Research services

Tender description

Objective The goal of the Delivering Effective Health Services Research Programme will be to produce high quality evidence that improves the health of the poorest in developing countries. The supplier will be to deliver new knowledge about how to deliver basic curative and preventative health services across health care programmes. Recipient The recipient of the outputs of the programme is the global development community. As such, the research outputs will be global public goods, to be used to shape international health policy. Specific users of the information generated are likely to include: developing country governments; ministries of development in OECD countries; international organisations, such as the WHO and civil society groups concerned with health and health service delivery issues. DFID intends to award a contract for delivery of research services to provide new knowledge about how to deliver basic curative and preventative health services across different health care programmes. Operational research is particularly needed to inform and strengthen basic health services at the district and primary care level. We especially need more evidence on how to deliver and sustain services in fragile and post-conflict states, where systems are weak and governments less able to offer and sustain essential services. The research should also address the social, gender related, economic and behavioural factors behind successful programme implementation. We welcome a focus on health services for communicable disease control (e.g. malaria, TB and neglected tropical diseases) because these will remain a priority focus for DFID The supplier will create robust new knowledge, and will be expected to play an important role in synthesising existing knowledge. Particular emphasis will be placed on ensuring that research addresses questions that have clear operational relevance. This does not preclude the kinds of conceptual and theoretical work that can underpin good policy making. It does require, however, that the proposed research question is sensitive to the current and anticipated needs of policy makers, politicians and communities, and able to demonstrate this in their work. There will be a strong practical focus on what has and has not worked and on where, why and how. The supplier will extract key lessons and implications for DFID, Her Majesty's Government and national international actors more widely. The supplier will also focus on the uptake of relevant research findings. For example, innovative partnerships that support multi-media communication, and facilitate access to key policy forums will be strongly welcomed. The supplier will operate in ways that strengthen the capacity of southern researchers and institutions and that stimulate and give profile to southern-led research initiatives.