REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Gender Expert for Qualitative Research Solicitation #: 1 Project Code #:

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Gender Expert for Qualitative Research Solicitation #: 1 Project Code #: Issue Date: December 3, 2018 Closing Date: December 10, 2018 by 5:00pm EST Expected Award Date: on/around January 1, 2019 Background The United States government, through the U.S. Agency for Development (USAID), launched a new project to control and eliminate five neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Sub-Saharan West Africa in July The five-year Act to End NTDs West project is the successor to USAID s successful END in Africa Project, which worked since 2010 to eliminate and control diseases such as trachoma and lymphatic filariasis. Act to End NTDs West, managed by USAID partner FHI 360, expands and deepens USAID s efforts toward controlling and eliminating trachoma, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in 11 West African countries Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. The new project seeks to support disease-endemic countries to eliminate and/or control NTDs using preventive chemotherapy through proven, cost-effective public health interventions. In the past, many donor-funded development programs, including NTD programs, have suffered the deficiency of being gender blind, meaning that they do not take gender into consideration in design, delivery or evaluation. Yet, gender norms and gender inequity are key social determinants of health, impacting an individual s risk of disease, their access to and use of resources and their likelihood of recovery. While gender significantly impacts NTD programming, it does not stand alone but must be considered within the context of all aspects of power inequalities including disability, poverty, geographic location, ethnicity and other factors of marginalization. A recent call for more research in the area of gender and NTDs 1 outlined results of some recent findings in relation to the topic area: For NTDs, sex and gender roles can have a profound effect on healthcare access, health outcomes, and caregiver responsibilities. There is evidence that NTDs influence adverse birth outcomes for pregnant women and women of reproductive age, resulting in chronic anemia, premature birth, and even increased risk of maternal mortality. Likewise, women infected with some NTDs may face a disproportionate risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections such as HIV, or social exclusion and stigma if they develop NTD- 1 Excerpted from: Means AR, Krentel A, Theobald S, Dean L, Mbabazi PS, Elphick-Pooley T, et al. (2018) Catalyzing NTD gender and equity research: A call for papers. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 12(10): e

2 associated morbidities and disability. Risk of NTD infection may also be gendered, often based upon social differentiation of occupational and household tasks. Importantly, gender also intersects with other axes of inequity such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, occupation status, age, sexuality, (dis)ability, or religion, and there is increasing interest in gender and intersectionality analysis to address key global health priority issues. For example, gender norms can affect the ability of women to participate as community volunteers in preventive chemotherapy programs due to the influence of existing cultural expectations and social hierarchies, affecting their occupational and social engagement opportunities. These intersections compound risk of NTD acquisition, experiences of morbidity, disability and illness, poverty, and access to high-quality care within different contexts, further aggravating inequities. Despite the known mediating role of gender in influencing health and social well-being, there is a dearth of research regarding the gender equity of NTD programs. There is also minimal understanding of the influence of sex, gender, and other intersecting inequities on specific health and development outcomes, including the functioning of NTD programs and the broader health systems they link with. A deeper understanding of how and why sex and gender influence factors such as NTD acquisition risk, disease experience, morbidity and disability consequences, or programmatic delivery and access is critical not only for candid introspection as an NTD community but also in designing more effective and equitable programs that leave no one behind. Objectives of the Gender Study One of the project s Year One deliverables is a detailed gender analysis, which will be used to inform a broader project gender strategy. The Gender Strategy will inform the project s technical approach as it related to gender throughout the life of project and should be reflected as relevant in annual workplans, reporting, and activity MEL plan indicators. (The) Act to End NTDs West (Gender Strategy) will align with Agency-wide commitments mandated by the USAID Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy ( Efforts to control and eliminate NTDs must consider how gender constraints, such as roles and responsibilities, patterns of decision-making power, and cultural gender-related norms and beliefs affect men s and women s ability to access and benefit from NTD control and elimination interventions. Although both men and women are equally susceptible to NTDs, the impact of NTDs on gender varies depending on the contextual setting, the specific disease, and other socio-cultural and biological factors. When affected by these morbidities, both men and women must deal with loss of social status, reduced earning capacity, stigma, and detachment from society. It is expected that Act to End NTDs West Recipient(s) will conduct a thorough assessment of the context and gender considerations that need to be addressed and provide a Gender Action Plan/Strategy to ensure that gender sensitive approaches are integrated into programmatic operations in each country context. Women s empowerment and reducing gender inequality and discrimination should also be monitored.

3 Roles, responsibilities, and societal expectations for men and women differ by geographic and cultural contexts. The specific variables contributing to women s and girls vulnerability to NTDs, and opportunities to reduce infection, improve access to treatment, and promote community participation, must be analyzed in each country context where activities will take place. The Act to End NTDs West program should map gaps in knowledge and ensure thorough and continuous analyses of potential benefits and unintended consequences for women, girls, men, and boys. Evidence-based literature on gender and NTDs has found that women and girls face different and disproportionate impact from NTDs for both biological and sociocultural reasons. The Gender Analysis of Act to End NTDs West will analyze three broad areas of inquiry: 1) how NTDs might differentially impact women and men, girls and boys, recognizing intersectionality; 2) how unequal gender norms, unequal power dynamics, including social exclusion of people with disabilities, might affect the attainment of program results; and 3) how program activities could advance gender equality and social inclusion. The analysis will utilize gender domains as outlined in ADS Chapter Integrating Gender Equality and Female Empowerment in USAID s Program Cycle ( and will augment with an additional domain on Human Dignity, Safety, and Wellness covering issues of intersectionality. These gender analysis domains will be tailored per the lesson noted above, to NTD programing. 2 The analysis will inform the creation of a Gender Action Plan/Strategy that will develop tailored interventions to integrate gender and social inclusion perspectives throughout the life of Act to End NTDs West. Research Team and Research Activities The overall management and oversight of the activity will fall to the Director of MEL for Act to End NTDs West. An FHI 360 Senior Technical Advisor will steer the technical direction of the gender study. In addition, an external consultant will be engaged to assist the FHI 360 Senior Technical Advisor in all activities including fieldwork. Additional local staff will be engaged for the field work as necessary. Two FHI 360 Act to End NTDs West M&E staff will be involved in a quantitative data analysis, as indicated below. Broadly speaking, the gender study activities will be divided into two phases. Phase I Activities (on/around December 17, 2018-March 31, 2019) to be undertaken by the external consultant (under the direction and with the assistance of the FHI 360 Senior Technical Advisor-except for item 2): 1. The external consultant and the Senior Technical Advisor will be provided an in-briefing in the way of a short seminar on the subject of NTDs by ACT TO END NTDS WEST technical staff. The external consultant (under the overall direction of the Senior Technical Advisor) will then conduct a literature review of gender issues with respect to 2 For example, a sample of such a tailored analysis with sample questions for the topic of MDAs is found in Annex A.

4 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), focusing on findings relevant to the 11 countries within the project portfolio and using research from reputable sources. A suggested (but not exhaustive) reading list is included in Annex B. 2. Two FHI 360 Act to End NTDs West full-time staff will conduct a quantitative analysis of gender-based NTD-related data using secondary sources, such as the USAID NTD Database, country-based registers for mass drug administrations (MDAs), results from coverage surveys and disease-specific assessments (DSAs), and other existing and available sources. Indicators under consideration for analysis might include MDA coverage by sex as well as disease prevalence by sex. 3 For community-based MDA platforms, an analysis of community drug administrator (CDD) by sex is also of interest. 4 Finally, to the extent possible, sex-disaggregated data analyses should differentiate between women/men versus girls/boys. The quantitative study should build on the results of the quantitative analysis documented in Women involvement in combating Neglected Tropical Diseases in six countries of West Africa (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Niger, Sierra Leone and Togo). 3. Synthesizing the result from activities 1 and 2, the external consultant (under the direction of the Senior Technical Advisor) will draft a report for FHI 360 Act to End NTDs West and for USAID, synthesizing the findings of the literature review. The report will identify and explain gaps between males and females that exist in households, communities and countries, and identify the relevance of gender norms and power relations in a specific context. The report will also serve to inform the phase II fieldwork in terms of identifying the gaps and opportunities that should be further explored through qualitative data collections. The draft report will be reviewed by Act to End NTDs West and USAID, and comments and feedback will be integrated before a final version is accepted. Phase II Activities (April 1 - September 30, 2019) to be undertaken by the external consultant (under the direction of the Senior Technical Advisor): Fieldwork Preparation Activities: 4. Using the Phase I literature review and quantitative data analysis results as background information, countries in which qualitative data collection will take place will be selected, in consultation with Act to End NTDs West. a. Criteria for country selection should include (among other things): i. Countries that span different cultural and economic characteristics (e.g., Muslim majority versus Christian majority, Anglophone/ Francophone, high versus low level of economic development) 3 Note that four of the five diseases are generally considered gender-neutral. Trachoma, however, can affect women at a rate three times higher than men. There is also evidence that male fishermen might be more likely to be affected by onchocerciasis due to their proximity to black fly breeding grounds. Furthermore, the literature suggests that there may be a bigger effect of soil transmitted helminths (STH) on mothers and small children. 4 It is understood that in many contexts, males are more often chosen by communities as CDDs due to safety issues related to travel. However, the use of female CDDs has clear advantages. For instance, in Muslim countries, only female CDDs are permitted to interact with female recipients of MDAs. Furthermore, there is a higher trust level exhibited towards women CDDs as compared to male CDDs.

5 ii. Countries with differing intensities (low/ medium/ high) in terms of number of endemic districts for onchocerciasis /schistosomiasis (SCH)/ soil transmitted helminths (STH) iii. Civil society groups, nongovernmental organizations, or international organizations including women s rights organizations have been actively working on issues related to gender and NTDs. iv. Countries with sex-disaggregated NTD data are readily available. v. Countries where IRB requirements are at a minimum (to avoid time delays in obtaining approvals). b. Based on these suggested criteria, focus should be on three or four of the following seven countries: i. Benin (Christian/ Muslim mix, low disease intensity, Francophone) or Cote D Ivoire (Christian/ Muslim mix, moderate disease intensity, Francophone) ii. Ghana (Christian majority, high disease intensity, Anglophone) iii. Senegal or Guinea-Conakry (Muslim majority, low disease intensity, Francophone) or Sierra Leone (Muslim majority, low disease intensity, Anglophone) iv. Burkina Faso (Muslim majority, moderate disease intensity, Francophone) 5. The study design will be articulated. Specifically, a protocol (including data collection tools) for the qualitative study will be developed, using the results of the phase I literature review and quantitative data analysis to inform the content. The research questions to be answered by the qualitative study should be clearly articulated, along with supporting evidence of their relevance/ importance to NTD programming. The protocol will discuss the rationale for the number and choice of selected countries, and will indicate the number of communities and focus group discussions (FGDs)/ In-depth interviews (IDIs) that will be conducted per community. The mode of data collection will include both FGDs and IDIs for all three or four selected countries. The composition of FGDs shall be specified, along with a profile of the type of key informants to be interviewed through IDIs. The protocol and data collection tools will be reviewed by Act to End NTDs West, and comments and feedback will be integrated before a final version is accepted. 6. Using the protocol and data collection tools as a basis, an IRB application to FHI 360 Office of Institutional Research Ethics will be submitted for expedited approval for nonresearch designation. Fieldwork Activities: 7. The FHI 360 Senior Technical Advisor and the external consultant will each head up a separate team and will each travel to 1-2 countries, for a total of 3-4 countries across the two teams (with a stay of roughly 3 weeks per country). Consultations will be held with relevant stakeholders (e.g., Act to End NTDs West staff, MOH staff), in each country before qualitative data collection begins; data collection tools will be presented and feedback on approaches for data collection will be solicited as well as suggestions for adapting the gender analysis tools to the local context. Working with in-country staff, geographic areas of interest and targeted communities for qualitative data collection (for FGDs) will be identified, as well as local organizations and individuals for in-depth (key informant) interviews.

6 8. Each team will consist of a team lead (either the FHI 360 Senior Technical Advisor or the external consultant), a local interviewer, a local interpreter and a driver. With the assistance of in-country staff, a local interviewer, local interpreter and local driver will be identified and engaged to participate in qualitative fieldwork. The local interviewer will be trained on qualitative tools and will serve as a note-taker during fieldwork. 9. Fieldwork will be conducted in each of 3-4 countries. a. Permissions will be obtained from local leaders to conduct qualitative data collection, facilitated by Act to End NTDs West and MOH staff b. After arriving in targeted communities, participants for the FGDs will be selected in advance of the interviews, in consultation with male and female leaders in the selected communities. c. In each country, FGDs in 3-4 communities, 3 days in each community, will be conducted. d. IDIs in the capital and provinces with the Ministry of Health representatives, national level health organizations, international organizations, researchers and other relevant leaders in this area will be conducted. 10. After field work and prior to departing each country, preliminary findings will be shared with Act to End NTDs West staff and other stakeholders. Data Analysis and Report Writing Activities: 11. Within two weeks of returning from the countries, a post-fieldwork briefing will be provided to Act to End NTDs West Senior Management via conference call. 12. The qualitative data will be transcribed and translated. The data will then be analyzed using NVivo or AtlasTi or any other similar software typically used for analyzing unstructured data sets to unearth emerging themes and to give relative weightings to relationships between findings. Preference will be given to the use of publicly available qualitative data analysis software. 13. A gender action plan/ strategy document will be drafted that synthesizes the results of the qualitative fieldwork. The report will suggest areas where program implementation could be modified to take into account gender issues. The report will outline gender gaps that could hinder overall project outcomes, gender gaps that could be closed by the project, and possible differential effects of the project on males and females (as well as boys and girls). Particular emphasis should be given to gender strategies relating to program implementation to control and/or eliminate onchocerciasis, SCH and STH given that lymphatic filariasis (LF) and trachoma may be eliminated in many countries in the coming years. At the request of USAID, the gender strategy should also take into account the fact that there is diversity across the 11 countries in terms of community-based versus school-based platforms for program delivery.the report will be reviewed by Act to End NTDs West and USAID, and comments and feedback will be integrated before a final version is accepted. 14. A presentation of the gender strategy will be provided to Act to End NTDs West Senior Management (in DC) prior to finalization of the gender strategy report. It is expected that comments and feedback from the presentation (along with feedback provided through written comments) will be integrated into the gender strategy document.

7 Tasks/Timeframe The key tasks and estimated timeframe for achieving these tasks are presented in the table below. Activity Expected Start Date Expected End Date Phase I Activities (12/1/2018-3/31/2019) Literature review 12/17/2018 1/31/ Quantitative analysis using 12/17/2018 1/31/ secondary sources 6 Draft Phase I draft report submitted 2/1/2019 3/1/ Review period for phase I report 3/1/2019 3/14/2019 Final phase I report submitted 3/15/2019 3/31/2019 Phase II Activities (4/1/2019-9/30/2019) Protocol and data collection tools for qualitative study submitted Review period for protocol and data collection tools Final protocol and data collection tools submitted IRB and other field preparation activities Fieldwork Activities (3-4 countries, 3 weeks each, across 2 teams) Briefing to Act to End NTDs West after fieldwork Data transcription, translation, coding, analysis Draft gender strategy report submitted Review period for gender strategy report Presentation of strategy to Act to End NTDs West Final gender strategy report submitted 4/1/2019 4/10/ /11/2019 4/20/2019 4/21/2019 4/30/2019 4/1/2019 4/30/2019 Estimated LOE (days) 5 5/1/2019 6/30/ /15/2019 7/15/2019 7/1/2019 7/21/ /22/2019 8/15/ /16/2019 9/7/2019 8/30/2019 8/30/2019 9/8/2019 9/30/ Note that the LOE represents the number of days allotted individually to the external consultant and the FHI 360 Senior Technical Advisor. Therefore, the total number of days allotted to each row of activities is twice that indicated in the table. 6 This is the only activity undertaken by Act to End NTDs West staff. The remainder of the activities are undertaken by the external consultant (under the direction and with the assistance of the FHI 360 Senior Technical Advisor). 7 The LOE for this activity is allotted for each of two Act to End NTDs West staff members, not the consultant. Therefore, it is noted as 0 days. 8 The figure of days is based on a 6-day work week (the maximum allowable under USAID regulations for an external consultant) and fieldwork of either 3 or 6 weeks, depending on whether the external consultant visits 1 or 2 countries. The fieldwork for the Senior Technical Advisor is assumed to be 30 days, and assumes visits to 2 countries, 6 weeks in the field and a 5 day work week (as per usual FHI 360 regulations for full-time employee).

8 Expected Deliverables and Due Dates Phase I 1. Draft phase I report due March 1, 2019 (receive comments back March 14, 2019) 2. Final phase I report due March 31, 2019 Phase II 3. Draft Protocol and data collection tools for fieldwork due April 10, 2019 (receive comments back April 20, 2019) 4. Final Protocol and data collection tools for fieldwork due April 30, Briefing to Act to End NTDs West Senior Management after Field Work (conference call) July 15, Draft gender strategy document due Aug 15, 2019 (receive comments back Sept 7, 2019) 7. Presentation of Strategy to Act to End NTDs West Senior Management (in person in DC) Aug 30, Final Strategy, integrating comments both written and from presentation due Sept 30, Location of Work Expected consultant(s) is expected to perform all services remotely. Submission Requirements CV with cover letter (CV shall be updated to no less than 3 months prior to submission of proposal and cover letter [no more than 2 pages] shall summarize the consultant s qualifications and express why they should be selected for this work) Completed Biodata form Sample of sole authorship or lead authorship publication Timetable and Address for Submission Proposals are due no later than 5:00 PM EDT on Monday, December 10, Required documentation listed below must be ed to FHI 360 Program Officer Yalda Rezayee (yrezayee@fhi360.org). Qualifications Master's Degree or higher in sociology, anthropology, public health, health management, social science, or a related field required. 8+ years experience in conducting gender studies Demonstrated expertise in rigorous qualitative research and analytical methods; Experience conducting focus group discussions, key informant interviews and other in-depth interviews. Strong analytical skills and ability to articulate technical information clearly and effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.

9 Experience with USG-funded projects; Experience working in West Africa desirable Excellent report writing, analytical, and communication skills, including oral presentation skills. Extensive experience in knowledge management and dissemination of research findings. Demonstrated ability to create and maintain effective working relations with host country government personnel, NGO partners, international donor agencies and other stakeholders. Fluency in French highly desirable. Strong interpersonal, writing, and oral presentation skills in English. Ability to work independently and in a team, and to manage a high-volume work flow. Strong skills using NVivo, AtlasTi or any other software for the analysis of qualitative data Knowledge of neglected tropical diseases considered an asset Evaluation Criteria Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the consultant showing the following criteria: Experience: 80 points (Based on CV and Writing Sample) Cost: 20 points (Based on proposed daily rate as supported by salary/consulting history indicated in Biodata form) Total: 100 points. Independent Price Determination (a) By submitting an offer, prospective consultant certifies that-- (1) The prices in this offer have been arrived at independently, without, for the purpose of restricting competition, any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other offeror, including but not limited to subsidiaries or other entities in which offeror has any ownership or other interests, or any competitor relating to (i) those prices, (ii) the intention to submit an offer, or (iii) the methods or factors used to calculate the prices offered; (2) The prices in this offer have not been and will not be knowingly disclosed by the offeror, directly or indirectly, to any other offeror, including but not limited to subsidiaries or other entities in which offeror has any ownership or other interests, or any competitor before bid opening (in the case of a sealed bid solicitation) or contract award (in the case of a negotiated or competitive solicitation) unless otherwise required by law; and (3) No attempt has been made or will be made by the offeror to induce any other concern or individual to submit or not to submit an offer for the purpose of restricting competition or influencing the competitive environment. (b) Each signature on the offer is considered to be a certification by the signatory that the signatory-- (1) Is the person in the offeror's organization responsible for determining the prices being offered in this bid or proposal, and that the signatory has not participated and will not participate in any action contrary to subparagraphs (a)(1) through (a)(3) above; or

10 (2) (i) Has been authorized, in writing, to act as agent for the principals of the offeror in certifying that those principals have not participated, and will not participate in any action contrary to subparagraphs (a)(1) through (a)(3) above; (ii) As an authorized agent, does certify that the principals of the offeror have not participated, and will not participate, in any action contrary to subparagraphs (a)(1) through (a)(3) above; and (iii) As an agent, has not personally participated, and will not participate, in any action contrary to subparagraphs (a)(1) through (a)(3) above. (c) Offeror understands and agrees that -- (1) Violation of this certification will result in immediate disqualification from this solicitation without recourse and may result in disqualification from future solicitations; and (2) Discovery of any violation after award to the offeror will result in the termination of the award for default. FHI 360 Disclaimers FHI 360 may cancel the solicitation and not award FHI 360 may reject any or all responses received Issuance of the solicitation does not constitute an award commitment by FHI 360 FHI 360 reserves the right to disqualify any offer based on failure of the offeror to follow solicitation instructions FHI 360 will not compensate any offeror for responding to solicitation FHI 360 reserves the right to issue award based on initial evaluation of offers without further discussion FHI 360 may choose to award only part of the activities in the solicitation, or issue multiple awards based on the solicitation activities FHI 360 reserves the right to waive minor proposal deficiencies that can be corrected prior to award determination to promote competition FHI 360 will be contacting each offeror to confirm contact person, address and that bid was submitted for this solicitation