Provision of technical expertise in operational research capacity building through the Structured Operational Research Training Initiative (SORT-IT) course in Zimbabwe

Contract

This is a National Consultant contract. More about National Consultant contracts.

Background

Project Description

Zimbabwe remains one of the sub-Saharan African countries with a high burden of infectious diseases. The country has an HIV prevalence of 14% and is among the top 30 countries globally with a triple burden of TB, HIV-TB, and MDR-TB. The limited resources available to tackle these epidemics require for the health care delivery system to be efficient and effective in targeting, screening, diagnosing, and treating affected cases as well as strengthening prevention strategies. This can be achieved through adoption of evidence-based health policies and strategies that are generated through operational research (OR).

To facilitate generation of evidence-based policy, there is need to build capacity to conduct OR within routine programmatic settings using the vast amount of data that are routinely collected within HIV and TB programmes. Following a 2016 WHO-TDR commissioned situational analysis in 6 Global Fund recipient countries including Zimbabwe, there was realization that there is under-utilization of Global Fund resources towards conducting OR which should constitute 10% of M&E budget lines.

Given this realization, the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care in its 2021-2013 Global Fund grant application, lobbied for funding allocation aimed at building OR capacity through the Structured Operational Research Training Initiative (SORT-IT) courses. The SORT IT course is accredited by the WHO-TDR. This course is modelled around a three-modular course consisting of i) Module 1 on Research Proposal Development ii) Module 2 on Quality-assured and Efficient Data Entry and analysis and iii) Module 3 on Scientific Paper Writing. This course is targeted at frontline health care workers involved in TB and HIV programming; at health workers at programme management units at district, provincial or national level within the Ministry of Health and Child Care and at health workers from MOHCC’s partner organizations.

Between 2017 and 2019, the MOHCC in partnership with the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD) conducted 3 rounds of the SORT-IT course each capacitating 12 health professionals. This has resulted in 36 health professionals generating 36 research manuscripts of which 26 (72%) have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Through Global Fund support, the MOHCC seeks to engage consultants who will lead the mentorship and training of health workers in conducting OR studies till they publish their manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals.

The initiative teaches the practical skills needed to undertake and publish operational research. The course duration is 10–12 months and covers 3 modules with clear milestones and measurable targets. Participants go through the whole research process and complete the course with a defined product which is a manuscript to be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal and which should go on to influence policy and practice.

Purpose: To develop the practical skills for conducting operational research, publishing the findings, and fostering policy and practice change within Zimbabwe.

Objectives

Under this consultancy contract, the engaged consultant will be expected to:

1. Prepare (in consultation with MOHCC) a detailed work plan with an OR course training timetable and curriculum, milestones to be achieved and expected outputs for the technical support.
2. To develop and avail a package of training course material for sharing with the course participants in the form of power-point presentations as outlined in the training timetable, manuscript resource materials for further reading, electronic software for data analysis and article referencing.
3. To be involved in the participant shortlisting from applications received through the call-for-research proposals based on proposed research topics by applicants whilst streamlining them to the national TB and HIV/AIDS research agenda.
4. Mentor course participants on scientific paper writing and provide additional mentorship beyond the training course through attending to reviewers’ comments upon submission of manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals.
5. Provide guidance on appropriate research journals for submission of completed studies by SORT-IT participants.

Available to provide mentorship and supervision for all 3 course modules to be conducted over a 6–9-month period

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

• The work will cover 3 modules (i.e., 7 days for Module 1 on Research Proposal Writing; 9 days for Module 2 on quality-assured data entry and data analysis and 9 days on Module 3 (Scientific Paper Writing)
• The contractor can borrow and adapt from available SORT IT material for the activity through UNDP

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

• Inception Report (1 week after signing contract) detailing the methodology to be employed during the training
• Three reports for each of the 3 modules to be conducted under the SORT-IT summarising the training procedure, who attended, and the research protocols and manuscripts generated throughout the training course
• Activity reports and relevant annexes
• Nine (9) manuscripts submitted to peer-reviewed journals with email notifications from the corresponding journal as proof of manuscript submission.

Timelines for the deliverables/outputs

The work will be performed over a period of 25 working days spread over 6-9 months (i.e., 7 days for Module 1 on Research Proposal Writing; 9 days for Module 2 on quality-assured data entry and data analysis and 9 days on Module 3 (Scientific Paper Writing). The Deputy Director, HV and STIs will review output and confirm acceptance.

Institutional Arrangement

• The Deputy Director, HV and STIs will review output and confirm acceptance will directly supervise the Contractor, and to whom he/she will be directly responsible to, reporting to, seeking approval/acceptance of output
• Progress report will be presented at the end of each module to ATP management at AIDS & TB Unit at Mkwati Building in Harare, 2nd Floor Boardroom. There is an option for presenting the report virtually depending on circumstances.
• The contractor is expected to liaise/interact/collaborate with HIV M & E TWG through the SI Coordinator during performance of the work for logistical support

Duration of the Work

• The work will be performed over a period of 25 working days spread over 6-9 months (i.e., 7 days for Module 1 on Research Proposal Writing; 9 days for Module 2 on quality-assured data entry and data analysis and 9 days on Module 3 (Scientific Paper Writing)
• MOHCC will is expected to review outputs, give comments, certify approval/acceptance of outputs, etc with one week.

Duty Station

• Training will be conducted at a venue to determined by MOHCC

The IC modality is expected to be used only for short-term consultancy engagements. If the duration of the IC for the same TOR exceeds twelve (12) months, the duration must be justified and be subjected to the approval of the Director of the Regional Bureau, or a different contract modality must be considered. This policy applies regardless of the delegated procurement authority of the Head of the Business Unit.

Competencies

Essential

The consultant should demonstrate familiarity with HIV prevention, treatment, care and SRH programs for general population and for vulnerable and key populations in Zimbabwe and have:

• High level written and oral communications skills in English
• Ability to work with minimal supervision
• Good analytical skills
• Experience in research, policy development, management, and programming-related work
• Demonstrate excellent interpersonal and professional skills in interacting with government and development partners
• Skills in facilitation of stakeholder engagements/workshops
• Evidence of engagements in similar or related assignments

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

1. Lump Sum Amount is the preferred approach.
2. The Lump Sum Amount must be “all-inclusive”.
3. Clearly state that the contract price is fixed regardless of changes in the cost components.

Recommended Presentation of Offer

For purposes of generating Offers whose contents are uniformly presented and to facilitate their comparative analysis, it is best to recommend the preferred contents and presentation of the Offer to be submitted, as well as the format/sequencing of their presentation. The following documents may be requested:

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
2. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
3. Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete the assignment. A methodology is recommended for intellectual services, but may be omitted for support services [Note: this is optional for support services];
4. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided. If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

This section should indicate all the criteria which shall serve as basis for evaluating offers:

Combined Scoring method – Qualifications and methodology will be weighted a max. of 70%, and combined with the price offer which will be weighted a max of 30%;

Option (a) is ideal for intellectual services where the methodology or approach to the work may differ from one individual to another and directly impacts the quality of the result. Option (b) is ideal for standard type of services where there are not many possible ways of undertaking/performing the work.

If Option (a) is chosen, the key criteria for rating the qualification and methodology must be stated together with their equivalent percentage weight, so that Offerors can craft their offer appropriately.

Required Skills and Experience

• Three consultants are expected to be engaged and should meet the qualifications outlined below:
• A Master’s degree or higher in a health-related field e.g., Epidemiology, Public Health etc.
• Proven work experience in HIV/AIDS and TB programming in Sub-Saharan African settings.
• At least 10 scientific publications with peer-reviewed journals on HIV/AIDS and TB
• Previous experience in facilitating at least three Structured Operational Research Training Initiative (SORT-IT) courses.
• Experience in designing field data collection forms in EpiData and conversant with statistical analysis using EpiData Analysis, MS Excel, Stata, SPSS etc.
• Prior experience in providing mentorship in conducting research.
• Capacity to provide a blended, virtual, or physical course to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the SORT IT course will be an aided advantage.