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September 15, 2007
Requests for Proposals for Projects Related to Quantitative Research in Immunization
Deadline for Proposals: 15 September 2007
Introduction
Please note: the final deadline for all proposals is 15 September, 2007 for consideration in the initial round of awards, which will be announced in October 2007.
Proposals should be submitted by e-mail to ivrrfp@who.int. Queries may also be sent to this address.
Questions about specific aspects of the proposals should be sent to the above e-mail address.
All proposals must include a detailed budget with justifications, and outline the qualifications of the principal investigator(s) to carry out the work, as well as the institutional capacity. Please see Annex 1 for guidelines on how to format the proposal, and Annex 2 for instructions on submitting the proposals.
Modelling for Determining the Optimal Use of Limited Quantities of Pandemic Flu Vaccine
It is likely that the amount of vaccine that may be available for use in developing countries in the event of a flu pandemic will be insufficient to vaccinate the entire population at risk. In this situation, countries will need an evidence-based framework within which to structure decisions about the use of the vaccine - which groups should get the vaccine, in which order, according to various criteria that may be different within each country (eg, whether the goal is to protect infrastructure vs. limiting spread of the diseases, etc). Decisions about the use of vaccine will depend not only on the quantity of the vaccine available, but the protective characteristics of the vaccine, the population dynamics of the country considering use of the vaccine, and the severity and transmission dynamics of the strain of pandemic flu.
Mathematical models provide a useful framework in which to evaluate the potential impact of various immunization strategies where there are many unknowns, and developing these models ahead of time, with the capability to adapt them to a number of different potential scenarios, can provide a valuable tool to countries in their formulation of evidence-based plans of actions in the event of a possible pandemic. These models may also be helpful in identify optimal characteristics of a pandemic influenza vaccine.
Proposals are sought from individuals, institutions, or collaborative research groups to develop models (this can include the adaptation of existing models that the group has already developed - and this approach is preferred given the time frame) capable of providing country-specific evaluations of possible immunization options in the event of a pandemic, with the capacity to examine different scenarios by varying parameters such as:
- The characteristics (efficacy, potency, number of doses required) of the vaccine;
- The virulence, serverity, and transmissibility of the pandemic influenza strain;
- The objectives of the country (controlling transmission; protecting infrastructure; limiting morbidity/mortality; cost-effectiveness, etc).
- Other parameters as identified in the proposal.
The technical content of the proposal should be maximum 5 pages. It is expected that all the software code used to develop the models would be made publicly available, and successful grantees will be encouraged to publish their results in peer-reviewed journals.
The final deliverable model should clearly identify what country-specific data collection would be required to populate the models at the country level, by level of importance.
Approaches that are also generalizable to consideration of the impact of seasonal vaccine, or that allow for consideration of seasonal vaccine as part of a control strategy for the use of pandemic vaccine are particularly welcomed.
Time Frame for work: Awards will be made in early October 2007. Work is expected to take approximately 6 months.
Budget: Award sizes are expected to range between $15,000 USD up to $100,000 USD.
It is expected that more than one award will be made in this category.
Models to estimate national vaccine-preventable disease burden for all 193 WHO Member States
In response to challenges in global immunization, WHO and UNICEF developed the Global Immunization Vision and Strategy, 2006-2015 [pdf 3.5Mb]. In brief, GIVS aims to immunize more people, from infants to seniors, with a greater range of vaccines. Its chief goal is to, by 2015 or earlier, reduce illness and death due to vaccine-preventable diseases by at least two thirds compared to 2000 levels.
GIVS has four main aims:
- to immunize more people against more diseases;
- to introduce a range of newly available vaccines and technologies;
- to provide a number of critical health interventions and surveillance with immunization; and
- to manage vaccination programmes and activities within the context of global interdependence.
Both to provide member states with information on which to make evidence-based decisions on strategies to achieve the GIVS goals, as well as to enable monitoring of the achievement of the two-thirds morbidity and mortality reduction goal, credible models of disease burden are needed.
Approaches to estimating disease burden should have the following properties
Be based on a systematically collected Database of evidence with which to parameterize the models: high quality and up-to-date database with the country-specific information with metadata, that can be made accessible to reviewers of estimates as well as the general public.
Estimation methods: transparent methods, which are suitable for publication and which will be peer-reviewed through an IVR advisory committee; the methods should be clearly documented as to assumptions and limitations, and include estimates of uncertainty.
The methods must be capable of being updateable annually to be able to estimate national, regional, and global disease burden, disease burden averted, and account for changes in immunization coverage (and policy, if appropriate). The ability to estimate disease burden in children (<5) and adults separately is important.
We are currently seeking proposals to develop models (and gather the necessary information to parameterize such models) to estimate the burden of the following diseases, listed by priority area
Priority 1: 1 Rubella1, Pertussis , Yellow Fever, Diphtheria, Cholera, Seasonal Influenza
Priority 2: Mumps, Varicella, Typhoid
Priority 3: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, Dengue
It is expected that in addition to developing the well-documented database of evidence and estimation methods, that the grantees would present the work to the IVR advisory committee and make modifications as required. The grantee would be expected to work in collaboration with WHO staff on the project, with regular progress updates and consultations on direction.
1 WHO-IVB has a previous version of an extensive literature search on parameter data for rubella that could, once updated, be used to populate a model such as the one Cutts FT, Vynnycky E. Modelling the incidence of congenital rubella syndrome in developing countries. Int J Epidemiol. 1999 Dec;28(6):1176-84.
Other Quantitative Research Projects
A. Decision Analysis to Guide Policy on the Introduction of a Routine 2nd Dose of Measles Vaccine
The current WHO policy recommendation is that countries should provide all children with a 2nd opportunity for measles immunization either through regular mass vaccination campaigns (in countries with moderate to low immunization coverage) or through a routine 2nd dose (in countries with high coverage). However, there is no consensus on what constitutes “high coverage”. WHO is requesting proposals that will conduct a decision analysis using a fully dynamic model of measles transmission that:
- Accurately describes measles transmission in a developing country setting
- Estimates the impact introduction of a routine 2nd dose of measles vaccine on population immunity, disease transmission, and disease incidence and mortality
- Evaluates the effect of different levels of coverage with both the 1st and 2nd dose on disease incidence and mortality
- Explores the definition of what constitutes “high coverage” — that is the level of 2nd dose coverage above which significant gains occur in population immunity
- Enables addition of cost parameters in order to calculate the cost-effectiveness of different vaccination scenarios including a comparison between introduction of a routine 2nd dose and conducting regular follow-ups campaigns
B. Decision analysis of pursuing global eradication of measles versus achieving and sustaining the current regional elimination and/or control targets.
Measles is thought to have the biological characteristics and an effective intervention (measles vaccine) that would allow it to be eradicated. However, debate continues as to whether the world should target measles for global eradication given its highly infectious nature, the relatively weak state of some national immunization programmes and the fact that polio eradication is not yet completed.
The Region of the Americas has stopped endemic measles transmission since November 2002 but continues to get importations of measles that result in costly outbreak response efforts. Three WHO regions (European, Eastern Mediterranean, and Western Pacific) have established measles elimination goals. The remaining two regions (Africa and SE Asia) have measles mortality reduction goals and the overriding global goal for measles control is a 90% reduction in measles deaths by 2010 compared with 2000 levels.
WHO is seeking letters of intent describing an approach to a decision analysis contrasting a programme targeting global eradication of measles with the current regional elimination and/or mortality reduction goals. This approach should include:
- Use of a fully dynamic model of measles transmission applied to actual country and regional data of measles vaccination coverage.
- Assumptions and parameters in the model should be based on a recent review of the published literature.
- A description of the data needs and rough time frame for conducting the disease burden and economic analyses required for the project.
C. A systematic review of the literature on the impact of routine immunization on child mortality.
As progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals is monitored, a question arises, particularly for MDG 4, as to the specific contribution immunization has made to reducing child mortality.
The goal of this project would be to conduct a systematic literature review to document the impact of routine immunization on overall child mortality levels, and to analyse the results of that literature review.
Annex 1: Proposal Format Instructions
Short Title: Please provide a clear and concise project title.
Contact Details: For the principal investigator or institutional contact person, please state:
- The name of the organization (if it is an organization rather than an individual that is bidding)
- Postal address of the individual/organization
- Name of the principal contact person
- Telephone number of the principal contact person
- Fax number of the principal contact person
- E-mail address of the principal contact person.
- Project Description
- In no more than five pages, please describe how you intend to carry out the proposed project. The Project Description should provide a clear statement of the work to be undertaken and must include: objectives for the period of the proposed work and expected significance; relation to the present state of knowledge in the field, and to work in progress by the PI under other support and to work in progress elsewhere.
- The Project Description should outline the general plan of work, including the broad design of activities to be undertaken, and, where appropriate, provide a clear description of methods and procedures and plans for preservation, documentation, and sharing of data, models, and software. It must describe as an integral part of the narrative, the broader impacts resulting from the proposed activities, addressing one or more of the following as appropriate for the project.
- Project Timeline
- Please outline in no more than one page the proposed project timeline, together with milestones and deliverables
- Budget
- Please detail the total budget, with details by cost components. The budget proposal should be fully supported by information adequate to establish the reasonableness of the proposed amount.
- Organizational and Individual Capacity
- In no more than two pages, please describe the qualifications of the individuals and/or organizations proposed to carry out the project and their comparative advantages. CV’s of key investigators may be attached as annexes. A list of 5 key (recent) publications from collaborators on the project should be listed as part of the main body of the organizational/individual capacity statement. Any potential conflicts of interest should be clearly stated.
Annex 2: Proposal Submission Instructions
Contacts and Procedures: An electronic copy of the Proposal in English, which must be clearly marked WHO.IVR.QUIVER.07.01, should be sent by electronic mail (no later than 15 September 2007) to:
QUIVER RFP
c/o Ms Macrina Haangala
Initiative for Vaccine Research
World Health Organization (WHO)
20 Avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland
Email address: ivrrfp@who.int
A duly signed paper copy should be sent to by regular mail and received in WHO Geneva (address above) no later than 7 days after the Closing Date of 15 September 2007.
Proposals submitted by any other method and/or in any other way will be rejected.
At any time prior to the Closing Date for receipt of Proposals, WHO may, for any reason, modify the RFP and associated documents by amendment. All designated Prime Contractors will be notified in writing of these amendments, if any, and any possible related extension of the Closing Date.
Closing Date and Public Opening: The Closing Date for the submission of proposals is 24:00 GMT+2, 15 September 2007, Geneva Switzerland.
Any Proposals received after the Closing Date and Time will be rejected.
WHO reserves the right to:
- Award the Contract on the basis of the Organization’s particular objectives
- Award the Contract to a Vendor of its choice, even if its bid is not the lowest
- Award separate Contracts for parts of the work, components or items, to one or more Vendors of its choice, even if their bids are not the lowest
- Not award any Contract at all
WHO also reserves the right to negotiate the terms of the Proposal(s) made by one or more Vendors of its choice, including but not limited to negotiation of the price quoted in such Proposal(s) and/or the deletion of certain parts of the work, components or items called for under this RFP.
There is no obligation by WHO to reveal, or discuss with any Vendor, how a Proposal was assessed, or to provide any other information relative to the evaluation process.
Vendors whose Proposals are not short-listed nor finally selected will be notified in writing of this fact, and shall have no claim whatsoever for any kind of compensation.
