Request for Proposal Program Reporting and Annual Work Planning for AKDN Health Action Plan for Afghanistan (HAPA) 2015- 2020

Job Description

1. Rationale

Aga Khan Foundation Afghanistan (AKF-Afg) is seeking to retain the services of a Management Firm (“the Firm”) to provide management services as needed for the implementation of the Aga Khan Development Network’s Health Action Plan for Afghanistan (HAPA).

HAPA is a five-year, $77 million initiative executed by AKFC and implemented by Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) agencies in Afghanistan in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health in selected areas of Afghanistan, with funding from Global Affairs Canada (GAC), Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC). This initiative is expected to reach an estimated 1,264,022 people, including 495,598 women of reproductive age.

The activities of the Management Firm will complement routine reporting and annual work-planning with additional analysis and linking the program result with the overall result framework for HAPA. This will also include discussing the program result with the overall changes in the health system data and health status of the target groups. The Firm will also work with the local team member of the Aga Khan Foundation Afghanistan to build their capacity on systematic and thematic analysis during the course of assignment.

The specific objectives of the Management Firm are to:

• Perform systematic analysis of the program data and reflect on the contribution the program is making toward its set targets and milestones. The data and contents will be provided by the AKF-Afg respective departments and team members.
• Review and outline the effectiveness, relevance, and sustainability of HAPA’s strategies and results.
• Discuss the program result with the overall national and international standards and findings. The Firm will have to collect national data sets such as HMIS, DHS, DEWS, Nutrition Surveillance and others to discuss the HAPA findings in the national perspective and at the same time discuss it with findings for similar interventions from the other similar settings.
• Establish cross-sectoral linkages and contributing factors in the perspective of multi-sectoral program implementation focused on improving mothers and child health.
• Analyze and adjust the areas for improvement in annual work-planning process in consultation with the local teams.

The Management Firm is expected to contribute toward improving the analysis and quality of the HAPA deliverables. The Firm is expected to position HAPA performance into the overall national health performance and provide systematic and scientific analysis for outlining the program results and identify areas for further improvements. The Firm will report to Grants Management Unit of the Health Program of the AKF-Afg.

2. Background – Description of HAPA

HAPA aims to improve the health status of men and women in selected provinces of Afghanistan, particularly women of reproductive age and children under five; targeting selected districts in Badakhshan, Bamyan and Baghlan provinces and also seeking to achieve national impact through capacity building and collaboration with national institutions including the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).

Implemented by Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) in collaboration with the Government of Afghanistan, Aga Khan Foundation Afghanistan (AKF-A), Aga Khan Health Service (AKHS), Aga Khan University (AKU) and Aga Khan Planning and Building Services (AKPBS), HAPA aims to:

1) Improve the quality and expand the range of health services in targeted remote and rural areas of Afghanistan by complementing the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) and Essential Package of Hospital Services (EPHS), expanding and improving the quality of government health and nutrition services, increasing the use of eHealth services, i.e., primarily tele-consultations and eLearning sessions, and enhancing health infrastructure;

2) Strengthen availability and quality of health human resources through selected educational institutions, providing support to medical, nursing and midwifery education programs, educating new nurses, midwives and specialist physicians, and strengthening planning and management skills of officials in provincial and national health departments;

3) Improve health practices and enhance civil society engagement and capacity to support effective health practices, especially in the area of nutrition by increasing communities’ participation in health governance and accountability, improving community health knowledge and practices with focus on reproductive, neonatal and child health, expanding access to nutritious foods, and enhancing food security.

3. Responsibilities of Consulting Assignment – Scope of work:

The scope of work of the Firm covers the entire period of HAPA’s implementation, from October 2015 to December 2020. All components of the initiative are included as highlighted above and it ranges from improving quality and expansion of health care services, health human resource development and enhancing community participation. Specifically, as part of the assignment the Firm will carry out the following core activities:

• Develop an implementation plan that provides information about the overall strategy, information gathering activities, analysis, budget and schedule/timeframe.
• Develop annual work plans to update and further elaborate the initial implementation plan.
• Perform thorough and systematic review of the program data and produce draft analysis for the semi and annual reports. This also includes impact analysis and establishing references of the program implementation with immediate and intermediate outcomes.
• Establish cross-sectoral linkages and reflect on the program performance in the perspective of HAPA result framework and performance management framework.
• Collect national outcome and output information and data such as national surveys, HMIS, DEWS, Nutrition, RMNCH Scorecard and others and discuss it with the HAPA performance.

• Performing critical review and providing technical feedback on HAPA thematic areas presented in the reports and annual work planning.
• Review additional monitoring and evaluation data and provide complementary and supplementary analysis.
• Provide technical input as requested into the development and finalization of key project documents.
• Analyze information gathered to determine the reliability of initiative data collected and reported.
• Analyze overall performance of HAPA with respect to implementation of planned activities, effectiveness of activities in achieving planned results, relevance of strategies and results to needs, and sustainability of initiative results.
• Review the implementation of HAPA cross-cutting themes (gender equality, environmental sustainability, good governance) and provide required inputs.
• Identify and analyze achievements, issues and challenges in the implementation and performance of HAPA’s activities and strategies, and provide technical advice and recommendations regarding how to improve performance and long-term impact.
• Present reports which will include the following sections:

1. Executive Summary
2. Introduction
3. Key activities during the reporting period
4. Findings related to HAPA implementation, monitoring and reporting;
5. Analysis of HAPA performance, effectiveness, relevance, sustainability;
6. Analysis of cross-cutting themes;
7. Recommendations for HAPA implementation. 4. Required Qualifications of the Firm.

Where the Consultant is a team of people, the members of the team should possess a mix of monitoring, project management, nutrition, WASH and reproductive health and thematic knowledge, as well as the capacity to integrate gender equality into all stages and aspects of the planning and implementation of this assignment, including the ability to analyze data from female beneficiaries collected at the community level. The proposal should clearly demonstrate the Consultant’s qualifications and experience to perform the requested scope of work and address each of the following areas:

• Experience (as a Firm or nominated individuals) with skills and expertise on initiatives of similar scope and scale;
• Expertise in the areas of multi-sectoral health programs, including a sound understanding of maternal, newborn and child health; water, sanitation and hygiene; food security/nutrition; and gender equality/gender mainstreaming;
• Relevant experience in measurement and analysis of health data using quantitative and qualitative methods;
• Experience working in Afghanistan, including familiarity and understanding of local issues, sensitivities, and conditions;
• Excellent written and spoken English language skills, as well as ability to communicate in Dari;
• Master’s degree in a field related to international development, public/global health and nutrition, or other related field. An additional degree in epidemiology would be considered an asset.

5. Application Information and Proposal Format.

The contracting agency for this consultancy is Aga Khan Foundation Afghanistan. The proposals received in response to this request will be evaluated for their technical and financial merit, and the extent to which the proposed Consultant(s) meets the criteria noted in Section D, above. Financial information must be included in US Dollars. Proposals from interested individuals/firms should include the following sections:

• Expertise of Applicant
• Proposed methodology and approach, including team composition
• Proposed timeline and schedule of activities
• CV of Consultant(s)
• Proposed budget in Canadian Dollars
• Two samples of work produced under similar mandates

The proposal should be structured as per the instructions below:

1) Expertise of Applicant (not to exceed 3 pages)

This section should provide details regarding the experience and capacity of the Applicant (individual or team/firm) and how the Applicant meets the profile and required qualifications of the Firm. If the applicant is a consortium or joint venture, please clearly identify the capacities and roles of each party and designate one party to act as the lead entity. In addition, any potential or perceived conflict of interest involving the Applicant or any other personnel assigned to the project, with any of the HAPA implementing partners or donors (AKFC, AKFA, AKHS, AKU, FMIC, AFD, Global Affairs Canada) should be noted in this section.

The Applicant must provide a list of projects/contracts (completed or ongoing) which are similar in nature to the requirements of this RFP, using the template below.

SIMILAR ASSIGNMENTS:

Date and duration-Assignment name-Brief description of main deliverables/outputs-

Name of Client & Country of Assignment

2) Methodology (not to exceed 2 pages)

Describe the proposed technical approach and methodology to conduct this assignment and meet the objectives detailed in the Scope of Work (Section C). This section should clearly describe, point by point, how each sub-component of the scope of work will be addressed. It should also demonstrate how the approach will take into account the local context and project implementation environment.

3) Proposed Timeline and Schedule of Activities (not to exceed 2 pages)

Provide a detailed timeline and schedule of activities based on the methodology detailed in b) and identifying the main activities for completing the assignment. This section should identify specific activities for gathering information, analyzing and discussing the findings, propose frequency and timing of activities, and propose coordination mechanisms with AKFA

4) CV(s) of Applicant(s)

Provide a comprehensive CV for team members included in the application. CVs should clearly demonstrate how the Applicant meets the qualifications outlined in section E, above.

5) Proposed Budget in US Dollars

Based on the above scope of work and recommended level of effort, provide a detailed budget for Consultant time (including daily rates and number of days for all team members), travel, and other costs.

6. Scoring System and Selection Criteria:

The proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

1. Experience of the Applicant relevant to the assignment
2. Proposed methodology
3. Proposed activities and schedule
4. Applicant’s qualifications
5. Budget

7. Work location(s) Not specific requirements.

8. Schedule

The estimated level of effort for this assignment is 10 – 25 days per quarter, depending on the quarterly requirements of HAPA. AKF-Afg will not be responsible for the duty of care for the Consultant’s team member along with the other logistic requirements during this assignment.

About the Organization

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is a non-denominational international development agency established in 1967 by His Highness the Aga Khan. Its mission is to develop and promote creative solutions to problems that impede social development, primarily in Asia and East Africa. Created as a private, non-profit foundation under Swiss law, it has branches and independent affiliates in 19 countries.

AKF seeks to provide sustainable solutions to long-term problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and ill health. In Afghanistan, AKF works with rural communities in mountainous, remote or resource poor areas to improve quality of life in the areas of natural resource management, market development, governance, education and health.

The Aga Khan Foundation, Afghanistan (AKF (Afg)) is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of international, private, non-denominational development agencies working to improve living conditions and opportunities for people in some of the poorest parts of the developing world. The Network’s organizations have individual mandates that range from the fields of health and education to architecture, rural development and promotion of private-sector enterprise and institutions that seek to empower communities and individuals, usually in disadvantaged circumstances, to improve living conditions and opportunities.