Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) in the Eastern Caribbean Area -Saint Lucia... Tender

Procurement Summary

Country : USA

Summary : Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) in the Eastern Caribbean Area -Saint Lucia and Potentially Montserrat (Alternating)

Deadline : 22 May 2019

Other Information

Notice Type : Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 32861797

Document Ref. No. :

Competition : ICB

Financier : United Nations Secretariat

Purchaser Ownership : -

Tender Value : Refer Document

Purchaser's Detail

Purchaser : UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND
UNICEF 125 Maiden Lane, 11th Floor New York, NY 10038 Tel: +1-212-6865522 Fax: +1-7791679
USA
URL :https://www.unicef.org

Tender Details

Tenders are invited for Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) in the Eastern Caribbean Area -Saint Lucia and Potentially Montserrat (Alternating).

Initiative:

Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) in the Eastern Caribbean Area -Saint Lucia and potentially Montserrat (alternating)

Start/End Dates: 16 June 2019- 31 May 2020

Background:

The Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) is an international household survey programme developed and supported by UNICEF. MICS is designed to collect estimates of key indicators that are used to assess the situation of children and women. Over the past 20 years, MICS has evolved to respond to changing data needs, expanding from 28 indicators in the first round to more than 200 indicators in the current sixth round, and becoming a key source of data on child protection, early childhood education, and a major source of data on child health and nutrition. In addition to being a data collection tool to generate data for monitoring the progress towards national goals and global commitments for promoting the welfare of children, MICS provided valuable data for MDG monitoring as a major source of data for the UN Secretary General-s Final Millennium Development Goals Report.

Since the inception of MICS in the 1990s, over 300 surveys have been carried out in more than 100 countries. As part of the global effort to further develop national capacities to generate and analyse high quality and disaggregated data, UNICEF launched the sixth round of MICS in October 2016, with results of first surveys expected to be available by the end of 2017. This new round is in accordance with the list of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators endorsed by the UN Statistical Commission in 2016, following the global adoption of the 17 SDGs and 169 targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The final SDG indicator framework currently includes 230 global indicators, of which around 30 per cent are household survey-based. Today, MICS, covering almost half of the SDG indicators that are household survey-based, is well positioned to play a central role in this new Agenda alongside other key demographic, health and socio-economic surveys and to complement data from administrative sources and censuses. The MICS questionnaires have undergone rigorous methodological and validation work to broaden the scope of the tools and include new topics that reflect SDG indicators and emerging issues in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development context, including: rapid water quality testing, social transfers, foundational learning skills (children age 7-14), child and adult functioning, migration status, use of clean fuels and technology, and victimisation.

As governments develop national frameworks to monitor progress towards the SDGs and establish baselines, strategic planning and investments will be required to collect robust, more frequent, and timely data. This round of MICS presents a unique opportunity to support this process.

The UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area has already supported MICS surveys in 2012 in Barbados and Saint Lucia, and in 2011, 2006 and 2000 in Trinidad and Tobago. To support the ECA countries and territories to establish national SDG baselines and monitor progress on children and women outcomes, as well as key objectives of the 2017-2021 Multi-Country Programme, UNICEF ECA Office is supporting MICS in a number of ECA countries and territories as part of the 6th round of the survey programme. The Turks and Caicos Islands and Trinidad and Tobago are at advanced stages of MICS preparations and planning with the field data collection scheduled during June - September 2019. Following further in-country discussions, the Government of Saint Lucia committed to conduct MICS in 2019 and requested UNICEF support. Montserrat has indicated interest in the MICS with the possibility to implement the survey in 2020 and survey preparations potentially starting Q3 2019. To ensure that the implementation of the MICS in Saint Lucia and in Montserrat runs smoothly, specific deadlines are met and that the implementing partners, the Central Statistical Offices (CSOs)[1] receive the technical assistance necessary to produce statistically sound and reliable data, the UNICEF ECA Multi-Country Office will hire a full-time consultant to oversee the MICS process from preparatory work to release of results.

The 2019 MICS in Saint Lucia and 2020 tentatively in Montserrat will be implemented using Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) in which the interviewer uses a tablet to record data. CAPI data collection can reduce the time needed to collect and process survey data, facilitate real time monitoring, improve the quality of the data and reduce survey costs.

Purpose of the Job:

Under the overall supervision of the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, the International MICS Consultant (IMC) will support and provide guidance to UNICEF ECA and the CSOs for the preparation, implementation and completion of the MICS survey in Saint Lucia and Montserrat. The IMC will advise the CSOs, especially the national MICS Coordinator and sampling and data processing experts, during survey planning, questionnaire design, sampling, training, fieldwork, data processing, data analysis, dissemination and archiving, ensuring that MICS protocols and recommendations are being followed at all times. The IMC will communicate effectively between UNICEF ECA and CSOs, responding promptly to MICS related needs and issues as they arise.

The International MICS Consultant will be responsible for coordinating and supporting the work of other resource persons hired by UNICEF to provide technical assistance to the MICS process. The consultant will work in close collaboration with the survey team, the stakeholders, and Steering and Technical Committees and will represent UNICEF in meetings and workshops in relation to the survey as needed. The IMC will also work in close collaboration with the regional MICS Coordinator and the Global MICS Team in UNICEF HQ.

Main Tasks Related to the Job:

Provide technical and managerial support to the MICS survey;
Present the MICS methodology, tools, and guidelines to partners/stakeholders (e.g. ministries, UN Agencies, etc.);
Finalise, in collaboration with national partners and UNICEF ECA, the Survey Plan and Budget, including timetable and share with UNICEF Regional Office (RO);
Ensure that the Ethical Protocol and other ethical recommendations are addressed in the survey implementation process and that all MICS related documents are shared with the national Ethical Committee on time for approval;
Oversee each stage of the survey process and ensure that the MICS protocols and standards are followed by the CSOs, more specifically during training and field supervision visits;
Communicate regularly with the UNICEF ECA, RO and/or Headquarters (HQ) responding to all MICS related issues in a timely manner;
Provide monthly updates on MICS activities to the UNICEF ECA/RO/HQ;
Coordinate the work of CSO specialists and UNICEF Regional Consultants and other resource persons assigned by the UNICEF CO and/or RO to support different survey stages;
Ensure that external technical reviews by experts (i.e. Regional Sampling Consultant, Regional Data Processing Consultant, and Regional Household Survey Consultant) are carried out at key survey stages and coordinate the feedback and response between the ECA/RO/HQ and CSOs;
Ensure that all survey related documents and deliverables are properly archived throughout the survey process (for example: Memorandum of Understanding, Survey Plan and Budget, questionnaires, manuals, sample design, training/pre-test reports, expert reports, CAPI application, output and tabulation plan tables, syntaxes, datasets, Survey Findings Report (and Final Report), dissemination materials etc.);
Participate in all MICS Steering and Technical Committee meetings;
Participate in, and contribute to, MICS Regional Workshops;
Ensure that lessons learned, problems, and good practices are documented throughout the MICS process and rapidly shared with the MICS community (other MICS implementing countries, RO, and HQ) through all means available.
Specific Activities:

In consultation and collaboration with the UNICEF ECA and CSOs, the IMC will be responsible for ensuring the following activities have been undertaken following the MICS guidelines and will contribute to the coordination of these activities:

1. Survey Planning:

A Steering Committee is established and composed of all relevant national and international stakeholders, including National Ethical Committee;
At least one Technical Committee comprised of all relevant technical experts is established;
The Survey Plan and Budget, including timetable is finalised and shared with all stakeholders;
A Memorandum of Understanding between UNICEF ECA and CSOs is signed before funds are spent on survey activities;
Survey supplies are procured and distributed in time for training and data collection;
Sample design:
The UNICEF Regional Sampling Consultant is provided with necessary information and visits are well managed and coordinated within survey plans;
Sample design is finalised by the sampling expert of CSO with the guidance and review of the UNICEF Regional Sampling Consultant;
Listing and Mapping materials and operations are reviewed by the UNICEF Regional Sampling Consultant and carried out on the field per MICS recommendations;
Sample design is reviewed by the UNICEF RO and/or HQ before finalisation.
The final selection of households is reviewed.
The weights are reviewed.
MICS questionnaires:

Appropriate UNICEF programme staff and the Technical Committee are involved in reviewing the customisation of relevant sections of the MICS questionnaire;
Selected Modules address country data gaps and address SGD data needs;
Questionnaires undergo translation and back translation process;
Questionnaires and manuals undergo an ethical review;
Questionnaires are pre-tested and a pre-test report is produced;
Questionnaires are reviewed by the UNICEF RO and HQ before finalisation.
Manuals:

MICS Household Listing and Mapping, Supervisor, Measurer, and Interviewer Manuals are customised for the country specific context and translated.
CAPI application template:

CAPI application template is customised by the data processing expert of the CSO with the guidance of the UNICEF Regional Data Processing Consultant;
CAPI application template is reviewed by the UNICEF RO and/or HQ before finalisation;
Secondary editing guidelines and Field Check Table syntax are customised by the data processing expert of the CSO with the guidance of the UNICEF Regional Data Processing Consultant.
2. Listing and Mapping, Training and Fieldwork, and Data Processing:

Listing and mapping is planned and performed per MICS guidelines;
Training schedules are adequately adapted to the county context while following MICS guidelines;
Appropriate resource persons are identified to facilitate training (i.e. nutritionists for anthropometry training, survey experts for methodology, etc.);
Contribute to the fieldwork training;
Fieldwork and fieldwork monitoring visits are planned and performed according to MICS guidelines;
Field Check Tables are produced on a weekly basis, immediately analysed by survey managers, and main findings reported to field supervisors for action. Field Check Tables are immediately shared with UNICEF RO;
Participation of UNICEF ECA staff is organised to assist in monitoring data collection;
UNICEF Regional Data Processing Consultant is timely provided with necessary information and country visits are well managed and coordinated;
Hardware is made available for the CAPI application (data collection and central office menu components), and software is properly installed and a working, data transfer system and data backup system is established;
Monitor data processing and secondary data editing.
3. Data Analysis and Report Writing:

Sampling Weights are included in the datasets and reviewed by the sampling expert of the CSO with the guidance and review of the UNICEF Regional Sampling Consultant;
MICS tabulation plan and standard syntax are customised and used in generating SPSS dataset and tables.
Dataset/Tables including the wealth index are substantively reviewed by technical (e.g. sampling expert) and subject matter experts at the CSO, as well as by UNICEF RO and HQ MICS Team before the report writing commences;
Coordinate and contribute substantively to the elaboration of the Survey Findings Report (and eventually to the Final Report), using the MICS template and according to MICS standards to ensure a timely release;
Ensure that the Survey Findings Reports (and Final Report) undergoes the technical review process by RO and HQ;
Coordinate the printing and distribution of the Survey Findings Report (and Final Report);
Organise and facilitate the presentation of the Survey Findings Report (and Final Report) through a national seminar;
Provide technical expertise and advice for wide dissemination of the Survey Findings Report (and Final Report) and main results;
Ensure that the MICS survey archive with all final survey documents and materials (MOU, CSP, questionnaires, manuals, sample design, field reports, CAPI application, syntaxes, database, tables, survey findings report (and final report), dissemination materials, etc.) is being produced by the CSO.
4. Attend to all MICS Regional and/or National Workshops

Deliverables:

Monthly Progress Report of activities, describing activities undertaken during the month and highlighting problems met and solutions put in place to mitigate them;
Field trip reports;
Regional workshop trip reports;
Presentations and training materials used in trainings, workshops, and other meetings.
Reporting Line: The consultant will report directly to the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist in the UNICEF ECA Office.

Confidentiality of Data and MICS Documents:

The IMC must respect the complete confidentiality of the MICS data as well as any specific MICS documents that will be produced throughout the MICS process. The IMC can use the documents and the datasets only for the tasks related to these Terms of Reference.

Qualifications and Competencies:

Education: University degree in Demography, Statistics, Social Sciences, Epidemiology or any other related technical field is required.

Skills and Experience:

Proven minimum of 5 years- experience in the coordination and/or management of quantitative household surveys, prior MICS or Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) requested;
Strong computer skills and strong expertise in statistical analyses (familiarity with data processing and data analysis software, particularly SPSS);
Experience with CAPI data collection;
Training experience and ability to organise and facilitate training and presentations;
Experience in data analysis and survey report writing.
Other Competencies:

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Excellent oral and written communications in English;
Familiarity and previous experience of working in Eastern Caribbean Area and/or in the Caribbean region desirable.
Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and to establish harmonious and effective relationships both within and outside the organisation, more specifically with Central Statistical Offices;
Demonstrated leadership, managerial and supervisory ability; Ability and willingness to travel in the Eastern Caribbean Area and to attend regional workshops.
Office Arrangements and Travel Requirements:

During the contract period, the International MICS Consultant is expected to travel within the ECA MICS participating countries and territories (Saint Lucia and Montserrat) and to MICS Regional Workshops in other countries and UNICEF Regional Office. The costs for approved travels will be reimbursed by the UNICEF ECA upon submission of receipts and based on applicable UN DSA rates. All approved travels to be conducted in accordance with UNICEF travel rules and regulations. The exact timing of the travel will depend on the survey schedules of the countries. A travel budget will be determined by the UNICEF ECA Office and included as a provision of the final contract.

UNICEF will reimburse round-trip economy class travel to and from the region of assignment at the beginning and end point of the contract in accordance with UNICEF rules & regulations.

The IMC will be based at the CSOs (alternating between Saint Lucia and Montserrat as needed) who will provide her/him office space and adequate working conditions with Internet access. The selected consultant is expected to provide his/her own laptop. UNICEF will provide dedicated email account access.

Estimated Duration of Contract and Fees:

The International MICS Consultant should be recruited at the start of MICS planning and should remain on board until the Survey Findings Report and the survey archive are produced.The duration of consultancy is expected to cover 11.5 months. Only candidates that can commit for this whole duration will be considered.

The consultant isto indicate their monthly fee (in US$) for the services to be provided during the period of the consultancy. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/output is incomplete or not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines.

UNICEF ECA Office will provide a monthly living allowance of US$ 2, 000 per month; payable at the end of the month throughout the assignment period.

Payment Schedule:

The consultant will be paid on a monthly basis against a monthly report detailing progress on the tasks undertaken.

Conditions of Services:

Before commencing work, a consultant or individual contractor shall submit a statement of good health and take full responsibility for the accuracy of that statement, including confirmation that he or she has been informed of the inoculations required for the country or countries to which travel is authorized. Consultants and individual contractors shall assume all costs that may occur in relation to the statement of good health. Consultants and individual contractors are required to certify that they are covered by medical/health insurance.

Property Rights:

UNICEF shall hold all property rights, such as copyright, patents and registered trademarks, on matter directly related to, or derived from, the work carried out through this contract with UNICEF.

Trainings:

Consultants and Individual contractors, even those working from home, mustcomplete the following online courses prior to signature of contract. All certificates should be presented as part of the contract.?

Ethics and Integrity at UNICEF
Prevention of Sexual Harassment & Abuse of Authority
Sexual Exploitation Abuse (PSEA)
Consultants and Individual Contractors must completethe following coursebefore commencement of any travel on behalf of UNICEF.

BSAFE Security Training
Any consultant or individual contractor who is issued a UNICEF email address must complete the following courses no later than 30 daysafter signature ofcontract.

UN Human Rights and Responsibilities
UNICEF Information Security Awareness Course
Fraud Awareness
How to Apply:

Prospective consultants should apply through UNICEF-s E-recruitment System via the following link:https://www.unicef.org/about/employ/?job=522017, no later thanMay 21st, 2019. The application package should include:

A cover letter
A detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV)
A financial proposal, indicating proposed monthly fee (in US$).
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, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

[1] Known as Department of Statistics (DOS) in Montserrat.

Documents

 Tender Notice