Opportunity Information: Apply for RFI 294 14 000003
Apply for RFI 294 14 000003
- The West Bank, Gaza USAID West Bank in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Analysis and use of health information systems (HIS)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 98.001 USAID Foreign Assistance for Programs Overseas.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 16, 2014 and posted on Apr 16, 2014.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 30, 2014. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Opportunity Summary:
This opportunity is a USAID/West Bank and Gaza Request for Information (RFI) titled "Analysis and use of health information systems (HIS)." It was issued on April 16, 2014 and closed on April 30, 2014 at 5:00 pm Tel Aviv time. The notice is strictly for information-gathering and planning (a special notice/sources sought), not a Request for Proposals or Applications. USAID makes clear that submitting a response does not create any agreement, does not guarantee a future solicitation or award, does not provide any competitive advantage later, and will not be reimbursed. USAID also states it will not answer questions about the RFI, and that any future funding opportunity, if released, would be posted through standard government channels (at the time referenced: FedBizOpps and Grants.gov).
The core purpose of the RFI is to collect practical input from qualified Palestinian organizations in the West Bank and from international organizations on how the Palestinian Ministry of Health can better analyze and use data from its electronic Health Information System to improve health system performance. USAID situates this within its broader mission of strengthening the Palestinian Authoritys institutional capacity and governance, with a health focus on improving the quality and efficiency of services through evidence-based decision-making. A key backdrop is the rollout of the Avicenna HIS, installed with USAID support since 2011, which is designed to support clinical care and also administrative functions like human resources, financial tracking, and service costing. The system includes hospital process modules that bring operations and service tracking into a single unified electronic platform. USAID anticipated that by the end of September 2014 the HIS would be functional in eight Ministry of Health hospitals, seven clinics, and central departments such as blood bank tracking and the central pharmaceutical warehouse inventory, with remaining hospitals and large clinics expected to be onboarded over the next three years.
USAID asks for feedback in two main areas. The first is about expected quality improvements and efficiency or cost-savings impacts that could realistically be achieved in the Palestinian health system by using HIS data well. Respondents are invited to describe how HIS data could be applied to identify quality gaps, strengthen clinical and managerial practices, and improve administrative and financial performance while also safeguarding data quality. The RFI outlines a basic improvement cycle that includes training ministry administrators and hospital staff to use HIS data, using the data to select specific targets for improvement, implementing interventions, and then using HIS data again to measure whether those interventions worked. USAID specifically requests examples of traditional and innovative measures that could be relevant in the Palestinian context, ideally informed by comparable experiences in countries with similar socioeconomic conditions where HIS platforms have been installed and used for management and quality improvement.
Within this first area, USAID is especially interested in quantifying efficiency gains and reduced recurrent costs that might result from better HIS-driven management. Respondents are asked to estimate a reasonable range of annual savings (suggested brackets include USD 5 to 10 million, USD 10 to 15 million, or another justified range) and to show calculations and assumptions behind the estimates. The RFI provides illustrative categories where savings or quality gains might be found, such as reduced patient wait times, increased time providers spend with patients, improved pharmaceutical and medical supply management (including maintenance and operations efficiencies), better referral management, eliminating redundant medical or laboratory tests, and improved medical outcomes. The emphasis is not only on identifying potential benefits, but also on grounding them in measurable indicators and realistic assumptions that could be tracked using the HIS.
The second area focuses on identifying capable local implementers. USAID explicitly signals an interest in finding Palestinian organizations that could potentially carry out this kind of HIS data use and performance improvement work, although it notes that this does not mean any future procurement would be limited to local entities. Organizations are asked to briefly describe their qualifications and their ability to assemble a team covering key competencies: technical capacity in health programming and clinical quality improvement, health information systems, data mining and analytic tools, and health financing; a strong understanding of the Palestinian health sector and operational realities in the West Bank and the broader region; experience implementing donor-funded health programs; experience managing multi-million-dollar annual budgets; and organizational systems to manage finance, subcontracts, and donor relationships. USAID also invites respondents to describe existing or potential partnerships or consortium arrangements (local, regional, or global) that could strengthen implementation.
Submission requirements are straightforward and tight. Responses were limited to five pages total (including any attachments or charts) using 12-point font, and respondents were instructed not to submit applications, proposals, or resumes, as those would be discarded. Responses were to be treated as confidential by USAID, but proprietary information was not to be included. USAID notes it would not acknowledge receipt, would not return submissions, and could use the information for planning, including incorporating comments into a future solicitation or choosing not to. Responses had to be submitted in writing (no phone calls and no hand delivery), electronically in Word or PDF, to the contracting officer, Nathan Hilgendorf, by the stated deadline.
Finally, while the posting includes fields commonly associated with grants and cooperative agreements (including a listed activity area of health, CFDA 98.001, and indicative award floor/ceiling figures), the document itself is clear that this specific notice is not a funding solicitation. In practical terms, the RFI is best understood as market research: USAID is testing what measurable quality and cost impacts are plausible from improved HIS data use in Palestinian Ministry of Health facilities, and mapping which local organizations have the technical and managerial capacity to support a future program aimed at turning HIS data into operational, clinical, and financial improvements.
FAQs: USAID/West Bank and Gaza RFI - "Analysis and use of health information systems (HIS)"
1) What is this opportunity?
This is a USAID/West Bank and Gaza Request for Information (RFI) titled "Analysis and use of health information systems (HIS)." It is a special notice/sources sought used for information-gathering and planning purposes.
2) Is this an application for funding?
No. The notice is explicitly not a Request for Proposals (RFP) or a Request for Applications (RFA), and it is not a funding solicitation.
3) What is USAID trying to learn through this RFI?
USAID is collecting practical input on how the Palestinian Ministry of Health can better analyze and use data from its electronic Health Information System to improve health system performance. USAID is also mapping which organizations (especially Palestinian organizations) have the capacity to potentially implement future HIS data use and performance improvement work.
4) Who is the RFI primarily aimed at?
The RFI seeks input from qualified Palestinian organizations in the West Bank and from international organizations.
5) What health information system is referenced in the notice?
The notice references the Avicenna Health Information System (HIS), installed with USAID support since 2011, which supports clinical care and administrative functions such as human resources, financial tracking, and service costing.
6) What is the expected rollout status of the Avicenna HIS mentioned in the RFI?
USAID anticipated that by the end of September 2014 the HIS would be functional in eight Ministry of Health hospitals, seven clinics, and central departments (including blood bank tracking and the central pharmaceutical warehouse inventory). Remaining hospitals and large clinics were expected to be onboarded over the next three years.
7) What are the two main areas USAID asks respondents to address?
Respondents are asked to provide feedback in two areas: (1) expected quality improvements and efficiency or cost-savings impacts that could realistically be achieved through strong use of HIS data, and (2) identification of capable local implementers, including organizational qualifications and team competencies.
8) What kinds of quality improvement and performance topics does USAID want input on?
USAID asks how HIS data could be used to identify quality gaps, strengthen clinical and managerial practices, and improve administrative and financial performance, while safeguarding data quality.
9) Does the RFI outline an improvement approach or cycle?
Yes. The RFI describes a basic improvement cycle: train ministry administrators and hospital staff to use HIS data, use the data to select specific targets for improvement, implement interventions, and then use HIS data again to measure whether the interventions worked.
10) What types of measures or indicators does USAID want respondents to propose?
USAID requests examples of traditional and innovative measures relevant to the Palestinian context, ideally informed by comparable experiences in countries with similar socioeconomic conditions where HIS platforms have been installed and used for management and quality improvement.
11) Is USAID interested in quantifying cost savings?
Yes. USAID is especially interested in quantifying efficiency gains and reduced recurrent costs that might result from improved HIS-driven management.
12) Does USAID suggest any savings ranges for respondents to consider?
Yes. The RFI suggests brackets such as USD 5 to 10 million, USD 10 to 15 million, or another justified range.
13) Are respondents expected to explain how they calculated savings estimates?
Yes. Respondents are asked to show calculations and assumptions behind their estimates.
14) What are example categories where savings or quality gains might be found?
The RFI provides illustrative categories including reduced patient wait times, increased time providers spend with patients, improved pharmaceutical and medical supply management (including maintenance and operations efficiencies), better referral management, eliminating redundant medical or laboratory tests, and improved medical outcomes.
15) Is the focus only on identifying potential benefits, or also on measurement?
It is both. USAID emphasizes grounding potential benefits in measurable indicators and realistic assumptions that could be tracked using the HIS.
16) What information does USAID want about potential implementers?
Organizations are asked to briefly describe qualifications and their ability to assemble a team covering key competencies, along with experience and systems needed to manage donor-funded work.
17) What specific competencies does USAID list for an implementing team?
The RFI lists competencies including: technical capacity in health programming and clinical quality improvement; health information systems; data mining and analytic tools; and health financing.
18) What contextual knowledge does USAID value in respondents?
USAID highlights the importance of a strong understanding of the Palestinian health sector and operational realities in the West Bank and the broader region.
19) What management experience does USAID ask organizations to demonstrate?
USAID asks for experience implementing donor-funded health programs, experience managing multi-million-dollar annual budgets, and organizational systems to manage finance, subcontracts, and donor relationships.
20) Are partnerships or consortium responses encouraged?
Yes. USAID invites respondents to describe existing or potential partnerships or consortium arrangements (local, regional, or global) that could strengthen implementation.
21) Does responding to the RFI guarantee a future award or solicitation?
No. USAID states that submitting a response does not create any agreement, does not guarantee a future solicitation or award, and does not provide any competitive advantage in any later process.
22) Will respondents be reimbursed for preparing or submitting a response?
No. USAID states responses will not be reimbursed.
23) Will USAID answer questions about the RFI?
No. USAID states it will not answer questions about the RFI.
24) If there is a future funding opportunity, where would it be posted?
USAID indicates that any future funding opportunity, if released, would be posted through standard government channels (as referenced in the notice: FedBizOpps and Grants.gov).
25) What was the issue date and the closing deadline for the RFI?
The RFI was issued on April 16, 2014 and closed on April 30, 2014 at 5:00 pm Tel Aviv time.
26) What were the page limit and formatting requirements?
Responses were limited to five pages total (including any attachments or charts) and had to use 12-point font.
27) Were proposals, applications, or resumes allowed?
No. Respondents were instructed not to submit applications, proposals, or resumes; those materials would be discarded.
28) How were responses required to be submitted?
Responses had to be submitted in writing (no phone calls and no hand delivery) and sent electronically in Word or PDF format.
29) Who was the point of contact for submission?
Responses were to be submitted to the contracting officer, Nathan Hilgendorf.
30) Would USAID acknowledge receipt or return submissions?
No. USAID stated it would not acknowledge receipt and would not return submissions.
31) How would USAID treat the submitted information?
USAID stated responses would be treated as confidential, but respondents were instructed not to include proprietary information. USAID could use the information for planning purposes, including incorporating comments into a future solicitation or choosing not to pursue one.
32) The posting includes award floor/ceiling figures and CFDA information. Does that mean funding is available now?
No. Even though the posting includes fields commonly associated with grants and cooperative agreements (including activity area health and CFDA 98.001), the document itself is clear that this specific notice is not a funding solicitation.
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