Background

The ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine has had a direct and highly negative impact on social cohesion, resilience, livelihoods, community security, and the rule of law. Recognizing the need to urgently address reconstruction, economic recovery and peacebuilding needs in areas affected both directly and indirectly by the conflict, in late 2014 the Government of Ukraine requested technical assistance and financial support from the international community to assess priority recovery needs. In late 2014, the United Nations (UN), the World Bank (WB) and the European Union (EU) conducted a Recovery and Peacebuilding Assessment, which was endorsed by the Cabinet of Ministers in mid-2015.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been active and present in eastern Ukraine for the past decade, prior to the conflict, with a focus on community development, civil society development, and environmental protection. Work on addressing the specific conflict-related development challenges discussed above built on this earlier engagement, established partnerships, and started in 2015 through the Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (RPP). The RPP is a multi-donor funded framework programme formulated and led by the UNDP in collaboration with the Government of Ukraine and in cooperation with a number of partnering UN agencies (UN Women, FAO, UNFPA).

The RPP was designed to respond to, and mitigate, the causes and effects of the conflict. It is based on findings of the Recovery and Peacebuilding Assessment (RPA) and is aligned to the State Target Programme for Recovery as well as to the two oblast development strategies up to 2020. It takes into account, the opportunities that have arisen from the Minsk Protocol of September 2014 and the renewal of its cease-fire provisions (the latest cease-fire having been agreed upon in March of 2018) and is also fully adjusted to the humanitarian-development nexus. It is an integral component of the UNDP Country Programme and is, therefore, fully aligned with the United Nations Partnership Framework (UNPF). It is closely interlinked with the Democratic Governance and Reform Programme, operating nationally and in all of Ukraine’s regions, and is consistent with the SDGs, in particular SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong institutions).

The Programme’s interventions are grouped under the following key Programme components, which reflect the region’s priority needs:

Component 1: Economic Recovery and Restoration of Critical Infrastructure

Component 2: Local Governance and Decentralization Reform

Component 3: Community Security and Social Cohesion.

The Programme, which operates on the basis of a pooled funding arrangement, follows a multi-sectoral programme-based approach and is implemented using an area-based methodology. It is a unifying interventions framework for 16 projects funded by 10 international partners and is worth about 52 million USD.

In October 2018, four UN agencies (UNDP, UN Women, FAO and the UNFPA) have countersigned a new joint project document, funded by the EU. The overall objective of the project is to restore effective governance and promote reconciliation in the crisis-affected communities of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, thereby enhancing the credibility and legitimacy of local governments in the government-controlled areas (GCAs) of the regions. It will contribute to peace building and prevent further escalation of conflict in Ukraine through effective and accountable decentralization, gender-responsive recovery planning and equal access to services, as well as enhanced community security and social cohesion.

This endeavour will be achieved through the pursuit of the following specific objectives:

1. To enhance local capacity for gender-responsive decentralisation and administrative reforms to improve governance, local development and the delivery of services.
2. To stimulate employment and economic growth by providing assistance to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) development through demand-driven business development services and professional skills training.
3. To enhance social cohesion and reconciliation through the promotion of civic initiatives.
4. To support sector reforms and structural adjustments in health, education and critical public infrastructure to mitigate direct impacts of the conflict.

One of the priorities of the objective 4 is to strengthen governance in healthcare at the local level in conflict-affected oblasts of Ukraine through capacity building of local institutions in implementation of the health reform, strategic planning, effective use of available resources and recourse mobilization for healthcare. These efforts are based on the principles of good governance, transparency, accountability and participation of all stakeholders to ensure effective and efficient public health services for persons directly affected by the conflict, persons with disabilities and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

On November 30, 2016, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine had adopted the resolution #932 ‘About the Procedure for the Establishment of Hospital Districts (HD)’. The HDs were established for organizing the network of healthcare facilities ensuring the quality and timeliness provision of primary, specialized, and emergency healthcare services.

On February 20, 2017, the Ministry of Health approved the Model Regulation for a Hospital District, determining the organisational principles of hospital districts operation, as well as rights and obligations of the authorities cooperating within the boundaries of a hospital district. City (in the cities of Oblast subordinance), Rayon (District) Councils and Councils of amalgamated territorial communities cooperating in the area of healthcare are participants in a hospital district. The Hospital Council is established in a hospital district with the aim of determining problematic issues, coordinating actions, developing proposals with respect to the implementation of the state healthcare policy at the hospital district level. The Hospital Council prepares the hospital development plan for five years, which contains annual sub-aggregates for achieving final performance indicators and which should be approved by a resolution of local Councils. The development plan shall describe goals and objectives, principles and stages of reorganisation of the network of healthcare institutions in the hospital district with the aim of bringing their functional capacities in line with the prescribed requirements.

By the resolutions #195-r from March 22, 2017, and #995-r from December 27, 2017, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the list and composition of hospital districts in Lugansk and Donetsk oblasts respectively. According to these resolutions, three HDs were created in Luhansk Oblast (GCA) and six HDs in Donetsk oblast (GCA).

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision and day-to-day cooperation with UNDP, the International Consultant is expected to contribute to development planning and good governance in the healthcare sector in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by successfully completing the present assignment and its integral parts that include the following: ?

Part 1. Development of training guidelines on development planning and good governance in the healthcare sector, based on the best international standards and practices. The guidelines should consist of two 2-days modules and tailored to the needs of healthcare managers and members of Hospital Councils. The guidelines should be accompanied by monitoring and evaluation tools aimed to assess their effectiveness against the progress indicators.

Part 2. Based on the results of Part 1, the International Consultant is expected to produce five-year development plans for the following hospital districts: Pokrovskyi and Kramatorskyi in Donetsk Oblast, and Pivnichnyi and Lysychanskyi in Luhansk Oblast. The plans should reflect the best international standards on strategic planning, health procurement, staffing, stock management, resource mobilisation and other related fields. The developed plan will be complemented with a software tool, for example, OneHealth.

The International Consultant will be supported by three national experts, responsible for: a) assistance in the development of training guidelines on development planning and good governance in the healthcare sector under Part 1 of the assignment (one expert); b) support in the elaboration of development plans for four hospital districts under Part 2 of the assignment (one expert in each Oblast). The International Consultant will be responsible for overall coordination and supervision of the abovementioned experts.

For successful completion of both parts of the assignment, the selected Consultant is expected to undertake the following activities:

Part 1: Prepare training guidelines on development planning and good governance in the healthcare sector:

1. Work in close collaboration with the national expert on the elaboration of training guidelines on development planning and good governance in the healthcare sector. Set up and coordinate a suitable communication modality within the team. Coordination meetings’ minutes should be provided in evidence.
2. Develop a detailed work plan with timeline and distribution of responsibilities between the both sides.
3. Conduct a desk review of existing international best practices in development planning and good governance in the healthcare sector and prepare an inception report. The report should summarize advantages and disadvantages of each method and provide an overview of available software tools for development planning in the healthcare sector.
4. Draft step-by-step training guidelines for trainers, consisting of two 2-days modules and tailored to the needs of health care managers and members of Hospital Councils. The guidelines should provide a detailed description of training methodology and include necessary annexes, handouts, assessment forms, lists of required equipment, templates, etc.
5. Develop criteria and tools that will allow to assess capacity of Hospital Councils’ managers on development planning and good governance, and to track the progress in 6 and 12 months after the training event.
6. Training guidelines shall also reflect how development planning will help to achieve national SDG targets and indicators (i.e. SDG 3) at the national and hospital district levels, if relevant.
7. In cooperation with a national expert, prepare and deliver a presentation of training guidelines to the Health Task Force groups and other experts. Collect their feedback and incorporate it into the final guidelines.
8. Prepare a final report on the process of guideline development that includes information about lessons learned, successes and challenges.
9. Submit updated guidelines and the final report to UNDP Health Governance Specialists for approval.

Part 2: Develop five-year development plans for the hospital districts in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts:

1. Work in close collaboration with the national experts for Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, acting as a team leader. Guide national experts through development plan elaboration process. Set up and coordinate a suitable communication modality within the team.
2. In coordination with UNDP and authorities of the respective HDs, develop a detailed work plan with timeline and distribution of responsibilities between the experts.
3. Support national experts in the development of a desk review protocol and data collection.
4. Conduct a desk review of existing international best practices in development planning and good governance in the healthcare sector and prepare an inception report. The report should discuss advantages and disadvantages of each method and provide an overview of available software tools for development planning in the healthcare sector.
5. Together with the national experts and authorities of the respective HDs, the International Consultant shall draft an outline and timeline for the elaboration of development plans.
6. Draft development plans for 4 hospital districts in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. ?Develop comprehensive, realistic and costed results frameworks of health indicators and outcomes for the period of 5 years with respect to the national and international targets (i.e. under SDG 3), covering the procurement of health goods and services, staffing, stock management, resource mobilisation, and other areas.
7. Provide recommendations to UNDP on the implementation of the development plans and produce a sustainability strategy for the period of 5 years.
8. Together with the national experts, the International Consultant shall present (if possibly in-person) the plans to respective oblasts Health Task Force Groups to collect the feedback and make necessary adjustments in the plans. ?
9. Ensure that the development plans are discussed with Hospital Councils and approved by them.
10. Prepare a final report on the process of creation of the development plans in both oblasts, that includes information about lessons learned, successes and challenges.
11. Submit the final report and four development plans to UNDP Health Governance Specialists for approval.

Deliverables

The following deliverables will be provided by the contractor:

Part 1:

Part 2:

The Consultant will work under overall guidance of the Programme Coordinator and direct supervision of the Health Governance Specialists in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The Consultant will directly report to UNDP Health Governance Specialists and to Programme Coordinator on a monthly basis by submitting detailed implementation status reports.

All reports, work plans and guidelines should be written in English.

PROPOSED PAYMENT SCHEDULE

20% - upon completion of Deliverable 1 of Part 1 and Part 2

30% - upon completion of Deliverable 2 of Part 1 and Deliverables 2 and 3 of Part 2

10% - upon completion of Deliverable 3 of Part 1

10% - upon completion of Deliverables 4 and 5 of Part 1

20% - upon completion of Deliverables 4 and 5 of Part 2

10% - upon completion of Deliverable 6 of Part 2

The payments will be paid out upon the full completion and acceptance of deliverables in accordance with certificate of payments provided by UNDP Health Governance Specialist.

DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS

• Personal CV or UNDP P11-form including information about experience in similar projects/assignments.
• Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP
• Brief Description of the Approach to Work.
• At least 2 references from previous customers shall be provided upon request

Competencies

• Ability to perform analytical and research work,
• Deliver outputs in a timely manner;
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills;
• Sound judgment and maturity to foster a positive work environment;
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team;
• Demonstrated strong analytical, coordination and facilitation skills;
• Strong user of office software packages.

Required Skills and Experience

• At least Masters’ degree or equivalent in medicine, community medicine, healthcare management, public health;
• At least 5 years of experience in developing training guidelines, lecturing, provision of training and capacity building;
• At least 5 proven cases of the development of strategic plans, programmes or similar documents in the healthcare sector;
• Proven experience of working with related software tools for development planning application;
• At least 5 years of teaching/tutoring experience.
• Proven experience in analytical work in health care development, research in health care management, guidelines development.
• Fluency in English. Working knowledge of Ukrainian or Russian languages would be an advantage.

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

Lump sum contract

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount.

The Expert will be responsible for all personal administrative expenses associated with undertaking this assignment including office accommodation, printing, stationary, telephone and electronic communications, and report copying.

Travel costs

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP shall not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel in a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

Evaluation of Applicants

1. Masters’ degree or equivalent in medicine, community medicine, healthcare management, public health – Masters’ degree -10 points, PhD and more – 15 points;
2. At least 5 years of proven experience in the field of developing training guidelines, lecturing, provision of training and capacity building – 5 years - 6 points, 6-8 years – 8 points, 9-11 years – 10 points, 12 and more years – 12 points;
3. At least 5 proven cases of the development of strategic plans, programmes or similar documents in the healthcare sector - 5 cases - 5 points, 6-8 cases – 6 points, 9-11 cases – 7 points, 12 and more cases – 8 points
4. Proven experience of working with related software tools for development planning application– 1 example - 10 points, 2-3 – 11 points, over 3 examples – 12 points;
5. Teaching/tutoring experience – less than 5 years – 8 points, 6-7 years – 9 points, 8 and more years – 10 points.
6. Experience in analytical work in health care development, research in health care management, guidelines development: 1 example - 8 points, 2-3 – 9 points, over 3 examples – 10 points;
7. Knowledge of English – 2 points, Ukrainian/Russian & English – 3 points;

EVALUATION METHOD

Cumulative analysis

Contract award shall be made to the incumbent whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) having received the cumulative highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

* Technical Criteria weight: 70%

* Financial Criteria weight: 30%

Only candidates obtaining a minimum 70% from the maximum available technical score (49 points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation

The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal and will equal to 30. All other price proposals will be evaluated and assigned points, as per below formula:

30 points [max points available for financial part] x [lowest of all evaluated offered prices among responsive offers] / [evaluated price].

The proposal obtaining the overall cumulatively highest score after adding the score of the technical proposal and the financial proposal will be considered as the most compliant offer and will be awarded a contract.

Maximum available technical score - 70 points.