Request for Proposals to conduct a G6PD survey in Colombia

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Click here to see full RFP version in Spanish

IM LAC_Subcontractor_Budget Narrative Template

Copy of IM LAC_Subcontractor_Budget Template

Protocol for G6PDd survey in Spanish

Protocol for G6PDd survey in English

Who we are

With nearly 50 years of experience, working in over 60 countries, Population Services International (PSI) is the world’s leading non-profit social marketing organization. PSI is reimagining healthcare by putting the consumer at the center and, wherever possible, bringing care to the front door. We are working to fix market failures, shape future health markets, and shift policy and funding to better support consumer powered healthcare.

There are over 8,000 “PSI’ers” around the world. It’s a diverse group of professionals with an unusually wide range of backgrounds and experience – from the medical industry to the music business – all with unique skills that we bring to the job.

Background

PMI Impact Malaria

The U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) Impact Malaria project is PMI’s flagship global service delivery project, supporting countries in their efforts to fight malaria and save lives by strengthening diagnosis, treatment, and drug-based prevention for those most at risk—particularly young children and pregnant women. PMI Impact Malaria is a USAID contract hosted and led by PSI as the prime contractor.

PMI Impact Malaria is helping national malaria control programs tackle malaria service delivery challenges by working to:

• Close the gaps in malaria diagnosis and treatment to get the right medicine, with the correct diagnosis, to patients in need, in the timeliest manner.
• Unlock the potential of key drug-based prevention approaches by helping countries introduce, implement, and scale-up proven interventions.
• Strengthen malaria health systems and data for decision-making to accelerate service delivery improvements and advance key learnings.

The PMI Impact Malaria (IM) team provides global technical leadership along with implementation support and technical assistance in health facility and community settings in up to 27 countries around the world.

We are a focused, multi-disciplined, and multi-cultured team, based out of Washington DC, working through PSI country offices as well as through our partners Jhpiego, MCDI, and UCSF.

Although significant advances have been made towards malaria elimination in several endemic countries in the Americas, malaria remains an important public health concern. There are 17 countries and 1 territory (French Guyana) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) with endemic transmission of malaria.
Throughout the region, 596,200 malaria cases were reported in 2020.1 There are nine countries in (LAC) aiming for malaria elimination by 2025. However, effective treatment strategies against Plasmodium. Vivax (P. vivax) are needed to achieve that goal. P. vivax is the predominant species of malaria in the Americas, accounting for 75% of all malaria cases.

Due to the ability of this species to develop dormant stages in the liver, specific liver-stage treatment using an 8-aminoquinoline is needed. The standard of care treatment for the radical cure of P. vivax liver stages in LAC countries is primaquine (PQ) 3.25 mg/kg total dose administered over 7 to 14 days.3 In recent years, studies have demonstrated that higher doses of PQ are more effective and shorter courses promote adherence.4 In addition, tafenoquine (TQ), a new single-dose 8-aminoquinoline, has been shown to be noninferior to a standard PQ regimen. Many countries in the LAC region are considering registration of this drug.

Consultant Contribution

Scope of work
This scope of work outlines the core objectives and supporting activities for the

resources that PMI Impact Malaria will provide to [selected partner organization or consortia] for this subcontract. Those objectives include:
1. To conduct a G6PD survey to determine the prevalence of G6PDd among selected communities on the Pacific coast of Colombia.
2. Determine the prevalence G6PDd variants by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) genotyping from study participants in the PQ trial and from the G6PD survey.

Expectations of the contractor:
The contractor will:
• Review and support any revisions to the draft study protocol, without changing objectives, in consultation with PMI Impact Malaria, the National Malaria Control Program (NMCP), and PAHO
• Work with the NMCP, regional and district health authorities, PMI Impact Malaria, and PAHO to identify target communities and local partners
• Support the identification of suspected malaria cases identified during the G6PD survey and refer them to the nearest health facility for treatment
• Develop or adapt locally appropriate standard operating procedures, staffing and management plans, and supplies and procurement plans
• Follow national regulations and guidelines on research with human subjects and submit IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval to their organization’s IRB (or a national equivalent)
• Provide day-to-day management of in-country research efforts, including hiring and training the research team, coordinating, and overseeing all logistics and operations, and sub-contracting to and managing local partners (if applicable)
• Work closely with the NMCP, and regional and district health authorities to ensure coordinated implementation of the study protocol
• Ensure adherence to the research protocol, study timelines and work plans. Facilitate relationships with project partners and provide regular input and feedback to PMI Impact Malaria, PAHO, and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control).
• Arrange the proper purchase or rental of supplies and equipment for study use, including vehicles if necessary (study vehicles will be for the sole use of this survey);
• Closely communicate with and liaise with the PMI Impact Malaria Study Coordinator, PMI Impact Malaria, PAHO, and CDC/PMI
• Provide weekly updates on research progress to the PMI Impact Malaria research team overseeing the study
• Provide access to study data to PMI Impact Malaria at all times to monitor quality and assist with analyses
• Support team members from PMI Impact Malaria, PAHO, or CDC (Centers for Disease Control) when making site visits
• Help coordinate and align study goals and activities with NMCP and other local health authorities; facilitate communications with the NMCP, other local health authorities, and study participants/community members on behalf of the study team

Deliverables
1. Fully enroll targeted number of eligible participants in G6PD survey
2. Complete G6PDd PCR genotyping
3. Draft final report
4. Final report incorporating feedback from PMI Impact Malaria and partners
5. Draft manuscript on the G6PDd prevalence and its variants for submission to a peer-review journal
All deliverables are subject to final approval by PMI Impact Malaria. The organization or consortia will hand over all final tools (e.g., questionnaires, reference libraries, etc.) and datasets to PMI Impact Malaria, as necessary. In case of proposals by any consortia, signed letters of support by the representative of each organization will be required.

Timeline
This assignment will start as soon as possible and is anticipated to span approximately six months with submission of the final deliverables by January 23, 2023.

PSI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from qualified individuals regardless of actual or perceived race, religion, colour, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, personal appearance, matriculation, political affiliation, family status or responsibilities, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions or breastfeeding, genetic information, amnesty, veteran, special disabled veteran or uniform service member status or employment status.

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