Evaluation of the technical condition of the ventilation systems in the National TB Reference Laboratory (NRL) At FHI 360

Solicitation Title: Evaluation of the technical condition of the ventilation systems in the National TB Reference Laboratory (NRL) in Vahdat (30 km close to Dushanbe) and the Regional TB Laboratory of Dehmoy, Sughd region of Tajikistan

Solicitation Number: TB-24-014

Submit Questions and Proposal to: Procurement.TB.TJ@fhi360.org

Date of Issue of RFP: March 11, 2024

Date Proposal Due: March 27, 2024

Approximate Timeframe Consultant Agreement Issued to Successful Candidate(s):Service Agreement is anticipated to be issued in May 2024

Method of Submittal

Respond via email with attachments in PDF or Microsoft word. Questions about the solicitation may be submitted according to the above. No phone calls will be accepted to inquire about this RFP.

Quote Validity

The Consultant agrees to hold the prices in its offer firm for 90 days from the date specified for the receipt of offers, unless another time is specified in the addendum of the RFP

Background

FHI 360 is a global organization that mobilizes research, resources, and relationships so people everywhere have access to the opportunities they need to lead full and healthy lives. With collaborations in over 60 countries, we work directly with local leaders to advance social and economic equity, improve health and well-being, respond to humanitarian crises, and strengthen community resilience. We share data-driven insights and scalable tools that expand access and equity so communities can effectively address complex challenges, respond to shocks, and achieve thriving futures.

The Branch of the Family Health International in the Republic of Tajikistan (hereinafter FHI360) is a separate structural subdivision of Family Health International (FHI 360), a non-profit legal entity established and operating under the laws of the state of North Carolina, United States of America, with a project office in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

The End Tuberculosis (TB) Tajikistan Activity is based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to advance evidence-based solutions to increase early TB detection, improve treatment access and cure, and halt the cycle of transmission to prevent TB and drug-resistant TB. To achieve these overarching aims, the USAID End Tuberculosis Tajikistan Activity will implement a locally-led people and community-centered care model to reach every person with TB, enhanced by digital technology and strategic innovations to improve TB systems and services. This five-year activity will reach all health system levels to support the Government of Tajikistan’s goal to end TB

Tajikistan remains among the world’s 30 high multidrug/rifampicin-resistant TB (MDR/RR-TB) burden countries and is also one of the 18 high TB priority countries in the WHO European Region. In the past decade, tuberculosis (TB) incidence has been decreasing due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to WHO, in 2021, the estimated TB incidence (all forms) was 8,600, or 88 (67-112) per 100,000 population; estimated MDR/RR-TB incidence – 2,700 (2,000–3,400); estimated HIV negative TB mortality – 1,200 (1,000–1,400). Estimated TB mortality had a sharp spike broking the decreasing trend in 2020 due to COVID-19 impact.

In the light of the epidemiological profile and the programmatic challenges, the overall goal of the National Tuberculosis Program in Tajikistan is to reduce the burden of tuberculosis (including M/XDR-TB) by ensuring universal access to quality diagnosis and treatment, implementing sustainable patient-centered approaches, addressing the needs of high-risk.

The TB laboratory network in Tajikistan includes a fully functional NRL, that on top of all investigations performs phenotypic DST to first- and second-line drugs, including new drugs, as well as provision of external quality control for the entire network. NRL is currently the only site where full phenotypic DST is performed and provides routine surveillance of bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary TB patients.

The ventilation system and reconstruction of the technical floor in the NRL was installed/carried out in 2012. Its maintenance is performed annually. Based on the latest maintenance assessment, the ventilation system needs to be reconstructed and updated:

• to improve air exchange inside BSL3;
• to replace electric motors and pressure sensors;
• to install a centralized air conditioning system inside BSL 3;
• to protect against nesting birds;
• to upgrade infrastructure of the AHU location with free entrance;

In order to rationally distribute the workload within the laboratory network, avoid delays in turnaround time for pDST results and further decentralize pDST – performing pDST need to be introduced in the regional lab of Dehmoy, Sughd region (It’s a one of the objectives of National TB Program Tajikistan 2021-2026). Performing pDST and other tests on a pure culture carries the highest risk from the point of biological safety and can only be performed in “high-risk” laboratories (GLI/WHO Classification, Laboratory Safety Manual, 2019) with the appropriate infrastructure and full compliance to the requirements of infection control. The regional laboratory of Dehmoy is rated “moderate risk” laboratory which means it needs be upgraded from to “high risk” laboratory.

Purpose of the request:

FHI 360 is soliciting bids for provision of the high-quality services to
1. Evaluate of current technical status of the existing ventilation system of the National TB Reference Laboratory (NRL) and the Regional TB Laboratory.

2. Develop a technical report with all lacks technical specification for the modernization of ventilation system with the necessary part of construction work.

3. Inspections during construction and the acceptance tests.

4. Train 8 local service personnel to operate the ventilation plant and perform minimum services.

SCOPE OF WORK:

The External Consultant’s team\Company will be responsible to for the following activities:

1. Check and evaluate of current technical status of the existing ventilation system:
   1. Rooms
      1. Check directional airflows from “clean” to “dirty” areas using smoke pattern test.
      2. Verify the air changes per hour rate.
      3. Assess room pressure cascade (check whether doors open inwards into the testing area or outward, and also evaluate the integrity of the seals on the doors and windows),
      4. Assess of the safety and authorized access to the laboratory (card access system, locker room – function of interlock).
   2. Air Filters
      1. Perform filter capacity test (pressure drop)
   3. Ductwork
      1. Evaluate physical integrity,
      2. Assess fire protection if available (flaps, sensors),
      3. Check variable air volume controller / constant air volume controller,
      4. Dryness and cleanliness,
      5. Air balancing record.
   4. HVAC Equipment (e.g., heating/cooling units, stacks and condensers)
      1. Physical integrity,
      2. Assessment of the function with detailed description,
      3. Dryness and cleanliness,
      4. No slime, mold, dirt, bird droppings or soot accumulations.
      5. Check function of cooling- and heating system
   5. Supply and Exhaust Air Fan
      1. Correct direction of rotation and rotation per minute (rpm),
      2. Pulley/belt tightness and wear,
      3. Speed control of air fans according pressure room,
      4. Guards in place,
      5. Assembly intact and clean,
      6. Minimal vibration,
      7. Acceptable noise level,
      8. No loose nuts and bolts,
      9. Adequate bearing lubrication (as indicated by temperature and vibration),
      10. Wire, electrical connections and insulation intact,
      11. Fan wheel correctly mounted and not worn or dirty,
      12. Check of airflow rate, air velocity, air change rate.
   6. Control system / BMS (building management system)
      1. Check the function of the entire control- and monitoring system,
      2. Check all sensors for temperature, speed, pressure, humidity….
      3. Check alarm system and their indications
      4. Normal operation (consider installation of the emergency power for ventilation in both locations)
      5. Normal operation
      6. BMS maintains operational set points during all scenarios and return to normal operations.
      7. Assessing UPS operational
   7. Testing all alarms
      1. HVAC Failure Alarm
      2. Availability of air flow alarms showing if the room has gone positive under normal conditions or if door is open for greater than 20 seconds
      3. Availability of visual indication for personnel to aware if the room is under positive or negative pressure prior to entering into the laboratory
2. Develop a technical report with all lacks (including deficiency act, punch report, problems and requirement for a safe and functional BSL3 Lab for NRL and regional lab of Dehmoy, Sughd according to international standards and requirements of WHO as well requirements on proper and committed use HEPA filters, motors and belts from authorized for installation of the AHU manufacturer and suppliers and five-year warranty with regular maintenance and supply of spare parts after commissioning.
3. Develop the project/design and technical specification for the modernization of ventilation system with the necessary part of construction work (with Bill of quantity (BOQ) and estimated cost) for NRL and regional lab of Dehmoy, Sughd;
4. Develop the project/design and specification for the reconstruction of technical floor (with BOQ and estimated cost) for NRL;
5. External consultant will have to perform two regular site inspections during construction and the acceptance tests together with an expert from WHO.
6. External consultant will have to train 8 local service personnel (2 trainings: 1 for NRL; 1 for Dehmoy) to operate the ventilation plant and perform minimum services, like filter change and keeping equipment and plant room clean

All work must be carried out in accordance following international standards for project evaluation and modernization

• European standard EN 12469:2000 (performance criteria for BSC) (or American Standard NSF 49:2002)
• European standard EN 12128 (laboratories for research development and analysis)
• Standard design – planning of a TBC – S3 Laboratory
• WHO guidelines – Laboratory Biosafety Manual,
• German DIN standard that is generally followed by central Europe DIN 1946-7 and Guideline VDI 2051 for Laboratory design
• Use of Liquid Culture and Drug Susceptibility Testing (DST) in Low and Middle Income Settings “Summery report of Expert Group Meeting,
• Geneva, 26th of March 2007
• Environmental Controls: Ventilation, negative pressure isolation room, tents and booths, air filtration and UVGI; Interdepartmental working group on United Kingdomadopt tuberculosis in

Adopt above listed standards to the available infrastructure (with consideration of the irregular power supply and phase changes, frequent power cuts, low voltage and surges)

DELIVERABLES:

The External Consultant’s team\Company shall present the following products:

1. Assessment report with deficiency act on evaluation of current technical status of the existing ventilation system.
2. Scope of the work (including BOQ and technical specification) and tender documents for Engineering Works for technical floor infrastructure reconstruction in National TB reference laboratory Machiton, Tajikistan (Biosafety level III facility).
3. Scope of the work (including BOQ and technical specification) and tender documents for Engineering Works for renew BSL 3 ventilation system in National TB reference laboratory (Biosafety level III facility) and for update BSL2 level laboratory to BSL3 laboratory of regional lab of Dehmoy, Sughd region.
4. Assessment report of the site inspection at the beginning of the Engineering Works to ensure their compliance with the approved technical specifications.
5. Assessment report of the site inspection at the end of the Engineering Works and the acceptance tests together with an expert from WHO.
6. Report on training provided to the local service personnel (2 trainings: 1 for NRL; 1 for Dehmoy) to operate the ventilation plant and perform minimum services

Location of work

Working remotely and in Tajikistan (Vahdat and Dehmoy).

Travel

A trip to Dushanbe and Khujand, Tajikistan is anticipated.

Qualification requirements

• International Certification to provide requested services.
• Proven background with an international expertise to provide requested services.
• Availability of assets and specific equipment, tools to fully implement this SoW.
• Education: University degree in Engineering, or another relevant related field.
• Additional qualifications:
  • Ability to follow technical drawings, building plans and other instructions.
  • Knowledge of medical standards
• Work experience:
  • Proven experience and capacity in installation of complex ventilation in developing countries, electrical, control-, cooling- and heating systems of minimum 5 (five) years;
  • Proven experience in verification and maintenance services of ventilation, electrical, control, cooling- and heating systems of minimum 5 (five) years;
  • Work with international projects and/ or TB area of minimum 5 /five) years;
  • Engineer must be certified for testing Bio Safety cabinets class II
  • Proven experience of testing and planning laboratories Bio safety level BSL3
  • Experience of work in the Republic of Tajikistan would be an advantage
• Languages: good English, knowledge of Russian would be an advantage.
• Additional requirements: Good analytical capabilities, ability to work under pressure and high responsibility.

Required Documentation

Proposals must include the following components:

1. Technical Proposal as per Annex 1 to this RFP:
   1. Company Profile outlining qualification, capacity, experience, and CVs of proposed personnel to be engaged within this Scope of Work.
   2. Proposed Methodology, approach and implementation timetable
2. Certificate to perform requested services and valid calibration certificates of tools/equipment. External consultant’s team\company must provide all necessary measuring equipment and tools required for the tests. The equipment must have valid calibration certificates (and those need to be provided in advance)
3. Financial Proposal in USD (excluding VAT), for all services for each deliverable outlined in this SoW, including international and domestic travel expenses and all other related costs (transportation of the equipment, accommodation).
4. Certificate of Registration of the business, including Articles of Incorporation, or equivalent document.
5. Tax registration issued by the Internal Revenue Authority evidencing that the Bidder is updated with its tax payment obligations, or Certificate of Tax exemption if any.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be shortlisted based on how well they meet the minimum qualification requirements. Evaluation will be based upon best value, through a combination of criteria including:

Criteria / Weightage

1. Bidder’s qualification, capacity and experience as demonstrated via Company Profile and CVs/resume of the proposed engineer(s) and experts – 35%
2. Methodology, approach, and implementation timetable – 35%
3. Financial Proposal – 30%

Response deadline & format:

1. Responses to this RFP should be submitted by email to procurement.TB.TJ@fhi360.org with the Subject line: “Evaluation of Technical condition of TB ventilation systems in Tajikistan.”
2. Responses must be received no later than March 27, 2024, 5:00 PM Dushanbe time. Proposals received after this date and time may not be accepted and shall be considered nonresponsive.
3. Clarificatory questions will be accepted until March 25, 2024, and should be submitted only by e-mail to procurement.TB.TJ@fhi360.org

FHI 360 Disclaimers

• FHI 360 may perform a background check on any selected Consultant candidates.
• FHI 360 may cancel the solicitation and not award
• FHI 360 may reject any or all responses received
• Issuance of the solicitation does not constitute an award commitment by FHI 360
• FHI 360 reserves the right to disqualify any offer based on failure of the offeror to follow solicitation instructions
• FHI 360 will not compensate any offeror for responding to solicitation
• FHI 360 reserves the right to issue award based on initial evaluation of offers without further discussion
• FHI 360 may choose to award only part of the activities in the solicitation, or issue multiple awards based on the solicitation activities
• FHI 360 reserves the right to waive minor proposal deficiencies that can be corrected prior to award determination to promote competition
• FHI 360’s supplier terms and conditions can be found here while our consultant terms and conditions can be found here

Annex I. Technical Proposal

RFP# TB-24-014

Assignment: Evaluation of the technical condition of the ventilation systems in the National TB Reference Laboratory (NRL) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and the Regional TB Laboratory of Dehmoy, Sughd region of Tajikistan.

Technical Proposal from [Name of vendor]

1. Company Profile: Briefly describe how the ToR is related to your company.
2. The Team The vendor shall list and briefly describe the names, qualifications, and functions of the proposed team.
3. Approach and Methodology Describe the proposed approach to carry out each of the deliverables. Explain the perceived risks related to the assignment and proposed actions to mitigate them.
4. Work Plan The vendor shall propose an activity-based Work Plan that is consistent with the timeline, technical approach, and methodology described in this Scope of Work, structured around key deliverables. Also describe your institution’s ability to start and finish the assignment within the timeframe in the ToR, estimated number of days as presented in the ToR and expected days of travel and ability of the team to travel to the relevant locations.

Example of workplan template:

Deliverable / Expected date of completion / # of days
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Other Issues

Describe any other issues related to the delivery of this assignment.

Annex 2. Financial Proposal for
RFP: TB-24-014
Evaluation of the technical condition of the ventilation systems in the National TB Reference Laboratory (NRL) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and the Regional TB Laboratory of Vahdat, Sughd region of Tajikistan.

No. / Tasks / TOTAL COST (USD)

1. Assessment report with deficiency act on evaluation of current technical status of the existing ventilation system.
2. Scope of the work (including BOQ and technical specification) and tender documents for Engineering Works for technical floor infrastructure reconstruction in National TB reference laboratory Machiton, Tajikistan (Biosafety level III facility).
3. Scope of the work (including BOQ and technical specification) and tender documents for Engineering Works for renew BSL 3 ventilation system in National TB reference laboratory (Biosafety level III facility) and for update BSL2 level laboratory to BSL3 laboratory of regional lab of Dehmoy, Sughd region.
4. Assessment report of the site inspection at the beginning of the Engineering Works to ensure their compliance with the approved technical specifications.
5. Assessment report of the site inspection at the end of the Engineering Works and the acceptance tests together with an expert from WHO.
6. Report on training provided to the local service personnel (2 trainings: 1 for NRL; 1 for Dehmoy) to operate the ventilation plant and perform minimum services.

Total for Deliverables (USD) USD….