Contract Vehicles: TASC3

URC is one of three contractors selected in September 2003 to provide services under the new TASC2 Tuberculosis Indefinite Quantity Contract (IQC). TASC2 Tuberculosis is designed to provide a worldwide rapid-procurement vehicle that allows USAID Missions to access technical assistance and programmatic support for tuberculosis control, including all aspects of adapting in different settings the WHO-recommended Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course (DOTS) strategy. A Stop TB coalition partner, URC has worked to strengthen tuberculosis control in a number of countries, including Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Niger, the Philippines, Russia, and South Africa.

Assistance procured through a task order with URC can be long-term or intermittent, depending on Mission or Bureau requirements. Task orders awarded under TASC2 can extend up to 36 months beyond the end date of the contract, September 30, 2008, as long as they are awarded before that end date. Task orders are developed, awarded, and managed by the requesting unit (the USAID Mission or Bureau). The Global Health Bureau in Washington provides guidance and assistance when requested.

URC TASC2 Tuberculosis Services:

Under TASC2 Tuberculosis, URC can provide: (a) short-term technical assistance, (b) long-term in-country technical assistance, implementation, and performance monitoring, (c) information dissemination through seminars, workshops, conferences, and technical papers, and (d) training and study tours for host-country decision makers and technical personnel. Key areas of URC assistance under TASC2 Tuberculosis include:

Community-based Support and Outreach
DOTS Expansion and Scale-up
Identification, Screening, Treatment, and Follow-up of TB Patients
Improving Patient Adherence to Treatment
Integration of TB Guidelines with HIV/AIDS and Other Clinical Services
Laboratory Diagnostic Services
Multi-drug Resistant TB
Program Management
Public-Private Partnerships
Quality Assurance
Rational Use of First-line Drugs
Surveillance, Monitoring, and Evaluation Systems
TB Education, Awareness, and Advocacy
TB Policy Development and Regulation
Training Methodologies to Enhance Provider Compliance with Guidelines