Introduction & Background
JSI AIDSFree ETHIOPIA, a USAID-funded project working to improve healthcare outcomes in Ethiopia through efficient supply chain systems, is in need of a communication strategy and overall communication assistance for its partner agency- the Pharmaceutical Fund and Supply Agency (PFSA) and is accepting proposals in response to this Request for Proposal (this “RFP,” or this “Request for Proposal”) in order to find a qualified source to provide public relations and overall communications support. Our goal with request is to:
The objective of this RFP is to locate a source that will provide the best overall value to the PFSA. Many criteria will form the basis of our award decision, as more fully described in the Evaluation Criteria section of this RFP below.
Project Description
The purpose of this project is as follows:
Cognizant of the pivotal role of pharmaceutical and other health care commodity availability in Ethiopia, PFSA was established in 2007 by the FMOH to supply quality assured and affordable pharmaceuticals to all public health facilities in the country. Beside the supply of pharmaceuticals, PFSA has also been working hard to institute systems and build capacity of the workforce involved in pharmaceuticals supply chain management at all levels. With the aim of improving the continuous availability of health commodities at an affordable price in a sustainable manner, PFSA’s capacity in procuring and distributing pharmaceuticals (medicines, medical supplies, laboratory reagents and chemicals, and equipment) through the Revolving Drug Fund (RDF) and various programs has increased significantly.
PFSA continues to make remarkable achievements in terms of procurement, distribution, and warehousing and inventory management. The value of pharmaceuticals procured in the 2017 budget year was more than ETB 6 billion and the agency distributed more than ETB 14 billion worth of pharmaceuticals to over 3700 health facilities. With respect to infrastructure, PFSA manages a total of 19 hub warehouses with the anticipation of increasing the number of hubs to 23 in the coming five years.
PFSA has developed a Five-Year Pharmaceutical Supply Transformation Plan (PSTP) in line with the Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP). The Transformation Plan calls for excellence in four thematic areas in relation to the supply management of pharmaceuticals:
These four strategic themes form the basic building blocks of the strategy and define PFSA’s strategic intent in addition to addressing all functions of the pharmaceutical supply chain management system.
The Pharmaceutical Fund and Supply Agency is interested in reaching more audiences with key messages about the important work that it does. Despite its long history of ensuring the availability of pharmaceuticals in the Ethiopian pharmaceutical supply chain, the public is not very well informed about its activities and accomplishments. This includes information regarding what stock the agency has on hand for key commodities, the range of commodities that it offers and also interventions that it is engaged in to improve commodity availability throughout Ethiopia. The purpose of this project, then, is to provide the technical assistance that PFSA needs to jumpstart its public relations and overall communications efforts with clear guidelines.
The description of the project is as follows:
The project will mainly be centered around the development of a communication strategy and an action plan. The strategy should take into consideration PFSA’s organizational objectives and goals and provide a communications plan on how to reach them. The strategy must also have clear, measurable tactics and pre-identified indicators which will allow easy monitoring. With the support of the public relations firm, the PFSA will then develop a plan for implementation.
Key Deliverables Include:
Submission Requirements:
RFP & Project Timelines
The Request for Proposal timeline is as follows:
Request for Proposal Issuance | 25 June 2018 |
Selection of Top Bidders / Notification to Unsuccessful Bidders | 12 July 2018 |
Start of Negotiation | 14 July 2018 |
Contract Award / Notification to Unsuccessful Bidders | 21 July 2018 |
A deliverables’ schedule will be developed after the contract has been awarded.
Evaluation Criteria
JSI AIDSFree ETHIOPIA will rate proposals based on the following factors:
Technical expertise/experience of bidder and bidder’s staff
JSI AIDSFree ETHIOPIA reserves the right to award to the bidder that presents the best value to the organization as determined solely by JSI AIDSFree ETHIOPIA in its absolute discretion.