UNAIDS is establishing a Technical Support Facility (TSF) in Southern Africa. This TSF will seek to collaborate with country and regional partners in the provision of high quality technical assistance required for the strategic planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of efforts in support of national HIV/AIDS programmes.

The TSF will be established and managed by an existing national/regional organisation or institution on a contractual basis for a period of two to three years. Applications are welcomed from groups working as a Consortium or network.

The main aim of the TSF will be to:

· Improve country partner access to timely and quality assured technical assistance in agreed priority areas
· Strengthen the capacity of country partners to manage technical assistance effectively
· Assist in the professional development of national and regional consultants
· Encourage a harmonised and collaborative approach to the delivery of technical assistance in support of country partner-owned and partner-led action plans

Interested parties in the tender to manage the TSF will need to demonstrate their ability and capacity to:

· Build strong links to sources of technical assistance both in the region and internationally
· Recruit consultants and other providers of technical assistance
· Establish and maintain comprehensive databases of relevant consultants
· Market services to potential clients
· Manage contracts
· Provide professional development for national and regional consultants
· Strengthen the capacity of country partners to manage technical assistance
· Provide quality assurance of technical assistance
· Liaise with the UNAIDS Secretariat and other relevant stakeholders

Please note that only organizations based in Southern Africa will be eligible to submit a proposal.

All tenders should be submitted by email to [email protected] by 2400hrs GMT on 30 November 2004. Further information on tendering documents, eligibility criteria and required formats of tenders are available from Vicki Beard ([email protected]).

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