This is a Prior Information Notice (PIN) to advertise an early market engagement only. Publication and call for competition will be conducted once scope of work is fully defined and approved by the UK Government.
Subject to Secretary of State approval of a Business Case, the Department for International Development (DFID) anticipates publishing a new competition opportunity in 2017 to implement the Accelerating Sustainable Control and Elimination of NTDs (ASCEND) programme across Africa and Asia. The anticipated budget range is £175 million to £200 million over three years. No tender documents are available at this stage.
This new programme would provide a comprehensive package of interventions to sustain and accelerate progress towards the elimination and control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). It will focus on two areas: the Preventive Chemotherapy and Transmission Control (PCT) diseases: onchocerciasis, trachoma, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis; and the Innovative and Intensified Disease Management (IDM) disease visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The programme may be delivered through a single programme covering all diseases or delivered in two separate programmes — one focussing on the PCT diseases (with an indicative budget of 150-180 000 000 GBP) and one focussing on VL (with an indicative budget of 20-25 000 000 GBP). The supplier or consortia/prime provider will be responsible for overall programme leadership including, but not limited to, technical design; project implementation; operational support, performance management; and retention of participant knowledge management.
The programme
This programme would take an integrated approach to sustaining and accelerating progress towards the WHO elimination and control of NTDs.
The programme should find ways to embed NTD interventions into broader health systems to support progress to Universal Health Coverage (UHC). It should also deliver activities to develop a more integrated approach to NTDs and water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) supporting sustained prevention and care for the most vulnerable.
The programme would focus mainly on the countries supported under the existing DFID portfolio of NTD projects. Results must contribute significantly towards the UK commitments made at the NTD Summit in April 2017.
DFID would be seeking operational partners who are able to deliver directly, or through supply chains, clear and verifiable prevention and treatment outcomes of NTDs in Africa and Asia.
The early market engagement event
DFID will be conducting an Early Market Engagement (EME) event on 20th October 2017. This will elicit market views on the feasibility of delivery options and possible risks, challenges and opportunities. DFID is also keen to understand the key commercial factors which will further this programme's delivery.
The EME will take place in Wetminster Conference Centre, 1 Victoria Street
London, SW1H 0ET, between 13:00 and 16:00 on 20.10.2017. Parties interested in attending should register their interest by 16.10.2017. To find out how to register for the event please go to the DFID Supplier Portal at https://supplierportal.dfid.gov.uk/selfservice/ and search for the opportunity using the 4 digit reference number 8104. We request a maximum of two participants attend per organisation.
The event will include a presentation and Q&A session regarding the programme and services expectations. The aim is to engage with providers to assess market capacity, capability and appetite and seek early comments to inform the Business Case. In order to support an effective design of the event, we would be grateful for those who are attending, as well as those who are interested in the opportunity but cannot participate in the event, to complete a short survey related to the market by 9.10.2017. Direction on how to access this survey is available on our Supplier Portal.