USAID Global Health Security and M&E Capacity Building RFP

The USAID Global Health Security and M&E Capacity Building RFP is a high-stakes, strategically vital solicitation designed to address the critical gaps in global health security and monitoring systems. In an increasingly interconnected world, the rapid spread of infectious diseases poses a constant threat to global stability, economic security, and human life. This RFP represents USAID's proactive response to these challenges, aiming to build resilient, self-sustaining national health systems capable of preventing, detecting, and responding to public health threats at their source. The focus on Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) is central to this initiative, as data-driven decision-making is the cornerstone of effective epidemic control and health system governance. Historically, global health interventions have often suffered from a lack of sustainable local capacity, leading to systems that degrade once donor funding ceases. This solicitation directly addresses this vulnerability by placing capacity building and localization at the forefront of its objectives. Bidders are challenged to design interventions that do not merely install temporary systems but fundamentally upgrade the human capital, institutional frameworks, and technological infrastructure of partner nations. This requires a sophisticated understanding of adult learning methodologies, institutional change management, and the complex regulatory environments of host-country governments. Furthermore, the RFP emphasizes the integration of the 'One Health' approach, recognizing that human health is inextricably linked to the health of animals and the shared environment. Implementers will need to break down traditional sectoral silos, facilitating collaboration between ministries of health, agriculture, and environment. This multi-sectoral coordination must be mirrored in the MEL systems, which must capture and synthesize data from diverse sources to provide a comprehensive, real-time picture of health security threats. The complexity of this task cannot be overstated, and successful bidders will require a combination of elite technical expertise, robust project management capabilities, and a deep commitment to local empowerment.

Strategic Overview

The USAID Global Health Security and M&E Capacity Building RFP is a high-stakes, strategically vital solicitation designed to address the critical gaps in global health security and monitoring systems. In an increasingly interconnected world, the rapid spread of infectious diseases poses a constant threat to global stability, economic security, and human life. This RFP represents USAID's proactive response to these challenges, aiming to build resilient, self-sustaining national health systems capable of preventing, detecting, and responding to public health threats at their source. The focus on Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) is central to this initiative, as data-driven decision-making is the cornerstone of effective epidemic control and health system governance. Historically, global health interventions have often suffered from a lack of sustainable local capacity, leading to systems that degrade once donor funding ceases. This solicitation directly addresses this vulnerability by placing capacity building and localization at the forefront of its objectives. Bidders are challenged to design interventions that do not merely install temporary systems but fundamentally upgrade the human capital, institutional frameworks, and technological infrastructure of partner nations. This requires a sophisticated understanding of adult learning methodologies, institutional change management, and the complex regulatory environments of host-country governments. Furthermore, the RFP emphasizes the integration of the 'One Health' approach, recognizing that human health is inextricably linked to the health of animals and the shared environment. Implementers will need to break down traditional sectoral silos, facilitating collaboration between ministries of health, agriculture, and environment. This multi-sectoral coordination must be mirrored in the MEL systems, which must capture and synthesize data from diverse sources to provide a comprehensive, real-time picture of health security threats. The complexity of this task cannot be overstated, and successful bidders will require a combination of elite technical expertise, robust project management capabilities, and a deep commitment to local empowerment.

Who is it For?

This solicitation is specifically targeted at high-capability consortia, international development consulting firms, academic institutions, and established non-governmental organizations (NGOs) possessing deep technical expertise in global health security, epidemiology, and institutional capacity building. Prime implementers must demonstrate a sophisticated operational footprint in USAID priority countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. Eligible organizations must have a proven track record of managing large-scale, multi-million-dollar USAID cooperative agreements or contracts, with the administrative infrastructure necessary to comply with 2 CFR 200 and USAID-specific acquisition regulations. Furthermore, this opportunity is highly relevant for local entities and regional organizations in partner nations. Under USAID's localization mandate, prime contractors are strongly encouraged—and in many cases, required—to form strategic joint ventures or sub-contracting arrangements with local public health institutes, civil society organizations, and private sector technology providers. These local partners must possess localized contextual knowledge, established relationships with national Ministries of Health, and the baseline operational capacity to absorb technical assistance and transition into direct USAID funding recipients over the life of the activity.

Priorities

USAID's investment priorities for this RFP are anchored in the Global Health Security Strategy, which emphasizes the prevention of avoidable epidemics, the early detection of threats, and the rapid, effective response to outbreaks. The donor's primary Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) focus on measurable improvements in Joint External Evaluation (JEE) scores, State Party Self-Assessment Annual Reporting (SPAR) metrics, and national laboratory biosafety and biosecurity standards. USAID is prioritizing interventions that leverage digital health technologies, artificial intelligence for predictive outbreak modeling, and real-time data visualization tools to enhance national-level decision-making. Additionally, this procurement is deeply aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), and SDG 5 (Gender Equality), by ensuring that health security frameworks are inclusive, gender-sensitive, and resilient to systemic shocks. USAID seeks to fund a partner that can institutionalize a culture of Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA), ensuring that monitoring and evaluation are not merely compliance exercises but dynamic tools for continuous program improvement and strategic realignment in volatile operating environments.

Eligibility

To successfully pass the threshold of USAID's rigorous evaluation process, bidding organizations must undergo and document comprehensive financial, spatial, and corporate legal audits. Financially, the prime contractor must possess an audited financial statement demonstrating robust internal controls, a federally approved indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA) or a verifiable 10% de minimis indirect cost rate, and a financial management system that complies fully with the standards set forth in 2 CFR 200. Sub-recipients must also undergo pre-award surveys (such as the NUPAS) to verify their financial viability and risk profile. Spatially and operationally, bidders must demonstrate the logistical capability to deploy technical experts and establish functional field offices in remote, low-resource, or conflict-affected regions within the target countries. This requires a detailed risk management and duty-of-care plan for personnel. Legally, the prime and all consortium members must be registered entities in their respective home countries, possess active Unique Entity Identifiers (UEI) registered in SAM.gov, and hold the necessary operating licenses and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with host-country governments to operate legally and import technical equipment or software without regulatory delays.

Path to Success

Achieving success in this highly competitive bidding process requires a systematic, four-step strategic roadmap that integrates technical excellence with institutional capacity building. Step 1: Establish a High-Impact Consortium. Bidders must form a strategic alliance that pairs international technical experts with prominent local organizations. This structure directly addresses USAID's localization agenda while ensuring robust administrative oversight. Integrating GSLI's 'Writing Winning Proposals' and 'Project Management for Development' methodologies at this stage ensures that the consortium's joint proposal is cohesive, compliant, and strategically aligned with USAID's technical evaluation criteria. Step 2: Co-Design a Localized, One Health-Aligned MEL Framework. The technical proposal must feature a highly sophisticated, co-designed Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning framework that bridges human, animal, and environmental health sectors. This framework should utilize GSLI's 'Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E)' and 'Public Health & Epidemiology' principles to establish clear baseline indicators, data verification protocols, and real-time dashboard integrations. Step 3: Deploy Targeted Institutional Capacity Building. Rather than relying on ad-hoc training workshops, the proposal must outline a structured, accredited curriculum for host-country partners. By embedding GSLI's 'Grants Management' and 'Financial Management for NGOs' training modules directly into the implementation plan, the bidder guarantees to USAID that local sub-grantees will develop the fiduciary and administrative capacity required to manage direct funding in the future. Step 4: Institutionalize a Robust Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) Cycle. The final step involves establishing formal learning loops where data generated from surveillance systems is immediately translated into policy and operational adjustments, ensuring long-term sustainability and self-reliance.

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Deadline: 2026-07-20

Persona: General

Urgency: Normal