Assess the Technical Efficiency of Community-Based Nutrition Interventions Tender

Procurement Summary

Country : Sierra Leone

Summary : Assess the Technical Efficiency of Community-Based Nutrition Interventions

Deadline : 21 Jul 2019

Other Information

Notice Type : Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 34673338

Document Ref. No. : 1263600

Competition : ICB

Financier : World Bank (WB)

Purchaser Ownership : -

Tender Value : Refer Document

Purchaser's Detail

Purchaser : THE WORLD BANK GROUP
13 Howe Street Freetown Tel :+232-78-874600 Attn: Moses Alex Kargbo, Communications Consultant
Sierra Leone
Email :mkargbo@worldbank.org

Tender Details

Expression of Interest are invited for Assess the Technical Efficiency of Community-Based Nutrition Interventions in Sierra Leone.

Background:
The Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) has strengthen coordination and been convening development partners to address food and nutrition crisis prevention and management since its launch of Scaling-Up Nutrition (SUN) in 2012. Despite the delays and significant setbacks on the overall health outcomes caused by the Ebola outbreak in 2014-15, the SUN has been contributing to building resilience among the most vulnerable population. In fact, the prevalence of stunting has been constantly reducing from 44.9% in 2010 to 26.4% in 2017 (Sources: World Development Indicators 2018 and MICS6 2017).
In Sierra Leone, a set of high-impact nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions to improve maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition are being delivered as part of the Basic Package of Essential Health Services (BPEHS) by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) with an aim of reducing malnutrition specifically stunting. In 2018, the GoSL has developed the National Food and Nutrition Security Implementation Plan with a roadmap of a multisectoral approach to nutrition. Recently, the GoSL has launched the Multisector Strategic Plan to Reduce Malnutrition2019-2025.
At the health facility level, the following nutrition-specific interventions offered to the public: (1) growth monitoring and promotion including nutrition screening, identification and management of severely malnourished children through the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) programme; (2) growth monitoring and promotion; (3) counselling of pregnant women, mothers and caregivers on optimal maternal, infant and young child nutrition practices during ante-natal care and vaccination visits; (4) biannual vitamin A supplementation of children under-five and post-partum women; (5) biannual deworming of children under five and pregnant women, and; (6) iron folate supplementation of pregnant women. Concurrently, community-based nutrition-related activities are being carried out to promote good nutrition knowledge and practices through community health workers (CHWs), mothers support groups (MSGs) and community radio among others.

The objective of this assignment is to conduct in-depth review and assessment of the existing community-based nutrition interventions in Sierra Leone. While a lot of efforts have been made especially on integrated management of acute malnutrition (IMAM), MSGs for infant and young children nutrition (IYCN) counseling, the national qualitative study on knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) and barriers on IYCN, and delivery of micronutrient supplements, little is known about technical efficiency of interactions between different community-based nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions. Examples of the latter include interventions such as health, agriculture, WASH, early childhood education (ECD) and social protection. The review will include mapping exercise, focus group discussion and gap analysis.

Scope of Work:
The consulting firm will work on the following; (a) mapping of existing community-based delivery platforms across sectors and identify opportunities for better coordination and enhanced synergy, including an in-depth analysis of the existing mapping results; (b) review and analyze the existing multisectoral coordination mechanisms at both national and subnational levels, including the SUN Secretariat; and (c) review the existing behavioral change communication (BCC) study results and analyze the interaction of various delivery platforms which convey messages related to nutrition and identify options for better harmonization and optimization. More specifically, the consulting firm will:

1. Develop a work plan for the assignment as well as an agenda for the in-country mission(s), listing the key stakeholders she/he will meet.
2. Develop a framework of analysis and methodology to assess technical efficiency
3. Collect information on the existing community-based nutrition service delivery platforms, the governments policies and strategies on them, their activities and messages, further elaborated from the mapping done by REACH. Field work follows to obtain primary data through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and observations. Conduct follow-up with the key stakeholders via email or phone to obtain any outstanding data or other relevant information when necessary.
4. Analyze and write reports on the current situations of community-based nutrition interventions in terms of technical efficiency. The examples of the areas to be covered include, but not limited to, (a) synthesize the package of both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive services delivered by the different platforms; (b) synthesize the constraints to deliver services as well as opportunities to improve services; (c) synthesize lessons learned and innovations for scale-up; (d) synthesize the role, or lack thereof, of local governments/local service providers in managing the community-based platform, coupled with coordination mechanisms at both national and subnational levels and quality assurance mechanisms if any.
5. Make recommendations on best possible use of these community-based delivery platforms to improve technical efficiency of both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions in a systemic approach, and implementation arrangements including quality assurance and social accountability mechanisms, and performance-based management system to manage multisectoral community-based platforms.
6. Lead in organizing a national validation and dissemination workshop.

The consulting firm will work in close collaboration and periodic communications with the relevant government entities, and the World Bank Sierra Leone Country Office team. The consulting firm will report to Shiyong Wang and Kazumi Inden, task team leads (TTLs) as well as Aminata Shamit Koroma and Solade Pyne-Bailey, of the Directorate of Food and Nutrition, Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Sierra Leone.

Deliverables:
1. A work plan with articulated roles and responsibilities of respective experts in this task team, including the draft agenda for the consultancy, including a list of the key stakeholders with whom the local partner will meet.
2. A framework of analysis and methodology to assess technical efficiency with explicit description of type of information the consulting firm is basing its analysis on (qualitative or quantitative; if quantitative, state the sample size and counterfactuals).
3. Elaborated mapping from the attached REACH findings on key nutrition actors, their nutrition-related activities, and their nutrition-related messages and their delivery platforms.
4. Synthesis of constraints, opportunities for improvement, and innovations.
5. Analysis on technical efficiency of best possible use of these community-based delivery platforms for nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions in a systemic approach.
6. Policy and operational recommendation on best possible use of these community-based delivery platforms to improve technical efficiency, and implementation arrangements.
7. A short report describing the information collection process, specific data sources, and how the technical efficiency is analyzed.
8. Presentations to disseminate assessment findings to key stake holders
9. Organization of both national validation and dissemination workshops


FUNDING SOURCE

The World Bank Group intends to finance the assignment / services described below under the following:
- SUN - BETF activities

ELIGIBILITY

Eligibility restrictions apply:
[Please type list of restrictions]

INDIVIDUAL / FIRM PROFILE
The consultant will be a firm.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The World Bank Group now invites eligible firms to indicate their interest in providing the services. Interested firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services (brochures, description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, availability of appropriate skills among staff, etc. for firms; CV and cover letter for individuals). Please note that the total size of all attachments should be less than 5MB. Consultants may associate to enhance their qualifications.

Interested firms are hereby invited to submit expressions of interest.

Expressions of Interest should be submitted, in English, electronically through World Bank Group eConsultant2 (https://wbgeconsult2.worldbank.org/wbgec/index.html)

NOTES
Following this invitation for Expression of Interest, a shortlist of qualified firms will be formally invited to submit proposals. Shortlisting and selection will be subject to the availability of funding.

Only those firms which have been shortlisted will receive notification. No debrief will be provided to firms which have not been shortlisted.

Qualification Criteria

· 1. A team leader with at least Master-level degree in public health, social development studies, or other relevant discipline. *

· 2. A lead researcher with high proficiency in English in both speaking and writing, and several staff with proficiency in local languages of the selected districts *

· 3. Good track record of previous work related to community-based health and/or nutrition interventions *

· 4. Good track record of qualitative research with sound methodologies *

· 5. Good track records of working with key health and nutrition related stakeholders, including governmental agencies, the UN organizations, NGOs, and other national/international development partners, in Sierra Leone *

· 6. Commitments and flexibility in working in challenging environment *

· 7. Willingness and ability to learn technical details in the fields of nutrition and tra

Documents

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