Issuance Date: June 12, 2018 Deadline for Questions: June 18, 2018 at 9:00 AM EDT/1:00 PM GMT Closing Date: July 5, 2018 at 9:00 AM EDT/1:00 PM GMT Subject: Advancing Partners & Communities RFA No. GH - 027

Sustaining Health Facility Improvements in Sierra Leone

The Advancing Partners & Communities Program in Sierra Leone invites Applications from legally registered entities in Sierra Leone that meet the following minimum requirements:

• Demonstrated expertise and experience in community resource mobilization and advocacy;

• Experience in Water, Hygiene, and Sanitation (WASH) infrastructure improvements; • Experience working in at least two of the following districts in the past five years:

o Bombali; Port Loko; Tonkolili

Note: These minimum criteria can be met by individual organizations or through partnerships when submitting your application in response to this RFA.

The grant awarded under this solicitation will be a subgrant under the Advancing Partners & Communities Project implemented by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI) and its partner FHI 360. Advancing Partners & Communities is a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Cooperative Agreement awarded to JSI for the purpose of providing technical assistance, grants, and management services on behalf of USAID’s Bureau of Global Health and USAID Country Missions.

It is anticipated that one grant covering a nine-month period will be awarded. The maximum funding available for this grant is US$900,000.

Strategic Overview:

In response to the Government of Sierra Leone’s commitment to, and USAID’s recent investments in restoring essential health services at the health post level, the overarching objective of the grant issued under this RFA is:

To prompt health posts and their local stakeholders to identify community-driven solutions that would lead to mobilization of community and district resources, for addressing service quality and health facility maintenance and preventive maintenance (M/PM) needs on an ongoing basis.

By engaging at the community level through community-based approaches, the program will empower communities to contribute to the maintenance and preventive maintenance of the facility, whether in-kind (human resources, materials, etc.), financial, or both.

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By engaging at the district level, through partnership and advocacy with government institutions and private sector entities, the program will develop a solid knowledge and skill base to better plan and allocate resources for health facility maintenance (repairs) and preventive maintenance.

To achieve success, collaboration with the District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) and District Councils, and other local stakeholders (where they exist at community and district level), will be essential. Partnerships with other organizations will be encouraged, particularly with local community and/or grassroots organizations.

Background:

Under the Post-Ebola Recovery of Health Services (PERHS) program, between July 2015 and September 2017, Advancing Partners & Communities renovated 70 facilities in the Bombali, Port Loko, and Tonkolili districts1 – repairing physical facility needs, improving access to water, addressing waste management and sanitation weaknesses, and providing solar power for facility lighting and pumping water from new boreholes and refurbished hand dug wells. The program also supported the strengthening of skills and knowledge of health facility staff and Community Health Workers (CHWs).

In these facilities, the PERHS program also supported the establishment of Facility Management Committees (FMCs) as a primary link between the health facility (HF) and the various communities within the catchment area. In these districts, USAID and other development partners have supported the establishment and implementation of Village Saving Groups (VSGs) or Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs), Mother to Mother Groups (M2Ms), Village Development Committees (VDCs), and other community groups to strengthen community engagement and resilience.

Application Framework Overview:

We encourage all Applicants to read the RFA in its entirety and ensure that the Application submitted addresses all of the items listed in the Application Instructions (Section B) and in the Technical Evaluation Criteria (Section C). Advancing Partners & Communities will upload any amendments to this RFA as well as the responses to questions on the Advancing Partners & Communities website (https://www.advancingpartners.org/).

Applications must be submitted in English by July 5, 2018 at 9:00 AM EDT/1:00 PM GMT. Applications submitted after the closing date/time will not be considered. One (1) electronic copy of the Application should be sent to grants-APC@jsi.com. Multiple Applications from one organization will not be accepted.

1 An additional 40 facilities were renovated in Western Area Urban (20) and Western Area Rural (20) and a range of other interventions were carried out in an additional 195 health facilities in these five districts.

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mailto:grants-APC@jsi.commailto:grants-APC@jsi.comhttp:https://www.advancingpartners.org

The Request for Application consists of this announcement and the following:

Section A – Program Description Section B – Application Instructions Section C – Eligibility Selection Process, and Evaluation Criteria Attachment 1 – Past Performance Information Table Attachment 2 – Summary and Detailed Budget Template Attachment 3 – Budget Notes Template Attachment 4 – Preliminary Monitoring & Evaluation Plan Template Attachment 5 – Preliminary Workplan Template Attachment 6 – Community Engagement Concept Note Attachment 7 – List of SHFI targeted facilities Attachment 8 – Summary of mapping exercise in the three districts

Any questions concerning this solicitation should be submitted by email to grants-APC@jsi.com by June 18, 2018 at 9:00 AM EDT/1:00 PM GMT. A list of all questions and the responses to these questions will be posted on the Advancing Partners & Communities website (https://www.advancingpartners.org/) no later than June 21, 2018. Advancing Partners & Communities will also upload any amendments to the RFA on this website, if needed.

If you encounter problems accessing the solicitation, please email grants-APC@jsi.com.

Applications will be reviewed by a Technical Evaluation Committee that will evaluate the Applications according to the criteria provided within Section C.

The Applicant will be expected to meet all reporting requirements of USAID for Advancing Partners & Communities, including the submission of a monthly performance narrative progress report; a monthly monitoring and evaluation report; a monthly expenditure pipeline report, and quarterly financial reports. Specific reporting templates and guidelines will be provided.

Issuance of this solicitation, or the submission of an Application, does not constitute a grant commitment on the part of the United States Government (USG) or JSI, , nor does it commit the USG or JSI, to pay for costs incurred in the preparation or submission of an Application. The USG or JSI, reserves the right not to fund any of the Applications received. All recommendations for funding are contingent on the approval of the Agreement Officer’s Representative at USAID.

Thank you for your consideration of this initiative. We look forward to your organization’s participation.

Sincerely, Stephen Katz, Finance Director Advancing Partners & Communities Project JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc.

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Advancing Partners & Communities Project, RFA No. GH - 027 Sustaining Health Facility Improvements in Sierra Leone

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABBREVIATION LIST ...........................................................................................................................5

SECTION A: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION..................................................................................................6

A1. Background ..................................................................................................................................... 6

A2. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 6

A3. Technical Approach......................................................................................................................... 8

A4. Program Management..................................................................................................................15

A5. Application Requirements ............................................................................................................16

A6. Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Learning..........................................................................16

SECTION B: APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS..........................................................................................17

B1. Application Guidelines ..................................................................................................................17

B2. Technical Application ....................................................................................................................17

SECTION C: ELIGIBILITY, SELECTION PROCESS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA.........................................22

C1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................22

C2. Eligibility ........................................................................................................................................22

C3. Selection Process ..........................................................................................................................22

C4. Technical Evaluation Criteria.........................................................................................................23

C5. Weighting of Technical Evaluation Criteria...................................................................................25

SECTION D: ATTACHMENTS ..............................................................................................................26

Attachment 1: Past Performance Information Table..........................................................................26

Attachment 2: Summary and Detailed Budget Template...................................................................27

Attachment 3: Budget Notes Template ..............................................................................................28

Attachment 4: Preliminary Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Template..............................................30

Attachment 5: Preliminary Workplan Template.................................................................................31

Attachment 6: Community Engagement Concept Note .....................................................................32

Attachment 7: List of SHFI Program Targeted Facilities......................................................................35

Attachment 8: Summary of Mapping Exercise in 3 Districts...............................................................37

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ABBREVIATION LIST

AOR Agreement Officer’s Representative CHC Community Health Center CHP Community Health Post CHW Community Health Worker DMHT District Management Health Team EMONC Emergency Obstetrics and Newborn Care EVD Ebola Virus Disease FBO Faith-Based Organization FMC Facility Management Committee HSRP Health Sector Recovery Plan IPC Infection Prevention and Control KAP Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices M/PM Maintenance (Repairs) and Preventive Maintenance MSG Mother Support Groups MCH Maternal and Child Health MCHP Maternal and Child Health Post MOHS Ministry of Health and Sanitation NICRA Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement PPE Personal Protective Equipment RFA Request for Applications RMNCH Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health SOP Standard Operating Procedures SOW Statement of Work TBA Traditional Birth Attendant TOT Training of Trainers UN United Nations USAID United States Agency for International Development USG United States Government WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

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SECTION A: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

A1. Background In 2014-16, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia experienced the most severe EVD outbreak ever recorded, a situation that caused terrible suffering, high morbidity and mortality, and serious setbacks to the health care system. More than 14,000 total cases of EVD in Sierra Leone were reported2, of which 8,706 cases were confirmed by laboratory testing3. With nearly 4,000 reported deaths due to EVD, Sierra Leone is the most affected country in the West Africa region and the world. While all 14 districts in Sierra Leone were affected by the outbreak, the impact was disproportionate across districts, with Bombali, Kailahun, Kenema, Port Loko, Western Area Rural, and Western Area Urban each having more than 500 confirmed cases.

Advancing Partners & Communities is a seven year United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded project implemented by JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc. (JSI) with partner FHI 360. The program seeks to advance and support community programs to improve the overall health of individuals and communities and improve health-related indicators. Advancing Partners & Communities provides global leadership for community health systems, mobilization, and community-based programming; executes and manages small and medium-sized grants; and builds the capacity of organizations to manage and implement effective programs through technical assistance.

A2. Introduction Since 2015, the Advancing Partners & Communities Project has received funding from USAID’s “Ebola Response and Preparedness” initiative for several programs. These funds were authorized by the U.S. Congress to address the 2014-16 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa.

These programs include: 1. The Post-Ebola Recovery of Health Services (PERHS) program in Sierra Leone (July 2015-

September 2017), 2. The Ebola Transmission Prevention & Survivor Services (ETP&SS) program in Guinea,

Liberia and Sierra Leone (June 2016-September 2018), 3. The Regional Collaboration and Learning program (Best Practices and Lessons Learned)

for Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (October 2016-September 2018), 4. The Sustaining Health Facility Improvements (SHFI) program in Sierra Leone (began

January 2018).

As shown above, USAID has been active in their support of health systems recovery in Sierra Leone through JSI/Advancing Partners and others. The SOW/program description for the SHFI health facility M/PM program came primarily from USAID’s desire to:

2 http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/case-counts.html 3 http://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.ebola-sitrep.ebola-summary-20160511?lang=en

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http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/case-counts.htmlhttp://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.ebola-sitrep.ebola-summary-20160511?lang=en

(1) Ensure that the investments made under the Post-Ebola Recovery of Health Services (PERHS) program are maintained, and (2) Support the development of community-led, community-owned health facility maintenance/preventive maintenance (M/PM) efforts.

This RFA is funded through the SHFI program which contributes to maintaining the investments at health facilities targeted through the PERHS program. The PERHS program utilized a comprehensive approach to support health system recovery, targeting health posts (HPs) and the primary care/community level, and including facility rehabilitations, which emphasized infection prevention and control (IPC) practices and the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) structures, including solar powered facility-wide lighting. PERHS supported facility rehabilitation at 110 health posts in five USAID priority districts: Bombali, Port Loko, Tonkolili, and Western Area Rural and Urban. This RFA is focused in three of the five districts that the PERHS program supported earlier, specifically Bombali, Port Loko, and Tonkolili4.

This document describes the rationale, application process, and evaluation criteria used to determine the winning Application. This solicitation is specifically intended for organizations with a demonstrable experience in identifying community-driven solutions, including the mobilization of local resources (at community and district levels) for social purposes; improving WASH infrastructure; and organizations who have had a presence in at least two of the three districts in the past five years (as an organization or in partnership).

The grant to be awarded through this RFA will carry out activities to support the achievement of the following overall program objectives, in coordination with JSI and other Advancing Partners & Communities stakeholders:

Objective 1: Develop guidelines, tools, and procedures for assessing and monitoring facility maintenance and preventive maintenance (M/PM) needs, and for documenting and developing a set of M/PM “minimum standards” for health posts, while also ensuring that the PERHS “full package” facilities in the three districts are maintained through program and/or local support.

Objective 2: Mobilize and strengthen the utilization of district and community human and financial resources for the support of M/PM needs at selected “full package” PERHS facilities.

Objective 3: Work with national government and district leaders (DHMTs and DCs) to mobilize support for M/PM interventions within their current and future programs and budgets.

It is anticipated that initially, one grant, covering a nine-month period, will be awarded. The maximum funding available for this grant is US$900,000.

4 Western Area Urban and Western Area Rural were excluded due to funding and timeline constraints.

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A3. Technical Approach

General Guiding Principles:

The Advancing Partners & Communities SHFI program is guided by the following principles, and all activities funded under this grants process shall:

• Ensure that Advancing Partners & Communities and grantee activities are aligned with MOHS policies and priorities.

• Build on existing platforms developed under the PERHS and ETP&SS programs, by the MOHS and/or by DHMTs, or by other partners, and collaborate with these partners as required.

• Support FMCs as the center of the health facility-community support hierarchy in terms of roles and responsibilities.

• Support for and maximize use of local community and district level resources for maintenance solutions that can be managed / implemented in a quality manner through volunteer and other locally accessed human and/or financial resources.

• Focus on immediate program interventions while also supporting long-term thinking about facility resilience and ongoing community support for these facilities after the program ends.

• Support resiliency of health services and physical facilities at the health post level. • Ensure gender-equitable strategies and engagement.

Geographic Priority Areas:

This program will focus on selected PERHS facilities in the following districts: • Bombali; Port Loko; Tonkolili

Pre-RFA Activities conducted by JSI/Advancing Partners:

Note: The activities listed in this section are activities that are currently being carried out or completed by the SHFI program to better inform program activities that will be carried in the districts by JSI and the selected partner.

Facility Assessment: A facility assessment will be conducted for all 70 PERHS “full package” facilities in these three districts (see attachment 7 for the full list) to determine (and document): (1) the condition of the physical facilities, facility systems, and equipment as of May 2018, with emphasis on the changes to the PERHS investments, (2) the status of each facility’s medical equipment and furniture, and (3) the status of each facility’s Facility Management Committee (FMC), with focus on what they have been doing since they were actively supported

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under the PERHS program.5 Qualitative interviews will also be held with the three DHMTs to determine current activities related to maintenance and with selected FMCs to provide more in-depth information on FMC roles and activities since PERHS.

District No. of

facilities to be assessed

Type of assessment at each facility

Bombali 24 • Physical Facility • Minor Medical Equipment (MME) & Furniture • FMC Status

Port Loko 22 Tonkolili 24

Expected contributions of the Facility Assessment to the Overall Program: The assessment will determine the condition of each facility in terms of physical facilities, facility systems, and equipment and furniture. It will also provide a comprehensive understanding of the “current state” of the Facility Management Committee connected to each of the 70 facilities. This information will be packaged into facility summaries which will be provided to the selected grantee(s) selected through this RFA process and which will be utilized to help the grantee “hit the ground” running.

Mapping: Using information regarding existing VSGs/VSLAs, Mother to Mother Support Groups (MSGs), and Village Development Committees provided to the program by previous and current USAID partners (e.g. World Vision, ACDI/VOCA, UNICEF) and the MOHS, the program has conducted a mapping exercise to confirm the presence of pre-existing community groups within the catchment areas of the 70 PERHS “full package” facilities.

The primary aim of this mapping exercise was to find (and select) at minimum 35 facilities / communities (exact number TBD) where the facility’s coverage area overlaps with a number of active VSGs/VSLAs, MSGs, and/or VDCs. The successful Applicant will work with these community organizations and groups, targeted to serve as a base for resource mobilization activities in coordination with the facility’s FMC (as described in Objective 2 and the related Activities). It is the Applicant’s responsibility to describe how it will engage with these types community groups to accomplish the program’s objectives.

Program Summary, Activities and Interventions, and Illustrative Targets and Indicators

Summary of Key Strategies

Within the Scope of Work/Program Description adopted by USAID in March 2018 for the SHFI program, there are a number of key strategies, as follows:

5 The scope, methodology and survey questions have been developed by JSI/APC, and we anticipate that the selected grantee will have completed the full assessment by the time this RFA process is resolved.

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• The primary foci of this program will be to: (1) develop guidelines, tools, and procedures for assessing, monitoring, resolving, and documenting facility M/PM needs; (2) ensure that all of the PERHS 70 “full package” facilities are maintained (operational) through local support and/or program investments (in line with the minimum WASH and IPC standards as defined by the MOHS) when the program ends in 2019.

• The guidelines, tools and procedures mentioned above will also define roles and responsibilities for facility staff, FMCs and other community organizations in relation to M/PM activities.

• In support of M/PM needs at these “full package” PERHS facilities, the program will work extensively at the community level to mobilize local volunteer and other in-kind and financial resources from the communities within each facility’s coverage area.

• The community work will include a number of interrelated activities, including: (a) building skills and operational capacity of facility staff, FMCs, and other community representatives in order to provide a portion of the needed M/PM support at the selected facilities, (b) developing and testing community-based solutions and relationships to address M/PM challenges by identifying local private sector resources via FMCs, VSGs/VSLAs, and other community organizations, and (c) supporting the FMCs and VDCs to communicate and advocate with DHMTs and District Councils to allocate district level resources for M/PM.

• The program intends to actively work with national and district authorities in the three districts (District Councils and DHMTs) to mobilize support for M/PM interventions within their current and future programs and budgets (technical capacity, monitoring tools, financial resources, etc.).

• The program should actively seek to mobilize additional resources from public and private sector donors.

Based on the current budget, the SOW/ Program Description assumes a start date in August 2018, with field activities ending in April 2019.

Applicants should reflect the implementation of the above strategies within their technical proposal.

Key Activities, Illustrative Interventions, Targets and Indicators

The tables presented below in this section list, in the left column, descriptions of the USAID-approved key activities, and in the right column, illustrative interventions that the grantee might address in support of the program’s objectives.

Objective 1: Develop guidelines, tools, checklists and procedures for assessing and monitoring facility maintenance and preventive maintenance (M/PM) needs, and for documenting and developing a set of M/PM “minimum standards” for health posts, while also ensuring that the PERHS “full package” facilities in the three districts are maintained through program and/or local support.

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This objective is focuses on building systems and tools for the DHMTs in terms of M/PM planning and implementation, with the overall goal of having the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and the DHMTs more involved with facility M/PM in the long term.

Key Activity (per the USAID-approved workplan)

Responsible Party(ies) and Illustrative Interventions

Key Activity 1.1: Assess PERHS “full package” facilities to determine (and document) physical facility, facility systems, and equipment breakdowns and/or condition from the time the initial PERHS investments were completed.

JSI will lead. We anticipate that the selected grantee will have completed all components of the assessment by the time this RFA process is resolved.

Key Activity 1.2: Develop guidelines, tools JSI will lead. Grantee will be asked to actively and procedures to manage, assess, and contribute on the development of M/PM monitor M/PM activities at the district, documentation, which may include guidelines and community and facility levels, which are minimum facility standards, including for WASH, IPC, approved and adopted, as appropriate, by and solar lighting. the MOHS. Key Activity 1.3: Analyze and document the M/PM requirements and associated costs for maintaining health facilities (including WASH/IPC infrastructure) at a level consistent with the provision of quality health services.

JSI will lead. This modeling will be completed by JSI/APC in conjunction with the MOHS and partners. Grantee is expected to provide inputs, as requested. It is extremely important to note that the modelling will be based on the information reported by the grantees during the monthly narrative reports.

Key Activity 1.4: Assess community Grantee will lead. As with all activities at the facility willingness, M/PM skills, and knowledge of and community levels, this activity will be led by the facility staff, FMC members, community grantee. This will be a priority activity in terms of the volunteers, DHMTs and District Councils schedule, as the findings will lead to the development (DCs), in order to determine (and of a skill building training program developed in document) local interest and capacity to conjunction with JSI. support M/PM activities at the health JSI will support finalizing and approvals of the facility (including budget and/or assessment methodology and tools. expenditures for M/PM currently or previously available at the district level). Key Activity 1.5: Develop minimum quality JSI will lead. We expect to develop and guide, in standards and specifications for M/PM conjunction with the MOHS, a Working Group that will program, including WASH and IPC (e. g. support the strengthening of the MOHS’ existing water wells, waste management, building quality standards for WASH and IPC in health facilities, infrastructure), and solar lighting, which in order to include maintenance requirements. The are then approved / adopted by the grantee is expected to actively participate and MOHS. contribute in this MOHS working group; at times in a

secretariat or facilitator capacity.

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Objective 2: Mobilize and strengthen the utilization of district and community human and financial resources for the support of M/PM needs at selected “full package” PERHS facilities.

This objective and its related activities target the program’s overarching objective for creating community involvement and building community support for the maintenance and preventive maintenance needs of local health facilities. This objective is the core of the grantee’s roles, as the activities are focused on the facility/community level (See Attachment 5, Community Engagement Concept Note, for more information.)

The illustrative interventions, along with the attachments referenced in this section, are provided to guide understanding of the various roles and responsibilities that the grantee will have while working with the 70 “full package” PERHS facilities. These may not be the actual tasks and activities that the grantee(s) selects for working with these facilities, their FMCs, the existing VSGs/VSLAs, M2Ms, VDCs and other community groups; rather, they are illustrative tasks and activities that might be used to achieve the resource mobilization objectives of the overall SHFI program.

For Objective 2, we anticipate that the grantee will select at least 35 facilities (from the 70 “full package” PERHS facilities included in Attachment 7), where the facility assessment, the mapping exercise, and the community assessment (key activity 1.4) have identified that (1) the FMC is active, (2) the facility’s coverage area overlaps with a number of active savings groups and VDCs, and (3) there is potential for successful resource mobilization in the coverage area on behalf of the M/PM needs at the facility. The grantee should be able to plan and demonstrate a critical pathway to engage and support various community level groups (e.g. VSGs/VSLAs, M2Ms, etc.) and facilitate linkages of those groups with the FMCs (and VDCs) and subsequently with the DHMT and District Councils.

For all of the other facilities, the grantee is requested to describe how will implement a M/PM and resource mobilization strategy building upon the leadership of the FMC (and VDC).

Key Activity (per the USAID-approved workplan)

Responsible Party(ies) and Illustrative Interventions

Key Activity 2.1: For the purposes of capacity building and local engagement, utilize the findings of the facility/community assessment to develop local action plans for facility M/PM needs in conjunction with the community team (facility staff, FMCs, local leaders, etc.).

Grantee will lead. As the grantee(s) starts engaging with these facilities / communities, one of the 1st steps will be to work with the FMC and community groups to develop a local action plan for addressing M/PM needs. A highlight of these plans will be planning for, and implementing, local solutions. The action plan will build upon the facility improvement plan template created as part of the FMC Policy and Operational Guidelines launched by the MOHS in the fall of 2017. It is expected that action plans will be monitored on a monthly basis and be updated at least quarterly.

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Key Activity 2.2: Develop and test Grantee will lead. This is one of the core activities community-based solutions and within the workplan as it highlights the relationships to address M/PM overarching objective of local ownership and use challenges by identifying local private of local resources to address basic M/PM sector resources via FMCs, problems. A number of intervention could be VSGs/VSLAs, and other community implemented by the grantee, such as: organizations. Where feasible, this • Support regular engagement of the FMCs into may include engagement with M/PM activities at health facilities and community

level (i.e. training of FMCs on M/PM and on funds community-based organizations led by management; regularly support update of facility women and youth, such as Barefoot improvement action plan (FIAP); facilitate creation Women, etc. of relationships between FMCs and community groups; etc.).

• Engage in community mobilization resource initiatives to support M/PM activities at the health facility level (i.e. engage existing VSGs/VSLAs and other community groups in M/PM activities; identify innovative ways to develop new community groups; provide matching funds or seed funding programs; identify and test new community resource mobilization avenues, such as taxation, etc.).

• Facilitate / promote local accountability mechanisms (i.e. community scorecards).

Key Activity 2.3: Provide facility staff, Grantee will lead. This activity aims to strengthen ocal managers and community local capacity for managing and monitoring M/PM takeholders (specifically FMCs and tasks. A number of interventions could be ther identified community leaders) implemented by the grantee, such as: ith the planning and management • Build capacity of facility staff, local managers

ools and skills needed to manage and (DHMTs and DCs) and community members with onitor local basic M/PM the planning and management tools and

esponsibilities. maintenance skills needed to plan, manage and monitor local M/PM responsibilities (including for solar panels and batteries, wells and pumps).

• Support FMC, VDCs and other structured community groups engagement with district level authorities in M/PM matters.

lsowtmr

It is expected that JSI and MOHS/DHMTs will be routinely consulted throughout the process of eveloping the specific parameters and content for the skill building/training programs. d

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Objective 3: Work with the national government and district leaders (DHMTs and DCs) to mobilize support for M/PM interventions within their current and future programs and budgets (technical capacity, monitoring tools, financial resources, etc.).

This objective and the related activities target program objective 3 which seeks to enable national, district and local stakeholders to actively and effectively engage in M/PM initiatives through advocacy and direct technical support at the various levels. This objective is shared between JSI/ Advancing Partners and the grantee, depending on level of the expected intervention and technical capacities.

Key Activity (per the USAID-approved workplan)

Responsible Party(ies) and Illustrative Interventions

Key Activity 3.1: Work with national Grantee will lead at district level. It is expected government and district leaders that the grantees key interventions will include: (DHMTs and District Councils) to • Identify and study the district (health and non-mobilize support for M/PM health) budgeting process (development, interventions within their current and approval, execution) and disbursement future programs and budgets mechanisms, in order to advocate for paying for

maintenance (repairs) from DHMTs and DCs budget line-items.

• Facilitate district fora to advocate for inclusion of M/PM into annual programs and budgets.

• Support capacity building for DHMT and District Council staff on procurement processes and contracting with private sector organizations.

Note: JSI will lead similar activities at the national level.

Key Activity 3.2: Develop and Grantee will lead. It is expected that grantee’s key implement mechanisms for interventions will include: maintaining medical equipment (ME) • Build the capacity of DHMTs and District Councils at health facilities, ideally through the in relation to understanding, monitoring and MOHS’ Biomedical Engineer program performing M/PM interventions (i.e. engage in

technical capacity-building of key staff at DHMT/DC; support participation of DHMT staff during the planning and monitoring visits to facilities, etc.).

• Support skill building for biomedical engineers at the district level on M/PM of the ME.

Note: JSI will work closely with MOHS and grantee to ensure the training on facility M/PM and for MME is authorized by MOHS and standardized across the 3 districts.

Key Activity 3.3: Facilitate M/PM resource solutions through the DHMTs, DCs, private sector

Grantee will lead. It is expected that grantee’s key interventions will include: • Facilitate community and district resources to

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contracting, and public-private partnerships, as feasible, during the program period

contribute to the implementation of M/PM (minor repairs) that are needed in the facilities as per the regularly updated Facility Improvement Action Plans (thus contributing to facilities meeting the minimum WASH/IPC standards of the MOHS).

• When needed, the grantee will support the implementation of minor repairs.

Key Activity 3.4: Engage in advocacy and ensure coordination of program activities with ongoing work of other donors (e.g. UNICEF, WB) in relation to M/PM activities for health facilities

Grantee will lead this activity at the district level. JSI/Advancing Partners will lead at the national level.

Note: As part of the key activity 3.3., there may be significant repairs that cannot be accomplished by FMCs/local communities or DHMTs/DCs to ensure facility systems are operational as per MOHS WASH and IPC minimum standards. Examples include submersible pumps, parts for solar systems, etc. Costs for these significant repairs are currently not included in the scope of this RFA, although this might be revisited at a later stage.

Illustrative Targets: • At least 35 of the facilities and their communities will be engaged / mobilized for M/PM

activities for their local health facility. • At least 75% of the FMCs regularly update their Facility Improvement Action Plans

(monitor monthly and update quarterly). • District level development plans and budgets include facility M/PM.

Illustrative Indicators: • # of community members trained on M/PM (including skills for maintenance and minor

repairs) • # of community groups, disaggregated by type of group, investing resources in M/PM in

targeted facilities (e.g. % of VSLAs dedicating % of social funds to the M/PM of health facility)

• # of new groups established to support M/PM of targeted facilities • Funds ($) collected to support M/PM at each facility • #/% of FMCs that update their Facility Improvement Action Plan (life of program) • # of DHMT staff, including biomedical technicians, trained in M/PM related matters

(procurement, planning, scheduling, implementation), by type of training topic

A4. Program Management

For management and coordination purposes, the grantee will be expected to engage in the following activities:

• Participate in regular (at least monthly) coordination meetings with Advancing Partners, Sierra Leone team, either in the Districts or in Freetown.

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• Participate in ad hoc program meetings to ensure compliance with USAID reporting requirements, to align data collection and reporting (for monitoring, end line surveys, etc.), and to review and revise inputs to ensure uniform implementation of national standards and program tools, guidelines and procedures as they are developed and/or refined.

• Participate in the Working Group that JSI/Advancing Partners will establish with the MOHS and partners interested in/working with health facility M/PM programs.

• Represent, whenever needed, the program at the district level in relevant meetings • Advocate for the inclusion of M/PM in health facilities as priority

A5. Application Requirements

For each of the Objectives / Key Activities listed in section IV.2 above, the Applicant is expected to describe technically and managerially how it will successfully implement the Activities listed under each Objective. The Applicant may utilize the illustrative interventions/tasks provided in section IV.2; however, if they are utilized, the Application must demonstrate understanding of scope of work and its objectives and offer critical thinking to describe a successful path to activity implementation, rather than simply providing a restatement of the illustrative activities/tasks presented herein.

Applicants are encouraged to offer alternative interventions, activities, and/or approaches for meeting the three objectives outlined in this RFA, keeping in mind the General Guiding Principles listed above, as well as the overall focus on the connection of communities with their local health facility, and the enhancement of local leadership and resource mobilization. Applicants are encouraged to be innovative and identify high impact-low cost avenues for meeting the program’s objectives.

A6. Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Learning

Applicants should submit a preliminary Workplan and a preliminary monitoring and evaluation plan. The successful Applicant will be required to work with JSI/Advancing Partners & Communities to submit a Workplan and a Performance Monitoring Plan (M&E Plan) that will measure progress toward results/deliverables. The Workplan is to be submitted for review and approval within 15 calendar days after signing of the grant agreement.

The grantee will be expected to meet all reporting requirements of USAID and Advancing Partners & Communities, which include the submission of monthly performance reports, program expenditures, and financial reports. Specific reporting templates and guidelines will be provided by JSI/Advancing Partners.

The grantee will also be expected to contribute to the development of lessons learned and case studies to showcase successes and challenges in striving for community ownership and engagement in the M/PM of health facilities.

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SECTION B: APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

B1. Application Guidelines

The Applicant is encouraged to read the solicitation in its entirety, and ensure that the Application addresses all of the items cited in the Application instructions and meets the eligibility criteria. The deadline for Questions is June 18, 2018 at 9:00 AM EDT/1:00 PM GMT. All Applications must be submitted by July 5, 2018 at 9:00 AM EDT/1:00 PM GMT. Applications submitted after the closing date and time will not be considered.

The Application must be accompanied by a cover letter typed on official organizational letterhead and signed by a person who has signatory authority for the Applicant. The complete Application package (electronic format) shall be submitted on or before the due date and time to grants-APC@jsi.com. All documents related to the Application shall be submitted in English.

Receipt of an Application does not constitute a grant commitment on behalf of the USG, USAID, JSI, and/or FHI 360, nor does it commit any of these entities to reimburse any costs incurred in the preparation and submission of an Application. JSI, FHI 360, and the USG reserve the right not to fund any and/or all of the Applications received.

All Applications submitted on or before the due date and time, except those determined to be non-responsive, will be reviewed by a technical committee that will evaluate the Applications according to the criteria provided below. The committee will determine which organizations will be recommended for funding based on the submitted responses to the evaluation criteria. All Applicants will be notified in writing whether their Application has been selected. A recommendation for funding is contingent on the availability of funds and the approval of the Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR) of Advancing Partners & Communities at USAID/Washington. The successful Applicant will be awarded a grant from JSI/ Advancing Partners on behalf of USAID.

B2. Technical Application

The Technical Application describes the Applicant’s existing technical and organizational capacity to meet Program Objectives (see Section A). It should be concise, specific, complete, and demonstrate a clear understanding of the objectives and key activities of the program. Technical Applications are to be no more than fifteen (15) pages.

The following are NOT included in the fifteen page limit: table of contents, acronym list, and attachments (i.e. Past Performance Information Tables, Budget and Budget Documents, Preliminary Workplan, Preliminary Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, CVs, staffing plan, organogram, etc.).

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mailto:grants-APC@jsi.com

All Applications should be typed on standard letter-sized paper (8 ½ x 11”) with 1” margins, using a font size of 12 Times New Roman, except within tables and in the budget section where the font size may be smaller but must be easily readable (size 10 font minimum).

At this initial stage, the Applicant should NOT submit any additional documents with their Application, except for those outlined herein. Advancing Partners & Communities will confirm receipt via email of all Applications within seven (7) calendar days after the submission deadline.

The Applicant should submit all documents via email; it is not necessary to send a hard copy of the Application via mail. Each of the documents listed below, including the signed cover letter, should be submitted as separate attachments to the email. The Applicant should not include photographs as part of its Application.

The Applicant should include only information necessary to provide a clear understanding of the organization’s technical and organizational capacity, and their proposed plan for program implementation. Providing more detail than necessary, as well as insufficient detail, may detract from an Application’s clarity. The Applicant should assume that the reader is not familiar with the particular context in which the program will be implemented. The Applicant should minimize the use of jargon and acronyms as much as possible. If acronyms or abbreviations are used, a separate page explaining the terms should be included.

Cover Page (1 page) Include the name of the organization submitting the Application, program title, location (District), proposed program dates (e.g., August 1, 2018-April 30, 2019), requested amount (in USD) of USAID funding, and names, office addresses, phones, fax, and email of the primary individual responsible for the Application and at least one alternate. The same details are to be provided for any proposed sub-grantees.

Executive Summary (1-2 pages) The executive summary should provide an overview of critical elements of the Application, including the organization’s overall approach to supporting Objectives #1, Objective #2 and Objective #3. Roles of specific partners (if included) should be described. Applicant should also address why the organization is suitable to provide the services requested in this RFA.

Technical Approach (10-11 pages)

1. Situation Analysis The situation analysis should present a brief yet sound analytic basis for the proposed approaches, strategies and interventions, including an understanding of the cultural, demographic and socio-economic factors, and working environment related to the strengthening of the peripheral health level. This section should give greatest attention to opportunities and barriers to programmatic work, such as the presence or absence of resources and capabilities. Overall, this section should establish that the Applicant has a sufficient

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understanding of the current and evolving situation and context of the proposed program.

2. Strategic Approach, Assumptions and Constraints This section is to describe how the Applicant is proposing to achieve the overarching objective “To prompt health posts and their local stakeholders to identify community-driven solutions that would lead to mobilization of community and district level resources, for addressing service quality and health facility maintenance and preventive maintenance (M/PM) needs on an ongoing basis”.

The Applicant should clearly describe how it will meet the specific objectives through harmonization with MOHS priorities and strategies and with other grantees. The Applicant should NOT write about what it may have achieved in the past; this section is about what it proposes to do within this program. Please highlight the approaches to be used to achieve these objectives, including the types of activities and processes.

For each of the of the Objectives #1, #2, #3, the Applicant needs to describe what major activities, strategies and innovative approaches the Applicant’s organization proposes to order to achieve the results as listed above. These should also be summarized in a Preliminary Workplan that should be submitted as an attachment to the technical proposal using the template provided in Attachment 5 of this RFA.

In the technical approach, the Applicant may want to pay additional attention to how it intends to achieve the performance indicators it will include in the Preliminary Monitoring and Evaluation Plan. In addition, the Applicant should address how program implementation will be coordinated with the DHMTs and District Councils and with existing coordination mechanisms, government plans, and related efforts by Government and donors.

The Applicant should highlight the proposed approach(es) for community engagement and resource mobilization for the purpose of health facility M/PM. The Applicant should clearly describe how it plans to facilitate and work with various community groups identified and how the operational links between various communities groups (VSGs/VSLA, VDC, M2M, and/or others) and the health facilities (especially FMC) will be established and developed.

This section should also describe how the Applicant plans to collaborate with the DHMTs, District Council, and other government partners or NGOs working in the proposed geographic area and program content areas.

The Applicant should also describe ways in which gender considerations will be incorporated into the activity areas.

The Applicant should identify the intended beneficiaries of the program and how their situation will be changed as a result of the proposed program. An estimate of the number of beneficiaries, disaggregated by sex, should be included, and the Applicant should discuss the

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differences in approaches, if any, to be used with male and female beneficiaries and how gender disparities can be addressed.

If the Applicant is using partners (subgrants), this section must explain the role of each partner in relation to the objectives and key program activities.

Finally, there should also be a section which describes key assumptions and constraints that might impact the ability to achieve results or outcomes; and how the applicant plans to address them.

High consideration will be given to applications that include leveraging of additional resources from other public or private donors.

3. Management and Staffing Plans This section elaborates how the Applicant intends to manage the program. The Applicant shall identify the key personnel and other relevant personnel positions for this program.

Applicants should propose a sound staffing plan which describes the staff working on the project and their respective responsibilities; along with an organizational chart (as an Attachment) which outlines planned central level and district level staffing. The Program Manager will be considered key personnel and his/her CV should be attached. We encourage Applicants to submit the CVs of no more than two pages in length of other personnel relevant to their Application to showcase their experience and implementation capabilities.

4. Monitoring and Evaluation Effective internal monitoring and evaluation of activities, outputs, and outcomes are essential for transparency and lessons learned, as well as for meeting the monthly reporting requirements of this program. This section of the Application must contain a description of:

• The Applicant’s organization’s current capacity to monitor and evaluate program performance.

• How the proposed program will gather relevant implementation data, monitor implementation progress and outputs and measure program outcomes.

• How the applicant will capture and disseminate lessons learned and best practices from the SHFI program’s implementation.

• How gender-relevant data and information will be gathered and used.

In addition, the Applicant should use the Preliminary Monitoring and Evaluation Plan template (Attachment 4) to chronologically outline program activities and indicators/targets. The Applicant should include illustrative indicators, starting from the ones proposed in Section A, if desired, for the proposed targets and key activities for the life of the grant. If the Application includes partnering with another organization, provide specific sub-sections for each organization included.

Existing Capacity (2 pages) The Applicant will describe organizational philosophy, mission and goals, current capacity for

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supporting Objectives #1, #2, and #3, and experiences in Sierra Leone related to the technical areas included in this RFA.

The Applicant should also describe similar experiences in managing grants or contracts of a similar size and complexity, preferably funded by the US Government. The Applicant should further discuss its solid, organizational presence in the Districts, working relationships with communities and other key actors (such as DHMTs or District Councils), and shall demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the current and evolving situation and context of the proposed program.

Reminder: Technical Applications are to be no more than fifteen (15) pages.

Attachments to the Technical Application (NOT included in the page limit):

i. Past Performance Information Tables: The Applicant should submit no more than 3 Past Performance Information Tables (Attachment 1) for similar programs implemented within the past five years, preferably in Sierra Leone and West Africa.

ii. CVs for Program Manager and other proposed staff. iii. Staffing Plan/Organizational Chart. iv. Preliminary Workplan: The Applicant should use the template provided in

Attachment 5. v. Preliminary Monitoring and Evaluation Plan: The Applicant should use the template

provided in Attachment 4. vi. Budget and budget documents: The Applicant should use the templates provided in

Attachments 2 and 3.

Summary and Detailed Budget and Budget Notes The Applicant should include both a detailed budget and a summary budget (Attachment 2) using the following categories of cost (exclude any that do not apply): Labor, Allowances/Staff Benefits, Consultants, Travel, Equipment, Other Direct Costs, Program Costs, Renovation Activities and Subgrants6. The category Overhead or Indirect Costs may be used only if the organization has a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) from a US federal agency. In the absence of a NICRA, the Applicant can elect to use a “DeMinims” rate of 10%. Otherwise, please include all overhead related costs (share of rent, utilities, management costs, etc.) within the other budgeted categories. No profit or fee may be charged.

The budget notes (template in Attachment 3) need to be detailed and should indicate a reasonable amount of care and thought in terms of general budgetary assumptions.

6 Subgrants must also have sufficient detail (following the same format as the budget submitted by the Applicant).

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SECTION C: ELIGIBILITY, SELECTION PROCESS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA

C1. Introduction The Technical Evaluation criteria provided in Section C4 serve: (1) to identify the significant matters which the Applicant should address in its Application; and (2) as the standard against which all Applications will be evaluated.

The Applicant must organize the narrative sections of its Application in the same order as the item listed under Section C4: Technical Evaluation Criteria and following the guidance presented in Section B2. Applications found to be ineligible will not be reviewed. A grant shall be made to the Applicant whose submission, based on indicated technical evaluation criteria and budget review, represents the best value.

C2. Eligibility The Advancing Partners & Communities Program in Sierra Leone invites Applications from legally registered entities in Sierra Leone that meet the following minimum requirements:

• Demonstrated expertise and experience in community resource mobilization and advocacy;

• Experience in Water, Hygiene, and Sanitation (WASH) infrastructure improvements; • Experience working in at least two of the following districts in the past five years:

o Bombali; Port Loko; Tonkolili

Note: These minimum criteria can be met by individual organizations or through partnerships when submitting your application in response to this RFA.

For their Application to be considered under this solicitation, the organization must have adequate financial controls and can reasonably expect to be eligible to receive USAID funds by satisfying 2 CFR 200 and 2 CFR 700 requirements.

If proposing partnerships/ subgrants, the Applicant must clearly outline the details of these partnerships in the undertaking of the activities that meet the objectives of this program.

C3. Selection Process Applications will undergo a preliminary review by Advancing Partners & Communities staff for completeness and responsiveness based on the minimum eligibility criteria and the documentation required in the Application. Incomplete Applications and/or Applications judged to be unresponsive to this RFA will be considered ineligible. Applications submitted after the due date and time will not be considered.

Applications deemed to be eligible will then be reviewed against the technical evaluation criteria outlined in Section C4.

Thereafter, the Budget of the Applicant selected for a potential grant will be reviewed for

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general reasonableness, allowability, and allocability of costs.

A grant will be awarded to for an Application submitted that offers the greatest value, and will be made based on the ranking of Applications according to the evaluation criteria.

Advancing Partners & Communities reserves the right to request further information or request revisions from all Applicants deemed to have met minimum requirements if needed to make a final selection.

The Advancing Partners & Communities Finance Director will use the conclusions and recommendations of the technical evaluation from the Technical Committee together with an evaluation of costs to determine if negotiations with the successful Applicant are required. A recommendation for funding is contingent on the availability of funds and the approval of the AOR of the Advancing Partners & Communities Program within USAID/Washington.

C4. Technical Evaluation Criteria The Applicant should note that these criteria serve: (1) to identify the significant matters which the Applicant should address in its Application; and (2) as the standard against which all Applications will be evaluated.

Situation Analysis [10 points] This section should demonstrate the Applicant has a strong understanding of the three districts of operation, the context in which the program is framed, and the roles played by facilities and their communities in ensuring sustainability and self-reliance. A strong analysis will:

1. Describe the District context showcasing an understanding and knowledge of the areas of intervention. [2 points]

2. Describe health facility maintenance and preventive maintenance related challenges and the likely impact of non-performance on the overall health system. [4 points]

3. Describe the role community engagement can have in strengthening ownership and creating sustainability for key interventions. [4 points]

Strategic Approach, Assumptions and Constraints [45 points] This section should provide a clear description of the overall strategies, activities, and details of the proposed technical interventions and activities/tasks for achieving Objectives #1, #2 and #3. The reviewers will evaluate overall quality and feasibility of the technical approach. A strong technical design will:

1. Provide a clear description of the Applicant’s strategy and describe how the proposed approaches are sufficient to effectively achieve the Objectives and Key Activities as described or illustrated in this RFA. [5 points]

2. Document the Applicant’s approach to community engagement and resource mobilization. [5 points]

3. Describe how the Applicant will engage and mobilize communities to invest in M/PM initiatives at their local health facilities [9 points]:

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o Building on previous experiences working with VSGs/VSLAs and/or other community resource mobilization approaches (i.e. taxation, etc.);

o Introducing innovative strategies and/or approaches. 4. Describe how the applicant plans to leverage additional resources from other

public or private donors; and provide an approximate “dollar value” of these additional resources. A description of additional resources should be provided clearly for each objective and key activities. [5 points]

5. Describe how the Applicant will assess M/PM skills needs at the various level of intervention; and build the necessary skills. [4 points]

6. Describe how the Applicant will engage with the three DHMTs and other district level authorities on M/PM capacity building, project implementation and advocacy. [4 points]

7. Describe the roles of partner organizations and governmental bodies, where relevant, and describe how the Applicant will complement and coordinate with the activities of these other local organizations in the proposed Districts, including government, NGOs/FBOs, networks or associations, and community and indigenous organizations. [4 points]

8. Provide the key assumptions and anticipated constraints used in relation to the proposed plan of action; and comprehensively describe the mechanisms and/or approaches that will apply to anticipate and respond to these constraints. [3 points]

9. Describe and appropriately quantify the intended stakeholders/beneficiaries and problems to be addressed in relation to some/all of these subgroups. [3 points]

10. Ensure that gender issues are addressed adequately. [3 points]

Note: The Preliminary Workplan will also be evaluated under this section.

Management and Staffing Plans [15 points] This section provides an overview of the Applicant’s proposed management of the sub-program. A relevant and strong management and staffing plans will:

1. Demonstrate the qualifications of proposed personnel to carry out technical and managerial requirements of the program. [2 points]

2. Demonstrate strong organizational, human resources, financial, and information management structures and mechanisms, with clear roles and responsibilities for staff and partners, if proposed. [4 points]

3. Demonstrate a focus on the quality and effectiveness of services, including consistency in meeting targets and effectiveness in solving problems and constraints. [3 points]

4. Prove to be appropriate for addressing the objectives of the program within each of the three districts of operation. [2 points]

5. Demonstrate the capacity to develop an effective system for working with the DMHTs and other organizations in these districts, as needed. [4 points]

Monitoring and Evaluation [15 points] This section provides a description of the monitoring systems and mechanisms to be used. The

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monitoring and evaluation plan should be clear, realistic, and likely to generate information that helps strengthen M/PM functions or contributes to the overall outcomes of the program.

1. The Applicant has clearly described how they will monitor and evaluate progress across the 3 districts, the 70 sites and elsewhere. [5 points]

2. The program’s structure/staffing includes adequate resources for undertaking monitoring and evaluation and reporting activities. [3 points]

3. Indicators specified in the Preliminary Monitoring and Evaluation Plan are viable for proposed outcomes and all data and information is gender disaggregated. [4 points]

4. The Applicant demonstrates how it will document lessons learned and best practices from program implementation. [3 points]

Note: The Preliminary Monitoring and Evaluation Plan will also be evaluated under this section.

Existing Capacity [15 points] This section demonstrates the Applicant’s track record of the proposed type of work. To be successful in this section, the Applicant will:

1. Showcase previous experience with innovative community engagement and community resource mobilization approaches, as well as WASH activities in health facilities and/or at the community level. [5 points]

2. Demonstrate the capacity to manage a program of this scale (from both the Existing Capacity section and Past Performance Information Tables). [3 points]

3. Demonstrate their experience in working directly with district authorities for both program implementation and technical assistance. [3 points]

4. Demonstrate the capacity to quickly mobilize to initiate the agreed-upon activities. [4 points]

Note: References will be checked to assess the Applicant’s past performance based on the factors listed above.

C5. Weighting of Technical Evaluation Criteria The Applicant will be evaluated by the technical committee and scored based on the following criteria:

I. Situation Analysis 10 points II. Strategic Approach, Assumptions, and Constraints 45 points

III. Management and Staffing Plan 15 points IV. Monitoring and Evaluation 15 points V. Existing Capacity 15 points

TOTAL 100 Points

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SECTION D: ATTACHMENTS

Attachment 1: Past Performance Information Table

Note: Please fill in the past performance information outlining programs relevant to this RFA that highlight how the Applicant meets the minimum eligibility criteria.

Organization Name Program Name

Program Objective

Description of activities undertaken

Geographic Location (district, sub-District, village, parish)

Donor Contact Info. (name & mailing address of donor & name & phone number/email address of program contacts) Period of Implementation

Total Program Budget

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Attachment 2: Summary and Detailed Budget Template

Note: Please see attached Excel File for the Summary and Detailed Budget Template.

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Attachment 3: Budget Notes Template ORGANIZATION NAME

Budget Notes Date

1. Staff/Labor Costs Direct salaries and wages must be in accordance with the organization's established personnel policies and according to any local labor legislation To be considered adequate, the policies must be in writing, applicable to all employees of the organization, is subject to review and approval at a high enough organizational level to assure their uniform enforcement and result in costs which are reasonable and allowable in accordance with applicable cost principles.

2. Allowances/Staff Benefits All allowances and benefits provided as part of staff compensation that is above the salary base must be listed and described in this section.

Staff Benefits - If accounted for as a separate item of cost, fringe benefits must be based on the Applicant's audited fringe benefit rate or historical cost data in accordance with local legislation.

3. Consultant Costs Direct consultants hired as part of this program must be listed. Daily rates and planned number of days must be included along with a brief description of the type of work the consultant will undertake to support the aims of the program.

4. Travel and Transportation The narrative must indicate number of expected trips for all personnel and the estimated unit cost for each, specifically the origin and destination for each proposed trip, duration of travel, and number of individuals traveling. Per diem, if paid, should be in accordance with the organization’s established travel policies and USAID travel regulations.

5. Expendable Equipment* Expendable equipment can be budgeted under this category but non-expendable equipment will not be funded under these grants. (NOTE: Non-expendable equipment is defined as tangible personal property which has a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost of US $5,000 or more for each piece of equipment).

*Expendable Equipment for the program, NOT the minor medical supplies/IPC consumables. These should not be part of the cost proposal.

The standard provision USAID Eligibility Rules for Goods and Services will apply to any grant. These rules can be found in Section M8 of Standard Provisions for U.S. Organizations and Section M6 of Standard Provisions for Non-U.S. Organizations and mainly pertain to the “source and origin” of the items to be purchased. The Geographic Code for this RFA is 935 –Applicant may purchase items from any area or country including the recipient country, but excluding the foreign policy restricted countries.

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http://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1864/303maa.pdfhttp://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1864/303mab.pdf

6. Other Direct Costs All costs in this category must be specifically described in detail. Examples of other direct costs are communication, printing, postage, supplies, etc.

7. Program Costs All costs in this category must be specifically described in detail.

8. Renovation Costs/Activities All costs in this category must be specifically described in detail.

9. Subgrants Any subgrants anticipated as part of the program must be included here along with the name of Applicant, the amount of the sub-grant, and a complete cost breakdown (following the same format as submitted by the Applicant).

10. Indirect Cost Rates Funds should be budgeted here only if the Applicant has a currently approved NICRA. In the absence of a NICRA the Applicant can elect to use a DeMinims rate of 10%. Otherwise, please include all overhead related costs (share of rent, utilities, management costs, etc.) within the other budgeted categories. No profit or fee may be charged.

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Attachment 4: Preliminary Monitoring and Evaluation Plan Template

Note: Please see the attached Excel File for the Preliminary Monitoring and Evaluation Plan.

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Attachment 5: Preliminary Workplan Template

Note: Please see attached Excel file for the Preliminary Workplan Template.

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Attachment 6: Community Engagement Concept Note

Current Situation: Sierra Leone has the highest rate of maternal mortality and is ranking third of the highest under-5 mortality in the world. Government investment in health is below 10% of GDP (considerably under the Abuja commitment of 15%) and more than 40% of health workforce is not in the payroll. Despite donor consistent efforts over the past decades, due to many competing priorities and recurrent emergencies, the majorities of health facilities, and especially the ones at the community level, are still in dire need of renovation/rehabilitation to be brought up to the minimum MOHS WASH and IPC standards7 (SL has ~1,300 Peripheral Health Units). These issues are coupled with lack of confidence in the health system, particularly due to the poor availability of essential medicines and a low ratio of skilled health personnel.

Much has been done in the country by development partners to improve the infrastructure of the public sector health facilities in order to ensure the environment is conducive for the delivery of quality health services in a safe manner. However, a) poor engagement of communities and other key stakeholders in the process; b) missed inclusion of maintenance plans within the rehabilitation strategy; c) emergency-style intervention strategies; and d) very little co-funding from the government resources, have impacted on the community ownership of the various interventions, hence limiting the interest by communities’ members in getting involved at a later stage.

Learning from the current situation and from the understanding that community engagement is paramount to mobilize resources for long-lasting change; the Sustaining Health Facility Improvements (SHFI) program aims at engaging communities into the maintenance and preventive maintenance (M/PM) of health facilities through the mobilization of private sector community resources and strengthening overall community ownership of maintenance related interventions. The intent is to do so by engaging with existing community groups, particularly Village Saving Groups (VSGs), and triggering new communities’ members/groups to identify solutions to support the M/PM of their local health facilities.

Through the Post-Ebola Recovery of Health Services (PERHS) program, Advancing Partners renovated 70 facilities across 3 districts (Bombali, Port Loko, and Tonkolili)8 – improving access to water and sanitation, addressing waste management weaknesses, and providing solar power for lighting and water pumps. In these facilities, the program supported the establishment of Facility Management Committees (FMCs) in charge of acting as primary link between the health facility (HF) and the communities in the catchment area. In the same areas, USAID and other development partners have supported the establishment and implementation of VSGs, Village Saving and Loans Associations (VSLAs) and other community groups to strengthen community resilience.

The SHFI staff has recently completed a mapping exercise to identify how many PERHS facilities have existing VSGs/VSLAs and other community groups in their catchment areas; and assessing whether additional groups can be established.

7 WASH Guidelines and Standards, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, 2017 8 An additional 40 facilities were renovated in Western Area Urban (20) and Western Area Rural (20).

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Strategic Approaches and Illustrative Interventions: One of the key objectives of the SHFI program is to trigger communities to identify community-driven solutions and mobilize local resources to HF M/PM needs. By engaging at the community level through community-based participatory learning and planning methodologies, the program will involve communities to decide how to contribute to the maintenance and preventive-maintenance of the facility, whether in-kind (human resources, materials, etc.), financial, or both.

The program is expected to include, but is not exclusive to, three strategic approaches (SA): • SA 1: Collaborate with already existing VSGs/VSLAs that no longer have donor support and are

interested/willing to dedicate resources (in-kind or from their social fund) to support HF M/PM activities. Potential intervention include: incentive-matching program; extension of existing VSG/VSLAs to additional groups/villages; expansion of existing VSG/VSLAs; collaboration across VSG/VSLAs, etc.

• SA 2: Establish new VSGs/VSLAs within HF catchment communities which recognize health as a priority and HF M/PM as one of the key activities to invest in. Potential intervention includes targeting already established Ebola survivors groups and/or Mother Support Groups9 to initiate VSGs/VSLAs.

• SA 3: Identify and establish alternative solutions to mobilize community in-kind and financial resources (i.e. monthly fees to access facility water sources, taxation for services from population categories which are not Free Health Care Initiative; etc.) Potential intervention includes working with the FMCs and Village Development Committees to set up local resource mobilization systems.

With reference to interventions which aim at mobilizing financial resources from community groups, the SHFI program plans to: • Provide the VSGs/VSLAs with basic financial and entrepreneurship training and facilitate the initial

set-up by providing materials such as cash box, ledger, etc. (particularly for new VSGs/VSLAs). • Support the groups with seed-fund, matching-fund or provision of small assets to incentivize their

involvement in health facility M/MP (particularly for existing VSGs/VSLAs; but also for new VSGs/VSLAs).

Considering that each health facilities is expected to have a functional FMC which a) encompasses members from communities in the catchment area of the HF; and b) is expected to develop, update and facilitate the implementation of the “facility improvement plans”; the program plans to: • Strengthen coordination mechanisms between FMCs, VSGs, VSLAs, and other community groups

(whether providing financial resources or in-kind contribution). • Providing FMCs with basic training similar to that provided to the community VSG/VSLA groups so

they have the capacities and the organizational strategies to collect and manage funds.

After conducting the individual community-based participatory learning and planning exercises, community/ facility specific interventions will be designed alongside with the community groups and leaders. It is expected that:

• Health facilities with 1 or more existing VSG/VSLA will be targeted through SA 1, 2 and 3. • Health facilities with no existing VSGs/VSLAs will be targeted through SA 2 and 3.

9 Groups of women (pregnant, breastfeeding, mothers of children under five years) which are formed at community level, usually 10 groups of 10 people each for each PHU to discuss about health and nutrition issues.

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The program will look into the possibility of establishing accountability mechanisms, such as community scorecard, to ensure that communities feel they have ownership over the process and keep FMCs and HF staff accountable for the contribution they receive for the HF maintenance needs.

Assumptions and Constraints: The SHFI program implementation is based on the following key assumptions: • A percentage of the total number of HF targeted through the PERHS program have existing

VSGs/VSLA and a percentage of these existing groups are interested and can be supported to support a mix of in-kind and monetary contributions the maintenance of the facility [exact percentage TBD after the mapping exercise is complete].

• In those facilities with pre-existing VSGs/VSLAs the program will seek to establish additional groups or systems to contribute to the HF M/PM with a mix of in-kind and monetary contribution.

• New VSG/VSLA groups will target community members who are already connected to other USAID programs, i.e. EVD Survivors and Community Healing Dialogues beneficiaries; or pre-existing groups with high interest in the facility, such as mother support groups). We believe this will increase the rate of engagement, and therefore, of success.

• Existing VSGs/VSLAs agree to collect and use funds to cover for small expenses linked to the HF M/PM (i.e. to repair/replace broken locks, benches, fences, roofs; clean of waste management systems, solar systems and water tanks, etc.) or manage to gather adequate resources to do so.

• During the duration of the program there are no episodes of mismanagement of funds by VSGs/VSLAs or FMCs to negatively impact the established trust among community members which is paramount for VSG/VSLA groups to function.

Key constraints: • Usually the process of establishing VSG takes at minimum 9-12 months. New VSGs/VSLAs groups will

just be reaching the time for a potential disbursement towards the end of the program. • In places where there are only one or two communities having a VSG/VSLA, the JSI/Advancing

Partners team anticipates that we may encounter an equity problem between communities/villages that are asked to support the M/PM of their health facility and the ones that don’t. It is hoped that communities with no VSGs will see this as an opportunity to join the program.

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Attachment 7: List of SHFI Program Targeted Facilities

District Chiefdom Name of Health Facility Type of HF

Bombali Biriwa Bumbanday MCHP MCHP Bombali Biriwa Kagbankona MCHP MCHP Bombali Biriwa Kayonkoro CHP CHP Bombali Bombali Sebora Maforay CHP CHP Bombali Gbanti Kamaranka Gbanti CHP CHP Bombali Gbanti Kamaranka Gbonkobana MCHP MCHP Bombali Gbendembu Ngowahun Maharie CHP CHP Bombali Gbendembu Ngowahun Masongbo Loko CHP CHP Bombali Libeisaygahun Gbonkonka CHP CHP Bombali Makari Gbanti Fullah Town CHP CHP Bombali Makari Gbanti Kolisokoh CHP CHP Bombali Makari Gbanti Mabayo MCHP MCHP Bombali Paki Masabong Masingbi lol MCHP MCHP Bombali Safroko Limba Kabonka CHP CHP Bombali Safroko Limba Maselleh MCHP MCHP Bombali Safroko Limba Masongbo Limba CHP CHP Bombali Sanda Loko Laminaya CHP CHP Bombali Sanda Loko Madina Fullah CHP CHP Bombali Sanda Loko Maharibo CHP CHP Bombali Sanda Tendaren Manack CHP CHP Bombali Sella Limba Kaponkie CHP CHP Bombali Sella Limba Masankorie CHP CHP Bombali Tambaka Samaya CHP CHP Bombali Tambaka Sanya CHP CHP Port Loko BKM Barmoi CHP CHP

Port Loko BKM Minthomor CHP CHP

Port Loko Buya Romende Manumtheneh MCHP MCHP Port Loko Buya Romende Worreh Bana MCHP MCHP Port Loko Dibia Gbombana MCHP MCHP Port Loko Dibia Rogballan CHP CHP Port Loko Koya K/Ngollah MCHP MCHP Port Loko Koya Kurankoh MCHP MCHP Port Loko Koya Magbeni MCHP MCHP Port Loko Koya Malenki MCHP MCHP Port Loko Koya Mawomah MCHP MCHP Port Loko Koya Rofoindu CHP CHP Port Loko Lokomasama Bailor MCHP MCHP

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Port Loko Lokomasama Benkia MCHP MCHP Port Loko Lokomasama Kagbullor CHP CHP Port Loko Lokomasama Menika MCHP MCHP Port Loko Maforki Mafoimara CHP CHP Port Loko Maforki Maronkoh MCHP MCHP Port Loko Masimera Mayolla MCHP MCHP Port Loko Sanda Magbolonthor Komneh CHP CHP Port Loko Sanda Magbolonthor Magbolonthor MCHP MCHP Port Loko TMS Robaka MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Gbonkolenken Mathamp- MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Gbonkolenken Warrima -MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Kafe Simiria Makonthandae MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Kafe Simiria Masumbrie -CHP CHP Tonkolili Kafe Simiria Mayossoh- MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Kalansogoia Bassaia MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Kalansogoia Kemedugu - CHP CHP Tonkolili Kholifa Rowalla Masoko-Mayoni MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Kunike Fothaneh Bana CHP CHP Tonkolili KUNIKE Fothaneh Junction MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Kunike Magbanabom CHP CHP Tonkolili Kunike Barina Wonkibor MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Mala Mara Rochain Malal MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Mala Mara Rochen Kamandao CHP CHP Tonkolili Malal Mara Macobabana MCHP Tonkolili Sambaya Bendugu Kholifaga- MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Tane Mathonkara MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Yoni Magbafth -MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Yoni Makelleh MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Yoni Mamaka -MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Yoni Masengbeh CHP CHP Tonkolili Yoni Mayorgbor CHP CHP Tonkolili Yoni Rokimbi MCHP MCHP Tonkolili Yoni Ronietta CHP CHP

3 districts 33 chiefdoms 70 HPs 2 types of HPs

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Attachment 8: Summary of Mapping Exercise in 3 Districts 1. Bombali District: General analysis for the 24 HF assessed

• 18 out the 24 HFs have at least one community within their catchment area with a VSG/VSLA • 11 out of the 24 HFs have communities within their catchment area with a MSG • 22 out the 24 HFs have communities within their catchment area with a VDC

PHU Name Chiefdom No. of Communities in Catchment

No. of Communities in Catchment with at least 1 MSG

No. of Communities in Catchment with at least 1 VDC

No. of Communities with at least 1 VSG/VSLA

Total No. of VSG/VSLA

groups in HF Catchment

% of Communities in Catchment with

at least 1 VSG/VSLA

Maforay CHP Bombali Sebora 4 1 0 4 7 100% Gbanti CHP Gbanti 12 0 1 2 5 17% Kaponkie MCHP Sella Limba 17 1 1 4 10 24% Fullah Town Makari Gbanti 14 0 1 3 3 21% Sanya CHC Tambaka 5 1 1 1 1 20% Laminaya CHP Sanda Loko 21 0 0 4 9 19% Manack MCHP Sanda Tanderen 16 1 1 3 3 19% Masankorie CHP Sella Limba 17 0 1 3 10 18% Maharibo MCHP Sanda Loko 17 0 1 3 3 18% Mabayo Makari Gbanti 7 1 1 1 2 14% Madina Fullah MCHP Sanda Loko 19 0 1 2 4 11% Kabonka Safroko Limba 12 1 1 1 1 8% Masingbi Lol MCHP Paki Masabong 15 0 1 1 1 7% Masongbo Limba CHP Safroko Limba 15 0 1 1 1 7% Bumbanday MCHP Biriwa 18 1 1 1 3 6% Gbonkoka CHP Libeisaygahun 21 1 1 1 2 5% Kayonkoro CHP Biriwa 24 1 1 1 1 4% Samaya CHP Tambaka 51 0 1 2 6 4% Gbonkobana MCHP Gbanti 11 0 1 0 0 0% Maharie MCHP Gbendembu

Ngowahun 10 1 1 0 0 0%

Masongbo Loko MCHP 10 1 1 0 0 0% Kolisokoh Makari Gbanti 9 0 1 0 0 0% Kagbankona Biriwa 19 0 1 0 0 0% Maselleh MCHP Safroko Limba 10 0 1 0 0 0%

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2. Port Loko District: General analysis for the 22 HF assessed • 5 out the 22 HFs have at least one community within their catchment area with a VSG/VSLA • 16 out of the 22 HFs have communities within their catchment area with a MSG • 21 out the 22 HFs have communities within their catchment area with a VDC

PHU Name Chiefdom No. of Communities

No. of Communities in

Catchment with at least 1

MSG

No. of Communities in Catchment with at least 1 VDC

No. of Communities with at least 1 VSG/VSLA

Total No. of VSG/VSLA

groups in HF Catchment

% of Communities in Catchment with at least 1

VSG/VSLA

Magbolonthor MCHP Sanda Magbolonthor 15 4 1 4 6 27%

Komneh CHP Sanda Magbolonthor 19 0 1 3 3 16%

Mawomah MCHP Koya 13 1 1 1 1 8%

Rogballan CHP Dibia 17 1 1 1 1 6%

Gbombana MCHP Dibia 23 1 1 1 1 4%

Worrehbana MCHP Buya Romende 11 1 1 0 0 0%

Bailor MCHP Lokomasama 27 3 1 0 0 0%

Mayolla MCHP Masimera 14 1 1 0 0 0%

Maronkoh MCHP Maforki 17 1 1 0 0 0%

Barmoi CHP BKM 18 1 1 0 0 0%

Minthomor CHP BKM 18 1 1 0 0 0%

Patikurr Kargbullor Lokomasama 18 1 1 0 0 0%

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Magbeni MCHP Koya 20 1 1 0 0 0%

Manumtheneh MCHP Buya Romende 10 0 1 0 0 0%

Benkia MCHP Lokomasama 11 0 1 0 0 0%

Rofoindu CHP Koya 12 0 1 0 0 0%

Mafoimara CHP Maforki 29 1 1 0 0 0%

Menika MCHP Lokomasama 18 0 1 0 0 0%

Malenki MCHP Koya 19 0 1 0 0 0%

Kurankoh MCHP Koya 21 0 1 0 0 0%

K/Ngollah MCHP Koya 55 1 1 0 0 0%

Robaka MCHP TMS 13 0 0 0 0 0%

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3. Tonkolili District: General analysis for the 24 HF assessed • 22 out the 24 HFs have at least one community within their catchment area with a VSG/VSLA • 10 out of the 24 HFs have communities within their catchment area with a MSG • 21 out the 24 HFs have communities within their