Project HOPE wins USAID health contract

U.S.-based international health care organization Project HOPE, in partnership with Population Services International, has been tapped by the U.S. Agency for International Development to combat tuberculosis in Central Asia. Project HOPE won the five-year $24.3 million contract to implement the Central Asian Republics Regional TB Program. The five-year program, which has been slated to start this month, aims to improve tuberculosis treatment and diagnosis among vulnerable populations in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It also intends to mitigate the negative impact of the disease and prevent multidrug-resistant tuberculosis from spreading in the region. The project, which was bid out through full and open competition procedures, has seven focal objectives: ▪ Equitable access to comprehensive and appropriate TB diagnostic and treatment services. ▪ Timely and quality laboratory services on TB and MDR-TB diagnosis. ▪ Patient-centered system for TB and MDR-TB. ▪ TB services that meet international standards. ▪ Institutional capacity of health system and workers. ▪ Improved linkage of TB with other health sectors and civil society organizations. ▪ Management information system for TB. Under the terms of the cost reimbursement completion-type contract, Project HOPE needs to submit a detailed work plan for the program’s first year within 45 days of receiving the award. The work plan will guide project implementation, and will set benchmarks and timelines that will serve as the basis for evaluating progress. A performance monitoring and evaluation plan should also be submitted to USAID within 60 days of contract award. This project forms part of the USAID mission in Central Asia’s overall health program. Procurement followed technical guidelines of the mission’s Regional Tuberculosis Strategic Plan for fiscal years 2012-15, U.S. government’s Global TB Strategy and World Health Organization’s Stop TB Strategy. Project HOPE may have to continue implementing and expand coverage of current and recently concluded interventions funded by the U.S. government. Among the key personnel required for this project are country directors and deputy country directors for Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and a regional technical director. Project HOPE’s portfolio on health programs encompasses family and community levels to the tertiary care level. The company has been implementing TB-related programs and initiatives for more than 50 years. Its involvement in the Central Asian region includes a six-year, multicountry Healthy Family Project in Turkmenistan, an anti-TB strategy program in Kazakhstan and a regionwide tuberculosis program in Kyrgyzstan. Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Virginia, Project HOPE has more than 500 staff members in at least 30 countries in Africa, the Americas, China, Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The organization’s expertise includes health systems strengthening, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, infectious diseases, noncommunicable diseases, and women’s and children’s health, among others. Check out more practical business and development advice online, and subscribe to Money Matters to receive the latest contract award and shortlist announcements, and procurement and fundraising news.