UKHSA is seeking to partner with an Agency (Supplier) who can support the delivery of UKHSA objectives in Zambia. UKHSA’s International Health Regulations (IHR) Strengthening Project is enhancing global health security by strengthening the capability and capacity of public health institutions in Africa and Asia to comply with the WHO IHR (2005) to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats such as COVID. The Project team is working with government and public health institutions in Zambia as part of this work and project funding has been agreed until March 2025.
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The supplier will work with UKHSA staff in Zambia to deliver the project outputs described in section 3 below. They will provide support to UKHSA with events management and logistical arrangements (e.g. organising national and regional travel, booking accommodation, venue booking and event coordination) to complement the technical expertise provided by UKHSA in-country.

3. Service Requirements

UKHSA’s work will be undertaken in Lusaka however travel and activity in other parts of Zambia will be required, to enable wider stakeholder engagement to feed into programme activity. The supplier should be equipped to support activities in alignment with UKHSA’s activities across Zambia. The sub-contracting option is permissible, however suppliers will need to demonstrate they have local knowledge of logistics and professional services delivery in Zambia.

Provision of transport:

• The supplier will book flights (national and regional), and airport transfers via IATA registered providers as required by the project.
• If required, the supplier will arrange safe, reliable road transport for delegates in Zambia. This will include the arrangement of airport pickups and transport to various meetings within Lusaka and elsewhere (within reason) as required.
• Vehicles used to transport delegates must be well maintained/reliable, fitted with fully functional safety belts for all passengers (whether car or minibus) owned and insured by the third-party provider (not supplied to them from elsewhere). The supplier will be responsible for the provision of insurance documents for vehicles employed to transport UKHSA staff. However, this is not a mandatory requirement for local colleagues from partner/stakeholder organisations.

Provision of accommodation:

• The supplier will select and arrange hotel accommodation for national and international personnel as required. Selected hotels must be approved in advance, prior to booking, by UKHSA. For governance and value for money purposes, UKHSA will request multiple quotes from hotels/the supplier in advance of approval.
• Occasionally UKHSA may require the provider to book accommodation for UKHSA employed staff (including locally employed UKHSA staff) in Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) approved ‘marker’ hotels. FCDO Security in-country can provide this list when required (it is updated frequently so best to obtain it as required).
• If no suitable hotels are listed in that region the third party should propose hotels for FCDO security to review/approve before bookings are made. This approach is not applicable for staff colleagues from partner/stakeholder organisations.

Events coordination and support:

The supplier will lead on the provision of logistical support for the organisation of conferences, training events and workshops.This will include:

• Arranging and coordinating frequent workshop/training events at Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) approved venues. The events will primarily take place in Lusaka but could at times also include other locations, outside of the capital.
• Venue booking (meeting room and technical equipment set-up)
• Preparing, printing and delivering event materials
• Managing event payments, issuing delegate stipends to colleagues from partner/stakeholder organisations. The supplier should have the ability to make these payments via mobile money or equivalent.
• Arranging appropriate transportation and accommodation for delegates as needed.
• Technical support including selection of abstracts and development of conference program on an ad hoc basis.

4. Additional requirements

• The requirements specified above represents the scope of work currently identified for delivery by the supplier.
• The supplier must be able to be flexible and respond to additional activity requests; following mutual agreement on activity and costs beforehand, between the supplier and UKHSA.

5. Governance

• UKHSA is a technical agency and IHR Project activity is funded through Official Development Assistance, and as such, will be accountable to the UK DHSC for the delivery of all project outputs and fiscal activity.
• The supplier team is expected to use and be familiar with key finance and information governance tools and processes. This includes access to information governance training and use of open book accounting.

6. Contract Period

The duration of the Contract will initially be from 1st July 2022 until 31st March 2023. The successful bidder may be offered the opportunity to extend the contract by two periods of twelve months, subject to funding availability and upon mutual agreement, provided the total duration of this Contract shall not extend beyond March 2025. The amounts indicated below represent the maximum contract value.

7. Contract Value

The contract value shall be as follows:

1st July 2022 – 31st March 2023 Up to £150,000
1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024 Up to £200,000
1st April 2024 -31st March 2025 Up to £200,000

Please note that funding will be in Sterling (GBP), but all transactions will be made in United States Dollars (USD). All bids must be submitted in USD. It is the bidders responsibility to make sure that they are aware and have taken account of currency exchange rate fluctuations.

8. Constraints and dependencies:

The funding for UKHSA’s work in Zambia comes from their wider IHR Strengthening Project. UKHSA activity has been planned to meet technical assistance requests from stakeholder institutions. Some in-country activity (i.e. conferences and workshops) may be subject to travel restrictions related to public health events (e.g. COVID). UKHSA’s work is currently funded through a Memorandum of Understanding with the UK Department of Health and Social Care and has current funding until March 2025.

9. Implementation requirements:

A plan of work, Terms of Reference (ToR), ways of working, financial reporting requirements and reporting timelines will be agreed between the supplier and UKHSA at the project outset, but with monthly review to allow for a responsive/ flexible approach to project delivery. Meetings will take place between the supplier, UKHSA staff in-country and UK based project management staff to review the delivery of recent activities and to plan for the next month activities. Performance of the supplier to deliver the plan of work agreed at project outset and will be reviewed quarterly.

9. Payment

UKHSA will make payment in arrears for work that has already been undertaken upon receipt of invoice and any required supporting information. UKHSA payment timescales mean that payments may take up to 30 days maximum (but are often made before this period). Out of pocket expenses in line with UKHSA business expenses policies and UKHSA’s Global Public Health Operating Framework can be reimbursed on presentation of receipts, in cash or via a UKHSA manual business expense claim form. UKHSA does not issue per diems. Staff working away from their base location of work, on behalf of suppliers may be eligible for a stipend, but this is to be clarified from the outset of any travel/attendance.

The contract award will be paid in United States Dollars, bids must be quoted in only USD. The currency of payment will not be changed once quoted. Payment will be on receipt of invoices and costs must be evidenced (i.e. itemised breakdown of all costs incurred), along with any required supporting information. The cost of the service will be paid by UKHSA, please confirm the agent or management fee as a percentage within the commercial envelope.