Background

A.Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience, and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 170 countries and territories, working with governments and people on their own solutions to global and national development challenges to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

UNDP has an important role in supporting health outcomes by supporting countries to address the social, cultural, and economic determinants of HIV and health, in partnership with UN entities and other organizations. This is done through UNDP’s core work in reducing inequalities and social exclusion that drive HIV and poor health, promoting effective and inclusive governance for health, and building resilient and sustainable systems for health. UNDP also contributes through its coordinating and convening role in bringing together multiple partners and resources at national and local levels.

As a trusted, long-term partner with extensive operational experience, UNDP supports countries in effective implementation of complex, multilateral and multi-sectoral health programmes while simultaneously investing in capacity development so that national and local partners can assume these responsibilities over time. UNDP partners with countries in crisis/post-crisis situations, those with weak institutional capacity or governance challenges, and countries under sanctions. When requested, UNDP acts as interim Principal Recipient (PR) in these settings, working with national partners and The Global Fund (GF) to improve management, implementation, and oversight, while simultaneously developing national capacity for governments or local entities to be able to assume the PR role over time.

Duties and Responsibilities

UNDP as interim PR in the Republic of Vanuatu

UNDP is the interim PR for the Republic of Vanuatu for the GF malaria grant, from 01 January 2021 to 31 December 2023. The goal of the program is: A malaria free Vanuatu, contributing to the good health and well-being of the population. The objectives include:

• To maintain very high levels of coverage with long-lasting insecticidal mosquito nets (LLIN); and to rapidly reduce malaria transmission in selected higher-incidence areas and foci using indoor residual spraying (IRS).
• To roll out case-based surveillance and response nationwide using the ‘1-7-60’ approach.
• To test all fever cases for malaria by rapid diagnostic test (RDT) or microscopy and provide prompt radical treatment and care for all confirmed cases according to the national Malaria Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines.
• To mobilize communities through health promotion and leverage the support of all stakeholders in a multi-sectoral effort to accelerate the elimination of malaria.
• To ensure that malaria and other VBD prevention, surveillance and case management are well integrated into disaster preparedness and response activities.
• To maintain a high level of political commitment to malaria elimination; and to strengthen program management at national level and implementation at provincial and local levels through improved mechanisms for workforce management, program planning, disbursement of funds, information and data management, technical assistance and cooperation, procurement and supply chain management, and performance monitoring.
• To leverage technical partnerships in support of innovation by generating new knowledge and applying it to improve delivery and quality of malaria services

To develop Funding Request (FR) for the new Malaria grant cycle, 2024-2027, it is paramount to conduct Malaria Programme Review (MPR). It will be an evidence-based appraisal of the Malaria situation, programme performance, current strategies, funding landscape, lessons learnt and best practices, challenges, and identification of recommendations to further strengthen malaria control and elimination efforts as articulated in the National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (2021-2026).

A.Consultancy Overview and Objective

Vanuatu Malaria Programme will conduct a review of the country’s malaria control and elimination program guided by the WHO 2019 Practical Manual for Malaria Programme Review (MPR) and Malaria Strategic Plan Mid-Term Review (MTR).

The MPR will include four phases namely:

1. Planning
2. Thematic desk reviews
3. In country data collection, consultations, field visits, and validation of the findings through stakeholder consultations
4. Programme strengthening.

The thematic areas to be reviewed under phase 2 will include programme management, integrated vector management, malaria case management and diagnostics, surveillance, monitoring, evaluation and operations research, epidemic preparedness and response, social mobilization, and behavioral change.

The purpose of the review is to identify major achievements, best practices and lessons learnt, critical issues, priority problems, and investigate the causes of the problems and propose solutions. The review will be implemented in phases, one of which is an in-country desk top review and consultations. The desktop review will involve interviews with key MOH and malaria program staff and stakeholders; some limited field visits and observations; and feedback recommendations to guide the next phase of the MPR, which is the in-country visit by the review team.

The desktop review will use the below eight thematic areas to help focus and frame the review process:

1. Advocacy, information, education, communication, and community mobilisation
2. Programme management: supervision, human resource, costing and finance
3. Commodities procurement supply management
4. Vector control
5. Epidemic and emergency preparedness and outbreak response
6. Diagnosis and case management
7. Epidemiology, surveillance, monitoring, and evaluation
8. Operational research

The desktop review will include a systematic review of the thematic areas based on program data, reports, documents, and published literature, updating of country data base, country profiles, risk populations and risk maps, burden estimates and projections, policy and management analysis, summarizing data from special studies and malaria indicator surveys, group work and individual consultations and district field visits with interviews and observations. The consultants (international as lead and local as support) will serve as a team facilitate organization of briefing and debriefing sessions, and draft and present a report at the conclusion of the mission.

The findings and recommendations that will be contained in the MPR report will inform potential revisions to the National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination 2021-2026, especially the targets and timelines for elimination and WHO certification of zero malaria.

Specific Objectives

• To assess the progress of the national malaria control programme towards the epidemiological and entomological impact targets of the NSPME;
• To review the level of financing of the national malaria programme;
• To review the capacity of the national malaria control programme to implement planned activities;
• To review the attainment of programme outcome targets;
• Evaluate the extent to which service delivery systems (health facility and community) deliver
  quality services; and identify the gaps
• To define the programming implications of the lessons learned in the implementation of the NSPME

C.   Scope of Work

The MPR will be undertaken by an international and local consultant who will work collaboratively and in coordination with UNDP, WHO and National Malaria Programme. With the guidance of UNDP, WHO and National Malaria Programme, the consultants will be responsible for the following:

1. Facilitate the preparation of background documents and literature in preparation of the thematic desk reviews
2. Review, analyze, highlight achievements, best practices, challenges and recommendations per thematic area and compile thematic reports.
3. Prepare presentations from the thematic reports for presentations and discussion during the internal peer review and external validation meetings.
4. Prepare and facilitate stakeholder consultations and field visists in order to validate the findings and harness further inputs.
5. A consultation meeting/workshop to facilitate finalizing the draft Annual Report.
6. Summarize key findings and recommendations per thematic area.
7. Support the preparation of all key presentations related to
8. Facilitate a workshop to share findings and recommendations to malaria stakeholders during that workshop.
9. Facilitate the preparation of the consolidated MPR report
10. Disseminate findings and recommendations of MPR.
11. Use findings and recommendations from MPR to initiate the development of the FR for 2024-2027.
12. Cary out any other duties that may be assigned.

Deliverables:

1. Prepare agenda, timeline and proposed site visits based on epi analysis from desk review. In coordination with lead consultant, WHO and Vanuatu National Malaria Programme. Prepare tentative agenda for the workshop to be held post-field visits (5 days).
2. Coordinate and lead national workshop to discuss, refine findings and recommendations with the lead consultant, Vanuatu National Malaria Programme, WHO, other partners. Provide summary report of field visits and workshop (15 days).
3. Consolidate findings from field visits and develop recommendations for each major thematic area including Programme financing management, vector control, case management, surveillance, monitoring and evaluation, community mobilization and elimination (15 days).
4. Revised MPR with full set of agreed recommendations to serve as a final report. Circulate to all partners for feedback, integrate as best as possible comments and finalize (15 days)

B.Methodologies and Approach

Method to carry out the activities; tasks and process will be guided by WHO 2019 Practical Manual for Malaria Programme Review (MPR) and Malaria Strategic Plan Mid-Term Review (MTR). Specifically, it will be as follows:

1. Prepare and Inception report and work plan of the assignment
2. Study the MPR protocol, tools and work plan/timelines and ensure its effective implementation.
3. Conduct consultative Meetings , face to face meetings, telephone and email communication
4. Consult with WHO, UNDP and National Malaria Programme, partners and key stakeholders.
5. Share drafts with and collate inputs towards the finalization of the MPR report

E.    Expected Outputs and Timelines  

The duration and timeline of the deliverables is indicated in the below table:

F.    Institutional Arrangement

Reporting

1. The consultant will report to and work under the guidance of the Lead Consultant, UNDP Programme Manager and the Programme Analyst
2. The consultant will work closely with the national counterparts such as the ministries of health and the NGOs working with malaria programme.
3. The consultant will provide fortnight progress updates to UNDP
4. The consultant is required to use his/her own computer

Compliance with technical guidelines

1. In carrying out the services described above, the consulting firm will comply with international guidelines (WHO and other technical partners) and ethics principles for public health research.

G.   Duration of the Work

1. The assignment duration is for 50 working days and to be completed with a period of 3 months from initial contract sign off.
2. The start date of the consultancy begins no later than seven days post contract sign off.

H.   Duty Station

1. The consultancy is primarily home-based through a thorough desk review of key programme documents. Stakeholder consultations and country endorsements will be through face to face which will require in-country mission, email, skype, zoom, phone and communication means agreed to by stakeholders.  

I.     Qualifications of the Successful Contractor

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Social Science, Development Studies, Epidemiology and/or any other relevant subject.
• Thorough knowledge of malaria control/elimination standard strategic framework.
• Programmatic and Technical expertise in at least one of the following domains: clinical management, disease surveillance, health situation analysis, strategic thinking, supply management, programme management and evaluation, operational research.
• Excellent communication skills. Ability to work harmoniously as a member of a team, adapt to diverse educational and cultural backgrounds.
• Minimum of seven years of experience in malaria control activities.
• Excellent communicator and facilitator.
• Experience working in Vanuatu.

J.   Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

Payment under the contract will be output based and will be made upon satisfactory completion and acceptance of the Assignment by UNDP Programme Manager.

The contractor shall submit a price proposal as below:

• Daily Fee – The contractor shall propose a daily fee, which should be inclusive of his/her/their professional fee and communication cost. The number of working days for which the daily fee shall be payable under the contract is not more than 50 working days.
• The total professional fee, shall be converted into a lump-sum contract and payments under the contract shall be made on submission and acceptance of deliverables under the contract as highlighted in section D.

K.   Recommended Presentation of Offer

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications with financial proposal as separate:

1. Duly accomplished Confirmation of Interest and Submission of Financial Proposal Template using the template provided by UNDP (Annex II); If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she/they expects his/her/their employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her/they 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. 
2. Latest personal CV, 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 referee’s.
3. Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself/themself as the most suitable for the assignment

L.   Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

Cumulative analysis

The proposals will be evaluated using the cumulative analysis method with a split 70% technical and 30% financial scoring. The proposal with the highest cumulative scoring will be awarded the contract. Applications will be evaluated technically, and points are attributed based on how well the proposal meets the requirements of the Terms of Reference using the guidelines detailed in the table below:

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract may be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

1. responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
2. having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria weighting; 70%

Financial Criteria weighting; 30%

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the Technical Evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation. Interviews may be conducted as part of technical assessment for shortlisted proposals.

Competencies

Strong interpersonal and communication skills;

·      Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities skills;

·      Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;

·      Ability to plan, organize, implement and report on work;

·      Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines;

·      Comprehensiveness knowledge of….xxxx

·      Proficiency in the use of office IT applications and internet in conducting research;

·      Outstanding communication, project management and organizational skills;

·      Excellent presentation and facilitation skills.

·      Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards;

·      Positive, constructive attitude to work;

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Required Skills and Experience

i) Academic Qualifications
• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Social Science, Development Studies,
Epidemiology and/or any other relevant subject.

ii) Years of experience & skills
• Thorough knowledge of malaria control/elimination standard strategic framework.
• Programmatic and Technical expertise in at least one of the following domains: clinical
management, disease surveillance, health situation analysis, strategic thinking, supply
management, programme management and evaluation, operational research.
• Excellent communication skills. Ability to work harmoniously as a member of a team,
adapt to diverse educational and cultural backgrounds.
• Minimum of seven years of experience in malaria control activities.
• Excellent communicator and facilitator.
• Experience working in Vanuatu