CALL FOR CONSULTANTS
SCOPE OF WORK
Implementation Support for Testing the HRH Effort Index
Local Consultant in Kenya
CapacityPlus
Applications received after April 4, 2014 will be rejected.
Dates of the Consultancy: April 22, 2014 – May 16, 2014
Location: Kenya
Performance Based Consultancy: Payment will be determined based on the percentage of surveys completed by May 16, 2014.
Background and Objectives of the Consultancy
Current indicators used to measure efforts and progress in human resources for health (HRH) are limited and often unreliable, especially in countries with weak or no monitoring & evaluation plans and/or human resources information system (HRIS). These limitations prevent or severely constrain country, donor, and program efforts to identify and address gaps in HRH and to track progress over time. In year 2 of the project, CapacityPlus developed a compendium of HRH indicators and a GRC eLearning course on M&E of HRH to provide tools for HRH systems strengthening practitioners interested in monitoring HRH projects and programs The compendium and eLearning course seek to build capacity in measurement of HRH program inputs, outputs, and outcomes, while recognizing the challenges that countries and programs face in obtaining quality data necessary for generating and reporting on HRH indicators and metrics.
The health worker density ratio (HWDR), which measures the number of doctors, nurses, and midwives per 1000 population (World Health Organization, 2006) and the health worker reach index, which incorporates the HWDR and measures of access to and actual use of services provided by health workers (Save the Children, 2011) are two indicators that have increasingly been used to measure health workforce variables. However, both indicators are severely limited by poor data quality especially on health worker density. In particular, both measures exclude certain cadres of health workers, such as community health workers, who are responsible for delivering health care in many countries. These limitations hinder the measures’ utility in understanding the relationships between HRH inputs, service use, and health outcomes.
In partnership with global HRH experts, CapacityPlus will lead the development of an HRH Effort Index in order to improve the measurement of and ability to monitor the strength of a country’s national HRH program. Developing an HRH Effort Index will enable countries, program implementers, and donors to more readily assess and measure national HRH program inputs and investments and potentially to use this index as a predictor of workforce strength, service quality and use, , and health outcomes. The HRH Effort Index will be developed in consultation with an expert advisory team and field tested in Namibia, Nigeria, and Kenya.
Responsibilities of the Consultant
The consultant will be responsible for the following:
· Identifying respondents to complete the index, introducing respondents to the activity, and following up with respondents to clarify on any items to ensure that they can complete the questionnaire
· Reviewing surveys to ensure that respondents have answered all relevant questions
· Collecting data from 15 - 30 respondents and reviewing the data for completeness
· Submitting completed surveys to CapacityPlus
Detailed List of Tasks
The consultant will complete the following tasks:
· Attending a training with CapacityPlus in Nairobi, Kenya on April 22- 25, 2014 to learn about the index and how to collect the data
· Identifying (in collaboration with CapacityPlus) the appropriate respondents for the index in Kenya
· Setting up meetings with respondents to introduce the index and ask them to complete the index
· Following up with respondents to answer questions and to collect all surveys
· Reviewing all surveys for completeness
· Submitting the completed surveys to CapacityPlus
Methodology and Available Resource Materials
CapacityPlus will provide the consultant with training about the activity in Nairobi, Kenya on April 22 – 25, 2014. The consultant is required to attend this training. The consultant will work with CapacityPlus to identify the most appropriate persons within Kenya to respond to the tool. The final list will include 15 – 30 individuals that need to be surveyed. Respondents will likely include officials from the Ministry of Health and other federal ministries as well as officials from health professional councils, preservice education institutions, donor organizations, and other HRH stakeholders. Once the respondents have been identified, the consultant will need access to a phone and email to contact the respondents and set up an initial meeting to orient them to the survey. The consultant is required to provide their own transportation to meetings within the capital city. If the consultant and CapacityPlus agree that a respondent outside of the capital city should be included, contact should be made via phone and/or email. CapacityPlus does not expect the consultant to travel outside of the capital city and will not reimburse any such travel.
Once respondents have been oriented to the survey, the consultant will be responsible for following up with respondents to ensure that they complete the survey, answering any questions, reviewing surveys for completeness, and maintaining detailed notes on the implementation process. Completed surveys as well as all field notes should be returned to CapacityPlus.
Deliverables and Reports
The consultant reports to and will be supervised by Washington DC Based Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research Advisor for CapacityPlus with support from IntraHealth staff in the field office.
The consultant will submit the following deliverables to CapacityPlus:
· Detailed list of respondents who were contacted and who completed the survey, including: name, gender, title, department/organization, years in position, telephone, date contacted about survey, and date survey completed (if interviewed in person or returned as a hard copy)
· Completed surveys from 15 -35 respondents. The final list of respondents will be determined in collaboration with CapacityPlus prior to the start of data collection.
· Detailed notes about the implementation process to include challenges such as identifying and engaging HRH experts, difficulties deploying the survey, and challenges encountered by participants.
Location
All work, including training for this consultancy (April 22 – 25, 2014) will occur in Nairobi, Kenya.
Travel
This consultancy will not require any travel.
Timeline, Duration and Level of Effort
Timeline and duration:
· The timeline and duration of the consultancy shall be from April 22 – May 16, 2014
Level of Effort:
- This is a Performance Based Consultancy: Payment will be determined based on the percentage of surveys completed by May 16, 2014. Consultants will be eligible for a payment of $5,000 (USD) if they are able to obtain completed surveys from all (100%) of the respondents on the list agreed upon with CapacityPlus. If the consultant does not obtain completed surveys from all of the respondents on the list agreed upon with CapacityPlus, payment will be determined based on the percentage of completed surveys obtained. For example, if the consultant obtains completed surveys from 80% of respondents, they will be paid $4,000 USD (e.g., 80% of $5,000).
Consultant Approval, Supervision and Reporting
All consultants must be approved by IntraHealth International, Inc. and comply with IntraHealth and USAID rules and regulations. The consultant will submit monthly invoices including a brief activity report to CapacityPlus.
Consultant Qualifications
This assignment will require a consultant with demonstrable competencies and experiences in human resources for health and survey administration. In addition, the consultant should have a strong network of HRH contacts within the federal ministry. Familiarity or experience with the work that CapacityPlus/IntraHealth has been implementing within Kenya is a plus. The individual consultant should also have a combination of the following set of skills and qualifications:
· A postgraduate degree in public health, epidemiology, or social sciences
· Experience working on human resources for health, health workforce, or health systems strengthening issues within Kenya
· Substantial experience working with high level officials within the federal ministry
· At least 5 years post-qualification experience either as a researcher or consultant in public health
· Documented experience with survey administration
· Strong English language written and verbal communication skills
· Familiarity with other national composite indices (e.g., the Family Planning Effort Index and the AIDS Policy Index ) is a plus
How to apply:
8. Submission of Application
Please submit a resume/CV, and cover letter expressing how your knowledge, skills and abilities are a direct match for the scope of work, at procurement@intrahealth.org. Place the “HRH Effort Index-[your last name]” title in the subject line. Resumes that do not match the Knowledge and Expertise will not be considered. No phone calls please.
Applications received after April 4, 2014 will be rejected.
