Request for Applications for a University Program in Healthcare Management to Participate in an Institutional Twinning Partnership to Improve the Quality of Healthcare Management Education and Services in Tanzania
We are seeking academic partners for a clinical education program based out of Bugando Medical Centre and the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (CUHAS).
Request for Application: Academic Partners
Deadline: May 31, 2012
The Touch Foundation, Inc Announces a Request for Applications for a University Program in Healthcare Management to Participate in an Institutional Twinning Partnership to Improve the Quality of Healthcare Management Education and Services in Tanzania
Closing Date and Time: May 31, 2012; 8:00 PM (EST)
The Touch Foundation is pleased to announce a request for applications from US and non-US healthcare management programs (also referred to herein as the resource partner) in support of establishing a partnership with three institutions in Tanzania - Mzumbe University (Morogoro, Tanzania), Saint Augustine's University of Tanzania (Mwanza, Tanzania), and with Bugando Medical Centre (also in Mwanza, Tanzania).
There are very few formalized healthcare management training programs in Tanzania. Currently, clinicians with no formal management training are responsible for hospital management and administration. In addition to increased productivity of healthcare workers, better management improves retention rates and financial efficiency, and better managed medical and healthcare worker training schools are able to optimize their teaching capacity. The overall goal of this program is to improve healthcare management and healthcare management education in Tanzania.
Applications are requested from academic institutions (herein refered to as 'resource partner') strongly committed to the overall objectives of this partnership as outlined below. The selected resource partner should have successfully established graduate, postgraduate or continuing education programs; demonstrated leadership in the healthcare profession; and demonstrated competence in addressing health and management issues. Experience in the developing world (Africa and especially Tanzania) is preferred but not required.
The prospective resource partner's personnel will be expected to travel to Tanzania on a regular basis and no less than four times per year for approximately two - three week intervals to provide support in accordance with the agreed upon workplan. Some personnel may be required to be in Tanzania for longer stretches of time. Mzumbe, BMC and SAUT personnel and other key individuals, as appropriate, may participate in exchanges to the resource partner as necessary to accomplish the partnership goals and objectives.
Under the current solicitation, Touch Foundation will award one partnership for an initial one-year period with the possibility, subject to performance and funding from USAID, of year by year renewal periods. Funds for the grant awarded through this request for applications are provided by USAID and by private funds raised by the Touch Foundation, as part of a public-private partnership under PEPFAR. Touch Foundation personnel will provide the project management for this project.
I. Background
A. Touch Foundation
The Touch Foundation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the training, placement and retention of healthcare workers in sub-Saharan Africa. With the pro bono support of McKinsey & Company to help define the organization's strategy and approach from its outset, Touch applies innovative and sustainable solutions to some of the most challenging health care issues in Africa.
Its model is not to build a new health care system; rather, it is to build upon the existing one. The Touch Foundation has helped to grow a Tanzanian medical university, adjacent to the Bugando Medical Center in Mwanza, from just 10 students in 2004 to over 590 MD students currently in training, with a total of 1,400 current health care students across twelve cadres. To date, Touch is responsible for graduating 150 doctors and over 1,300 allied health care professionals.
Touch is part of a public private partnership agreement with funding from the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and provides significant assistance to its goal of training 140,000 new healthcare workers to strengthen health systems.
For the healthcare management program, the Touch Foundation will play an active role as a partner and project leader providing on the ground management and oversight of the program, key support services, and supplemental resources. Touch Foundation will participate in partnership goal setting, workplan development, project budgeting and performance monitoring and evaluation.
Mzumbe University
Mzumbe University became a fully fledged university in 2001, but its roots go back to 1953 when it was a training center for local government officials. Mzumbe is the leading public institution for educating the management workforce in Tanzania. The Department of Health Services Management has become the main source of bachelor's prepared health secretaries, who are the primary management personnel within much of the country's healthcare provider network. Mzumbe created a graduate program in health systems management several years ago and implemented a revised curriculum two years ago.
St. Augustine's
St.Augustine University of Tanzania-SAUT is a secular and private institution for higher learning owned and managed by the Catholic Church. SAUT's main campus is located in Mwanza, but in addition there are five other campuses in Tanzania. SAUT is the largest training institution in Tanzania, with an enrollment of over 10,000 students.
Bugando Medical Centre
Opened in 1971, Bugando Medical Centre is a 900-bed hospital and the leading tertiary care facility in the Lake Zone of Tanzania. The hospital is owned by the Catholic Church and is one of the largest non-public healthcare facilities in Tanzania. It has a close affiliation with the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences (CUHAS), which is located on the hospital campus. The clinical programs and medical education have benefited from an ongoing relationship with Weill Cornell Medical College and the Touch Foundation, Baylor Pediatric AIDS initiative, among a myriad of other partners.
II. Partnership Strategy and Description
A. Goal and Objectives
Effective healthcare managers are necessary to the functioning of any healthcare system, yet significant gaps exist in training and in on-site training that prevent current managers from being fully responsive to the needs of the country. The healthcare management program design supports PEPFAR's goals to promote sustainability for the country partner to grow its capacity to lead, manage, and ultimately finance its health system with indigenous resources rather than external resources, to the greatest extent possible.
There are two major objectives of this program. The first objective is to improve Mzumbe University's masters program in health systems management and the second is to improve management at BMC. Under each objective we have developed key activities, outlined below. Additional targeted and measurable objectives and indicators will be developed jointly by the partners during the initial months of the partnership.
Objective 1: Improve Mzumbe University's masters program in health systems management through curriculum development and faculty development
Curriculum development
o Review curriculum against most recognized international institutions
o Facilitate upgrading of curriculum to be competency-based and in line with international best practices
Faculty Development
o Offer Mzumbe faculty a series of "short courses" taught by experts from resource partner institution
o Increase faculty exposure to day-by-day healthcare management through on-site collaboration at BMC
Objective 2: Improve management at BMC through developing a fellows program and creating a continued professional development program for managers
BMC fellows program:
o Develop an intensive two-year healthcare management training program for five selected BMC managers
- Create distance learning modules for BMC fellows
- Conduct "short courses" taught at BMC
- Facilitate on-site experience at resource partner institution
- Assign mentor/s from resource partner institution to each fellow
- Facilitate mandatory final project focused at improving management at BMC
Continuing Professional Development program
o Organize topic-specific "short courses" for BMC hospital managers (as above) and Mzumbe and SAUT faculty taught by experts from resource partner institution (2013-2014)
o Organize a series of topic-specific "condensed courses"/ seminars open to all applicants and taught by a combination of BMC fellows and Mzumbe and SAUT faculty (2014 on)
In addition, the resource partner will be expected to conduct ongoing assessment of the program as it develops and conduct periodic assessments to ensure the program direction is accurate.
B. Monitoring and Evaluation
Partners are expected to participate actively in program performance monitoring and evaluation (M&E) efforts, including developing measurable partnership objectives and output/outcome indicators, collecting data, designing surveys or other assessment tools, and reporting to Touch Foundation. Partnership M&E activities will be responsive to PEPFAR indicator targets and consistent with Touch Foundation's overall program M&E strategy. As part of its monitoring activities, Touch Foundation requires all partners to submit quarterly performance reports and progress against PEPFAR indicators within five days of the end of each quarter. These reports are used to prepare Touch Foundation's quarterly reports to USAID-Tanzania and are necessary to monitoring partnership progress. The reports include information on progress toward achieving program objectives, status of activities and outputs, and a discussion of any obstacles or constraints affecting the project during the reporting period, along with plans to address these.
Finally, partners will participate in a program review and assessment toward the end of each annual funding period. Conducted jointly with local partners, this review will examine results accomplished during the project year, lessons learned, and future needs. A report documenting the results of the review and assessment will be submitted by Touch Foundation to USAID and will serve as a basis for development of the next annual workplan.
C. Program Funding
Award of a partnership will be made once the Touch Foundation selection process is complete. Funds are generally disbursed in incremental amounts based on program progress and adherence to reporting requirements. Touch will make payments to the resource partner within thirty (30) days of receiving a written invoice accompanied by supporting documentation of claimed expenses including receipts for all expenditures and confirmation of compliance with United States Agency for International Development requirements. The award may be renewed annually, based on partnership performance and funding availability.
The award to the resource partner institution is typically used to fund partnership program and travel-related expenses (including economy class airfare, visas, immunizations, lodging, meals and incidentals per diem, and local transportation), limited partner-initiated purchases of equipment and supplies (requires separate prior approval), materials development, some faculty time and other training-related expenses - all of which must correspond to the approved work plan. As this award is funded in part by USAID-Tanzania, Touch Foundation utilizes the US government Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) as the basis for determining the reasonableness of proposed costs.
Applicants should be willing to devote substantial in-kind resources, including but not limited to subsidizing faculty time dedicated to program development, technical assistance, and mentoring as well as some time dedicated to related administrative functions such as preparation and submission of quarterly reports to the Touch Foundation. We encourage all applicants to minimize their indirect costs and contribute substantial in-kind resources to this program. Touch Foundation staff in New York and in Tanzania will provide substantial technical and logistical support and assist in monitoring the progress of partnership activities, thereby reducing the management and administrative burden on the resource partner.
III. Terms of Solicitation
A. Eligibility Criteria
Touch Foundation is seeking applications from US or non-US academic institutions with the capacity to meet the goals and objectives of the partnership program as set forth in Section II. Applicants should have well established expertise and experience in graduate, postgraduate or continuing education and related faculty development; demonstrated leadership in healthcare management; and demonstrated competence in addressing health needs and health management issues. Although previous experience in developing countries will represent an advantage, applications are encouraged from institutions which have not traditionally been involved in extensive international development and technical assistance programs. While profit-making entities are not excluded from receiving funding under this solicitation, Touch Foundation will not pay any profit or fee under the sub-grant.
B. Requirements and Expectations of the Lead Partner
The following are key requirements and expectations of partners under the program:
o Applicants are required to demonstrate their willingness to undertake the commitments of a partner required under the Touch Foundation partnership model, including granting in-kind contributions, traveling to Tanzania, hosting Tanzanian partners, and reporting on partnership activities and outcomes. The resource partner is expected to contribute part of the human resource component of their activities and minimize indirect charges.
o Applicants must agree to adhere to Touch Foundation's objective-setting and results-oriented approach, including Touch Foundation's quarterly programmatic and monthly financial reporting, accountability procedures and requirements, and program monitoring and evaluations to assess partnership progress and achievements.
o Applicants must be willing to meet with and debrief with USAID-Tanzania, the Tanzanian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and others as needed.
o The applicant is required to designate a coordinator whose role is to oversee half of the programmatic and administrative activities in support of the partnership and to serve as the point person in relations with Touch Foundation. Program Coordinators are typically existing employees of the partner institution. We do not foresee this being a full-time position and thus would prefer that this be fully or partially donated in-kind.
o Coordinator role and responsibilities include:
- overseeing and guiding development of partnership work plans;
- identifying and recruiting faculty to participate in the partnership;
- coordinating partnership exchanges, trainings, and other activities;
- monitoring progress of the partnership against stated objectives and tracking appropriate PEPFAR indicators;
- submitting progress reports and other required paperwork to Touch;
- managing partnership budgets; and
- liaise closely with Touch Foundation in-country program staff.
IV. Application Process
A. Application format
Solicitation for interested applicants is through submission of an application. The narrative section of the application must be written in English and not exceed five (5) pages (8 ½ x 11 paper size, easily readable typeface, 11-point font, single-spaced with one-inch margins). The final application must include the following sections:
1. Cover sheet
2. Description of institutional/organizational and personnel capacity
3. Narrative section
4. One Year budget with indication of in-kind contribution is required. However, a
projected three-year budget is requested but not required.
5. Sample workplan
Note that the cover page, in-kind contribution/financial section, and any other attachments WILL NOT count toward the page limit.
1. Cover Sheet: Indicate title of the application, institutional identification, and contact information (name, title, address, telephone, and e-mail of primary contact person).
2. Description of Institutional and Personnel Capacity:
Institutional Capacity and Past Performance: Provide a brief description of the institution to be involved in the partnership. Describe how the strengths of the institution match up with the priority needs of the program and the identified needs for the Tanzanian institutions. Describe applicant's previous activities and concrete results that are pertinent to the proposed partnership. Please include legal or registration status.
Personnel Capability and Experience: This section should cover both partnership management and technical capabilities. Please include information on key personnel, and a short description of experience and capacity relevant to the program, and the level of effort each will dedicate to the proposed activities. Clearly identify the proposed Program Coordinator and describe his/her program management skills. Also, identity prospective senior faculty member personnel willing to spend time in Tanzania.
3. Narrative section: Based on information contained in this Request for Applications, the applicant is asked to describe both technical resources available to meet the program goals and objectives outlined above; possible approaches to addressing the key program areas; and a proposed timeline for implementing the proposed approach. The applicant should address the following in this section:
o Proposed approaches to the following components and related institutional experience and capacity:
- To review curriculum at Mzumbe against most recognized international institutions
- To facilitate upgrade of Mzumbe's curriculum to be competency-based and in line with international best practices
- To offer Mzumbe faculty a series of "short courses" taught by experts from resource partner institution
- To increase faculty exposure to day-by-day healthcare management through on-site collaboration at BMC
- To develop an intensive two-year HCM training program for five selected BMC managers as outlined above
- To organize topic-specific "short courses" for BMC hospital managers (as above) and Mzumbe and SAUT faculty taught by experts from resource partner institution (2013-2014)
- To assess and revise program as necessary as it develops
> Illustrative approaches and timeline for meeting programmatic goals related to the above components within the partnership timeframe of 12 months
> Approaches to maintaining partnership communications and progress between exchange visits
> Approaches to monitoring and evaluation
> Sustainability strategy
4. In-kind Contributions/Financial Section: Describe the commitment to provide voluntary resources and its plan to generate and leverage in-kind contributions. If possible, please indicate the value of in-kind time, goods and services expected to be contributed to the partnership.
B. Application Review
Applications will be reviewed and rated by a review committee composed of Touch Foundation staff and Tanzanian partners. Applicants may be asked to answer questions of clarification. Based on the results of the review process, Touch Foundation will choose the institution that best matches the needs of the partnership, best fulfills the criteria, and offers the greatest potential for sustaining a partnership beyond the availability of Touch Foundation funding.
C. Review Criteria
The following key factors will be considered in selecting the successful applicants:
Technical Application [30 Points]
o Institutional experience and capacity to address program needs.
o Realistic approaches and timeline for meeting programmatic goals within the partnership timeframe.
o Approach to gathering information and conducting assessments related to the identified program components.
o Understanding of the program and partnership.
o Proposed approach to monitoring and evaluation and evidence of experience in measuring program outcomes, and a willingness to participate in Touch Foundation's M&E activities.
o Approaches to maintaining partnership communications and progress between exchange visits.
o Demonstrated willingness to work collaboratively with other related programs and organizations.
o Demonstrated good understanding of healthcare management programs and challenges in the developing world, preferably in Africa and especially Tanzania.
Institutional Capability and Past Performance [25 Points]
o Ability to strengthen the institutional capacity for provision of healthcare management education and training at graduate and continuing education levels
o Evidence of strong financial management capability and internal controls.
Personnel Capability and Experience [15 Points]
o Range and extent of faculty available to contribute to accomplishing program goals.
o Appropriate qualifications and relevant experience of all individuals involved in implementing the partnership.
In-kind Contributions/Financial [15 Points]
o Significant in-kind contribution of resources, including partial donation of faculty time.
o Level of funding required for partnership coordination and administrative support.
General [15 Points]
o Clear and strong support of senior leadership and Board(s) of Directors of resource partner institution.
o Clear understanding of and commitment to in-kind portion of this partnership.
o Potential for sustainable relationship beyond US government/Touch Foundation
D. Guidance and Support for Applicants
Touch Foundation will accept questions and provide responses concerning this solicitation via e-mail up through the deadline date. Please send questions to Victoria_ervin@mckinsey.com. All questions and responses will be posted to the foundation's website for public viewing as they come in.
E. Submitting a Application
Electronic Submission: Applications may be submitted electronically in word to victoria_ervin@mckinsey.com Applications may also must also be submitted by mail service as outlined below.
Hard Copy Submission: Applicants may submit one (1) hard copy of the application to the address below:
Touch Foundation, Inc.
Attention: Tory Ervin
875 Third Avenue, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Applicants should retain for their records one copy of any and all applications, attachments, and other submissions to Touch Foundation.
The deadline for submitting applications is: May 31, 2012 (8pm EST).
