Afghanistan: THIRD PARTY MONITOR FOR AKDN HEALTH ACTION PLAN FOR AFGHANISTAN (HAPA) 2015-2020

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.

1. Rationale

Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) is seeking to retain the services of a Third Party Monitor (“the Monitor”) to provide an independent perspective on the performance of the Aga Khan Development Network’s Health Action Plan for Afghanistan (HAPA).

HAPA is a five-year, CAD $75.2 million initiative executed by AKFC and implemented by Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) agencies 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 AKFC. This initiative is expected to reach an estimated 1,264,022 people, including 495,598 women of reproductive age.

The activities of the Monitor will complement routine monitoring and evaluation efforts and existing approaches, present a view regarding the credibility of HAPA’s findings and results, and provide constructive advice to improve implementation, relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability of HAPA. Through field visits and interactions with stakeholders and beneficiaries, as well as review of monitoring data and processes at the field level, the Monitor will facilitate the triangulation and verification of information presented in HAPA reports and other documents. The Monitor will support a flexible and iterative approach that enables HAPA to adapt its strategies and respond to changes in context to achieve maximum impact.

The specific objectives of the Monitor are to:

1) Assess, on a regular basis, the performance of the HAPA initiative with specific focus on the quality of implementation, monitoring, and reporting, including the integration of gender equality;

2) Review and assess the effectiveness, relevance, and sustainability of HAPA’s strategies and results; and

3) Provide findings, advice and recommendations to inform the implementation of the initiative, with a view to improving HAPA’s performance and impact. The hiring of a Third Party Monitor for HAPA will support accountability to all stakeholders, including local actors and beneficiaries, as well as donors. It will serve to inform decision-making during the delivery of the initiative. The Monitor will report to the HAPA Steering Committee and work closely with AKFC, HAPA implementing agencies, and in consultation with HAPA donors.

1. 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 Monitor covers the entire period of HAPA’s implementation, from October 2015 to December 2020. All components of the initiative are included, with the exception of the infrastructure activities related to the construction of the Bamyan Hospital. Specifically, as part of the assignment the Monitor will carry out the following core activities:

1) Develop a monitoring plan that provides information about the overall strategy, information gathering activities, analysis, budget and schedule/timeframe.

2) Develop annual work plans to update and further elaborate the initial monitoring plan.

3) Review all HAPA documents, including the HAPA plan document, baseline plan and report, annual work plans, narrative and financial reports as they are produced, over the life of the initiative.

4) Gather information about HAPA’s implementation, monitoring and results from key stakeholders on a regular basis:

a. Stakeholders include cooperation partners (AKDN agencies implementing HAPA: AKFA, AKHS, AKU, French Medical Institute for Children), government partners at different levels, male and female direct and intermediary beneficiaries of the initiative’s activities (community members, community leaders, health workers, students and trainees, etc.), other interested parties (local and international NGOs and institutions), and donor organizations.

b. Information gathering strategies should include document review as well as field visits to project implementation sites in Kabul, Bamyan, Baghlan and Badakhshan, supplemented by teleconferences, videoconferences, and other electronic communication as necessary.

c. Field missions and site visits should be carried out jointly with donors, government representatives and AKDN representatives where feasible and desirable.

d. Field mission plans will be submitted at minimum two weeks before each mission, and will describe the Monitor’s mission plan, including schedule, specific objectives, stakeholders to meet, and budget. Local transport and support for field missions will be provided by AKFA.

5) Review monitoring and evaluation processes and data being implemented and collected by AKFA and other cooperation partners.

6) Provide technical input as requested into the development and finalization of key monitoring and evaluation milestones, such as the baseline and endline surveys and reports, qualitative and operational research projects.

7) Analyze information gathered to determine the reliability of initiative data collected and reported.

8) Assess 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.

9) Review the implementation of HAPA cross-cutting themes (gender equality, environmental sustainability, good governance).

10) Identify achievements, issues and challenges in the implementation and performance of HAPA’s activities and strategies, and provide advice and recommendations regarding how to improve performance and long-term impact.

11) Present reports and findings on a semi-annual basis to the Steering Committee and Technical Committee. Semi-annual reports will include the following sections:

e. Executive Summary

f. Introduction

g. Key activities during the reporting period

h. Findings related to HAPA implementation, monitoring and reporting;

i. Analysis of HAPA performance, effectiveness, relevance, sustainability;

j. Analysis of cross-cutting themes; k. Recommendations for HAPA implementation.

1. Required Qualifications of the Firm.

Where the Consultant is a team of people, the members of the team should possess a mix of monitoring and evaluation 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 gather data from female beneficiaries 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:

1) Experience in a lead role as a third party monitor or external evaluator on initiatives of similar scope and scale;

2) Expertise in the assessment of multi-sectoral health programs, including a sound understanding of maternal, newborn and child health; water, sanitation and hygiene; food security/rural development; and gender equality/gender mainstreaming;

3) Relevant experience in measurement and analysis of health data using quantitative and qualitative methods;

4) Experience working in Afghanistan, including familiarity and understanding of local issues, sensitivities, and conditions;

5) Excellent written and spoken English language skills, as well as ability to communicate in Dari; 6) 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.

1. Application Information and Proposal Format.

The contracting agency for this consultancy is Aga Khan Foundation Canada. 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 Canadian Dollars (CAD). Proposals from interested individuals/firms should include the following sections:

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  Expertise of Applicant

  
  


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  Proposed methodology and approach, including team composition

  
  


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  Proposed timeline and schedule of activities

  
  


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  CV of Consultant(s)

  
  


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  Proposed budget in Canadian Dollars

  
  


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  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 Monitor. 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

1)Methodology (not 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.

2) 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, validating, analyzing and reporting on findings, propose frequency and timing of activities, and propose coordination mechanisms with AKFC and AKFA

3)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.

4)Proposed Budget in Canadian 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.

5)Samples of Work
The proposal should include two samples of recent work that are relevant to the scope of work defined in this RFP.

1. Scoring System and Selection Criteria:

The proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

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   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)

No specific requirements.

8. Schedule

The estimated level of effort for this assignment is 400 days over the lifespan of HAPA.