REQUEST FOR QUOTES
QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus tests for LTBI screening in the community in Vietnam
RFQ Release Date: July 22, 2021
Questions Due Date: July 29, 2021. Submission of questions or requests for clarification must be submitted in writing via email to [email protected] [1] with a copy to [email protected] [2] by 5:00 pm Hanoi time. Please note that inquiries and answers to inquiries will be shared with all applicants. Please do not contact any FHI 360 employees regarding this RFQ. Contacting individual employees may be cause for disqualification. No Telephone Inquiries Will Be Answered.
Proposal Due Date: August 05, 2021. Complete proposals must be submitted via email to [email protected] [1] with a copy to [email protected] [2] no later than 5:00 pm Hanoi time.
Anticipated Contract Start Date: August 2021
OVERVIEW
Family Health International (FHI 360) is a nonprofit international development organization dedicated to improving lives through integrated and locally driven solutions. FHI 360 works in health, education, nutrition, environment, economic development, civil society, gender, youth, research, technology, communication, and social marketing etc. Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, FHI 360 serves more than 60 countries and all U.S. states and territories. FHI 360’s work is grounded in research and by advancing science, strengthened by partnerships and focused on building the capacity of individuals, communities and countries to succeed.
Since December 2020, FHI 360 has partnered with the National TB Programme of Vietnam (NTP) under the USAID Support to End Tuberculosis (TB) project. This project aims to support the Government of Vietnam to end TB by 2030, by supporting strategic and innovative new approaches for case detection, improved treatment outcomes, and prevention. As part of the project activities, the Support to End TB project requires the services of a vendor to conduct up to 1,000 latent TB infection (LTBI) tests in community case finding campaigns, using QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus. The services will be expected from August 2021 to December 2021.
BACKGROUND
Our goal is to support the Government of Vietnam to successfully detect, treat and prevent TB, working at all levels of the health system to build technical expertise. As part of this goal, the project will improve access to TB prevention services and will support the NTP to conduct LTBI screening of household contacts. During community case finding campaigns, household contacts that are over the age of five years old will be screened for active TB by CXR first, regardless of symptoms at the community campaign; If screened negative for symptoms and normal CXR, the individual will require a QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus test; if the QFT test result is positive, the individual will be referred for LTBI treatment.
SERVICE EXPECTATION/SCOPE OF WORK
The vendor selected will provide the following services to perform QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus testing:
- Provide high-quality services and qualified, experienced health staff to collect samples for testing from individuals at community campaigns, ensuring specimen quality and in accordance with manufacturer’s procedure*. Locations for specimen collection will be communes in the following provinces: Thai Binh, Can Tho, Tay Ninh, Tien Giang, Dong Thap and Nghe An.
- Transport specimens for testing with suitable transportation, following the manufacture’s procedure* and ensuring the integrity of the specimen for testing.
- Test the specimen according to manufactures procedure*, including Incubating and processing the specimen before final ELISA analyzer; conducting ELISA analysis in experienced lab following manufacturer’s procedure*.
- Provide test results through an agreed process with FHI 360, with strict standards for data security and confidentiality. All specimens should subsequently be disposed of in-line with government regulations for disposal of biomedical waste.**
* Vendors must ensure that all processes follow the stated manufacturers procedure, FHI 360 staff may conduct periodic monitoring visits to confirm adherence and reserve the right to deny payment for tests that are not conducted in-line with the procedure. The manufacturer’s procedure can be found at this link: https://www.qiagen.com/ch/products/diagnostics-and-clinical-research/tb-... [3]
** Provision of medical supplies, including testing equipment and associated supplies, if not distributed and disposed of properly, may contribute to healthcare waste, including biomedical waste, and spread of infectious disease which can have adverse impacts on human health, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and organisms. FHI 360 staff may conduct periodic monitoring visits to confirm adherence to proper disposal of waste.
INSTRUCTION TO SELLERS
FHI 360 is requesting quotations from qualified vendors.
Vendors must submit to FHI 360 the following:
1. A brief description of Organizational Capability that includes
- The organization’s capabilities to conduct QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus testing for TB screening with the highest quality standards (not to exceed one page), including the turnaround time for each test result
- Past experience conducting QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus testing in Vietnam (not to exceed one page)
- A statement describing how the vendor manages the disposal of biomedical waste and the policies/procedures that are in place
2. Budget quotation for the services required. The quotation should include the per unit cost for a full-service testing package for one individual (including specimen collection and consumables required for collection, transport, QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus test kits and testing). Bidders should assume that up to 1,000 tests will be ordered to support LTBI testing for household contacts at two community campaigns, occurring in two or more of the locations detailed in the scope of work.
Submitted quotes should be valid for 60 days from the date of submission to allow adequate time for organizational approval.
* Quotes should include payment terms. Indicate bank charges/fees, if applicable, for receiving an electronic bank transfer.
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION
Selection will be based on best value, weighing price against technical factors as outlined below:
- Organizational Capability (50 points)
- Budget (50 points)
CONTRACTING MECHANISM
A fixed-price purchase order may be awarded in VND to the responsive vendor whose quote will be evaluated as most advantageous to FHI 360 (lowest price, technically acceptable offer). In the event that service/deliverable requirements need to be shifted during the time period between the signature of a purchase order with the selected vendor and the actual event, FHI 360 will modify the purchase order.
RESPONSES
Responses to this RFQ should be submitted by email to [email protected] [1] with a copy to [email protected] [2] no later than 5:00 pm (Hanoi time), August 05, 2021 with subject line “QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus tests for LTBI screening in the community in Vietnam.” Any quotations received after this date and time may not be accepted and shall be considered non-responsive. FHI 360 will acknowledge receipt of the quotation by return email within 24 hours.
TERMS and CONDITIONS
1. FHI 360 may cancel an RFQ and/or not make awards.
2. FHI 360 may reject any or all of the responses to its RFQ.
3. Issuance of an RFQ does not constitute award commitment by FHI 360.
4. FHI 360 reserves the right to disqualify any application based on offeror failure to follow RFQ instructions.
5. FHI 360 will not reimburse applicants for the cost of preparing and submitting an application to an RFQ.
6. FHI 360 reserves the right to issue an award on the basis of an initial evaluation of offers without further discussion.
7. FHI 360 may award grants for only part of the activities listed in an RFQ.
8. FHI 360 reserves the right to check an applicant’s donor references.
9. FHI 360 also reserves the right to reject any or all applications received without explanation.
10. FHI 360 has the right to issue amendments to the RFQ at any time.
11. FHI 360’s supplier terms and conditions can be found here [4].
OFFER VERIFICATION:
FHI 360 may contact offerors to confirm validity of the offer, contact person, address, and bid amount.