Supply Chain for Health Improvement Program (SCHIP)

Activity Title: Supply Chain for Health Improvement Program (SCHIP) Reference Number: RFI-663-22-000005-SCHIP Release Date: March 22, 2022 Response by: April 29, 2022 at 17:00 Addis Ababa time I. INTRODUCTION This is a Request for Information (RFI) Only. It is not a Request for Proposal, a Request for Quotation, an Invitation for Bids, a Solicitation or an indication that USAID/Ethiopia/OAA will contract for the services contained in this Special Notice. The RFI is an attempt to reach out to the market in an effort to determine the scope of industry capabilities and interest and will be treated as information only. In accordance with FAR 15.201 (e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the U.S. Government to form a binding contract. Responses to this RFI are strictly voluntary and the USAID will not pay respondents for information provided in response to this RFI. Responses to this RFI will not be returned and respondents will not be notified of the result of the review. If a Solicitation is issued, it will be announced on the System for Award Management (SAM) website http://sam.gov at a later date, and all interested parties must respond to that Solicitation announcement separately from any response to this announcement. This RFI does not restrict the U.S. Government's acquisition approach on any future solicitation. II. PURPOSE AND QUESTIONS The Office of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA) at USAID/Ethiopia has developed a DRAFT Statement of Work (SOW) to provide industry experts and stakeholders an opportunity to review, comment, suggest and enhance areas in the SOW. USAID/Ethiopia would like specific feedback on Section C.5.b Technical Services. We would like responses to all or any of the specific questions below that align to the strategic and technical priorities outlined in Section C.5.b.: Do the results and subresults best represent what the Activity can achieve given the stated objectives and purpose? Are they realistic? Are they achievable within a five year period? Within the proposed funding range? In order to maximize the impact of limited resources the SOW proposes a stratified model for technical assistance with a limited number of regions receiving intensive support and all regions receiving basic support. What do you think will be the major challenges of this approach? How should USAID design this activity to mitigate those challenges? Are the number of levels of intervention points (i.e. woreda, regional health bureau) realistic and appropriate for the intensive and basic support models? What strategies would cultivate and expand private sector engagement to increase access to medicines and/or medical equipment in Ethiopia? Which functions or aspects of the current supply chain system could the private sector effectively engage in within a relatively short period of time? What types of private sector arrangements would be most effective, cost-efficient and beneficial to the GoE's management of the national supply chain - partnerships or outsourcing or a combination of both? What high impact strategic approaches could address barriers to improved access to quality health products in hard-to-reach locations including pastoralist regions? What specific strategies could improve availability of health products at the last mile, and in particular at community level including health posts? What approaches or interventions could increase access to and utilization of community-based pharmacy services? What strategic frameworks would include capacity building and/or technical assistance models most appropriate for the Government of Ethiopia and the current supply chain system that would also ensure non-donor sustainability for the future? Are the expected results for the basic package of support vs. intensive support clear? In general, are there other critical interventions or approaches that are missing in the draft statement of work? If so, please describe them. The Draft Statement of Work (SOW) is anticipated to result in a final SOW that may lead to a formal solicitation for potential offerors. The potential period of performance is for five (5) years within an award range of $35 million to $45 million. The Place of Performance is Ethiopia. The Draft SOW is provided in the following pages. III. SUBMISSION PROCESS Comments must be submitted by email to the following email addresses: caddis@usaid.gov with a copy to Tsegereda Gebremedhin at tgebremedhin@usaid.gov no later than 17:00 Addis Ababa time by the Response Due Date Shown on the cover page of this RFI. The subject line of the email must read - RFI-663-22-000005-SCHIP. USAID is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information, answer questions or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. Responses to this RFI must be in Microsoft Word or PDF format. To assist in the efficiency of this process, please ensure that your comments are concise and specific to the information included within the SOW. When submitting comments make specific references to the page and section numbers. Clearly organize your comments in sequential order and be sure to clearly state which section is being referenced for each comment. USAID does not seek questions at this time, only comments. USAID is not obligated to provide any response to the comments submitted. Please note that USAID/ Ethiopia is not seeking technical or cost proposals at this time. Do not submit any proposals. VI. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION All information provided will become the property of USAID and will not be returned. USAID reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for its purposes. Responses may be used by USAID without restriction or limitation. Proprietary information must not be submitted. Sincerely, /ss/ Alula Abera Contracting Officer