
• Agency’s Experience and Capabilities: 20
• Background: understanding of the HIV response in Vietnam: 10
• Approach and activities: 20
• Monitoring system: 10
• Staff qualifications and management approach: 10
• Anticipated complications and proposed methods of addressing them: 10

- Cost Proposal: 20 points

- Total: 100 points

Award process:

Successful applicant will be notified by June 15th 2012 and FHI 360’s decision is final.

After final selection has been made, FHI 360 Vietnam will work with the selected agency to develop a sub-award under which the agency will implement the project. The selected agency is expected to commence work as soon as the sub-award has been signed.

The selected agency may be required to undergo a pre-award review prior to signing the sub-award. The purposes of the pre-award review are 1) to determine if the agency can manage and account for the amount of funds FHI 360 will award, 2) to determine if the agency can comply with terms and conditions of an agreement with FHI 360, and 3) to inform the agency of the FHI 360’s accounting requirements.

FHI 360 reserves the right to reject any and all proposals and to negotiate the terms of the sub-award, including the sub-award amount, with the selected agency prior to entering into an award. If sub-award terms cannot be agreed upon, FHI 360 Vietnam may negotiate with the next-highest-scoring agency. FHI 360 Vietnam creates no obligation, expressed or implied, by issuing this call for expressions of interest or by receipt of any responses submitted. The mutual obligations and responsibilities of FHI 360 Vietnam and the successful agency will be recorded in the sub-award. FHI 360 Vietnam is under no obligation to sign a sub-award with any agency should negotiations regarding terms be unsuccessful.