International consultancy to support MOHSP in conducting a baseline assessment of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) program in Tajikistan

Contract

This is a P-4 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 7 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 130,087 USD and 167,720 USD.

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This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world's toughest places, to reach the world's most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child,

Background Maternal and Child Health (MCH) remains a priority in Tajikistan's National Development and Health Sector policies and strategies including Tajikistan's commitment to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Despite significant gains in the last decade, Maternal and Child Health (MCH) outcomes in Tajikistan are worse than the average in Central Asia and Caucasus regions. Rates of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies are high. Preventable illnesses contribute to a considerable proportion of all child deaths in Tajikistan. Acute infections are the leading cause of death in the post-neonatal period. Acute respiratory illness (ARI), pneumonia, and acute diarrhea still account for more than half of reported child deaths within the first year of life, a pattern that has remained persistent over the last decade . Unsafe home deliveries are considered to be a major contributing factor to the high infant and maternal mortality rates in Tajikistan.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is supporting the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MoHSPP) to implement a Maternal and Child Health Integrated Care (MCHIC) Project within the purview of the National Health Strategy 2010-2020. The project aims at improving the health status and well-being of mothers and children in 3 districts (Shamsuddin Shohin, Rasht, and Fayzobod), focusing on the integrated MCH care delivery at both primary and secondary health care levels. UNICEF, in the framework of the ADB MCHICP initiated adaptation of the WHO IPC assessment tools for health care facilities, trained assessment teams, and is planning to conduct an assessment of IPC program in the selected primary and secondary health facilities of the project districts.

Within this context, UNICEF Tajikistan Country Office seeks to hire an international consultant to provide technical assistance to MOHSPP in conducting the IPC assessment in the targeted districts of the ADB Maternal and Child Health Integrated and the EU IPC Projects of Tajikistan.

Full TOR in English can be found through the link: ToR IPC assessment consultant international_ENG.docx

How can you make a difference?

OBJECTIVE:

The main objective of the consultancy assignment is to support the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population in conducting a baseline assessment of the IPC program in the selected secondary (maternity, surgical, pediatric, laboratory) departments and primary health care facilities of the selected districts. The required technical support will include the review of the assessment methodology, sampling of the primary health care facilities, training the assessment teams, supportive supervision and quality assurance of the data collection process, data cleaning, data analysis, and preparation of the assessment report.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The consultant will work in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population, WHO Country office IPC expert, UNICEF local consultant, experts of the national and districts center of Sanitary and Epidemiological Services (SES), the Republican Clinical Centre for Family Medicine and other relevant departments and centers of MOHSP to do the following:

1. Based on the adapted WHO IPC assessment tool, and working with the other team members (in WHO and UNICEF) support development of assessment methodology including В composition and required number of teams for data collection.
2. Support the training of the assessment teams selected by the MoHSP and Oblast/District health authorities.
3. In conjunction with local consultant/experts, facilitate/supervise data collection process of the IPC/HWM assessment at the primary and secondary health care facilities in the project districts;
4. Conduct data analysis, synthesis of the results, and report writing, with full engagement of the local research institute, MoHSP, WHO, and UNICEF, and provide necessary technical assistance and capacity building support throughout this process.
5. Finalize the assessment findings and facilitate initial discussions of the results with each national, oblast and districts experts and at the assessed health facilities to develop IPC Facility Scorecards and plans to implement the recommendations of the assessments;
6. Produce a final assessment report, summarizing the process and outcomes of the assignment as well as a set of recommendations and follow-up actions;
7. Develop IPC Facility Scorecards and plans to implement the recommendations of the assessments at the district level;
8. Conduct training of district teams on IPC self-assessment and IPC Facility Scorecards;
9. Produce final consultancy report with recommendations and follow-up actions.

Throughout the process, the consultant will work closely with the MoHSP and the local research institute with a view to building their institutional capacity to enable the independent undertaking of a similar survey in the future.

KEY DELIVERABLES and PAYMENT SCHEDULE:

#

Tasks/Milestone

Deliverables/Outputs

Number of days

Timeline

Payment schedule

1

Develop assessment methodology

1. Assessment methodology
2. Sampling of PHC facilities.

5

April 30,В 2021

30% upon submission of deliverables

2

Train the assessment team selected by the MoHSP and Oblast/District health authorities.

1. Number of experts trained on the assessment tool and methodology.

10

April 15th 2021

3

In conjunction with local experts, facilitate/conduct an assessment of theВ PC/HWMВ at the primary and secondary health care facilitiesВ the project districts

1. Report on data collection process;В

10

May 30th 2021

4

Conduct data analysis, synthesis of the results, and report writing, with full engagement of the local research institute, MoHSP, WHO and UNICEF, and provide necessary technical assistance and capacity building support throughout this process.

1. Raw data set in any available formats;

10

June 15th 2021

30% upon submission of deliverables

5

Finalize the assessment findings and facilitate initial discussions of the results with each national, oblast and districts experts and at the assessed health facilities to develop IPC Facility Scorecards and plans to implement the recommendations of the assessments;

1. Draft of the assessment report;
2. Power point presentation of the results
3. Minutes of the discussions;

15

July 15th 2021

6

Develop IPC Facility Scorecards and plans to implement the recommendations of the assessments

1. Development of a facility specific plan on IPC and HWM.

5

July 30th 2021

7

Produce a final assessment report, summarizing the process and outcomes of the assignment as well as a set of recommendations and follow-up actions

1. The assessment report on Infection Control and the Healthcare Waste Management in the project districts;В

5

August 30th 2021

20% upon submission of deliverables

8

Conduct training of district teams on IPC self-assessment and IPC Facility Scorecards

1. Number of district teams trained on self-assessment

15

September 30th, 2021

20% upon submission and final report and its approval by UNICEF/MOH

9

Produce final consultancy report with recommendations and follow-up actions

1. Final consultancy report

5

October 31 2021

Note: Due to COVID 19, the work and deliverables are subject to change. Consultant need to be flexible to adjust to any unforeseen adjustments that might occur during the implementation. In addition, the contract duration may factored potential delay due to travel restriction, thus project duration will be until 10th of December 2021.

Performance indicators for the evaluation of results:

The evaluation of the results will be based on:

1. Technical and professional competence (quality of the products delivered to UNICEF);
2. Scope of work (e.g. No. of meetings with the stakeholders);
3. Quality of work (quality of methodology, draft, and final report);
4. Quantity of work (completing the tasks indicated in the table above within the set timeframe)

In addition, such indicators as work relations, responsibility, drive for results, and communication will be taken into account during the evaluation of the Consultant’s work.

The assignment will be carried out in 80 working days spread over a period ranging from 25 April, 2021 till December 10, 2021.

Location: Dushanbe, Tajikistan with travel to the field.

On-location working days: Approx. 60 days

Off-location working days: Approx. 20 days

Travel involved: Consultant is expected to travel to Tajikistan. Travel plans to be pre-approved and agreed to by UNICEF Tajikistan. Travel paid for by UNICEF shall be based on economy class travel, regardless of the length of travel. Costs for accommodation, meals and incidentals shall not exceed applicable daily subsistence allowance (DSA) rates, as promulgated by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC). Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for assuming costs for obtaining visas and travel insurance.

Supervision: The consultant will work under the technical guidance of the Health Specialist responsible for MNCH programming, in close collaboration with the MCH Officer and WASH Specialist and with overall guidance provided by UNICEF Chief of Health and Nutrition. UNICEF will be responsible for arranging meetings with government counterparts and other stakeholders and for convening consultation events.

*Reporting to**:* *Health Specialist, UNICEF Tajikistan*

Insurances: UNICEF does not provide or arrange life or health insurance coverage for consultants and individual contractors, and consultants and individual contractors are not eligible to participate in the life or health insurance schemes available to United Nations staff members. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for assuming all costs related to required inoculations, vaccinations and medical examinations. Consultants and individual contractors are fully responsible for arranging, at their own expense, such life, health and other forms of insurance covering the period of their services as they consider appropriate. The responsibility of UNICEF is limited solely to the payment of compensation for service-incurred death, injury or illness as per the provisions detailed below.

Recourse: UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines.

Ethical considerations: Adequate measures should be taken to ensure that the process responds to quality and ethical requirements. The contracted consultant should be sensitive to beliefs, manners, and customs and act with integrity and honesty in their relationships with all stakeholders. It should also protect the anonymity and confidentiality of individual information.

Mandatory trainings: Consultants and individual contractors, regardless of contract duration, must complete the applicable mandatory trainings. The link will be provided during the selection process for the successful candidates.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have:

• Education: Advanced university degree in the fields of Public Health and/or Health/Social Policy and has master's on Epidemiology with specialization on Infection control and/or Healthcare Waste Management or PhD Degree in health policy/health management or related areas.
• Expertise in development of adapting global standards and guidelines to developing countries context national strategies, health policy documents, national policies and guidelines, especially related to Infection Prevention and Control and the Healthcare Waste Management.
• Work Experience: Minimum 10 years of practical experience: in the field of planning and implementation of the health sector assessments; strategic planning and capacity building (mandatory); Recent experience (within the past 5 years) in the development projects with Infection control and a medical waste management aspects in countries with transition economies and experience of working with top-management of national ministries and local authorities would be an advantage;
• Relevant technical expertise and consultancy experiences with international/UN organization in the field of epidemiological safety (including assessment in accordance with WHO guidelines) and health system strengthening. Extensive experience in CIS countries is an asset.
• Competencies: Strong analytical and conceptual thinking. Excellent writing skills. Excellent communication and presentation skills with stakeholders and the ability to work under pressure and commitment to work to a tight timeframe.
• Language: Fluency in English (written and spoken), knowledge of Russian and/or Tajik is an asset.

EVALUATION PROCESS: Qualified candidates are requested to submit:

1. Cover letter/application/CV.
2. A technical proposal with the proposed methodology/approach to managing the project and work plan, showing understanding of tasks.
3. Financial quote for the consultancy in USD per deliverable, stating also the timeframe for completion of deliverable and/or daily rate in USD.
4. Examples of previous, relevant work related to the deliverables.
5. At least two references

During the selection, the ratio between the technical evaluation and commercial offer is 80 to 20.

Queries can be sent to tad-procurement@unicef.org with the subject line: International consultancy to support MOHSP in conducting a baseline assessment of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) program in Tajikistan”. Applications must be received in the system by 27 April 2021 on our website: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index.php

Travel costs and DSA will be covered in accordance with UN rules and regulations. No other remunerations apply. UNICEF considers the best value for money as one of the criteria for evaluating potential candidates. As a general principle, the fees payable to a consultant or individual contractor follow the “best value for money” principle, i.e., achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible cost.

Please note that consultants and individual contractors are responsible for assuming costs for obtaining visas and travel insurance.

During the selection, the ratio between the technical evaluation and commercial offer is 80 to 20.

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis methodology. The award of the Contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) Having received the highest score out of a weighted set of technical and financial criteria.

* Technical Criteria weight - 80%;

* Financial Criteria weight - 20%;

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 64 points in Technical Criteria evaluation will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Financial Proposal

Please provide a rate all-inclusive price (in US dollars) for delivery of professional services in accordance with the assignments described under this TOR.

The formula for the rating of the Financial Proposals will be as follows:

FP Rating = (Lowest Priced Offer / Price of the Offer Being Reviewed) x 100

For every Child, you demonstrate:

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

View our competency framework at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Remarks: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered "staff members" under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF's policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.