Re-Advertisement: International consultancy on Cold Chain Maintenance Policy with UNICEF in Uzbekistan

Contract

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.

Background

In line with the Government’s national development plans, sectoral priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2021-2025, the new UNICEF Country Programme explicitly supports and seizes various opportunities created by the Government’s reforms initiated since 2017, including in the health sector. In doing so, the programme helps to mitigate the immediate and long-term risks of increasing inequalities and socio-economic vulnerability of children as a result of the current crisis.

The vision for change in health is that by 2025, girls and boys, especially those who are marginalised, such as children from disadvantaged regions and low-income families and those with disabilities, as well as girls and women of reproductive age, have benefited from equitable, evidence-based, quality and gender-responsive neonatal, child and adolescent health, nutrition and development interventions. To achieve this, one area of UNICEF focus will be on: “(b) Strengthening the health care system to sustain immunization coverage and provide nurturing care by investing in supply and logistics systems, improved data quality, analysis and policies and sustainable financing” which will require number of interventions including in the area of supply financing and the supply chain strengthening including in the area of cold chain.

Until now, in total 558 refrigerators and 206 freezers were installed at the district level warehouse, and 2,078 refrigerators were purchased and delivered to the vaccination points of primary healthcare facilities. As of March 2020, 30 Walk-In-Cold Rooms were installed in the newly constructed regional level vaccine warehouses. Such upgrade of cold chain system requires development and introduction of new cold chain maintenance policies and methodology, which would ensure sustainable functioning of the cold chain system in the country.

Under the 2016-2019 GAVI PEF TCA, UNICEF supported Uzbekistan in the development of vaccine budgeting and CCE maintenance budgeting mechanisms and tools. Relevant User Guides were developed and presented to the national partners. UNICEF has carried several trainings in Tashkent on the use of newly developed tools.

UNICEF is currently looking for an international consultant to develop relevant policy documents in order to validate the newly developed vaccine budgeting and CCE maintenance budgeting mechanisms and tools.

Objectives

To review existing regulatory documents related to national immunization program, develop CCE maintenance policy as well as support in the validation of newly developed vaccine budgeting and CCE maintenance budgeting mechanisms and tools.

Timeline & Deliverables

These deliverables are interlinked and need to be carried out on an on-going basis until the consultancy concludes.

A workplan and draft consultancy report layout - 3 days In close collaboration with UNICEF Country Office, the MoH (including the Service for Sanitary Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health – former SES) and UNICEF SD, the consultant will develop a consultancy workplan articulating linkages with the work of the Immunization Supply Financing Consultant and the national consultant to ensure synergies, as well as a draft consultancy report layout.

Workstream 1: CCE Maintenance process - 30 days In close collaboration with UNICEF Country Office, the MoH (including the Service for Sanitary Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health – former SES) and UNICEF SD, the consultant will: a) Prepare and adopt CCE maintenance policy (including CCE procurement principles for the replacement of upgrade of the existing infrastructure), including: • Concept document on the maintenance of CCE of NIP • Roadmap on the deployment of the CCE maintenance concept (indicating responsibilities of each entity) • Government decree for the approval of Concept document and Roadmap • Any other documents required for validation of above. b) Develop SoP for CCE inventory management, including data collection, validation, reporting forms, including: • Reporting forms for the CCE inventory management • SOP for the CCE management, including reporting flow • MOH decree on the approval of SOP and reporting forms • Any other documents required for validation of above. c) Develop a ToR of Sub-national Cold Chain Specialists.

Workstream 2: CCE Maintenance budgeting - 5 days In close collaboration with UNICEF Country Office, the MoH (including the Service for Sanitary Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health – former SES) and UNICEF SD, the consultant will support the validation of CCE Maintenance Budgeting tool and its manual through development of MOH decree for the approval of Guidelines/Protocol on budgeting of CCE maintenance (including the validation of CCE Maintenance Budgeting tool and its manual).

Workstream 3: Vaccine budgeting - 5 days In close collaboration with UNICEF Country Office, the MoH (including the Service for Sanitary Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health – former SES) and UNICEF SD, the consultant will support in the validation of vaccine budgeting tool and its manual through revising existing Governmental decree on the procurement of vaccines as well as development of MOH decree for the approval of Vaccine Procurement Budgeting tool and manual.

Round table to present the consultancy results and assist in the validation of the CCE Maintenance Budgeting tool, Vaccine Budgeting Tool and corresponding manuals - 5 days In close collaboration with UNICEF Country Office, the MoH (including the Service for Sanitary Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health – former SES) and UNICEF SD, the consultant will participate in the round table on the consultancy results. The consultant will prepare necessary materials (e.g. presentation on the consultancy results) and will actively contribute to discussions and efforts to validate the CCE Maintenance Budgeting tool, Vaccine Budget Tool and corresponding manuals.

Final reporting - 2 days In close collaboration with UNICEF Country Office, the MoH (including the Service for Sanitary Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health – former SES) and UNICEF SD, the consultant will prepare the final consultancy report.

Total: 50 days

Methodology/Activities

Under the supervision of Health Supply Officer (UNICEF CO) and in close collaboration with MoH (including the Service for Sanitary Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health – former SES), the consultant is expected to conduct the following activities (remotely / in Uzbekistan):

Workstream 1: CCE Maintenance process

• Prepare and adopt CCE maintenance policy (including CCE procurement principles for the replacement of upgrade of the existing infrastructure).

• Develop SoP for CCE inventory management, including data collection, validation, reporting forms.

• Development of ToR of Sub-national Cold Chain Specialists (to be integrated to National Immunization Program staff).

Workstream 2: CCE Maintenance budgeting

• Validation of CCE Maintenance Budgeting tool and its manual.

Workstream 3: Vaccine budgeting

• Validation of vaccine budgeting tool and its manual.

International consultant will lead the consultancy and will be responsible for core deliverables, while national consultant will support to collect necessary data for desk review, liaise with national authorities and engage with other activities to ensure successful implementation of consultancy

Management

The consultants will work under the supervision Health Supply Officer.

Resource requirements and payments

The consultants will be paid against deliverables (specifying days per TOR) based on invoice and report on conducted activities with all necessary attachments, in line with the monthly work-plan, outlining the expected work outputs agreed in the beginning of the reporting period.

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

Academic:

• University degree is required (Advanced degree an advantage), preferably in relevant field (e.g., business planning, Public Health, Development or Public Finance, (Health) Economics / or in another relevant discipline for health / policy development).
• Applicable work experience can substitute in cases where university degree is not aligned to a relevant field.

Professional Experience:

• At least seven (7) years of professional relevant work experience in health policy development, preferably in the field of immunization programs or CCE maintenance or health financing.
• Proven experience in writing complex strategic proposals, developing multi-year operational plans Experience in training, planning and delivery of technical assistance.
• Knowledge of supply chain management and operations
• Experience interfacing with national ministries of health an advantage.

Language Requirements:

• Good working knowledge of English (written and spoken) is required, good working knowledge of Russian (written and spoken) is an asset.

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.

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

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 be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Procedures and Working Conditions

The consultant will work remotely with up to two visits to the country if needed for office-based work with the relevant stakeholders and partners, and for conducting round-table workshop. All travel related to the project will be reimbursed based on UN DSA rates and in line with travel guidelines and procedures established in the office. Before signing contract, the consultant is responsible to provide valid health insurance scheme for the entire period of consultancy.

Reservations

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if deliverable(s) incomplete, not finalized or for failure to meet deadlines. UNICEF will reserve copyright of all developed materials and own primary data collected through this assignment. The materials cannot be published or disseminated without prior written permission of UNICEF. UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future. The contractor must respect the confidentiality of the information handled during the assignment. Documents and information provided must be used only for the tasks related to these terms of reference.

UNICEF undertakes no liability for taxes, duty or other contribution payable by the consultant on payments made under this contract.

Remarks:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.