Applicants will submit concept notes to the OAP platform. Concept notes should be three pages or less in length. To be eligible for funding, applicants must complete the concept note template, which includes: 

1. Two Sentence Overview

In two sentences, provide a description of your project for a nontechnical audience. Please describe: the goals(s) of the project; how the goals(s) will be achieved; how your organization’s expertise will contribute to achieving the project goal(s).

2. Executive Summary

Describe in two to three paragraphs, for a nontechnical audience, the context under which this application or work plan is being submitted to Digital Square and the expected outcomes. Answer the following questions: What will this investment from Digital Square specifically go toward? What is/are the goal(s) of the project? How will the goal(s) be achieved? How will your organization’s expertise contribute to achieving the project goal(s)?

3. Consortium Team

If you are looking for partners or collaborating organizations, indicate the type of support needed and put the text in bold font so that it stands out.

Describe in two to three paragraphs the composition of the consortium:  In the first paragraph of this section, describe the prime organization, including the skill sets of the organization relative to the project. Include how the organization will lead/manage the work. In the second paragraph, identify supporting organizations. Include technical capabilities aligned with the application activities for each organization. Include the following details: Profile of organization’s relevant qualifications; how capabilities will augment the prime organization.

4. Project Description

Describe the project idea in further detail. If you have phases or objective areas in your project, outline those in the project description. Subsections within the project description should include:

Background or problem statement

Put the project/work within the larger context. 

Objectives

What is the technical approach or anticipated activities to address the problem statement and anticipated outcomes? Provide a short description of monitoring and evaluation approach, techniques, and/or process. 

Deliverables & Schedule

What are the outputs or deliverables? What is the anticipated timeline to meet deliverables? 

Risk Mitigation 

Are there potential obstacles or risks? What is the mitigation strategy and/or plan to overcome them?

When submitting the concept note to the OAP platform, you will need to copy sections I-III into the platform and list the consortium team organization(s), as applicable. The OAP platform will also ask you to provide digital health atlas registration confirmation (required), tagging, geographic reach, and source code, as applicable. 

Digital Square requires that the global good is registered as a software in the Digital Health Atlas (DHA). This ensures that users of the DHA can reference it in future project registrations.  If the digital health tool is registered, please include a registration link or screenshot of the entry under “Attachments.”  If it is currently not part of the taxonomy to register the software, please register by contacting Maeghan Orton at maeghan.ray@gmail.com and include a copy of this email under “Attachments” in OAP platform.

Concept notes that are aligned with funding round objectives will be invited to submit a full application. Currently, US$400,000 of funding has been identified from which multiple subawards are expected to be made and we hope to identify additional sources of funding before awards.

Full Application Requirements - Technical

The technical application must be written clearly and define all work, deliverables, and timelines of performance to eliminate ambiguity. Any acronyms used must be spelled out and technical jargon should be minimized in favor of commonly understood terms.

Following the concept note stage, notified applicants, using feedback received in the concept note phase, will begin preliminary application development in the technical application template. 

The preliminary application should contain only the technical application template. During the application finalization step, following the application co-creation and comment period, the full application package must include a detailed budget and budget narrative (see Section 6. Full Application Requirements - Cost).

During the preliminary application co-creation step, applicants and other stakeholders can provide feedback, comments, and suggestions beginning the day of application posting. Applicants must post a technical application iteration within the first two weeks of the preliminary application co-creation step. Applicants may continue to post technical application iterations on the forum until the preliminary application comment period begins. Please indicate updates by saving the file with a version number at the end of the file name or date (e.g., “ApplicationTitle_v1”). As necessary, please revise the two-sentence overview, executive summary, and consortium team on the OAP platform page.

Required Elements

To be eligible for funding through RFA #2019-016 applicants must complete the technical application template which includes:

1. Two Sentence Overview

In two sentences, provide a description of your project for a nontechnical audience. Please describe: the goals(s) of the project; how the goals(s) will be achieved; how your organization’s expertise will contribute to achieving the project goal(s).

2. High-level budget summary

During the application finalization step, include the total requested value.  If the technical application includes multiple work packages, please include the value of each work package.

3. Executive Summary

Describe in two to three paragraphs, for a nontechnical audience, the context under which this application or work plan is being submitted to Digital Square and the expected outcomes. Please answer the following questions: What will this investment from Digital Square specifically go toward? What is/are the goal(s) of the project? How will the goal(s) be achieved? How will your organization’s expertise contribute to achieving the project goal(s)?

4. Consortium Team

Describe in two to three paragraphs the composition of the consortium.  In the first paragraph of this section, describe the prime organization, including the skill sets of the organization relative to the project. Include how the organization will lead/manage the work. In the second paragraph, identify supporting organizations. Include technical capabilities aligned with the application activities for each organization. Include the following details: profile of organization’s relevant qualifications; how capabilities will augment the prime organization.

5. Background or Problem Statement

Put the project/work within the larger context. Detail relevant background information necessary for a third party to understand. Where is the work taking place?  What is the current phase/stage of project?  Is this an ongoing or discrete project?

6. Digital Health Technologies

Provide an overview of key digital health tools, technologies, and standards that the project will be utilizing or investing, as well as the interactions between them. Detailed information (e.g., architecture or sequence diagrams) and linkages to existing Digital Square investments may be provided as supporting documents.

7. Use Cases and User Stories

Summarize key use cases and user stories that will be addressed by this intervention. 

8. Objectives & Activities

Detail all objectives so that even someone unfamiliar with the project can understand what is expected of all parties involved. Define the activities of the project/assigned work (i.e., things that will be knowable and measurable at subaward end) and activities undertaken to meet the objectives.  If your application includes several objective areas or workstreams, the application should be broken up into clearly identified work packages. Any dependencies between work packages should be clearly indicated.

9. Community Feedback

Describe how the consortium proposes to engage with the broader digital health community for feedback and input. Indicate the expected frequency of such engagements, as well as the type of expected input (e.g., feedback on architecture/design, use case alignment).

10. Schedule

Using the Objectives and Activities outline above, estimate month(s)/quarter(s) for the task(s) and list the entity responsible if a consortium member will support the task.   Indicate month/quarter for designated activities with no end product (meetings, phone calls).

11. Deliverables

A deliverable is a specific output (i.e., activity or item) the applicant will produce over the term of the subaward. Deliverables may be programmatic (e.g., reports, screenshots, code, certifications) or financial (e.g., invoices or financial reports). Deliverables document progress toward completion of the objectives detailed in the subaward scope of work. 

12. Global Good Maturity Model Assessment 

Complete the self-assessment and include a link to the Google Sheet. Applicants do not have to reach a certain threshold on the Maturity Model to qualify for funding. 

Full Application Requirements - Cost

Digital Square is only requesting detailed financial information during the application finalization step following the preliminary application comment period. The budget must clearly outline the costs of the proposed project. If your application includes work packages (See 5.VIII Objectives & Activities), the cost application must be broken down by the work packages. All costs must be submitted in United States dollars (USD).  

In the application finalization phase, please bear in mind that the technical application and cost application are complementary documents. The programmatic relevance of elements of cost such as level of effort (LOE), equipment, travel, and subawards or consultants, which must include consortium members, must be demonstrated by the scope of work (SOW).

Required Elements

To be eligible for funding, applicants must complete a cost application consisting of a detailed budget and budget narrative in the provided templates. A cost application includes:

1. Detailed budget for the total period of performance, submitted in an unlocked excel file and includes the following information:

   1. Personnel at minimum the budget should detail:

      1. All proposed staff/positions with rates.

      2. Total number of days in total level of effort according to key staff.

   2. Itemization of all other costs (e.g., agency costs, service tax, administrative costs, supplies, etc.).

   3. Estimated schedule of other anticipated expenses (travel, supplies, etc.).

   4. Details of all subawarding out of work, this includes proposed consultants as well as proposed subawardees, including consortium members.

2. Budget narrative detailing the cost and cost basis applied in generating the application. The budget narrative shall explain in a detailed but concise manner the assumptions made in order to arrive at each cost.

Click here to access RFA #2019-016 openIMIS Modularization, Nepali Functionality, and Community Development.