DFID-Ebola Call for Expression of Interest

COMMUNITY CARE CENTRES: Call for Expressions of Interest from Private Sector

The UK will fund Community Care Units (CCCs) to increase access to effective isolation, testing and treatment of Ebola sufferers in Sierra Leone.  A range of tasks will need to be delivered to implement CCCs at scale in Sierra Leone and the UK is keen to explore what role the private sector could play in this mix, alongside NGOs and other partners. We are calling for Expressions of Interest from private sector organisations that are able to deliver one or more of the following key elements of scaling CCCs in Sierra Leone.

CCC Operating Model: Partners are invited to engage closely with DFID in country, and to input into developing SOPs and guidance, as appropriate. Community acceptance and engagementare crucial to the efficacy of the model.

Site identification and construction: Identifying sitesand arranging set-up and associated amenities. Given the need for rapid progress to get CCCs operating and treating patients, the responsiveness of partners’ delivery teams in country would be critical.

Initial and ongoing logistics support: Whilst DFID will provide a CCC start-up kit including initial clinical consumables, there is a need forinitial and ongoing logistics and stock management and pre-notification of demands for resupply of consumables. Getting test samples to/from a laboratory as fast as possible will also be critical.

Site management, maintenance and operation.Partners would need to be responsible for site management, maintenance and operation; a function that could span a number of CCCs.

Staffing and training: Recruitment, training and management of staff, including clinicians and community member. Selecting and paying community staff (cleaners, guards, etc.). DFID will support training forthe lead clinical staff for each CCC and will assist partners in finding international clinical staff, as possible. DFID recognises the importance of practical training and of good standards of IPC and supportive supervision on sites. Partners will provide for the safety, security, and any in-country relocation needs of staff.

Quality assurance and reporting: Partners will facilitate third-party monitoring of their activities and outcomes to facilitate effective case management, ensure common staff safety, and maximise health outcomes. Partners will also be responsible for regular reporting against a set of common indicators, to allow DFID to track delivery of projects and overall response, as well as facilitating DFID monitoring as required. The International Development (Gender Equality) Act requires all UK-supported programmes to have meaningful, proportionate regard to the contribution they are likely to make to gender-related differences in humanitarian needs before provision of assistance; partners are asked to demonstrate that appropriate regard has been given to these issues.

If you are interested in partnering with the UK to help deliver CCCs at scale in Sierra Leone please send a brief expression of interest, outlining which of the above elements your organisation could help deliver, to r-rose@dfid.gov.ukby 12:00 on Monday 3 November.

This was sent to us by :

Mark Phillips
Policy Adviser - Security and Resilience
ADS, Salamanca Square, 9 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7SP