Technical Support to Improve Global Health Security Systems

Location:	District of Columbia
Posted:	Dec 17, 2025
Due:	Jan 23, 2026
Agency:	FHI 360
Type of Government:	State & Local
Category:	R - Professional, Administrative and Management Support Services
Solicitation No:	2025-010-South Sudan_RFP_02
Publication URL:	To access bid details, please log in.

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Request for Proposals

Request for Proposals for Technical Support to Improve Global Health Security

Solicitation Number: 2025-010-South Sudan

To: Prospective Organizations

From: FHI360 STRIDES PROJECT TEAM

Contract Title: Technical Support to Improve Global Health Security Systems

Location: South Sudan

Date Issued: December 3, 2025

Questions Due: December 10, 2025, 23:59 Eastern Daylight Time

Responses Posted: December 15, 2025, 23:59 Eastern Daylight Time

Submission Deadline: January 9, 2026, 23:59 Eastern Daylight Time

Submission Email: STRIDESProcurement@fhi360.org

INTRODUCTION

Infectious diseases continue to pose one of the greatest challenges to global health security.

South Sudan’s fragile health system, weakened by years of conflict and underinvestment, faces

recurring outbreaks of cholera, measles, viral hemorrhagic fevers, and other epidemic-prone

diseases. These threats are compounded by poor infrastructure, insecurity, limited health

workforce capacity, and displacement of populations, all of which heighten the risk of disease

transmission and delay effective response. Strengthening detection and response capacities is

therefore essential to prevent localized outbreaks from escalating into regional or global

threats.

The STRengthening Infectious disease DEtection Systems (STRIDES) Activity, funded by the

U.S. Department of State, builds upon the U.S. government’s Global Health Security (GHS)

investments to enhance diagnostic networks and surveillance capabilities in partner countries.

Through STRIDES, the United States supports activities that improve infectious disease

detection, surveillance, and data systems for priority diseases, while also providing emergency

response assistance during outbreaks. By strengthening human and animal health systems,

STRIDES aims to build sustainable national capacity aligned with International Health

Regulations (IHR, 2005) and Joint External Evaluation (JEE) recommendations.

FHI 360 is the implementing partner for the STRIDES Activity and is issuing this Request for

Proposals (RFP) to identify and contract with qualified organizations to deliver technical support

in South Sudan. The selected organization(s) will work in coordination with the Ministry of

Health, the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), and other in-country global health actors

to strengthen laboratory systems, surveillance networks, and outbreak response capacity.

Overview: STRIDES Activity in South Sudan

South Sudan’s health system remains among the most fragile globally. Decades of conflict,

political instability, and humanitarian crises have eroded infrastructure, governance, and

service delivery capacity across all sectors, including health. The country’s 10 states and three

administrative areas are marked by weak institutional coordination, with health service delivery

heavily dependent on international partners. Persistent insecurity and population displacement

hinder consistent surveillance, while seasonal flooding and poor road networks limit access to

health facilities.

The socio-political context is further complicated by overlapping mandates between national

and subnational authorities and fluctuating donor presence, which creates uneven support

across regions. These conditions also contribute to weak infection prevention and control (IPC)

practices, limited antimicrobial resistance (AMR) monitoring, and reduced trust in health

authorities—challenges that affect early reporting, adherence to public health guidance, and

the overall effectiveness of outbreak response.

Recurrent outbreaks of cholera, measles, yellow fever, Rift Valley fever, and viral hemorrhagic

fevers underscore the country’s vulnerability to epidemic-prone diseases and its limited ability

to mount coordinated responses. Polio remains a priority threat, with gaps in acute flaccid

paralysis (AFP) detection, genomic surveillance, environmental sampling, and case investigation

capacity. Laboratory networks remain fragmented, with minimal capacity for specimen referral

or testing outside Juba.

At the same time, opportunities exist to leverage emerging coordination platforms—such as the

NPHL and the Ministry of Health’s Emergency Operations Center—as anchor institutions for

cross-sectoral collaboration, quality improvement, AMR surveillance, and enhanced IPC

capacity. Strengthening Evidence-Based Health Messaging and Community Engagement (EMCE)

is also critical to improving reporting behaviors, rumor management, and community trust

during both routine surveillance and emergency response.

The 2024 JEE emphasized not only the need for improved specimen referral systems, laboratory

quality standards, and workforce development, but also called for stronger governance and

sustained multisectoral collaboration through a cross-sectoral framework. The JEE identified

critical weaknesses across several technical areas directly relevant to the STRIDES scope of

work, including:

• D.1.1 Specimen Referral and Transport System: Rated low due to limited logistical

capacity, absence of standardized packaging and tracking, and lack of reliable cold chain

systems. STRIDES’ activities on specimen transport, biosafety, IPC, and logistics directly

address these deficiencies.

• D.1.2 Laboratory Quality System: Scored weak because of the lack of national quality

assurance programs, limited calibration and maintenance systems, inadequate AMR

testing capacity, and inconsistent implementation of biosafety, biosecurity, and IPC

standards. STRIDES will support development of SOPs, national QA frameworks, AMR

surveillance functions, and staff training.

• D.1.4 National Laboratory Network: Received one of the lowest ratings, highlighting

fragmented coordination between human and animal health laboratories and weak

referral pathways. STRIDES’ focus on network strengthening, data integration, AMR

reporting, and quality management will improve interoperability.

• P.5.1 and P.5.2 Surveillance Systems (Indicator- and Event-based): Weak coordination,

delayed reporting, and underutilization of digital platforms contribute to poor

performance. STRIDES targets these gaps through workforce development, optimized

SOPs, community-based surveillance, EMCE-driven messaging, and real-time data

sharing.

• R.2.2 and R.2.3 Emergency Response Operations and RRT Deployment: Limited surge

capacity, inadequate IPC during response, and an under-resourced Emergency

Operations Center constrain timely action. STRIDES will help strengthen RRT

functionality, polio case investigation and outbreak support, simulation exercises, EMCE

mechanisms, and inter-agency coordination.

Overall, the JEE underscores the need for stronger integration across surveillance, laboratory,

IPC, polio, and response functions across South Sudan. Strengthening national policies,

decentralizing technical capacity, expanding AMR and IPC programs, and improving digital data

systems are essential to accelerate South Sudan’s progress toward meeting IHR 2005 core

capacities and achieving long-term health security resilience. Strengthened EMCE systems are

equally critical to improving community trust, early reporting, adoption of preventive

behaviors, and overall outbreak readiness.

As part of the U.S. Government’s GHS response, the STRIDES Activity plays a key role in South

Sudan. STRIDES is designed to improve disease detection, surveillance—including AFP

surveillance for polio—data collection, AMR monitoring, IPC compliance, analysis, and reporting

systems. It addresses critical gaps in national and subnational surveillance and diagnostic

systems that limit countries’ ability to prevent, detect, report, and respond effectively to

epidemics, pandemics, and emerging infectious disease threats that pose risks to global and

U.S. national security.

By strengthening these systems and aligning them with international quality and safety

standards, including support for AMR stewardship, IPC system strengthening, and EMCE for

outbreak preparedness and communication, STRIDES helps halt outbreaks at their source and

supports the delivery of quality, sustainable services across human and animal health systems.

In South Sudan, STRIDES aims to protect the health of millions while contributing to global

health security by improving the country’s capacity to detect, investigate, communicate about,

and manage outbreaks.

Technical description of Work to be Performed:

Scope of Work

FHI 360, under the STRIDES Activity, seeks a qualified contractor to provide technical support

and capacity strengthening to improve infectious disease detection and surveillance in South

Sudan. The overall aim is to strengthen national and subnational capacity to detect, prevent,

and respond to infectious disease threats through support for laboratory systems, surveillance,

multisectoral coordination, infection prevention and control (IPC), antimicrobial resistance

(AMR) monitoring, polio surveillance and case investigation, and enhanced Evidence-Based

Health Messaging and Community Engagement (EMCE) to reinforce trust and early reporting.

IMPORTANT: Applicants MAY offer a proposal and budget for some or all of the objectives

below based on their capabilities and experience. Consortium applications for one or all of the

objectives below are not encouraged.

The successful contractor(s) will be responsible for designing, implementing, and delivering a

comprehensive package of technical support in partnership with current USG supported

humanitarian and health partners, vetted private sector entities, local NGOs, and FBOs and

other national and subnational stakeholders under the leadership and direction of FHI 360 as

prime.

Applicants are invited to propose technical and financial approaches to implement the STRIDES

activity in South Sudan. Activities must align with the Activity’s objectives and be consistent

with the country’s JEE priorities, National Health Sector Development Plan, and other relevant

strategies. Applicants should clearly demonstrate how proposed interventions will strengthen

national and subnational capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to priority infectious

disease threats—including viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHF), zoonotic diseases, polio, AMR-

related threats, and IPC breaches—while also ensuring robust community engagement through

EMCE approaches.

Objective 1: Strengthen Laboratory Capacity and Systems

• Strengthen select national and subnational private laboratories others supported by

USG and other development partners to better support peripheral and regional

laboratories conducting primary diagnoses across human, animal, and environmental

sectors.

• Expand diagnostic capacity—including RT-PCR, ELISA, genomic sequencing, and

poliovirus detection methods—to confirm priority pathogens (VHFs, zoonoses, and

polio).

• Improve coordination and collaboration between human, animal, and environmental

laboratories, including AMR testing and reporting channels.

• Train and equip laboratory personnel on diagnostic protocols, biosafety/IPC practices,

AMR surveillance procedures, and quality management systems.

• Strengthen specimen referral, transport and lab/facility capacity systems—including

triple packaging, cold chain, biosafety-compliant logistics, and polio-specific AFP

specimen management to better handle and process samples.

• Integrate laboratory information systems with national surveillance platforms to

improve multisectoral data exchange, including polio, AMR, zoonotic, and VHF

laboratory reporting.

Objective 2: Strengthen Surveillance Systems

• Establish and expand event-based (EBS), indicator-based (IBS), and community-based

(CBS) surveillance for early detection of priority diseases in line with 7-1-7 goals,

including AFP/polio surveillance and reporting of IPC breaches.

• Strengthen integration of hospitals, private sector, and veterinary facilities into the

national surveillance system, including reporting of polio, AMR-related infections, and

IPC incidents.

• Train community health workers, clinicians, and veterinary actors to identify and report

suspect cases—including VHFs, polio/AFP cases, AMR priority pathogens, and IPC

concerns.

• Develop clear alert thresholds, criteria, and protocols for outbreak notification, polio

case investigation, and IPC event reporting; strengthen call centers and hotlines.

• Monitor media, social media, and informal networks for outbreak signals,

misinformation, and community feedback; incorporate findings into official surveillance

systems and EMCE strategies.

• Support multisectoral surveillance technical working groups to coordinate human and

animal health efforts, including AMR surveillance, polio AFP investigations, IPC risk

monitoring, and EMCE integration.

Objective 3: Strengthen Data Systems for Decision-Making

• Establish interoperable electronic platforms for multisectoral data exchange on zoonotic

diseases, AMR patterns, polio surveillance data, and laboratory results.

• Strengthen capacities of national and subnational data managers on data management,

visualization, analytics, and interpretation for priority diseases, including polio and AMR.

• Enhance existing dashboards and digital tools for real-time reporting of surveillance

alerts, laboratory results, AFP/polio data, AMR trends, and IPC monitoring.

• Improve feedback loops so analytic results are shared routinely with laboratories,

surveillance units, community networks, and emergency response structures.

• Monitor EMCE indicators, including community trust, rumor patterns, perceptions, and

adherence to public health guidance before, during, and after health emergencies.

Objective 4: Enhance Outbreak Preparedness and Response

• Reinforce national and subnational outbreak investigation and Rapid Response Team

(RRT) capacities—including for VHF, polio/AFP case investigation, AMR-associated

outbreaks, and IPC incident response.

• Preposition outbreak investigation kits (sample collection, PPE, transport media),

including AFP/polio investigation kits and IPC materials at strategic sites.

• Support implementation of the 7-1-7 framework—Early Action Reviews, simulation

exercises (SimEx), and After-Action Reviews (AAR)—to test and refine surveillance, polio

investigation workflows, laboratory systems, AMR responses, IPC readiness, and EMCE

communication channels.

• Strengthen Emergency Operations Center (EOC) functions, multisectoral coordination

mechanisms, and SOPs for multi-hazard response, including polio outbreaks and AMR

surveillance alarms.

This is the opportunity summary page. It provides an overview of this opportunity and a preview of the attached documentation.

Technical Support to Improve Global Health Security Systems - South Sudan

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