Malaria Consortium invites interested consultancy firm(s) to tender applications for the following works:
Malaria Consortium is an international non-profit organisation specialising in the comprehensive control of malaria and other communicable diseases – particularly those affecting children under five. Established in 2003, Malaria Consortium works in Africa and Asia.
Applications are invited for:
Title: Consultancy Services – Supporting Country Teams in Preparing for SMC End-of Cycle Household Surveys
Background and Context
To prevent malaria in those most vulnerable to the disease’s effects in areas where transmission is seasonal, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC). Malaria Consortium has been a leading implementer of SMC since the WHO issued its recommendation to scale up the intervention in 2012. In 2021, our SMC programme reached 20 million children in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mozambique, Nigeria, Togo and Uganda. In 2022, we expect to reach a similar number of children in those six countries and we plan to implement a small SMC pilot project in South Sudan.
To track the performance of the SMC program and to inform decision-making and priority-setting, Malaria Consortium undertakes M&E activities, including end-of-cycle (EoC) household surveys using lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) methodology. EoC surveys are routinely conducted following all but the final SMC cycle in the areas where Malaria Consortium supports SMC delivery with the objective of identifying issues in SMC delivery and providing a starting point to engage with local and national stakeholders to take corrective actions to improve SMC delivery in subsequent cycles.
Under the leadership of a Senior Epidemiologist, Malaria Consortium continuously strengthened the EoC survey methods and how the data are used to inform subsequent improvements in SMC delivery. This included, for example, the definition of 17 SMC indicators, as well as related targets and decision criteria. Lots, lot sizes and detailed sampling strategies were defined for each country, taking into account the administrative level at which SMC delivery issues can be addressed in different contexts. We also developed a tool to help prioritise issues detected through the EoC surveys and hence strengthening data use to inform improvements in later SMC cycles.
The Senior Epidemiologist recently resigned. While a replacement is recruited and inducted, there is a need to provide continued support to Malaria Consortium country teams, especially those in South Sudan, Togo and Uganda, in refining EoC survey methods and tools in preparation for the 2022 SMC campaigns, which in most countries starts between May and July. Mozambique implements SMC between December and March and is therefore not included in this consultancy.
Objective
The consultancy will provide technical support to the SMC data managers and programme staff in Burkina Faso, Chad, Nigeria, South Sudan, Togo and Uganda with regard to the development of EoC survey protocols and data collection tools in preparation for the 2022 SMC campaign in those countries.
Key Outputs and Timelines
We envisage the following key activities to be undertaken as part of this consultancy.
May 2022:
- Briefing with the Programme Director and former Senior Epidemiologist about how the EoC surveys have evolved in recent years and programme-level priorities for 2022 (1 day)
- Engagement with each of six country teams to understand timelines and country-level priorities in preparation for the 2022 SMC campaigns with regard to the EoC surveys (2 days)
- More detailed engagement with the country teams in South Sudan, Togo and Uganda to understand their need for technical support with regard to the EoC surveys (6 days)
- Submission of a technical assistance plan for each country describing sub-activities (1 day)
June/July 2022:
- Provision of written recommendations in terms of EoC survey methods and tools to each country team, taking into account programme- and country-level priorities (2 days)
- Written and verbal feedback to country teams in South Sudan, Togo and Uganda on survey protocols and tools (3 days)
- Update call with the Programme Director and former Senior Epidemiologist (0.5 days)
- Addressing feedback from SMC country and programme teams to refine recommendations for each country (0.5 days)
- Prepare a tool for weighting of the surveys to improve coverage estimates in Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Togo, which will allow generating post-hoc weights during data analysis (3 days)
July/August 2022:
- Write-up of a summary of EoC survey methods across all six countries for the 2022 SMC coverage report (see this report for an example from a previous year) (4 days)
- De-briefing with the SMC Programme Director and former Senior Epidemiologist (1 day)
Qualification Requirements
Essential:
- Qualification in public health with a focus on epidemiology, bio-statistics or another appropriate subject with a significant quantitative component (e.g. demography, economics, etc.)
- Experience working in epidemiology within government, a public sector agency, a not-for profit organisation or research institution
- Demonstrable knowledge of designing household survey protocols and use of data collection platforms (e.g. Survey CTO, ODK or Magpi) to design questionnaire forms and administer surveys
- Good communication and writing skills
- Professional proficiency in English (written and spoken)
Desirable:
- Demonstrable knowledge of LQAS survey design
- Knowledge of communicable disease control and child health
- Experience of field work in developing countries, preferably in Africa
- Experience of supporting multidisciplinary teams across different cultures and locations
- Professional proficiency in French (written and spoken)
Application Closing Date
18th April, 2022.
Submission of Documents
Please submit your CV, a cover letter outlining your suitability for this consultancy, proposed fee in GBP (inclusive of any tax), and two references via email to: [email protected]
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