Consultants at Catholic Relief Services (CRS)

Scope of Work for the Engagement of Consultants for Implementation of Post LLIN Replacement Campaign BCC Activities Using the Community Sustainable Strategy

Background and Context
It is estimated that more than three hundred thousand deaths per annum are caused by malaria in Nigeria. It is also a factor in the number of people who visit health facilities, as it is responsible for 60% of outpatient visits. Of the total population of about one hundred and seventy million, ninety seven percent is at risk of Malaria.

Nigeria has adopted the use of LLINs as an intervention for malaria vector control in the country as part of the Integrated Vector Management Strategy. So far over 60 million LLINs have been distributed in country through mass campaigns between 2009 and 2013. About 3 million LLINs have also been distributed through the continuous distribution channels.

The main challenge is getting individuals and communities to sleep inside these nets, even beyond the LLIN distribution periods. Efforts have been made through advocacy, communication and social mobilization to empowering people for decision making and action. This often requires working on socio-cultural beliefs to facilitate shifts in mindsets, and ultimately increase the utilization of malaria interventions and services including LLINs.

However, despite this huge effort, the LLIN use in-country remains unacceptably low. To change this low net use situation, NMEP and CRS planned to conduct a post campaign BCC intervention, intended to promote and sustain a culture of net use in 3 states (Kwara, Osun and Edo). The schedule for the post campaign implementation in each state is shown in the table below.

Table1: Implementation Schedule.

1

Kwara and Osun

60 days

Kwara – From September 11, 2017.

Osun – From September 12, 2017

2

Edo

60 days

From August 29, 2017

The post campaign BCC intervention will employ several targeted BCC activities at the community level.

Priority Activities to be implemented
Advocacy
Advocacy and sensitization activities with the Chair and members of traditional rulers’ council.

Community Based Activities

• Engagement of State, LGA and WDCs (community coordinators)
• Build capacity and engage Town Announcers to disseminate key malaria messages especially on the benefits of LLIN use.
• Build capacity and engagement community volunteers.
• Interpersonal Communication by community volunteers during house to house visits and assisting households to hang their nets.
• Community Dialogue on LLIN use
• Engagement of ward supervisors
• Adapt and produce post campaign BCC materials
• Procurement of Hammers and Nails
• Production of M & E forms

Health Facility

• Health Education for mothers and caregivers on benefit of LLIN, its use and demonstration on appropriate hanging during ANC,
• Immunization and outpatient unit. This should be done regularly on daily basis by service providers.

Media
Production and airing of radio jingles on LLIN use

Engagement of BCC consultants
To implement the above activities, CRS will engage a BCC consultant (group, firm or entity) with relevant BCC expertise and experience to work in each state.

Role of BCC Consultants.

• The consultant will be assigned to engage and mobilize communities with a view to raising understanding and accelerating behaviour change among individuals and communities with respect to net use.  The objectives are as follows:
• To implement community activities and other priority activities (as indicated in 2.0 above) that will increase number of households who hang LLINs in target communities from a baseline figure to over 60% at the end of the intervention period and recommend strategies for sustaining continuous use.
• To increase percentage of community members in target communities who sleep inside LLINs from an initial baseline figure to reach at least 80% at the end of the intervention.
• To document lessons learnt and positive shifts in attitudes towards LLINs hanging and use

Scope of Work

• The scope of work entails the following activities:
• Potential consultants will use information collected during micro-planning (demand creation activities) for the campaigns to develop community action plans
• Support community activities to promote positive behaviour for LLIN use.
• The assignment will cover all LGAs in the state.
• All the training activities will be LGA specific.

Specific Activities/Tasks

• Conduct community engagement meetings and planning sessions with stakeholders.
• In collaboration with LGAs, carry out stakeholders meeting for post campaign BCC planning with the community coordinators
• To provide technical support for the finalization and production of adapted community materials
• To provide technical support for community sensitization and awareness creation on LLINs hanging, usage and maintenance.
• To support Inter-Personal Communication (IPC) for promotion of LLIN hanging and use
• To support community dialogue for promoting LLIN hanging and use
• To provide periodic update of the implementation of the post campaign activities on monthly basis to state.
• In collaboration with the NMEP and CRS, participate in the assessment of the impact of the post campaign interventions on LLIN hanging and use
• To document lessons learnt and share with state and partners
• To write a final report of activities implemented during the post campaign activities.

Qualifications

• A corporate organization or NGO, experience in implementation of health and community related BCC activities
• Relevant demonstrable skill in the planning and implementation of grass root mobilization activities with focus on health interventions.
• Proven experience in managing complex public health programs or projects in Nigeria or similar developing country context
• Previous experience in the overall planning and execution of large scale health campaigns
• Possession of crop of personnel with proven technical abilities in team building and training skills
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills
• Excellent technical writing and oral presentation skills highly desired
• Local presence in the state/region of interest

Procedure for engagement of BCC consultant

• BCC consultants will be engaged in a transparent manner in consonance with CRS procurement processes. Each Firm/Organisation is to bid for some or all lots but CRS will award a maximum of two (2) lots (States) to one bidder to ensure a balanced portfolio in terms of risk management. The following stages shall be followed in the engagement of a BCC consultant.
• Publication of invitation for expression of interest in national dailies or such other agreed medium
• Following the publication mentioned above, invitation for expression of interests will be accepted for all the states where LLIN replacement campaigns are taking place.
• Expression of interest will be reviewed by an expert team and potential organisations shortlisted for the various states.
• Shortlisted organisation(s) will send a work plan guided by the table above to CRS, with attached financial proposal on a format developed and approved by CRS.
• CRS will review work plans and recommend 3 organisations for each state.
• CRS procurement team will review technical reports and assess financial bids.
• BCC consultant (firm/organisation) selected in accordance with CRS guidelines from the 3 whose technical proposals have been recommended.
• Contract document developed by technical and finance teams.
• Relevant annexure to the contract developed. These include approved work plan, approved budget, M&E plan including clear statement of targets and milestones, List of personnel for the exercise
• BCC consultant is mobilized as contracted.

Deliverables and Payment for Services
The fee shall be paid in three tranches. The first tranche shall be payable upon the finalization and conclusion of engagement process (at contract signing including provision of the relevant annexure). The second tranche shall be payable upon completion of all campaign SBCC activities and submission of report; while the third tranche shall be at retainage (final check by CRS) including signed off by the CRS COP GF Malaria Project.  The tranches, amounts in percentages as well as deliverables are shown in the table below.

Tranche

Payment schedule
Final Deliverable/Output (OVIs)

Amount
First

• Upon signing of contract
• Reports, video clips and pictures of meetings
• Adapted community engagement materials
• Samples of community Data Collection Tool
• Detailed retirement documents for trainings and workshop

60%

Second

• Upon submission of detailed retirement documents for trainings and workshops and submission of the preliminary report
• Documentary on IPC, community dialogues and awareness creation on hanging and use in the states.
• Periodic reports on update of the implementation of the post campaign activities on monthly basis
• Final report highlighting lessons learnt during the post campaign activities.

30%

Third

• Retainage
• Final check by CRS

10%

Timeframe
The duration of the project will be for the period stated in Table 1 - Implementation Schedule.