TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY TO PARTNER COUNTRIES

The US Department of Defense (DoD) HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP) partners with over 80 countries to combat HIV/AIDS in their respective military populations. DHAPP assists countries in establishing HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs, and strengthening their capabilities to combat HIV. DHAPP maximizes its impact by developing interventions and programs that focus on the drivers of the epidemic in military populations. DHAPP' work includes: 1. Coordination of major program areas and technical assistance needs with in-country partners. 2. Provision of support based on in-country needs assessments of military HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment. 3. Long-term military capacity strengthening for country ownership and behavioral change. 4. Program design based on successes and lessons learned from comparable partner countries. 5. Execution of HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment projects aligned with national strategies. 6. Monitoring and implementation of activities aimed at ensuring program accountability and sustainability. The U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit - 6 (NAMRU-6) in Lima, Peru collaborates with DHAPP providing technical assistance in health systems strengthening, capacity building on key military personnel, and technology transfer in resource-limited settings. In each partner country, NAMRU-6 works closely with ministries of defense, universities, non-governmental organizations, and other USG agencies and universities. NAMRU-6 provides technical assistance to DHAPP in the development, testing, evaluation, implementation and adoption of an automated electronic solution (MeHIN, Military Electronic Health Information Network) for the capture, storage, visualization, and dissemination of patient-level and aggregated HIV care and prevention data for public health management, decision-making, and early-response in partner countries; and in the impact evaluation of those automated solutions on the HIV/AIDS prevention programs carried out by each partner country. In addition, NAMRU-6 provides theoretical and hands-on training opportunities that strengthen regional innovation in public health and use of information technologies. MEHIN provides: 1. Access to a local network for authorized health care staff using electronic tools to enhance health care service productivity. 2. Health information system to improve HIV/AIDS prevention program monitoring and evaluation. 3. Technical architecture that offers off-line and on-line data capture capabilities. 4. Access to multimedia resources for HIV/AIDS prevention practice. 5. Electronic tools to support HIV/AIDS peer-education, prevention, voluntary medical male circumcision, maternal health, testing and counseling, and other prevention activities. DHAPP recognizes the importance of the use automated electronic tools for military medical programs and promotes the transfer of technology (TOT) to partner countries to adopt their use as part of their national HIS strategy. MeHIN has been deployed and implemented in the military health system of Dominican Republic to strengthen their HIV/AIDS prevention program management. This implementation required a close collaboration between NAMRU-6, host country militaries, and subject-matter experts to ensure the timely acquisition and installation of the network required for MeHIN. To ensure adequate MeHIN adoption and the adequate transfer of skills, knowledge, and technologies in Dominican Republic; to follow-up on system activities, further development and MeHIN software upgrades, to perform an impact evaluation to assess the changes that can be attributed to the implementation of these automated solutions, and to ensure the timely delivery of hardware, network, and software for the post-deployment and implementation support of MeHIN Dominican Republic; NAMRU-6 wishes to collaborate with a strategic partner with extensive experience in TOT procedures, the execution of public health informatics projects and post-implementation evaluations, and proven history of close interaction with public health institutions in Latin America. PROJECT OBJECTIVE The project entitled "Transfer of technology to partner countries" provide TOT and post-deployment technical assistance to the Dominican Military health system; research, develop, test, deploy, and implement essential MeHIN updates in Dominican Republic; and to perform an impact evaluation of the implementation of the automated solutions for the management of the HIV/AIDS prevention program. The contractor will also research on new technologies for real-time data capture, visualization, analysis, and alerting; evaluate implementation and adoption alternatives in the Dominican Republic Armed Forces; develop frameworks for solution development in comparable settings; and support and strengthen HIV/AIDS prevention programs in DHAPP's partner countries. PROPOSED SERVICES Under this scope of work, NAMRU-6 will work with contractor to provide TOT and post-deployment technical assistance to the Dominican Military health system; research, develop, field-test, and implement MeHIN updates and informatics solutions for automated real-time data capture, and visualization, as well as to perform an impact evaluation of the implementation of the electronic solutions. As part of this work, the contractor shall: 1. Provide transfer of technology and post-deployment technical assistance to the Dominican Military health system. The technology will be transferred on a non-exclusive basis, and will include the following: a. Source code and binaries of the software b. Documentation of software design, development, and testing. c. Installation and user manuals. d. Training to engineers of the TOT partner during different stages of the transfer. 2. Provide technical assistance with system field-testing, evaluation, and adoption in the Dominican Republic. 3. Provide relevant on-going quality assessment and follow-up for system field-testing, evaluation, and adoption. 4. Provide technical assistance to evaluate the impact of the electronic solutions developed and implemented by NAMRU-6 in the Dominican Republic. 5. Provide a software engineer with experience and expertise in developing service-oriented enterprise software architectures and software applications for mobile platforms. 6. Work closely with NAMRU-6 to provide logistical and travel support to the software engineer to ensure post-deployment technical follow, and development and deployment of essential updates for MeHIN Dominican Republic. This will include coordination of travel arrangements (i.e. airfare, lodging, local ground transportation, and per diem) for the software engineer. 7. Purchase or lease equipment meeting NAMRU-6 specifications, as needed. 8. To provide NAMRU-6 with monthly financial status reports. As part of this work, NAMRU-6 shall: 1. Provide qualified staff for project management, supervision and coordination of all activities under this scope of work. (i.e. research, analysis, development, and controlled testing of electronic solutions). 2. Provide project data quality assurance, distribution, and archiving. 3. Provide site infrastructure for the software engineer to work on research, development, and controlled testing of the electronic solutions. As part of this effort, NAMRU-6 and contractor shall: 1. Enter into a non-disclosure agreement to maintain confidentiality and restricted access to all TOT and software material under development or improvement. 2. Explore new technologies and solutions for data capture, visualization, and alerting. 3. Provide data summaries and reports for phases, milestones, and deliverables, as needed. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS - The software engineer will have experience and expertise in developing service-oriented enterprise software architectures, and software applications for mobile platforms. - The contractor will meet the technical requirements of this contract. - The contractor commits to using its experience and knowledge to effectively and efficiently perform the required services. - The contractor will have the capacity and experience to execute the following activities in an effective and timely manner: o Provide air and ground transportation, and lodging in Dominican Republic for the software engineer, as needed. o Provide NAMRU-6 with monthly progress and financial status reports. TRAVEL Travel under this contract is subjected to allowances authorized in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations, Joint Federal Travel Regulations, and/or Foreign Service Regulations. Travel support will include transportation of personnel. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE This contract will cover from January 20th, 2015 to July 19th, 2015 and can be renewable. BUDGET The total budget for the required service is USD$ 31,839.19, including all applicable fees and taxes.