Ethiopia has made significant strides in reducing human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) incidence and overall epidemic control. AIDS-related deaths and infections reduced with the concerted effort of all stakeholders. However, the epidemic continues affecting sizable number of the population. The GOE through its Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP 2016-2020) prioritized expanding coverage of key prevention, care, treatment and support services to population groups highly impacted by the disease. This was done in line with the UNAIDS global goals of 90-90-90. As part of supporting this effort, Project HOPE and its partners, Management Sciences for Health (MSH), and Population Services International (PSI) with funding from PEPFAR through USAID Ethiopia collaborated to implement Community HIV Care and Treatment Activity (CHCT). The Project implementation will be through various Local Implementing Partners (LIPs) with experience of implementing HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support activities in Ethiopia.
Conducting a baseline assessment from representative samples of PEPFAR priority towns and districts is an important step to objectively know the status of HIV services at community and health facility level to inform the project plan, implementation approach and monitoring. The scope of the project and indicative expectation of the baseline assessment are described below. Hence, applicants interested to provide consultancy service for the baseline assessment as per the description below are invited to express their interest in 7 working days of this announcement.
CHCT will be implemented in selected scale-up woredas including 20 PEPFAR priority towns of Amhara, Tigray, Oromia, Harari, Gambella, Somalia, Benishangul Gumuz, Afar and SNNP regions, as well as Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa city administrations. CHCT will conduct targeted community based HIV testing services, care, support and treatment services in 187 scale-up and 122 attained PEPFAR priority woredas as per COP17 plan.
The Baseline survey is expected to provide benchmarks on key indicators of success against which Project hope will measure the project’s performance during implementation and at the completion of the project. On top of gathering information for benchmarking with subsequent assessments of effectiveness and efficiency of the activity towards its intended results, it establishes the basis for setting CHCT’s performance targets and ensuring accountability to partners and stakeholders.
The baseline assessment will follow a cross sectional survey design utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. It will be conducted through interviews, on site observations and systems reviews with PLHIV, OVCs, WDWs, PLHIV peer support group leaders, case managers, adherence supporters, UHEWs and CC/CCCs found in the project target districts and towns.
Objective of the Baseline assessment: The baseline survey will provide concrete understanding of the existing community and health facility HIV services:
- Coverage of key HIV prevention, care and support services such as proportions of individuals targeted by CHCT who received targeted HIV Testing and Counseling services for HIV and received their results (disaggregated by test result, and type of population). These services need to be disaggregated by community based and health facility based services.
- Coverage and adherence levels of ART (proportion of adult ART clients or pediatric ART clients with >95% adherence levels)
- Coverage of viral load testing and suppression ( proportion of PLHIV on ART with self-reported viral load result in the past 12 months among PLHIVs enrolled in the community based care model
- Referral linkages systems, effectiveness and gaps
- lost to follow up rates, reasons and treatment restart efforts
- describe key underlying attributes, characteristics and reasons for underutilization of HIV services
- assess capacity status of CCs/CCCs
- assess availability of service delivery points in the community for social services such as Economic strengthening services, food security and relevant others
The consulting firm is expected to develop rigorous methodology to undertake the study in line with the above-mentioned objectives and purposes. These will include defining the sample size calculation, sampling techniques and recruitment of respondents, data collection and analysis tools, processes and procedures in line with the project core outcome and impact indicators.
The consultant should finalize the baseline survey within 8 weeks (beginning December 2017) as per the TOR. The consultant should submit the detailed breakdown of the activities and timetable based on the following major activities as a guideline or suggestion:
· Finalize sample size calculation, sampling techniques and sampling frames in consultation with CHCT technical team.
· Prepare the baseline survey instruments including questionnaires and qualitative guides
· Training for data collectors, supervisors, coordinators including field practice/pre-testing.
· Field data collection data analysis and report writing.
· Preparation and submission of the first draft report.
· Debrief with project staff on the key findings.
· Incorporation of comments and finalization of the baseline report.
· Participate in briefing meetings on the assignment with CHCT team of Project Hope.
· Submit inception report (protocol) that details the methodology and other key aspects of the survey including, but not limited to, the detail sample size calculation and sampling techniques, key indicators to measure, tool development process and schedule; survey staff recruitment, training and deployment plan; data collection logistics; data quality assurance during data collection; data entry plan including quality assurance during data entry; data analysis plan, syntax and report. Moreover, it should also include proposed tools for data quality assurance and proposed report outline and dummy tables.
· Meet with CHCT team to discuss and address comments on inception report and the other key deliverables (see next section VIII).
· Develop the data collection instruments in line with the project core outcome and impact indicators.
· Recruit supervisors, enumerators and local guides as per the plan detailed in the inception report.
· Train the survey team on the questionnaire and survey implementation.
· Oversee the data collection process to include: survey pre-test; and ensure effective management of data collection teams by supervisors.
· Assure the data quality through proper supervision, questionnaire reviews, interview spot checks, daily discussion with data collection team on problems encountered and other data quality assurance methods detailed in the inception report
· Enter the data using appropriate package, clean and analyze per the agreed plan
· Prepare weekly progress reports.
· Produce and submit to CHCT team draft report on findings (per required format and data request).
· Incorporate comments from the team into draft report and produce final report.
· Finalize a high-quality baseline analysis report.
· Present findings to the CHCT team after the report submission
· Coordinate with the CHCT Team to disseminate study findings to stakeholders
· Survey inception report including proposed dummy tables.
· Reviewed and finalized household survey tools and checklists.
· Key informant in-depth interview guides and checklists.
· Brief report of the field data collection process that outlines issues and challenges that may need to be considered in interpreting the final report within one week of completing the data collection.
· Debriefing meeting with CHCT technical staff based on the field data collection process report mentioned above.
· Submission of preliminary findings within two weeks of field survey completion followed by briefing meeting with CHCT staff.
· Data entry template and syntaxes generated for cleaning and analysis.
· Final cleaned datasets in STATA/SPSS.
· Survey team name and contact details.
· Survey route plan, checklists prepared for the survey, data quality assessments tools in the field, data management manuals, datasets codebook and dictionary,
· Draft report for review based on the outline agreed in the inception report.
· Final report based on the outline agreed in the inception report.
· Concise final report not more than 50 pages (Excluding annexes), in three hard copies and word document.
· Power-point presentation for dissemination purpose.
· Present the survey findings at a national dissemination workshop organized by CHCT within one month of submitting final report.
· The consultant firm should demonstrate expertise and experience in conducting comprehensive base line and research studies and have prior experience performing similar work in Ethiopia. The should also have:
· Technical staff from multi-disciplinary backgrounds including higher level qualification in public health, epidemiology, demography, monitoring and evaluation, social sciences and related discipline with strong experience in quantitative research.
· Staff who are strongly familiar and knowledgeable with the national health system, including the Health Sector Transformation Plan, the Multi Sectoral Response Strategic Plans, the Urban Health Extension Program and high impact child and newborn health interventions included in the government strategy.
· Proven experience of carrying out large scale quantitative and qualitative studies focusing ideally on HIV/AIDS and related issues.
· Capacity to work within a specified period to complete all the base line study activities and report to Project Hope as agreed.
· As the consultant(s) will be working on behalf of Project HOPE they will be required to adhere to the ethical standards of the host country.
· The survey protocol will make clear to all participating stakeholders that they are under no obligation to participate in the survey, and should obtain informed consent for their participation. All participants will be assured that there will be no negative consequences if they choose not to participate. Participants must be assured of the anonymity, confidentiality and protection of visual data and its use for agreed purpose only.
· Bidders are expected to implement sound and ethical judgement in their undertakings all through the procurement cycle. Misrepresentation of facts will not be tolerated.
The consulting Firm will be responsible for arranging all the required logistics and related costs to conduct this assessment.
Proposals will be evaluated by the selection committee based on the following criteria:
Illustrative Technical proposal (60%)
Financial Proposal will be submitted during proposal development stage and will be rated out of 40%.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to make a presentations and further discussion before submitting full proposal.
Let Employers Find You
Upload/Update Your CVFeatured Jobs