U -- PREVENTION OF HIV/AIDS IN AFRICAN UNIFORMED SERVICES

Notice Date

May 25, 2001

Contracting Office

GEO-CENTERS, INC., 4025 Camino Del Rio South Suite#300, San Diego, CA 92108

ZIP Code

92108

Response Due

July 16, 2001

Point of Contact

Kevin Kaiser, 619-524-9878

E-Mail Address

click here to ask questions about the proposal and (kkaiser@geo-centers.com)

Description

This RFP is intended for organizations other than African Militaries. For information on how African Militaries can apply for support, please visit: http://www.nhrc.navy.mil/programs/life/african_militaries.html This is the second funding announcement under the DoD LIFE Program. This announcement contains the same objectives as the first but has different deadlines for submitting questions. Description: This is a call for innovative proposals to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS among uniformed services personnel in selected African nations. Awards will range from $15,000 to a maximum of $300,000 US dollars for the entire funding period. Small in-country efforts are especially encouraged for this program. Proposals are to be submitted on a cost reimbursement or fixed price basis. Proposal Duration: Funding will be awarded for periods of twelve months or less. The proposed work should start between September 1, 2001 and September 30, 2001. All work including submission of the final report/deliverables must be complete by September 30, 2002. Who May Apply: Proposals may be submitted by domestic or foreign, public or private organizations, including universities, clinics, units of State and local governments, and eligible agencies of the U. S. Federal government. Awards will be made to organizations. Awards will not be provided directly to individuals, nor for political campaigns or for efforts to influence legislation. Background: The Naval Health Research Center (NHRC), San Diego, California is the U.S. Department of Defense's Executive Agent for the Leadership and Investment in Fighting an Epidemic Program (hereafter referred to as the DoD LIFE Program) associated with AIDS and its precursor HIV. Program goals are to:  Assist selected African uniformed services in establishing HIV/AIDS-specific policies for their personnel.  Assist selected African uniformed services in adapting and providing HIV prevention programs.  Train uniformed services personnel in selected African countries to implement, maintain, and evaluate HIV prevention programs.  Assist selected African countries in the development of uniformed services culture interventions to affect high-risk HIV attitudes and behaviors.  Integrate with, and make use of, other U.S. Government programs and those managed by allies and the United Nations.  Create electronic databases that can be used to determine incidence rates and the effectiveness of intervention programs. Requirement: GEO-CENTERS, INC. in support of (performing administrative services on behalf of) the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC), San Diego, California requests proposals for programs addressing one or more of the following: Primary prevention efforts focused on reducing sexually transmitted diseases; capacity and infrastructure development in Africa including surveillance and laboratory diagnosis programs; adaptation of "off-the-shelf" methods and technology for HIV intervention; and training of community-based personnel. Proposals should offer approaches and technologies that enhance the DoD LIFE Program goals. Preferred Topics: Funding preference will be given to proposals addressing the following LIFE program topics. Proposals for other topics will have a lower interest rating and funding potential: PT.1 Primary Prevention: Programs focusing on prevention of sexual transmission through voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), sexually transmitted infection (STI) management, innovative behavioral interventions, mobilization campaigns and public-private partnerships. PT.2 Capacity and Infrastructure Development: Programs focusing on HIV/STI and tuberculosis (TB) surveillance, laboratory diagnosis of HIV/STI/TB, monitoring and evaluation, training and information management. PT.3 Adaptation of "off-the-shelf" (currently available) HIV intervention tools: Programs focusing on expanding the use of currently available intervention tools such as computer-based training and web-based technology. PT.4 Emphasis on "train-the-trainer" approaches, including classroom, community-based, and computer-assisted training. Targeted Countries: Proposals will receive highest priority if they address uniformed services HIV/AIDS prevention in one or more of the following African countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d' Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Note: For countries not on the preceding list, please contact the LIFE Program office before submitting proposals. Contact information is provided later in this announcement. Tips for submitting a proposal 1. This is a competitive procurement process: Therefore, the guidelines for the proposal must be followed. 2. All proposals must be written and submitted in the English language. 3. Be sure to read the entire proposal package thoroughly. Proposals will be evaluated on how well the organization understands the LIFE Program and its goals. 4. Be sure to include the program goal and topic being addressed. Also, the "Preferred Topics" listed above should be included in your proposal with a description of how you would implement them. 5. Be sure to include a contact name, address, phone number, and email (if available) on each proposal. You should also describe the goal(s) of your organization. Proposal Contents: All proposals must contain the following information written in English. (1) A one page cover letter, briefly describing the purpose of the proposed program, duration, place of performance, total requested funding with the names and addresses of the technical or administrative point of contact, who can respond to inquiries regarding the request. (2) The proposal is limited to 20 double-spaced pages excluding the one page cover letter and resume of project manager. The proposal should contain the following sections/elements:  Executive Summary (1 page or less)  Staffing Plan describing roles and responsibilities of individuals who will work on the program.  Background and Rationale for the Program Justification for why you should be chosen.  Program Goals and Anticipated Outcomes What you will do with the funding.  Implementation Plan How you will accomplish the proposal (include country/countries and target population(s)) including plans for gaining access to target populations in Africa.  Plans for Evaluating and Disseminating Project Results. What evidence will you collect to show that you have succeeded? (For example, statistical data, increased use of condoms, etc.)  Project Timeline. Duration of the program from award, including Final Report submission, and a description of major milestones.  Budget in U.S. dollars as described below.  Budget Justification (short descriptions to support the budget). The budget (in U.S. dollars) should be broken down into categories to include: salaries, rates, travel, equipment, supplies/materials, contracts, and overhead. Indicate the desired award type (cost reimbursement or fixed price).  Organization's Experience & Expertise (in administering similar programs). Describe the mission of your organization. Indicate which of the following describes your organization: (a) Military, (b) Government but non-military, (c) Private for-profit organization, (d) Private non-profit organization, or (e) Other (please specify). Describe previous work conducted and justify why you should be selected for funding. Provide a current telephone number and/or email address of a previous colleague who can act as a reference. The LIFE evaluation team reserves the right to check all sources for information about the offerer's past performance.  Collaborators Describe any partnerships you expect with other organizations and what tasks those other organizations will perform.  Plans for Protection of Sensitive or Confidential Data  Resume of Project Manager Proposal Submission: Submit proposals to Mr. Kevin Kaiser, GEO-CENTERS, INC., 4025 Camino Del Rio South Suite #300, San Diego, CA 92108, USA. Proposals may also be emailed to Kevin Kaiser of GEO-CENTERS at kkaiser@geo-centers.com, or faxed to 619-542-7706. Proposal Review Process: Proposals will be distributed to appropriate reviewers, including Program Office members. Evaluation criteria include the following: R.1 Scientific merit of the proposal R.2 The promise of the program as related to the goals of HIV prevention and control in African uniformed services. How closely does the proposal address one or more of the targeted topics? R.3 Feasibility and soundness of the implementation plan. R.4 Realism of plans for gaining access to target populations in Africa. R.5 Plans for measuring the effectiveness of the program(s). R.6 Evidence that products or processes established or bolstered through this program will remain with the host country and be part of continuing AIDS prevention efforts. R.7 Evidence that the applicant's institution has experience and expertise in this area. R.8 These will be "best value" awards. Scientific merit may receive significantly greater weight than dollar estimates. Contact for Questions: Questions about the proposal process will be accepted through June 29, 2001. Submit questions to Kevin Kaiser (GEO-CENTERS, INC) at (619) 524-9878, e-mail address: kkaiser@geo-centers.com. Questions received about the proposal process, along with their answers, will be posted on the GEO-CENTERS web site (http://www.geo-centers.com/rfp's/RFPs.asp) by July 3, 2001. Award Decisions: All proposals received by 5:00pm PDT, July 16, 2001 will be reviewed. The deadline for submission of proposals is shown below. Proposal Due Notification of Award July 16, 2001 September 1, 2001 Reporting Requirements: Applicants who receive funding from the DoD LIFE Initiative Program Office will be required, at a minimum, to submit letter-type bimonthly progress reports. Data Rights All data to be delivered or generated under this program are to be delivered with unlimited rights.

Web Link

click here to obtain a complete and formatted copy (http://www.geo-centers.com/rfp's/RFPs.asp)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010530/USOL008.HTM (W-145 SN50N1T1)