Request for Proposals (RFP) for CATALYST (CCCRN Advanced Technical Assistance for Life-Saving Yield and Strategic Transitions) at Center for Clinical Care and Clinical Research (CCCRN)

Centre for Clinical Care and Clinical Research is pleased to invite your organization to submit applications for providing technical support to a capacity building initiative with the aim of enhancing the leadership capacity of nurse in diverse roles the healthcare sector that include (and not limited to) management, risk communication, data use and research, quality improvement, use of digital tools, capacity building etc.

Applications are invited for:

Title: Request for Proposals (RFP) for CATALYST (CCCRN Advanced Technical Assistance for Life-Saving Yield and Strategic Transitions)

Introduction and Strategic Rationale

• The Center for Clinical Care and Clinical Research (CCCRN) is at a pivotal point in the implementation of its two flagship HIV programs: the OVC THRIVE project and the Accelerating the Control of the Epidemic (ACE) project.
• A significant strategic shift across U.S. Government (USG) HIV programs toward a focused "life-saving" mandate is underway.
• This shift necessitates a rapid re-alignment of our programmatic models, technical skills, and data systems to maintain momentum and achieve epidemic control.
• This new context requires a highly integrated approach, breaking down traditional silos between community-focused OVC programs and facility-based clinical HIV services.
• The success of the OVC THRIVE project is now measured by its direct contribution to clinical outcomes, such as pediatric viral suppression. Simultaneously, the ACE project must intensify its focus on critical clinical gaps, including Advanced HIV Disease (AHD) and pediatric ART optimization.
• To support this critical transition, CCCRN is seeking a qualified organization to provide a short-term, high-impact institutional technical assistance (TA) facility, to be known as the CATALYST activity.

Project Goal and Overview

• The goal of this RFP is to select an organization that will deploy and manage a short-term, high-impact institutional technical assistance (TA) facility.
• This activity will involve deploying an on-demand pool of consultants to provide targeted, high-level support to CCCRN over a two-month period.
• The TA must be rapid, flexible, and integrated.
• The selected vendor will provide strategic guidance to:
  • Enhance the clinical "life-saving" components of the ACE project.
  • Re-engineer the OVC programming to better support and demonstrate clinical outcomes.

Scope of Work (SOW)
The TA facility will be structured around two core, interdependent objectives:
Objective 1 - Enhance the Quality and Coverage of the ACE Clinical HIV Program:

• The vendor shall provide high-level, life-saving technical support to the ACE project to accelerate progress in key clinical cascade areas.
• This TA must focus on:
  • Advanced HIV Disease (AHD): Strengthening the capacity of ACE-supported clinical teams to screen, diagnose, and manage AHD in line with national guidelines, including optimizing community-based support for AHD patients.
  • Pediatric & Adolescent HIV Care: Providing expert guidance on optimizing pediatric ART regimens, improving pediatric care coverage, and strengthening adherence support models for children and adolescents living with HIV (C/ALHIV).
  • Quality of HIV Services (QI): Driving the institutionalization of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) methodologies to identify and close gaps in the 95-95-95 cascade.
  • TB/HIV Integration: Optimizing the use of diagnostics and strengthening the TB/HIV cascade to improve case finding and treatment success.

Objective 2 - Align OVC Programming with Life-Saving Clinical Outcomes:

• The vendor shall provide strategic guidance to the OVC programming to align its program model with the new life- saving mandate while retaining a holistic approach.
• This TA must focus on:
  • Integrated OVC-Clinical Care Models: Co-designing and strengthening formal, bi-directional referral systems that integrate OVC case managers into the clinical care team.
  • This includes ensuring OVC platforms are actively used to support C/ALHIV adherence, retention, and viral load monitoring.
  • Holistic Models of Care: Developing a sustainable framework for OVC service delivery (health, education, protection) by building sustainable, local-level support systems.
  • Strategic Capacity Building: Designing a sustainable framework for capacity building, including a tele-mentoring platform, for the community workforce.
  • Resource Mobilization: Developing strategies and concept notes to leverage local resources (government, private sector) to fund essential OVC services not covered by the current mandate (e.g., education, food security).

Vendor Management Responsibilities

• The selected vendor will be responsible for the complete management of the TA facility, allowing CCCRN leadership to focus on technical engagement rather than administrative burdens.

Key management responsibilities include:

• Contractual & Financial Management: Contracting consultants, managing payroll and daily rate payments, and processing all financial disbursements, ensuring full compliance and accountability.
• Quality Assurance & Coordination: Providing a dedicated point of contact to coordinate TA delivery, manage consultant work plans, and provide quality assurance on all technical deliverables before submission to CCCRN.
• Logistics & Travel Management: Arranging all required state-level travel for the consultants, including flights, accommodation, and ground transportation.

Required Expertise (Consultant Pool)

• The vendor's proposal must present a team of consultants that must, at a minimum, demonstrate collective, high- level expertise covering the following domains:
• Team Leadership & Quality Improvement (QI) Strategy: Proven experience in leading complex TA teams and guiding the institutionalization of CQI in HIV programs.
• Resource Mobilization & Partnerships: Expertise in developing strategies and concept notes to leverage local government and private sector resources for OVC services.
• Integration & Life-Saving Models of Care: Expertise in designing and integrating OVC and clinical care models to support life-saving outcomes.
• AHD & Pediatric HIV Optimization: High-level clinical TA expertise in managing Advanced HIV Disease and optimizing pediatric HIV care, including complex adherence regimens.
• TB/HIV & Diagnostics Optimization: Specialized technical support on optimizing the TB/HIV cascade and the use of diagnostic tools.
• Strategic Information & Data Validation: Expertise in data validation, strengthening OVC-ACE data linkages, and developing frameworks for reporting on integrated outcomes.

Key Deliverables & Timeline
The total period of performance for this activity is two (2) months from the date of contract signing. The following key deliverables are required:

• Inception Report: A consolidated report, delivered after the Inception Workshop, with detailed individual consultant work plans developed in collaboration with CCCRN counterparts.
• Strategic Framework Documents:
  • A draft framework for an integrated OVC-clinical model of care.
  • A technical brief on optimizing community-based support for AHD patients.
  • A strategy document for pediatric ART adherence and optimization.
• Final Consolidated Technical Report: A comprehensive report detailing all TA activities, findings, recommendations, and all final, approved technical deliverables.

Application Closing Date
30th November 2025.

Proposal Submission Guidelines
Interested and qualified vendors should:
Click here to submit their proposals online

Application Process
Technical Proposal (not to exceed 10 pages):

• Understanding of the SOW: Demonstrate a clear understanding of the strategic shift and the two core objectives.
• Technical Approach: Detail the methodology for managing the TA facility and ensuring integration between the consultant workstreams.
• Team Composition: Provide a clear structure for the 6-10-consultant team, assigning them to the expertise areas listed above.

Financial Proposal:

• A detailed, itemized budget covering all costs, including consultant daily rates (Level of Effort), management/administrative fees, travel and logistics costs.

Past Performance (not to exceed 2 pages):

• Provide at least two (2) examples of similar TA facilities or complex, short-term consultancy projects managed by your organization, preferably in the HIV or public health sector in Nigeria.

Evaluation Criteria

Note

• Point of Contact: Jonathan Kassam (jkassam@cccr-nigeria.org)
• CCCRN reserves the right to contact bidders for clarification or to reject any of the proposals.