Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for Selected Tanzania Public Health Laboratories

Due to the text limitation of this board, if you are interested in responding to this RFP, you must email Lucy Maryogo-Robinson at APHL (lucy.robinson@aphl.org) to obtain the official RFP response documentation.  This documentation will contain all necessary information and tools to enable you to respond accordingly.  E-mail and fax RFP responses must be received at the APHL office by 5:00 PM EDT (9:00 PM UTC) on August 9, 2011.  Courier and USPS responses must be postmarked or entered into a tracking system by 5:00 PM EDT (9:00 PM UTC) on August 9, 2011.

 

The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Global AIDS Program (GAP) is supporting the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

 

This request for proposals (RFP) is one component under the overarching PEPFAR goal to strengthen health system capacity and services for HIV/AIDS. A complete description of PEPFAR can be found at http://www.pepfar.gov/about/. 

 

This RFP solicits offers from qualified information technology software providers to implement a laboratory information management system (LIMS) at seven laboratory sites of the Tanzania Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW).  This is the second phase of LIMS implementation for the MOHSW, which has 5 laboratory sites currently operating LIMS. The successful proposal will provide a cost-effective LIMS that can be maintained reliably in a timely manner and will offer an affordable solution that can be sustained in a resource-limited setting.  Proposals should clearly state the plan and means for providing operational support on an on-going basis directly by the provider or through an identified local company with the knowledge and capacity to provide support.  The MOHSW plans to continue to rollout the LIMS to additional laboratory sites to all Zonal and Regional Hospitals in the Tanzania National Public Health Laboratory System (NPHLS). At the option of MOHSW, an offer may be negotiated with the successful vendor of this award to implement LIMS at more than the seven sites that are part of this RFP if the proposal describes favorable licensing fees and innovative options for controlling maintenance costs.  For this project, APHL, working together with the Tanzania MOHSW, CDC/GAP/Atlanta (CDC/Atlanta) and CDC/GAP/Tanzania (CDC/Tanzania), assessed the laboratories at the following sites for Phase II of LIMS implementation:  Amana Hospital (Dar es Salaam), Temeke Hospital (Dar es Salaam), Mount Meru Hospital (Arusha), Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (Moshi), Morogoro Hospital (Morogoro), Dodoma Hospital (Dodoma) and Bombo Regional Hospital (Tanga).  APHL expects to award a contract for this project to implement a LIMS in these laboratories before October 1, 2011. The target period for initiation of the implementation of the LIMS in these laboratories is December, 2011.

 

APHL assisted CDC/GAP/Tanzania and the Tanzania MOHSW in the performance of a comprehensive evaluation of the laboratory system needs for a LIMS and to develop an implementation plan for the laboratories.  The assessment team activities included the following:

 

  • Assessment of operations at the selected laboratories and meetings with stakeholders, in order to describe standard laboratory services and current LIMS capacity in the public health sector of Tanzania;

 

  • Visits to other governmental laboratories to compare sample flow procedures and understand how samples are processed;

 

  • Discussions on LIMS requirements with Tanzania government and health officials, as well as CDC/Tanzania staff;

 

  • Development of an action plan for the implementation of LIMS at these 7 sites; and

 

  • Compiled the specific information and requirements for the development of an RFP for the purchase of a LIMS application.

 

1.1  Procurement Contact for this RFP

NAME: Lucy Maryogo-Robinson    

TITLE: Director, Global Health Program

Email:  lucy.robinson@aphl.org

 

Note:  Any solicitation or contact with APHL, the Tanzania Ministry of Health or CDC employees involved in the LIMS Project or any staff at the selected laboratories concerning this RFP other than the designated Procurement Contact is prohibited, except as authorized by the Procurement Contact, during the period from date of release of the RFP until the notice of intent to contract is released.  Unauthorized contact concerning this RFP may disqualify the respondent from participating in the RFP process (may not be considered in the review of respondents).

 

2      PREPARING AND SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL

2.1  Contractor information required to be included with response.

 

  1. Full legal name and if LIMS provider has a “doing business name” the d/b/a as well.
  2. Authorized representative of the Contractor for the proposal.
  3. Telephone, fax and e-mail address of the single point of contact for communication between APHL and the LIMS provider. Contact information for other persons whom the LIMS provider may request informational copies sent in addition to the single point of contact.
  4. Business mailing address.

 

2.2  Response Submittal

 

Responses must be sent to APHL by e-mail attachment in a Portable Document Files (PDF) format (electronic signatures accepted) to LISProposal@aphl.org; OR by fax to 240-485-2712 attention of Lucy Maryogo-Robinson, Director, Global Health Program, APHL; OR by courier/delivery service that has a tracking system OR by U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Priority or Express Mail to Lucy Maryogo-Robinson, APHL, 8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 700, Silver Spring, MD, USA 20910.  E-mail attachment is the preferred means of receipt.  E-mail and fax responses must be received at the APHL office by 5:00 PM EDT (9:00 PM UTC) on August 9, 2011.  Courier and USPS responses must be postmarked or entered into a tracking system by 5:00 PM EDT (9:00 PM UTC) on August 9, 2011.  Submitters will receive a confirmation of receipt of their proposal by APHL.  APHL may terminate or modify the RFP process at any time during the response period.

 

 

For electronic submissions, responses must be presented in a consistent format of 2 PDFs:

 

·         PDF File 1:  RFP Submission Form Template:

 

Using this naming convention:  “Proposal.Legal_Name.Tanzania.PDF” please complete the standard RFP requirements submission form (either in MS Word or editable PDF form), electronically sign, convert to a PDF and submit to the email listed below.  This document should include a response to all requests for information included in Section 5, Technical Requirements; Section 6, Laboratory Business Requirements; Section 7, Project Management and Implementation Plant; and Section 8, Cost Proposal & System Acceptance.

 

·         PDF File 2:  Supporting Documentation:

 

Using this naming convention:  “Documents.Legal_Name.Tanzania.PDF”, please provide, under a Table of Contents, other specific documentation requested by the RFP or any supporting documentation the vendor feels would be helpful to the APHL reviewers of the response or information which helps support statements made in PDF File 1.  This document should include that information requested in Section 4, General Requirements of Proposal along with any other supporting documentation, sales literature or pictures and diagrams which the vendor believes would be helpful to support the response to the RFP.

 

·         Please attach both PDF files to an email to be sent here:  LISProposal@aphl.org 

 

Responses that are not received by the stated deadline shall be determined to be non-responsive and at APHL’s discretion may not be considered in the review of respondents.  The review process for this award contract is comprised of three parts, including:

 

 

Part One:

 

·         APHL reviews all responses received by the response deadline, assesses the responses with Tanzania NPHLS and CDC/Tanzania and compares them to the requirements stated in the RFP.  Responses are assessed on these criteria:

 

o    LIMS Project requirements

o    Strength of the provider’s project plan to successfully implement a LIMS at the selected laboratory

o    Strength of the providers project plan to sustain operation of LIMS at the laboratory and any subsequent laboratories which might be added later

o    Value of the offer relative to cost, performance and maintenance

 

·         One or more providers are selected to be included in Part Two of the RFP review process.  Applications that meet the minimum technical requirements of the RFP may not be included for consideration in Part Two due to weaknesses in the noted criteria compared to other applications. Respondents to the RFP should address all noted criteria. 

 

Part Two:

 

·         APHL may require respondents selected for Part Two of the review process to travel to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to present a demonstration of their proposed application to the Tanzania LIMS Technical Working Group (Tanzania TWG) made up of representatives of Tanzania MOHSW and the Phase I and Phase II laboratory managers (or their representatives) and answer questions related to their software, project plan and costs. This meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 6th and 7th, 2011. The presentations are organized and facilitated by APHL, in coordination with CDC-Tanzania. If a respondent is required to travel to Tanzania, APHL may provide a stipend, the amount determined by APHL, to partially offset the cost of travel to Tanzania for up to 2 representatives of a selected respondent.

 

·         The review of proposals in Part Two may be done without requiring presentations by providers in Tanzania.  In this case, APHL will organize and facilitate remote conferencing and demonstration of the provider’s software. APHL staff will be in Tanzania with the Tanzania TWG for these presentations.

 

Part Three:

 

·         After consideration of the information provided in the RFP response, Tanzania TWG shall select the preferred respondent in consultation with APHL and CDC-Tanzania.  APHL will request a final offer from the preferred respondent prior to awarding a contract.  

 

o    The final offer will permit inclusion of changes that may arise in deliverables or conditions of the implementation during the negotiation of a contract.

o    The negotiations may include the addition of other laboratories, sections or departments where insufficient information was available to include in this RFP.

o    The purchasing contract negotiated between APHL and the selected respondent will identify costs and payments to be associated with:

 

§  system licenses (initial and subsequent)

§  purchase price

§  implementation costs

§  training costs

§  maintenance and update costs

§  other associated costs and services.

 

Detailed contract and terms will be finalized as part of contract negotiations. The contract starting and ending effective dates shall be indicated on the purchase order or contract and by mutual agreement of both parties; the ending date may be extended for maintenance, support and additional work subject to the contract rules of CDC/Atlanta.

 

Ralph Timperi

Senior Advisor

Global Health and Laboratory Management

Association of Public Health Laboratories

July 8, 2011


 

 

3      GENERAL Information, Assumptions, REQUIREMENTS and Preferences

 

The notes here on general issues, assumptions and preferences, while not requirements, provide an overview of the non-functional requirements and preferences that are important issues for consideration by respondents since they describe key aspects of the LIMS that would be most appropriate.

 

1.             This LIMS application should be considered a laboratory-oriented, sample-centric application as opposed to a patient-centric, patient management application.  While there are many patient-centric applications that have laboratory components, the primary purpose of this application is to collect and manage laboratory test data, quality control data, inventory control data, standard operating procedures and training information within the laboratory.  Sample-centric laboratory systems that link individual patient data through some universal identifier for epidemiological purposes are preferred.

 

2.             For the purpose of this RFP, installations in laboratories should be considered as separate, individual installations.  Applications that have the flexibility to move toward central data management in the future are preferred.

 

3.             Respondents should keep in mind that this RFP is designed for the purchase and installation of application software in the selected Tanzania laboratories only.  However, if the installation at these laboratories is successful, there is a possibility of following these installations with subsequent implementations in other zonal, regional and district laboratories in Tanzania.  Respondents may supply cost estimates for these additional sites, beyond the selected sites, in the cost break-down sheet in Section 8.  This is optional.

 

4.             The laboratory requirements found in section 6 are meant to be a guide for respondents in responding to this RFP and to ensure that respondents understand the type of data that needs to be collected and communicated within the Tanzania laboratories.  Consequently, they are general in nature and represent the minimum of data points to be collected. 

 

5.             The ability for the LIMS to remotely order tests and report results is preferable and the system should either have or be extensible enough to accommodate this feature. 

 

6.             Applications that have the ability to create and transmit data files in internationally recognized standards such as HL7 and utilize standard vocabulary code sets such as LOINC and SNOMED are preferred.

 

7.             Respondents can assume that:

 

a.     A local LAN will be in place and functional at the selected Tanzania laboratories prior to installation of the application.  Respondents can assume that required networking, switches, hubs, firewalls, virus software, etc., will be provided.

b.    The laboratory will have access to the internet either through broadband or dial-up connection and that the access will be available through the local LAN installed in the laboratory. 

c.     Sufficient PC’s will be available to run the application software at the selected Tanzania laboratories prior to the installation of the application software. 

d.    Bar code printers and scanners (if necessary) along with a sufficient number of networked system printers required by the selected application will be available prior to the installation of application software.

 

8.             Respondents whose application software is licensed by PC or server, can base their proposal on the following standard information regarding PC’s and servers.  Each installation site will also include a minimum of two laser printers, two bar code printers and two bar code scanners.  Complete and final information regarding hardware, infrastructure and training requirements will be gathered as a part of the GAP analysis:

 

a.     Approximately seven (7) PC’s and one (1) server will be available at the Amana Hospital Laboratory

b.    Approximately seven (7) PC’s and one (1) server will be available at the Mount Meru  Hospital Laboratory

c.     Approximately seven (7) PC’s and one (1) server will be available at the KCMC Hospital Laboratory

d.    Approximately seven (7) PC’s and one (1) server will be available at the Temeke Hospital Laboratory

e.     Approximately seven (7) PC’s and one (1) server will be available at the Morogoro Hospital Laboratory

f.     Approximately seven (7) PC’s and one (1) server will be available at the Dodoma Hospital Laboratory

g.    Approximately seven (7) PC’s and one (1) server will be available at the Bombo Regional Hospital Laboratory

 

9.             Respondents should bid a LIMS application package that includes the following for the selected Tanzania installation: 

 

a.     All software required to make the LIMS viable at each laboratory site

b.    Hardware not already available in the laboratory, specifically including any required or specialized cabling or converters for instrument interfaces

c.     Superuser and network administrator training (initial minimum one week end user training at the laboratory facility on the software as provided, two weeks post-live supportive supervision)

d.    Installation and initial customization of the software for use at each of the selected Tanzania laboratories and future Regional and District sites

e.     One (1) year minimum of software maintenance (updates, patches, etc.)

f.     One (1) year minimum of software support (for user questions, help desk, etc.). 

g.    Plans and prices for the continuation of software maintenance and support

h.     Costs associated with additional instrument interfaces beyond those included in this RFP

i.      Costs associated with technical support (not included with software maintenance and support)

j.      Costs associated with training and software customization following initial installation.

 

Questions regarding technical and business (laboratory) requirements described in this RFP must be directed in writing, via email to Lucy Maryogo-Robinson:

 

Lucy Maryogo-Robinson

Director, Global Health Program, APHL

Email:  lucy.robinson@aphl.org

 

Due to the text limitation of this board, if you are interested in responding to this RFP, you must email Lucy Maryogo-Robinson at APHL (lucy.robinson@aphl.org) to obtain the official RFP response documentation.  This documentation will contain all necessary information and tools to enable you to respond accordingly. 

 

E-mail and fax RFP responses must be received at the APHL office by 5:00 PM EDT (9:00 PM UTC) on August 9, 2011.  Courier and USPS responses must be postmarked or entered into a tracking system by 5:00 PM EDT (9:00 PM UTC) on August 9, 2011.