The American International Health Alliance (AIHA) and the United States Agency for International

The American International Health Alliance (AIHA)Announces aRequest for Proposals for a Partnership to Support and Train Biomedical Engineering Technicians in Kenyaby Strengthening the Biomedical Engineering Technicians within the
National Public Health Laboratory Services

Date Issued: November 03, 2015

Closing Date and Time:December02, 2015, 8:00pm EST

Expected number of awards: 1

Estimated total program funding:$200,000/one year with possibility of extension

In-kind requirement:Yes

Summary

AIHA is pleased to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to support a new volunteer-based partnership that will link the Kenya National Public Health Laboratory Services (NPHLS) and an academic, hospital, or laboratory-basedinstitution or consortium of institutions (or “resource partner”)with expertise in supporting biomedical equipment technician training and institutional and administrative capacity strengthening of biomedical equipment maintenance services within laboratory facilities. This partnership will be administered through AIHA’s HIV/AIDS Twinning Center Program, which supports the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and is funded through a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

Proposals are requested from academic institutions or other relevant entities with both a strong teaching component and linkages with hospital and/or laboratory systems, and with a demonstrated commitment to the overall goals this partnership. The selected resource partners should have a successful biomedical equipment technician training program in place andexpertise in practical training programs.

Interested parties should be willing to donate in-kind resources, including but not limited to professional timededicated to program development, technical assistance, and mentoring, as well as time dedicated to administrative functions such as preparation and submission of quarterly reportsto AIHA. Interested parties are also expected to travel to Kenya three to four times per year for approximately one to two week intervals to implement partnership activities.

Furthermore, Kenyan counterparts may make periodic exchange visits to the United States or the home country of the selected resource partner as necessarytoaccomplish partnership goals and objectives. AIHA assumes financial responsibility for all partnership expenditures, including travel exchanges. This is an initial one-year partnership in Kenya with the possibility, subject to funding and performance, of an additional two-to-four-year extension period.

I.Background

1. AIHA

AIHAis an international nonprofit organization working to advance global health through locally driven, locally owned, and locally sustainable health systems strengthening (HSS) and human resources for health (HRH) interventions.Our mission is to help resource-constrained communities and nations make positive, holistic, and sustainable changes that improve health outcomes. Operating under a series of cooperative agreements, grants, and contracts with HRSA, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and other donors, AIHA establishes and manages voluntary partnerships between universities, healthcare institutions, and other relevant entities in the United States andtheir counterparts overseas. AIHA also sponsors a number of supportive and collaborative activities, including inter-partnership conferences and workshops.

Through a cooperative agreement with HRSA, AIHAestablished the HIV/AIDS Twinning Center ( in 2004 to support partnership and volunteer activities as part of the implementation of the PEPFAR. Under a new phase — PEPFAR 3.0 — launched in June 2014, the focus is now targeted to geographic areas with high HIV burden, and on high volume clinical sites in these areas. As part of AIHA’s comprehensive new partner orientation process, all partners will receive PEPFAR 3.0 overview materials, which will be reviewed in detail with AIHA program staff to facilitate effective collaboration to achieve the shared goals of PEPFAR 3.0, the host country, and the local partner institution(s). Goals and methods are subject to change annually, and partners are advised in advance to anticipate and incorporate changes rapidly in order to retain their funding.

Through twinning partnerships, volunteer placement, and supportive assistance programs, AIHA contributes significantly to building key human and organizational capacity to end the HIV epidemic by: (a) directly training and mentoring healthcare providers; (b) deploying and tracking health workers in/to clinical settings; and (c) strengthening educational institutions and developing models of care for improved organization and delivery of services for rapid scale-up of interventions to help meet shared PEPFAR and UNAIDS “90-90-90” goals to ensure: 90% of people know their HIV status; 90% of those eligible are on ART; and 90% of those on ART achieve viral load suppression.

Funds for the grant awarded through this RFPwill be provided by HRSA and CDC/Kenyato AIHA through a cooperative agreement.

B.Partnership Methodology

AIHA Twinning Center partnerships focus on building strong, effective institution-to-institution relationships. Through project funding (and/or direct administrative support as agreed) to successful applicants, AIHA typically provides support for partnership exchange travel; procurement and shipping of equipment and supplies; training and educational materials; partnership communication and coordination costs; participation in workshops and conferences; and other activities as specified in partnership work plans. AIHA staff in Washington, DC, and regional offices provide technical and logistical support and assist in monitoring and evaluating partnership and program-wide impact.

In addition to the partners themselves, AIHA also plays an active role as a partner, providing key support services and participating in partnership goal setting, annual workplan development, and performance monitoring and evaluation. AIHA enables partners to maximize human and material resources by identifying and securing additional voluntary services from AIHA’s own strategic partners and providing a framework for collaboration within a larger international and national policy context.

II.Partnership Strategy and Description

1. Description

AIHA seeks to partner an academic or other relevant entity with significant experience and expertise in training biomedical engineering professionals with the Kenyan National Public Health Laboratory Services (NPHLS). The purpose of the partnership is to strengthen the capacity of NPHLS biomedical engineering technicians.Through twinning, the partnership will: 1) support the Government of Kenya’s efforts to establish a center of excellence for equipment calibration on the NPHLS grounds; 2) develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for laboratory equipment preventative maintenance, safety testing, and repair; 3) develop in-service training modules with a focus on HIV-related laboratory equipment, as well as other equipment most commonly found in the field; 4) establish distance-learning education opportunities to ensure frequent in-service training opportunities and training follow-up when partners are not in-country; and 5) develop clear schemes of service, standards, career development opportunities, and regulatory frameworks for biomedical engineers and biomedical engineering technicians (BME/BMETs) in collaboration with the Association of Medical Engineers of Kenya (AMEK).

1. Goal and Objectives

The overall goal of the proposed partnership is to strengthen the capacity of NPHLS national and regional equipment calibration centers and workshops by building the capacity of its biomedical engineer technicians through a locally-driven, locally-sustainable approach.

The NPHLS falls under the Kenyan Ministry of Health and delivers health services to the majority of the country’s population. It provides crucial support for the diagnosis and treatment of patients and surveillance of diseases of public health importance, including HIV/AIDS, cholera, typhoid fever, malaria, and schistosomiasis.

As in many developing countries, Kenya’s network of more than 2,500public health laboratoriesperform only the most basic tests, while more advanced testing is performed in national central laboratories. Also similar to other developing countries, the public health laboratory network is challenged by a severe lack of resources, including a limited workforce characterized by a dearth of experienced managers, inadequate equipment and information technology, poorly maintained facilities, and a weak quality management system.

The Kenyan Ministry of Health and its international partners have committed increasing resources to expand and improve the quality of healthcare country-wide, with a focus on provision of laboratory equipment for HIV diagnosis and treatment management. As the amount and complexity of the biomedical equipment available in Kenyan healthcare facilities expands, there is a critical need for trained BMETs to conduct maintenance and repairs.

The partnership will contribute to PEPFAR3.0 objectives and be integrated into Kenyan and US government activities in Kenya. The following objectives have been preliminarily identified for this partnership and are illustrative of possible focus areas. More targeted and measurable objectives and indicators will be developed jointly by the partners with CDC/Kenyainput during the initial months of the partnership consistent with AIHA’s partnership methodology, which emphasizes a highly participatory approach to work plan development and implementation:

Objective #1: Establish a sustainable Center of Excellence (COE) for equipment calibration on NPHLS grounds by the end of the partnership.

Objective #2:Develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) for laboratory equipment preventative maintenance, safety testing, and repair by the end of the partnership.

Objective #3:Develop and implement sustainable in-service training (IST) short-courses and distance-learning opportunities for BME/BMETs by the end of the partnership.

Objective #4: Develop clear schemes of service, standards, career development opportunities, and regulatory frameworks for BME/BMETs in collaboration with the Association of Medical Engineers of Kenya (AMEK) by the end of the partnership.

1. Partnership Sites

National Public Health and Laboratory Services

NPHLS is an institution under the Department of Preventive and Promotive Health Services within the Kenya Ministry of Health (MOH). NPHLS is charged with providing national reference services in laboratory medicine and these include, but are not limited to, technical advisory services in policy development relating to laboratory practice and ISO 15189, 17025, and 17043; training, and disease prevention and control.

The 2010 Kenyan constitution vests rights to access quality healthcare to all citizens. The NPHLS quality policy guarantees systems deliver quality laboratory services; as an entry point to disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment monitoring. NPHLS quality policy sets precedence for pursuance and maintenance of ISO accreditation for all medical, testing, and calibration laboratories within NPHLS and supported county laboratories.

The NPHLS has a biomedical engineering department. The department is involved in strengthening the provision of quality and equitable equipment services, including the repair, service, and maintenance of the equipment and plants. It also works to ensure that all the newly acquired equipment is appropriately commissioned and installed, and that personnel are trained to enhance equipment safety, utilization, and properly inventoried.

1. Collaboration and Coordination

AIHA seeks to ensure its partnerships and programs maximize effective use of resources and avoid duplication of efforts. Therefore, AIHA and our partners work to identify and develop collaboration between related programs in a country. Such collaboration and coordination also facilitatesthe sustainability of partnership accomplishments. The partnership work plan, developed in consultation with stakeholders, will pay special attention to the role and contribution of other US government partners, as well asotherforeign-sourced development activities,such as activities supported by the Global Fund for AIDS, TB, and Malaria. In turn, the partnership’s outputs and outcomes will be shared with the US government country teamand other in-country partners.

1. Monitoring and Evaluation(M&E)

Partners are expected to participate actively in program performance M&Eactivities, including developing measurable partnership objectives and output/outcome indicators, collecting data, designing surveys or other assessment tools, and reporting to AIHA. Partnership M&E activities will be responsive to PEPFAR indicator targets and consistent with AIHA’s overall program M&E strategy. The M&E strategy will be discussed in detail during new partner orientation and augmented by periodic follow-up training, as well as targeted support as needed.

PEPFAR 3.0 is a data-driven initiative to reach 90-90-90 goals, with a laser focus on data from national to site level. Partners will be expected to capture,analyze, and usePEPFAR-required data to demonstrate the partnership’s impact and engage in continuous quality improvement. Partners must also be ready and able to participate in SIMS (Site Improvement Monitoring System) visits conducted by USG agencies, which are based on USG quality assurance tools. (SIMS tools are currently under revision; AIHA will share applicable SIMS tools as soon as they are available). All M&E guidance is subject to periodic change and AIHA will provide guidance as USG requirements evolve.

M&E activities must alsoprovide timely, accurate, and reliable feedback about program performance and partnership progress and accomplishments (including PEPFAR indicators); ensure optimum use of available resources and inform programmatic decision-making; and strengthen NPHLS M&E capacity. AIHA will coordinate closely with CDC/Kenyaand the partners on performance monitoring activities to better serve stakeholderreporting and management needs.

As part of our monitoring activities, AIHA requires all partners to submit quarterly performance reportsdetailing progress against PEPFAR indicators within five days of the end of each quarter. These reports are used to prepare AIHA’s quarterly reportsto CDC/Kenyaand are critical to monitoring partnership progress. The reports include information on progress toward achieving PEPFAR targets and objectives, the status of activities and outputs, a discussion of any obstacles or challenges that affect the project during the reporting period and plans to address them, and any unanticipated outcomes resulting from the project.

Finally, partners will participate in a final program evaluation toward the end of the funding period. Conducted jointly with local partners, this evaluation will examine results achieved during the life of the project, best practices, and lessons learned. The report will be submitted by AIHA to CDC/Kenyawithin 90 days after the end of the contract.

1. Program Funding

The amount of funds to be awarded to this partnership is expected to total approximately$200,000for the initial 12-month period to start upon receipt of notification of successful application. Award of a partnership will be made once the AIHA selection process is complete and concurrence from CDC/Kenya is obtained.

The project award to the partner institution is typically used to fund partnership program and exchange-related travel expenses. Limited partner-initiated purchases of equipment and supplies (which require separate prior approval), translations, materials development, and other training-related expenses —all of which must correspond with the approved work plan — will also be covered. In addition, AIHA allows for minimal partnership administration and coordination costs. If the partner choses an administrative sub-award, funds are generally disbursed in incremental amounts based on program progress and adherence to reporting requirements. The award can be renewed based on partnership performance and funding availability. Because this award is funded by CDC/Kenya, AIHA utilizes the US Government Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) as the basis for determining the reasonableness of proposed costs. The FTR regulation international per diem and lodging rate ceilings may be found at:

Award recipients are required to forego indirect/overhead charges, but minimal direct administrative costs related to coordinating the partnership are allowable. Awards should not be used to cover the salaries of personnel participating in partnership exchanges. Exceptions to these fundamental principles will be made only in cases where severe hardship is justified, documented, and approved in writing by the Director of AIHA’s HIV/AIDS Twinning Center Program.

III.Terms of Solicitation

A.Eligibility Criteria

AIHA is seeking applications from a US or non-US academic institutions with the capacity to meet the goals and objectives of the partnership program as set forth in Section II. Applicants should have established expertise in providing biomedical equipment technician training programs and practical training within the hospital and/or laboratory setting. While profit-making entities are eligible to receive funding under this solicitation, AIHA will not pay any profit or fee to the partner organization if they chose to take an administrative sub-award.Applications are encouraged from institutions that have not traditionally been involved in international development and technical assistance programs.

1. Requirements and Expectations of the Lead Partner

The following are key requirements and expectations of partners under the program:

• Applicants are required to demonstrate their willingness to undertake the commitments of a partner required under the AIHA partnership model, including in-kind contributions, travel to Kenya, hosting Kenyan partners, reporting on partnership activities and outcomes, and attending partnership orientations, workshops, and conferences. The lead partner institution (resource partner) is expected to contribute the human resource component of their activities and forego customary institutional indirect charges.
• Applicants must agree to adhere to AIHA's objective-setting and results-oriented approach, including AIHA’s quarterly programmatic and monthly financial reporting, accountability procedures and requirements, and program monitoring and evaluations to assess partnership progress and achievements.

• Applicants must be willing to share information openly and participate fully in AIHA's efforts to exchange information with other partnerships through the AIHA website and through dissemination conferences and seminars.
• Applicants must be willing to brief and debrief with CDC/Kenya, the Kenyan Ministry of Health, and others as needed.

• The successful applicant will be required to participate in a series of post-award preparatory activities. (See Section V.C. below).
• The lead partner is required to designate a Partnership Coordinator whose role is to oversee the programmatic and administrative activities in support of the partnership and to serve as the point person in relations with AIHA. Partnership Coordinators are typically existing employees of the US partner institution and serve in the position on a voluntary basis.Roles and responsibilities of the Partnership Coordinator include:
  

• overseeing and guiding development of partnership work plans;
• identifying and recruiting volunteers to participate in the partnership;
• coordinating partnership exchanges, trainings, and other activities;
• monitoring progress of the partnership against stated objectives and tracking appropriate PEPFAR indicators;
• submitting progress reports and other required paperwork to AIHA; and
• managing partnership sub-awardbudgets (if selected).

• The selected resource partner institution(technical assistance provider) is required to commit their organization to the principles of voluntarism that serve as the cornerstone of the HIV/AIDS Twinning Center Program and AIHA’s partnership methodology. These principles stipulate that:

• Professional participants from partnering institutions are expected to provide their time on volunteer (in-kind) basis; and
• Organizations participating as AIHA Twinning Center partners are expected to forego indirect rate charges such as overheads and G&A.[1]

C.Required Start-up Activities