Deadline: 24 October 2019

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission to Uganda (USAID/Uganda) is seeking applications from qualified entities for the Strengthening Supply Chain Systems Technical Assistance (SSCS) Activity funding opportunity.

USAID/Uganda supports a cluster of activities that together are designed to help the GoU improve the performance of its public health supply chain system. This SSCS/TA will contribute to the combined effort in three different ways:

• The activity will provide specialized technical assistance (TA), professional development and other support required to strengthen the performances of USG, and USG implementing partners (IPs) that are contributing to the effectiveness of the supply chain system in Uganda. This will include reinforcing, complementing and helping USAID coordinate the performances of: (i) IPs supporting Ugandan counterparts in the procurement and warehousing of medications and health commodities as well as (ii) IPs engaged more directly at the district level in supporting service delivery. There will also be instances in which TA, capacity building and other support is provided directly to the GoU or other Ugandan counterparts in line with the national development plan.
• The activity will be USAID’s primary source of support for promoting good governance in the health supply chain system. This will include providing TA, capacity building and other support to the GoU in: (i) developing and building the political needed to implement policies and regulations related to improving health supply chain performance; (ii) strengthening the horizontal and vertical institutional linkages between various supply chain actors at the national, district, health facility and community levels; (iii) increasing transparency and accountability throughout the supply chain system; and (iv) supporting the institutional changes required for the successful rollout of the USAID-supported Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform intended to provide end-to-end visibility and improve supply chain management from the National Medical Stores (NMS) down to the health facility level storage and dispensing units.
• The activity will increase local capacity to plan, finance and implement solutions to supply chain challenges with the aim of accelerating Uganda’s Journey to Self-Reliance. This will include reducing Uganda’s reliance on external donors for financing the procurement, warehousing and distribution of medications and health commodities as well as further strengthening the capacity of the GoU and local institutions to manage and maintain a world-class supply chain system ultimately independent of donor support.

Results

• Result 1: Targeted improvements along health supply chains boost system-wide performance
  • Sub-Result 1.1: DHOs, hospitals and health centers demonstrate improvement on competencies relevant to their respective supply chain responsibilities
  • Sub-Result 1.2: Regional Referral Hospitals (RRHs) demonstrate improvements in competencies relevant to their supply chain responsibilities
  • Sub-Result 1.3: National-level institutions demonstrate improvements in competencies relevant to supply their respective supply chain operations.
• Result 2: Advances in good governance improve the enabling environment for health supply chain performance.
  • Sub-Result 2.1: Capacity to develop and update policies, regulations and reforms strengthened
  • Sub-Result 2.2: Performance in implementing policies, regulations and reforms improved
  • Sub-Result 2.3: Coordination among key supply chain actors increased
  • Sub-Result 2.4: Transparency and accountability throughout the supply chain systems strengthened
• Result 3: Ugandan self-sufficiency in planning, financing and implementing solutions to supply chain challenges accelerates Uganda’s Journey to Self-Reliance.
  • Sub-Intermediate Result 3.1: Domestic resource mobilization for supply chain management and operations increased
  • Sub- Result 3.2: Ugandan capacity to plan, facilitate and accountability manage supply chain operations independent of donor support increased

Award Information

• USAID intends to award one (1) Cooperative Agreement pursuant to this notice of funding opportunity. Subject to funding availability and at the discretion of the Agency, USAID intends to provide $18.5 million in total USAID funding for the award. USAID reserves the right to fund any one or none of the applications submitted.
• The entire period of performance is anticipated to be five (5) years from the effective date of the award. The estimated start date is o/an April 2020.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible Applicants
  • Eligibility for this NOFO is not restricted. In response to this NOFO, any U.S. or non-U.S. organization, non-profit, or for-profit entity is eligible to apply. Organizations may submit applications individually or in partnership with other international or local organizations.
  • USAID/Uganda encourages applications from organizations that have not previously received financial assistance from USAID.
  • To be eligible for award of a Cooperative Agreement, in addition to other conditions of this NOFO, organizations must have a politically neutral humanitarian mandate, a commitment to non-discrimination with respect to beneficiaries and adherence to equal opportunity employment practices. Nondiscrimination includes equal treatment without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and political affiliation.
  • Applicants must have established financial management, monitoring and evaluation processes, internal control systems, and policies and procedures that comply with established U.S. Government standards, laws, and regulations. The successful Applicant(s) will be subject to a responsibility determination assessment (Pre-award Survey) by the Agreement Officer (AO). The AO may determine that a pre-award survey might be necessary to assist in establishing the responsibility of the Recipient to receive U.S. Government funding.
• Cost Sharing or Matching
  • Over the life of the project, in addition to USAID funds, applicants are expected to contribute from their own and other sources. To be eligible for award under the proposed Cooperative Agreement, USAID has established a cost share of 5% of the projected award amount for the Recipient of the award. However, if at the end of the award the partner is not able to meet the cost share due to extending circumstances including but not limited to the full amount of the award or other challenges, the Agreement Officer will take this into consideration. Applications that do not meet the minimum cost share requirement are not eligible for award consideration.
  • Cost share can be either cash and/or in-kind. Cost share may be mobilized from the Recipient; other multilateral, bilateral, and foundation donors; host governments; and local counterpart organizations, NGOs, communities and private businesses and other donors (no other USG funding sources) that contribute financially and in-kind to implementation of activities at the country level.
  • The cost-share, and the feasibility of the cost-sharing plan, should be discussed in the budget narratives to the extent necessary to realistically assess these sources and funds. Applicants should estimate the amount of cost-sharing resources to be mobilized over the life of the agreement and specify the sources of such resources, and the basis of calculation in the budget narrative. Applicants should also provide a breakdown of the cost share (financial and in-kind contributions) of all organizations involved in implementing the resulting Assistance award. Applications that do not meet the minimum cost-share requirement are not eligible for award consideration.

NOTE: The 5% cost share will be in addition to the total estimated budget of $18.5 million for this NOFO.

How to Apply

Applications should be sent via email at the address given on the website.

For more information, please visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=321013