Advocacy Consultant At Helen Keller International

Request for Proposals (RFP)

Purchase No. and Title : PF2024.09.103

RFP Issue Date: October 17, 2024

RFP Questions to be Submitted by: October 29, 2024

Deadline for submission of proposals: October 31, 2024

Client : Helen Keller International (Helen Keller Intl)

Place of Service : {Senegal}

SECTION 1: Introduction, Eligibility of Bidders, and Definitions

Introduction

Helen Keller International (Helen Keller Intl) is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives and improving the visual health of vulnerable populations worldwide by addressing the causes and consequences of blindness, ill health and malnutrition. Helen Keller Intl invites all eligible bidders to submit proposals for {The recruitment of a consultant to conduct an in-depth analysis of the situation, policy and stakeholders involved in the management and procurement of vitamin A capsules and RUTF in Senegal for the purpose of an advocacy strategy for strengthening the supply and distribution chains of these inputs, which guarantee improved health and nutrition efforts and outcomes.}.

This Request for Proposals (RFP) is intended to select a supplier that is likely to provide Helen Keller Intl with the best value for money, when both technical and financial factors are combined.

Eligibility of Bidders

This RFP is open to entities {governmental and non-governmental < Consulting Firm, Individuals, universities or research centers>} who are considered capable of implementing the scope of work, who are recognized for their integrity and professional ethics, and who meet the eligibility criteria set out in this section.

Bidders submitting proposals in response to this RFP must meet the following requirements:

1. Have demonstrated ability and expertise in implementing the scope of work
2. Have completed the required representations and certifications procedures incorporated in this RFP
3. Be willing to comply with relevant donor rules and regulations and Helen Keller Intl requirements.

Note: Helen Keller Intl shall not award contracts to any firm that is prohibited, suspended, or proposed for debarment by the United States Government, or any firm that proposes to do business with firms or officers of firms that are prohibited, suspended, or proposed for debarment, in the performance of their duties.

SECTION 2: Scope of Work

Helen Keller Intl must evaluate all proposals received in response to this RFP in accordance with the evaluation criteria described herein.

This RFP contains the following annexes:

• Appendix A: Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
• Appendix B: Resume format for use by staff (one document per person)
• Appendix C: Financial Offer Template (separate Excel spreadsheets)

Program Framework

Background: Child malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies remain a major concern in Senegal, where 10.2% of children under 5 years of age are affected by global acute malnutrition (weight for length/height <-2SD of global standards [1] ), including 1.1% by severe acute malnutrition (SAM; weight for length/height <-3SD of global standards). In addition, an estimated 12.1% of children aged 12–59 months suffer from vitamin A deficiency (including 18% in rural areas) [2] and 71% suffer from anemia (hemoglobin concentration <11.0 g/dl). [3] Despite progress made over the last decade, these two public health issues continue to fuel under-5 mortality in Senegal with a rate of 40 per thousand live births (DHS, 2023). Data show that high-impact nutrition interventions, such as acute malnutrition management and vitamin A supplementation, can significantly reduce infant and child mortality.

Low programme coverage remains a major obstacle to continued progress. One of the determining factors is that the current supply of vitamin A for the prevention of vitamin A deficiency and ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition is not integrated into the SEN-Pharmacie Nationale d’Approvisionnement (SEN-PNA) distribution chain. The management of these products is carried out in parallel by agents who are often not qualified in this area.

The other major factor is that purchasing is supported mainly by partners (Helen Keller, 2022). This results in insufficient traceability and visibility in the supply and distribution of these inputs.

To address these concerns, Helen Keller International Senegal intends to support the management of vitamin A and RUTF in the health system by raising awareness among stakeholders for better ownership of purchasing by the government and strengthening advocacy for the integration of these inputs into the SEN-PNA supply chain.

The services of a short-term consultant are hired to inform the strategy aimed at raising awareness among decision-makers of the requirements of this integration.

Overall objective of the consultancy:

Conduct a situational analysis of the vitamin A and ATPE logistics management system, policies and stakeholders involved in the management, quantification, purchase and distribution of these inputs at service delivery points.

Specific objectives:

• To assess the strengths and weaknesses of the current management system (governance, purchasing, logistics, supply chain) of vitamin A capsules and RUTF.
• Conduct a documentary review of policies and reforms to guide the development of an advocacy strategy to improve the management of acute malnutrition and vitamin A supplementation in Senegal.
• Identify and interview key stakeholders, including decision makers and technical and financial partners, involved in the procurement and management of vitamin A and RUTF.
• To assess the impact of input management on health/nutrition, economics, finances and lives saved through treatment of severe acute malnutrition and vitamin A supplementation.
• Propose an advocacy document for stakeholders and decision-makers

Consultancy schedule

The main stages/phases of the consultancy, their duration and the expected deliverables:

Preparatory phase

Duration (days)

Deliverables

• Develop detailed methodology, including data collection and analysis tools, for review and approval by MSAS and Helen Keller
• Develop the detailed schedule for the implementation of all consultancy activities and deliverables
• Identify and suggest the documentation to be consulted
• Identify and propose the list of key stakeholders to target for interviews
• Detailed methodology and collection tools
• Consultancy schedule
• Documentation/bibliography
• List of targeted stakeholders and interview schedule
• Document analysis report
• Raw and Clean Interview Database
• Policy analysis
• Situational analysis
• Stakeholder analysis
• Impact assessment
• Draft report with key reform recommendations
• Advocacy document
• Final report

Data collection phase

• Collect and synthesize existing documents, policies, reports, publications, etc. related to the supply and logistics of vitamin A and RUTF
• Propose an interview/meeting plan with targeted stakeholders
• Conducting interviews

Phase : Data analysis and report writing

• Situational analysis describing the current system, its strengths and weaknesses
• Stakeholder analysis: identification and description of the role of each stakeholder in the logistics, procurement and distribution of vitamin A and RUTF
• Assessing the impact of input management on health, economy, finances and lives saved
• Draft report synthesizing the key findings of the above three components and providing recommendations for key steps towards greater government ownership of the ATPE vitamin A management system.

Phase : Finalization and submission of report

• Integrate feedback and recommendations from Helen Keller, UNICEF and the Government of Senegal
• Finalize and submit the consultancy report
• Share a draft of the advocacy document

Tasks and Responsibilities:

Reporting to Helen Keller International’s Nutrition Policy and Advocacy Advisor, the consultant will:

• Work with the Helen Keller International team, UNICEF and the Government of Senegal to finalize the consultancy methodology and timeline
• Ensure the representativeness of stakeholders involved in the management of nutritional inputs (vitamin A and ATPE) to be interviewed
• Ensure the completeness and comprehensiveness of existing and relevant documentation on nutritional inputs (vitamin A and ATPE)
• Prepare and finalize collection tools (questionnaires/interview guides)
• Share the analysis plan for the collected data
• Collect data
• Carry out quantitative and qualitative analysis of data including impact analysis
• Draft and share the preliminary report for feedback
• Write and submit the final report
• Draft and submit the advocacy document proposal

Expected contractual period and allocation mechanism

Contract duration: Thirty (30) working days, spread over 2 months between November and December 2024, according to a schedule proposed by the consultant and approved by Helen Keller International.

Supervisors: Ministry of Health and Social Action (MSAS) through the Directorate of Maternal and Child Health (DSME) and Helen Keller International Senegal

Helen Keller Intl intends to award a fixed lump sum {Professional Services Contract} to the selected bid. No profit, fees, taxes or additional charges may be added after contract award. This RFP is subject to all terms and conditions of the resulting contract. All subsequent awards shall be governed by such terms and conditions.

SECTION 3: Instructions for Proposals

The bidder’s proposal must consist of two separate documents:

Part 1 – Technical offer

Part 2 – Financial offer

The technical offer and the financial offer (or “proposal”) must be submitted separately. The bidder must not include any cost data in the technical offer.

The proposal should be presented in a concise and structured manner and should explain in detail the availability, experience and resources of the bidder to provide the requested services.

It is possible not to consider in the evaluation process any incomplete proposals or those that do not focus on these criteria. All proposals must be submitted in French.

The technical and financial offers must be presented including the following information if applicable:

1. Date of submission of the proposal
   1. Validity period of the proposal (minimum {50} working days)
      1. Company or Organization Name
      2. Name and position of the authorized representative of the organization
      3. Type of business or organization
      4. Address
      5. Phone
      6. E-mail
      7. Tax identification number
      8. Other required documents to be attached to the cover letter:
         1. Copy of registration or incorporation documents in the public registry, or equivalent documents from the government office of the country in which the bidder is registered.
            1. Copy of the company’s tax registration certificate or equivalent document.
            2. Copy of business license or equivalent document.

Bidders must also submit a signed Conflict of Interest Declaration Form. This form must be evaluated to determine whether the Bidder currently has an actual or potential conflict of interest as defined in Appendix A. If it is concluded that all conflicts of interest declared by the Bidder could negatively impact its ability to perform the Services, Helen Keller Intl may decide to reject the proposal submitted. Failure to properly complete the Conflict of Interest Declaration Form may also result in the proposal being rejected.

Part 1: TECHNICAL OFFER

The technical offer must be written in French, typed using Microsoft Word software, single-spaced, and each page must be numbered consecutively. The maximum number of pages for each component of the technical offer is given below.

The technical offer must include the following elements:

1. Past results or useful experiences of the bidder

Information relating to the bidder’s past results or previous experience in providing services in a country or region that are of a nature and volume similar to the services requested (brief description, deliverables, date, client, etc.).

Bidders should also provide contact information for at least three (3) professional references who have worked on previous work and/or have experience in similar scope. Contact information should include, at a minimum: name of individual, company name, brief information about relationship to the Bidder, address, email address, and telephone number. Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to contact references. Reference contact information is not subject to the page limit for this section.

1. Technical approach

The technical approach should describe the proposed approach to achieve the program objectives and should address the following:

1. Information indicating whether the bidder is currently present in the country or region and the nature of that presence.
2. A brief description of what the bidder knows about the objectives and scope of work for the services.
3. An overview of how the Bidder proposes to perform the requested services specified in this RFP.

Qualifications

• PhD/Master’s degree in nutrition, economics, public health, public relations, international development and/or other equivalent and relevant fields
• Proven and solid experience (minimum 8 years) in research and evidence generation, supply chain management, advocacy for decision-making, economic analysis and modeling, impact evaluation of health and nutrition programs
• Good knowledge of the management and supply chain of nutritional inputs in Senegal, particularly in acute malnutrition management and vitamin A supplementation programs
• Solid experience in situational, stakeholder, document and policy analyses
• Advocacy Document Development Skills
• Good oral diction and writing skills in French

Part 2: FINANCIAL OFFER

The contract awarded is a fixed price, definitive contract and payment is made once the deliverables associated with the services or products are received. Payments are made by Helen Keller Intl only via electronic payment methods and all bank accounts must be strictly in the name of the company or individual.

The financial offer template is located in Appendix C and must include the following elements:

1. Labor Cost: The Bidder must provide information regarding the crew structure, daily rates and level of effort (measured in days) for the deliverables specified. It is necessary to state the assumptions made when submitting the cost information, including additional options, and to specify any conditions.

2. Other Direct Costs: The Bidder shall provide a detailed estimate of other major direct costs deemed necessary for the completion of the work. Other direct costs shall cover transportation costs, visas and daily allowances. Any other direct costs shall be agreed in advance with Helen Keller Intl.

3. Indirect Rates and Fixed Costs: If the Bidder has a standard practice of budgeting for indirect rates, such as overhead, incidentals, administrative costs, or any other costs, the Bidder must explain this practice and provide the basis for applying the costs in the budget narrative. Helen Keller Intl reserves the right to request additional information to substantiate a Bidder’s indirect rates. Proposed fixed costs must also be explained in the budget narrative and presented separately in the financial statements.

SECTION 4: Evaluation criteria and basis for award

Helen Keller Intl will follow a best value selection methodology. Helen Keller Intl may award a contract to an eligible and responsible firm whose proposal is most advantageous to the program, taking into account other factors in the proposal, including, but not limited to, compliance with the RFP requirements without significant reservations. Bidders may not amend non-responsive bids after the proposal submission deadline to make them responsive. However, Helen Keller Intl may request a bidder to clarify its bid if there are no significant discrepancies.

The following criteria may be used as a basis for evaluating proposals. Selection is based primarily on the technical merits of the proposals, but price and other factors are taken into consideration, and award is made only if the proposal is found to be technically satisfactory and reasonably priced.

Evaluation criteria included in call for tenders

Max Points Value

Completeness of application file (financial offer, technical offer and CV)

YES/NO

Technical Offer

/80

Proven and solid experience (minimum 8 years) in research and evidence generation, supply chain management, advocacy for decision-making, economic analysis and modeling, impact evaluation of health and nutrition programs

/15

Compliance of the offer with the consultancy’s ToRs

/15

Solid experience in situational, stakeholder, document and policy analyses

/15

Good knowledge of the management and supply chain of nutritional inputs in Senegal, particularly in acute malnutrition management and vitamin A supplementation programs

/15

Good knowledge of nutrition and health stakeholders in Senegal

/10

Experience in developing advocacy documents

/10

Once the evaluation of the technical offers is complete, Helen Keller Intl must evaluate the financial offers with respect to budget presentation, budget narratives and cost effectiveness (reasonable, realistic, coordinated with the technical offer and RFP requirements). No points are awarded for the financial offers, but these criteria must be considered in conjunction with the total technical offer score. This RFP follows the trade-off process whereby Helen Keller Intl may award a contract to the offeror whose proposal represents the best value to Helen Keller Intl and the program. Helen Keller Intl may award a contract to a higher priced offeror if it is determined that its technical merit is superior and merits an increased cost or price.

SECTION 6: Validity of the proposal, deadline for submission of offers and instructions

Proposals must have a validity period of {90 days} from the date of submission, as indicated in the cover letter.

Proposals must be submitted electronically by the deadline indicated on the cover letter of this RFP to the following address: sn.procrurement@hki.org indicating in the subject line of the email the company name and RFP number.

A complete offer for the proposal must include the following documents, all of which must reference the RFP number indicated on the cover letter for this document:

• Cover letter
• Technical offer
• Financial offer
• Conflict of Interest Declaration Form
• Copies of the bidder’s legal registration documents / if applicable
• Other relevant information relating to the submission of the proposal

QUESTIONS: No verbal questions will be accepted, either in person or by telephone. However, Helen Keller Intl is available to answer written questions regarding this RFP until October 29, 2024. All questions regarding this RFP should be directed to nysy@hki.org. To ensure the fairness of the process, Helen Keller Intl’s responses to all questions deemed relevant will be shared with all potential bidders, while respecting the anonymity of the original requester.

[1] https://www.who.int/tools/child-growth-standards/standards/weight-for-length-height

[2] Study on micronutrients, COSFAM, 2018

[3] National Agency of Statistics and Demography (ANSD) [Senegal], and ICF. 2018. Senegal: Continuous Demographic and Health Survey (EDS-Continue 2018) . Rockville, Maryland, USA: ANSD and ICF.

How to apply

SECTION 6: Validity of the proposal, deadline for submission of offers and instructions

Proposals must have a validity period of {90 days} from the date of submission, as indicated in the cover letter.

Proposals must be submitted electronically by the deadline indicated on the cover letter of this RFP to the following address: sn.procrurement@hki.org indicating in the subject line of the email the company name and RFP number.

Find the RFP in the link below:

RFP_Consultant Advocacy _Yaga.pdf – Google Drive

A complete offer for the proposal must include the following documents, all of which must reference the RFP number indicated on the cover letter for this document:

• Cover letter
• Technical offer
• Financial offer
• Conflict of Interest Declaration Form
• Copies of the bidder’s legal registration documents / if applicable
• Other relevant information relating to the submission of the proposal

QUESTIONS: No verbal questions will be accepted, either in person or by telephone. However, Helen Keller Intl is available to answer written questions regarding this RFP until October 29, 2024. All questions regarding this RFP should be directed to nysy@hki.org. To ensure the fairness of the process, Helen Keller Intl’s responses to all questions deemed relevant will be shared with all potential bidders, while respecting the anonymity of the original requester.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY