Support third-party monitoring (TPM) of nine health sector implementation partners in northern Benin. The MTP will include assessing partner performance through on-site visits, data collection and evaluation, and identifying recommendations for partner improvement.
Project: Global health assessment, analysis, research and learning program (GH PEARL)
Date of issue of the tender: 11 june 2024
Performance country: Benin
Submit your questions before the : 17 June 2024
Deadline for submission : 30 June 2024
The project
The GH PEARL (Global health assessment, analysis, research and learning programme) project, funded by USAID, is, aims to effectively generate and use high-quality data and evidence with the aim of strengthening policies and program implementation to improve health and health saving lives in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). GH PEARL is a consortium led by the University of Carolina (UNC), which works together to help countries identify and adopt proven and innovative approaches to improve quality, quality and, coverage and equity of health areas such as family planning/reproductive health, maternal, neonatal and child health, and nutrition interventions at the global, regional, and,national and subnational.
GH PEARL is implementing a Third Party Surveillance (TPM) activity in the north of Benin. This involves the collection of primary data from implementation providers at different levels of the health system in order to improve adaptive management by partners and USAID, assessment of skills and capacity building for collaborative, learning and adaptation (CLA) approaches. In addition, the activity aims to develop protocols for data collection, including an analytical plan, and, using a collaborative co-design method and testing them before deploying them on a large scale. The overall objective of TPM is to’ensure that rapidly exploited data leads to a sustainable and improved performance of implementation partners serving the people of Benin.
Minimum Qualification Criteria
Organizations wishing to respond to this call for’offers must meet the following minimum qualification criteria and provide the corresponding supporting documents:
- Must be a legal entity registered in Benin and provide a copy of the certificate or articles of association.
- Must have been in existence for at least three years.
- Must have a Unique Entity Identifier (IEU, instructions for obtaining the IEU can be found
here https://sam.gov/content/entity-registrationhttps://www.sam.gov/)..). - Must have no active exclusions in www.sam.gov, the United Nations, or other bases of
international compliance data. - Must be held by nationals of a country not on the list of prohibited or excluded sources from doing business with the United States.
Experience required
- Experience in the conduct of monitoring and evaluation activities in the health sector.
- Proficiency in the collection and analysis of quantitative data and reporting.
- Demonstrated experience and knowledge of standards and best practices in the design, development and implementation of follow-up plans, and, evaluation and Learning (MEL) for USAID-funded projects, including expertise in robust data collection methodologies.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively deploy qualified personnel and resources to conduct
monitoring activities at several project sites, ensuring the consistency and quality of the collection and
analysis of the data while adapting to the needs and challenges specific to each project. - Proven experience in collecting qualitative data through interviews with
informants and focus groups.
Scope of work
GH PEARL will not be responsible for and will not facilitate the duty of care provisions. Bidders must be responsible for the implementation of their own plans in terms of logistics, including, insurance and safety and must be prepared to show Palladium that appropriate measures are in place.
The subcontractor will be responsible for carrying out the following key activities:
1. Develop an operational plan that includes
- Procedures for conducting field visits, ensuring the accuracy, reliability and consistency of field observations, and, including a proposal detailing the number of field supervisors and controllers required to complete the data collection.
- Logistical needs for field work, such as transportation, accommodation and equipment (if required).
- Strategies to effectively manage logistics, taking into account factors such as timing, resource availability and cost-effectiveness
- The protocols for handling and securing mobile devices and equipment necessary for field activities.
- Create a detailed calendar describing the sequence of activities, from planning to execution.
- Set specific deadlines for each phase of the implementation process, with flexibility to accommodate unforeseen delays or changes in project scope.
- Emergency plan to address potential difficulties or disruptions that may arise when collecting data in the field, such as adverse weather conditions, equipment failures or personnel problems. Describe alternative strategies and measures to mitigate the risks and minimize the disruption of the project.
Every Friday, the subcontractor must provide GH PEARL with a weekly report highlighting the findings of the week’s visits, with a consolidated report being provided on the last Friday of the month.
The sub-recipient is expected to inform the site of the visit and request appropriate government authorizations prior to arrival, and must take this into account when scheduling visits. Subsequently, field observers will seek the informed consent of site staff prior to administering structured questionnaires via mobile devices.
2. Recruit and hire staff
All staff must have prior experience in the collection of data in the field, by
particularly in the evaluation of health areas. The sub-recipient will be responsible for the
recruitment, hiring and provision of the following staff:
- Contact Point: Manage logistics, assignments, reports, schedule and serve as the primary liaison for the local head of GH PEARL program. He must hold a license, have at least five years of experience in managing or conducting complex fieldwork, and possess excellent communication skills.
- Data collection supervisors: Oversee data collection activities. They must have a minimum university degree and have a broad experience in the field.
- Field Controllers: They are responsible for data collection and interviews. They must be experienced in data collection methodologies. A university degree is desirable but not mandatory.
The sub-recipient must have a plan in place to ensure that there are sufficient field monitors available to participate in the two-week training for data collection activities, including, taking into account the possible attrition of staff.
3. Support training and piloting tools
- Organize logistics for two-week in-person training for supervisors and field controllers to ensure that all team members are well prepared to fulfill their roles effectively ; the training will be led by GH PEARL.
- After the training, the sub-recipient will organize and conduct a pilot test visit to each type of site in close collaboration with the local GH PEARL program manager. These visits will involve gathering information and results to inform updates of data collection tools and processes based on the results of the pilot project.
- The sub-recipient will be responsible for the logistics of organizing this training in a central location and pilot test visits, including printing of training materials, and, travel and incidental expenses for staff, as well as the purchase of premises and catering services (if necessary).
4. Data collection in the field
Implement and manage all elements of the field work within the framework of the TPM programme:
- Implement the TPM plan and protocols that describe the methodology, tools and timing of data collection, analysis and reporting.
- Conduct on-site visits to the offices and project sites of each implementing partner at the community, health facility, administrative office, and, sentinel surveillance sites and warehouses. These visits will focus on data collection, quality assurance and quality controls, including cross-checking (triangulation) of data collection and reporting tools.
- Interview key implementing partners/stakeholders, including project staff, to gather feedback and views on project performance.
- Oversee data collection activities and data quality assurance and control mechanisms, including spot checks, validity checks, etc.
- Provide office space for the local GH PEARL program manager in the office of the
subcontractor to facilitate daily meetings, planning and reporting of any issues identified during field visits. - Ensure that all observers in the field have access to mobile devices for data collection activities ; mobile devices must be purchased if necessary and reflected in the financial proposal.
- The controllers in the field have to work in pairs during the data collection visits.
- Ensure that all field work meets international and Beninese standards for ethics in data collection.
- The sub-recipient will purchase licenses for a web application that will be used on mobile devices by field controllers to collect data during site visits. At a minimum, the software must collect quantitative and qualitative data and
geographical coordinates and store photos. Each field controller, supervisor and project technical assistance officer must have access to the accounts for data collection or verification, as appropriate. The data must also be available for GH PEARL to integrate into a dashboard. (Examples: SurveyCTO or KoboToolbox).
5. Data quality assessment (DQA)
Conduct a data quality assessment, conducted by highly experienced data collectors, to understand the quality of data reported by implementation partners. This includes:
- Implement the standard operating procedure (SOP) provided by GH PEARL for the collection of data. The SOP will describe the specific methods and protocols to be followed.
- Ensure compliance with the SOP during the data collection process, focusing on selected performance indicators.
- Apply standardized data collection methods to verify key data quality standards for validity, reliability, accuracy, integrity and timeliness in accordance with established protocols.
- Evaluate the quality of the data using specific criteria such as completeness, reliability and promptness. Perform consistency tests by comparing the data reported to the primary sources to verify their consistency. Analyze discrepancies by identifying and examining discrepancies between the reported data and the verified data.
- Compile DQA results, highlighting strengths and weaknesses in data quality identified during the data collection process.
6. Participate in regular meetings
- Participate in the weekly weekend meetings with the local program manager of GH PEARL. The purpose of these meetings is to carry out internal quality control and provide feedback on the data collected during the week. These sessions are intended to update the
schedule of site visits, discuss progress of field activities, document necessary adjustments to logistics according to specific local conditions, solve problems, etc, and provide ongoing mentoring to all team members as needed. - Participate in the monthly adaptive management meetings led by the local program manager of GH PEARL, intended to support implementing partners in interpreting and acting on the results of site visits.
7. Data compilation and reporting
- Enter the TPM data into the database at the point of collection via mobile devices.
- Compile monthly reports summarizing activities by extracting screenshots from dashboards and add a narrative to describe context, conclusions and formulate insights
immediate and urgent recommendations. - Review project documents, reports, and data sources to assess compliance with project objectives, work plans, and donor requirements for cross-checking.
- Produce a comprehensive DQA report summarizing the findings and proposed corrective actions to address the identified issues and improve data quality.
- Prepare a final report that consolidates all monitoring and evaluation data collected throughout the project life cycle. The final report will include an analysis of key findings, lessons learned and recommendations for future actions.
How to apply
For more details on the call for tenders, please follow this link here : https://thepalladiumgroup.com/tender/Palladium-RFP-Third-Party-Monitoring-Benin
Send your questions and proposal by email to: GHPEARL.Submissions@thepalladiumgroup.com
