Request for Proposal (RfP)
SHORT-TERM EXPERT (STE): CLINICAL LABORATORY & DIAGNOSTICS SPECIALIST

Background

Swisscontact is a Swiss development organisation that works to make economic systems more inclusive and sustainable. Through its projects, it enables skills development and local entrepreneurship, provides access to local financial service providers, and supports resource efficiency for decent employment and income generation.
In Bangladesh, it runs the ASTHA (Achieving Sustainability Towards Healthcare Access) project to expand healthcare in rural areas by building a Community Paramedic (CP) workforce. CPs are trained through a two-year course under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) and certified by the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council (BNMC).

The project is currently facilitating the ASTHA CARE network, a national network of community-based, technology-enabled, private healthcare enterprises that bundle high-quality primary healthcare services into a single accessible delivery point in rural growth centres. Strategically located in high-footfall rural market centres, each ASTHA CARE is a one-stop health hub, offering on-site medical consultations, rapid diagnostic tests, and an in-house pharmacy under one roof, complemented by an integrated digital patient health record. 

Currently, two sites are operational – one in Panch Pir Gaibandha and another in Jaldhaka, Nilphamari. Two more are awaiting regulatory approvals. As ASTHA CARE moves from proof of concept to scale, the standardisation of its diagnostic and medical equipment portfolio has become a critical determinant of both clinical quality and commercial viability.

Against this backdrop, Swisscontact ASTHA seeks to engage an independent Short-Term Expert (STE) to conduct a vendor-neutral technical review of the existing portfolio, assess facility-level requirements, and deliver a standardised, tiered medical equipment and diagnostics portfolio. The portfolio must contain specifications, indicative brands, and multiple qualified supply sources that ASTHA CARE and comparable rural healthcare enterprises can adopt as a replicable standard. All in all, the STE will act as an independent technical authority for ASTHA CARE.

Objectives of the assignment

The primary objective of this assignment is to establish a standardised, tiered, and vendor-neutral laboratory diagnostics portfolio for ASTHA CARE. Through an independent desk review of the current portfolio and field-level consultation, the STE will refine and strengthen the existing laboratory and diagnostic setup and deliver a defensible, replicable portfolio standard for adoption across ASTHA CARE facilities and beyond.

Submission Details

Your CV/Resume: Maximum two (2) pages, highlighting your skills and experience.

Technical Proposal: Please attach a document, no more than eight (8) pages, outlining the key understanding of the assignment, proposed methodology, deliverables, timeline, and estimated level of effort.  Please send your technical proposal in an email to the Coordinator - Procurement & Govt. Relations at [email protected] , with "Short-Term Expert – Clinical Laboratory & Diagnostics Specialist" in the subject line.
Alongside the technical proposal, please send the following documents in the same email:

Financial Proposal: Please submit a separate document, outlining your expected consultancy fee based on the deliverables and the estimated level of effort. Only the hard copy (no soft copy) of the financial proposal should be submitted in a sealed envelope to the address below:
Coordinator - Procurement & Govt. Relations
Swisscontact Bangladesh
House 28, Road 43, Gulshan 2
Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh

The subject line "Short-Term Expert – Clinical Laboratory & Diagnostics" must appear on both the envelope and the email. The submission deadline is 06 August 2025, before 05:00 PM.

Swisscontact reserves the right to accept or reject any or all proposals without assigning any reason. It has the right to select more than one service provider for the assignment.