The Haiti Faith-Based Hospital Network – Réseau d’Institutions Chrétiennes d’Haiti (RICSH) is a group of nine faith-based hospitals all with long histories of providing healthcare to poor and vulnerable populations throughout Haiti. The hospitals were initially connected under Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) AIDSRelief program funded by PEPFAR. While working collaboratively to treat HIV/AIDS, the hospitals recognized their many shared objectives and unified vision for providing quality health care to patients who would otherwise not have access.

In 2009, the hospitals united to establish the RICSH to ameliorate patient health care and access to care by working cooperatively and pooling capabilities and resources. The network plans to scale up joint projects and initiatives to produce more successful, efficient and cost-effective health outcomes in patient care.

Founding members of the network are:

1. Sacre Coeur Hospital in Milot
2. St. Jean Hospital in Limbé
3. Esperance Hospital in Pilate
4. Alma Mater Hospital in Gros Morne
5. St. Francis de Sales Hospital in Port-au-Prince
6. Bethel Hospital in Fond-des-Nègres
7. St Boniface Hospital in Fond-des-Blancs

Two additional hospitals have since joined the network – St. Damien Hospital and Foyer St. Camille Hospital located in Port-au-Prince – bringing the total network membership to nine hospitals.

Based on meetings with network members and needs assessments conducted by Catholic Relief Services and the St. Boniface Haiti Foundation, a robust, cost-effective supply chain management system emerged as a key priority for the hospitals in Haiti.

These assessments also found that the hospitals in the network currently spend an outsized proportion of their budgets on pharmaceuticals, supplies and equipment that could be purchased at reduced rates in bulk with effective management of their supply chains. The savings generated by cost-effective group purchasing could be re-invested in augmenting patient care and institutional systems strengthening. Additionally, a robust supply chain would provide a safety net of pharmaceuticals, supplies and equipment and decrease risks of stockouts during times of chronic crisis and humanitarian disasters, such as the cholera epidemic after the earthquake in 2010. With stronger purchasing power to order a steady supply of drugs from a reliable source at reduced costs, hospital administrators and medical professionals at the network hospitals can focus on the provision of quality health care.

The formation of a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) has been identified to reduce costs and increase access of pharmaceuticals for the RICSH network hospitals. CRS requisitioned consultants to generate an analysis on the drug procurement sector in Haiti and devise general steps to accomplishing a GPO. Recently, a GPO Design Workshop was held with major stakeholders to design and approve a GPO model and draft an implementation plan for GPO development with RICSH.

II. OBJECTIVE:

CRS seeks a GPO Technical Consultant to elaborate upon the GPO implementation plan and to execute technical aspects of the identified steps in GPO development, including the design of data methodology, data collection and data analysis.

III. DELIVERABLES:

1. Final GPO implementation plan, data methodology plan, hospital data templates and learning questions.

2. Complete GPO Database of up-to-date drug data from all RICSH hospitals.

3. Drug Data Report of hospital drug data (ten pages maximum), including information on:

a. Financial data
b. Data analysis
c. Final drug selection results with justification.

4. Comparative Vendor Report of vendor offers (ten pages maximum), including information on:

a. Percent cost savings for each hospital
b. Payment schedule for vendor
c. Items included in quoted price (e.g. taxes/fees, transportation, storage, etc.)
d. Other relevant considerations for each identified vendor.

5. Signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) / Contracts for GPO Participants, CRS, and/or selected vendors.

6. Presentation of Drug Data and Comparative Vendor Reports to RICSH/GPO Participants.

IV. DURATION: 3 MONTHS.

V. WORK LOCATION

Some of the consultancy may be completed remotely, but certain portions will require the consultant to be traveling in Haiti.

VI. DESIRED PROFILE

4+ years of experience with group drug purchasing or supply chain management in health

- 2-3 years of experience in data collection methods and analysis

- 1-3 years of Low/Middle Income Country work experience (experience in Haiti preferred)

- Business proficiency in French and English preferred

VII. KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

- GPO Coordinator

- GPO Steering Committee Leadership

- Global Health Research Associate

- Health Systems Strengthening Program Manager

- Health Systems Strengthening Coordinator

- Head of Programs for Health

- Health Monitoring and Evaluation Officer

VIII. KEY DATES

Refer to the GPO Implementation Timeline for more information.

IX. PARTICIPATION CONDITIONS

1. Application Submission

Applicants must offer services for the total requirements. Applicants offering only part of the requirement will be rejected. Applicants are expected to examine all the instructions, terms and specifications contained in the solicitation documents. Failure to comply with these documents will be at the applicant’s risk and may have a negative effect on the evaluation of the application.

2. Clarification of Solicitation Documents

Any prospective applicant who would need clarification about the solicitation documents must inform CRS by writing to: sarah.ju@crs.org. CRS will respond in writing to any request for clarification of the solicitation documents that will reach up to five (5) working days before the deadline for submission of applications.

3. Modification of Solicitation Documents

At any time prior to the deadline for submission of applications, CRS may, for any reason, whether at its own initiative or in response to a request for clarification by a prospective applicant, modify the solicitation documents by making an amendment.

In order to provide prospective applicants reasonable time to consider the amendments while preparing their applications, CRS may, at its discretion, extend the date for receipt of applications.

4. Ownership of Submission

The applications and related documents shall remain the exclusive property of CRS and will not be returned to the applicant.

. Cost of Application Preparation

All costs of application preparation shall be supported exclusively by the applicant. The applicant shall bear the costs incurred in providing the information requested by the solicitor as a result of application submission.

6. Language of the Application

The application and all correspondence and documents relating to the application exchanged by the applicant and the CRS will be written in English. Any printed document provided by the applicant can be written in another language, if accompanied by a translation of its pertinent passages in English, in which case, for purposes of interpretation of the application, the English text will prevail.

. Incorporation of Application Documents

The application file shall consist of the following documents:

 Curriculum vitae

 Cover letter

 Proposed schedule of the work and achievements of delivery of outputs

 Financial proposal with fixed rates per day, and a proposed schedule of payments, which are all expressed in U.S. dollars.

These documents must be prepared in two (2) copies, one being marked "original" and one (1) additional copy. In case of discrepancy between the original texts, the original will be considered.

All documents must be submitted in paper format within the time specified in a sealed envelope and duly closed mentioning :

“Bid for Group Purchasing Organization (GPO)“

he outer envelope will contain one (1) envelope that will indicate the name and the address of the bidder. The inner envelop will enclose all the application documents requested above.

Catholic Relief Service (CRS)
HR Department
1, Delmas 81, Autoroute de Delmas
Port-au- Prince, Haiti.

CRS does not commit itself to accept the lowest or any proposal. All prices must be valid for a period of at least 60 days from the deadline for submitting the proposals.

All documents must be submitted within the date and time specified. Any application received after the specified date and time will be rejected. CRS may, at its discretion extend the time.

sarah.ju@crs.org.