REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) Project Titles:
1) Empowered Communities for Better health (ECBH) and 2) Health System Strengthening (HSS) Reference Number:
RFI-663-20-000003 Release Date:
February 14, 2020 Response Due Date:
March 13, 2020 16:00 Addis Ababa Time I.

ABOUT THE RFI

credit:

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for planning purposes.

USAID seeks public comment/feedback in order to enhance its project design process.

This is not a Request for Proposals (RFP) or a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and is not to be construed as a commitment by the U.

S.

Government to issue any solicitation or Notice of Funding Opportunity, or ultimately award a contract or assistance agreement on the basis of this RFI, or to pay for any information voluntarily submitted as a result of this request.

USAID is not obligated to procure any of the services described herein, nor in no way be committed to utilize submitted information or issue a solicitation as a result of this request.

The issuance of this request will not restrict the Government's ultimate approach, if any.

Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.

It should be noted that responding to or providing comment on this RFI will not give any advantage to any organization in any subsequent procurement (if any).

USAID posts its competitive business opportunities on beta.SAM.gov or www.grants.gov .

It is the potential offeror's/applicant's responsibility to monitor these sites for announcements of new opportunities.

II.

ACTIVITY BACKGROUND The U.

S.

Agency for International Development's Mission to Ethiopia (USAID/Ethiopia) is in the process of designing two projects called “Empowered Communities for Better Health (ECBH)” and “Health System Strengthening (HSS)”.

A.

Empowered Communities for Better Health The purpose of the Empowered Communities for Better Health (ECBH) Project is to “empower communities to take ownership and action over their health and nutrition and drive a cycle of accountable and responsive health service delivery.” The ECBH Project, henceforth referred to as “the project,” is led by USAID/Ethiopia’s Health Office, in collaboration with the Economic Growth and Transformation Office (particularly for nutrition interventions) and will complement USAID/Ethiopia’s Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Project.

The ultimate goal of the project is to reduce maternal and child death, and the burden of infectious disease.

This project aims to reduce mortality and morbidity by strengthening the knowledge, skills, ability, and confidence of individuals, households and communities to make informed decisions to manage their own health and nutrition; nurturing platforms for communities to effectively identify problems and solutions that impact their health; and improving engagement and accountability of the health system in offering quality health services.

The project is the result of extensive internal and external stakeholder consultations, evaluations, and assessments; it builds upon the work that USAID, the GOE and its partners have achieved over the past decade, in the areas of health and nutrition behavior change, social and community mobilization for health and nutrition, community health governance and accountability, as well as capacity building of local community groups and organizations to serve as advocates, regulators and stewards of the health system.

The total estimated funding for the project is $450 million.

USAID will accomplish the project purpose through two interdependent sub-purposes:
1.

Increase sustained adoption and practices of key appropriate health and nutrition behaviors 2.

Increase accountability and responsiveness to community health needs by Primary Health Care Unit (PHCU), woreda, and regional health offices Under this project, USAID/Ethiopia will partner with the GOE, other donors, the private sector, civil society institutions and community actors, and non-governmental organizations (NGO).

The project will depend upon efforts under USAID’s new HSS Project to achieve results.

Interventions will reduce constraints to active community participation in defining and demanding quality from the health system, which will improve accountability, transparency and trust, and result in healthier communities which can contribute to Ethiopia’s J2SR.

The project will engage at all levels (national, regional, zonal, woreda, and community), with a major focus on the woreda and community level, where the majority of Ethiopians access their health care, and will contribute to achieving HSTP II objectives.

Not-for profit organizations and for-profit organizations are encouraged to reply.

Please see attached “Draft Project Appraisal Document - ECBH” and “Country Development Cooperation Strategy (Public Version)” for details.

B.

Health System Strengthening The purpose of the Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Project is to “Improved Ethiopian health system performance for responsive, efficient, equitable and quality services.” The HSS Project, henceforth referred to as “the project,” is led by USAID/Ethiopia’s Health Office, and will complement the USAID/Ethiopia’s Empowered Communities for Better Health (ECBH) Project.

USAID will accomplish the project purpose through three interdependent sub-purposes:
Increased health system responsiveness Improved quality of essential services Reduced health inequities This project document is the result of extensive internal and external stakeholder consultations, evaluations, and assessments; it builds upon the work that USAID, the Government of Ethiopia (GOE) and its partners have achieved over the past decade, in the areas of health and nutrition.

The total estimated funding for the project is $310 million over five years.

Under this project, USAID/Ethiopia will partner with the GOE, other donors, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for a coordinated approach to strengthen the health system.

It will also depend upon the implementing partners under the ECBH Project to achieve their results.

The project will engage at the federal, regional and woreda levels of the government and will contribute to achieving the Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP) II objectives.

Not-for profit organizations and for-profit organizations are encouraged to reply.

Please see attached “Draft Project Appraisal Document - HSS” and “Country Development Cooperation Strategy (Public Version)” for details.

III.

SUBMISSION PROCESS Comments must be submitted by email to the following email addresses:
caddis@usaid.gov with a copy to Yordanos Abraham, yabraham@usaid.gov no later than 16:00 Addis Ababa time by the Response Due Date shown on the cover page of this RFI.

The subject line of the email must read “RFI-663-20-000002, Empowered Communities for Better health (ECBH)” and /or “RFI-663-20-000002, Improved Ethiopian health system performance for responsive, efficient, equitable and quality services (HSS)”.

USAID is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information, answer questions or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

IV.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION All information provided will become the property of USAID and will not be returned.

USAID reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for its purposes.

Responses may be used by USAID without restriction or limitation.

Proprietary information must not be submitted.

Sincerely.

Signed (original Signature on file)// Alula Abera Contracting/Agreement Officer Attachment:
Draft Project Appraisal Document – ECBH Draft Project Appraisal Document - HSS Country Development Cooperation Strategy (Public version) HSS Questions to Industry ECBH Questions to Industry