Background
FHI 360 is an international non-governmental organization that works to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable and marginalized populations in Vietnam. The organization partners with the Ministry of Health and other national and provincial bodies to address issues such as HIV and TB prevention, treatment, COVID-19, antimicrobial resistance, health system strengthening, global health security, non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, nutrition, and diagnostic services.
The Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) project is a global initiative funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and USAID, focusing on HIV, COVID-19, and global health security. As part of its work in Vietnam, EpiC is seeking a qualified local research institution, consultant or team to support laboratory coordination and information sharing between public and private healthcare providers, aiming to strengthen the responses to ongoing serious disease outbreaks in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Scope of Work
Facilitate partnerships between public health agencies and private healthcare providers to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated response to current outbreaks, particularly regarding reporting systems and timely sharing of test results for outbreak-prone pathogens.
Proposed Activities
- Develop a coordinated response framework among laboratories across different levels to effectively leverage responses to priority diseases
- Compile a list of public and private healthcare laboratories diagnosing infectious diseases (ID), detailing their testing capabilities to support the establishment of a laboratory network and coordination of testing for disease prevention.
- Develop and standardize operational regulations for the ID diagnostic laboratory network, including operational mechanisms, ID testing, testing coordination for early disease detection, and facilitating capacity-building and training exchanges.
- Collect feedback, attend technical meetings/workshops and discuss with experts and relevant local authorities/units to adjust the framework with roles, standardize referral protocols/SOPs including coordination and communication for test results and outbreak alerts.
Proposed Deliverables
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#
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Expected deliverables
(in both English and Vietnamese)
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Estimated Maximum LOE (days)
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Due date
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A consolidated database of public and private laboratories diagnosing IDs, including facility profiles, testing capacity, types of diagnostic services offered, and geolocation mapping
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5
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June 8, 2025
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A standardized operations manual/regulation package for the ID laboratory network, covering governance structure, standard testing protocols, coordination procedures, and guidelines for capacity building and inter-laboratory training exchanges
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15
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June 30, 2025:
Submit full draft manual
July 31, 2025:
Submit revision version incorporating feedback
August 31,2025:
Submit final version
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A validated framework and set of SOPs for ID lab coordination, incorporating stakeholder feedback and technical recommendations, including roles, communication channels, and escalation procedures among ID labs for priority disease outbreaks
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15
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June 30, 2025:
Submit full draft manual
July 31, 2025:
Submit revision version incorporating feedback
August 31,2025:
Submit final version
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Total (days)
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35
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Location of work
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Travel
Travel supports (from other provinces to Ho Chi Minh City and vice versa) may be considered.
Qualifications
The consultancy may consist of a team of professionals with complementary skills. The team should meet the following qualifications:
- A Master’s degree or higher in one of the following fields: medical laboratory science, infectious disease prevention and control, epidemiology, or other related disciplines.
- Proven experience working within Southeast Asia and/or Vietnam’s health systems, particularly in laboratory coordination efforts.
- In-depth understanding of infectious disease surveillance and diagnostic services.
- Demonstrated experience engaging with both public and private sector stakeholders, including health departments and clinical laboratories.
- Proven experience to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), operational frameworks, and coordination guidelines.
- Experience working with healthcare institutions and local authorities in Ho Chi Minh City, and strong familiarity with the local health context.
- A clear commitment to meeting deadlines and delivering outputs according to the agreed timeline.
- Excellent communication skills in Vietnamese, with working proficiency in English (oral and written).
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on the applicants’ experience and qualifications as detailed above.
Required Documentation
Proposals must include the following components:
- Proposal in English (limited to 5 pages) includes main ideas for the operational regulations for the ID laboratory network, timeline, qualifications and experience relevant to the proposed SOW.
- Recent CV(s) for all staff involved in the work.
- Detailed cost proposal by deliverable.
Application
- Application to this call should be submitted by email to [email protected] no later than 5PM May 14, 2025 with subject line “Strengthen laboratory network for early detection and timely control of infectious disease outbreaks in Ho Chi Minh City.”
- All prospective vendors must comply with the safeguarding policies of our organization. Any violations of the policies may result in immediate contract termination without liability for the organization.
Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.
FHI 360 Disclaimers
- FHI 360 may perform a background check on any selected candidates
- FHI 360 may cancel the solicitation and not award
- FHI 360 may reject any or all responses received
- Issuance of the solicitation does not constitute an award commitment by FHI 360
- FHI 360 reserves the right to disqualify any offer based on failure of the offeror to follow solicitation instructions
- FHI 360 will not compensate any offeror for responding to solicitation
- FHI 360 reserves the right to issue award based on initial evaluation of offers without further discussion
- FHI 360 may choose to award only part of the activities in the solicitation, or issue multiple awards based on the solicitation activities
- FHI 360 reserves the right to waive minor proposal deficiencies that can be corrected prior to award determination to promote competition
- FHI 360’s supplier terms and conditions can be found here while our consultant terms and conditions can be found here