ALIVE & THRIVE. Request for Proposals (RFP)

ALIVE & THRIVE Request for Proposals (RFP) Issued on : June 12, 2018 Proposal due : June 19, 2018 (at 5 p.m. Hanoi, Vietnam) For : Review of pre-service education on essential nutrition actions for maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN) for health professionals in the ASEAN region BACKGROUND: Alive & Thrive is an initiative that began in 2008 with the aim of saving lives, preventing illness, and ensuring healthy growth and development. Recognizing that good nutrition in the first 1,000 days, from conception to two years of age, is critical to enable all children to lead healthier and more productive lives, Alive & Thrive is scaling up improved infant and young child feeding and maternal nutrition through large-scale programs in several countries in Asia and Africa and through strategic technical support and the dissemination of innovations, tools, and lessons worldwide. Alive & Thrive is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation and the governments of Canada and Ireland. Now in its third phase, Alive & Thrive (A&T) Generation 2 (2017-2021) will further cultivate the sustainability of projects and processes that generate positive maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN) social and behavior change. Generation 2 builds on past achievements, draws upon new MICYN scientific knowledge, and adapts to the evolving nutrition landscape. UNICEF and World Bank are key partners across most Generation 2 country-specific activities. These strategic partnerships leverage national and regional coverage of high payoff MIYCN policies and interventions on a variety of platforms. In the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, A&T provides strategic technical assistance to seven countries (Viet Nam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines) to support policy and system reforms to create an enabling environment for breastfeeding. To achieve this, A&T works in close collaboration with UNICEF, Save the Children, and other partners in these countries to identify and execute an agreed upon work-plan that focuses primarily on regulating inappropriate marketing practices of breastmilk substitutes (BMS Codes), maternity protection, and breastfeeding-friendly health systems. This also includes support for improving early essential newborn care practices in hospitals by establishing centers of excellence for breastfeeding in Viet Nam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar and by setting up human milk banks (HMBs) and HMB services in Viet Nam. 1

A&T ASEAN works through partnerships to achieve changes in breastfeeding policies and practices. The ASEAN experience has demonstrated the value of leveraging strategic partnerships and engaging regional platforms to facilitate the replication of proven approaches advancing the Viet Nam government s nutrition agenda setting and action (2009-2014) and coordinating regional policy advocacy with UNICEF for knowledge exchange and diffusion (2014-2017). The success in improving breastfeeding rates at scale in Viet Nam, as well as increased legislative advocacy for BMS marketing regulation and maternity protection has served as a regional catalyst for other country efforts. THE ROLE OF HEALTH WORKERS IN PROMOTING RECOMMENDED MIYCN BEHAVIORS Nutrition during pregnancy and in the first years of a child s life provides the essential building blocks for brain development, healthy growth and a strong immune system. In fact, a growing body of scientific evidence shows that the foundations of a person s lifelong health including their predisposition to obesity and certain chronic diseases are largely set during this 1,000 day window. A situational analysis of malnutrition in the ASEAN region shows that prevalence of stunting and wasting in children under five remains unacceptably high in many ASEAN Member States. Stunting constitutes a severe public health problem in half of ASEAN Member States, and wasting is above the threshold of public health significance (5%) in eight out of 10 ASEAN Member States. An estimated 5.4 million children suffer wasting and 17.9 million are stunted. 1 The causes of undernutrition are directly related to inadequate dietary intake as well as disease, but indirectly to many factors, among others household food security, maternal and child care, health services and the environment. There is strong evidence that the provision of a basic set of evidencebased MIYCN interventions could have a major impact on maternal, infant, and child morbidity and mortality and improve physical and mental growth and development, improving productivity and earnings throughout the region. Strategies to improve nutritional status and growth in children should include interventions to improve nutrition of pregnant and lactating women; early initiation of breastfeeding with exclusive breastfeeding for six months; promotion, protection, and support of continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary feeding from six months up to two years and beyond; and micronutrient supplementation, targeted fortification and food supplementation, when needed. 2 To address the underlying and basic causes of undernutiriton, multisectoral approaches that encompass food systems, including agriculture, the private sector, health, WASH, social protection, early childhood development, education, finance, legislation and gender are required. Mothers and families require support to initiate and sustain appropriate MIYCN practices. Health care professionals are important influencers of decisions about nutrition practices and play a critical role in providing support. Therefore, it is essential for health professionals to have basic knowledge and skills to give appropriate advice, counsel, help solve feeding difficulties, and know when and where to refer mothers and caregivers who experiences more complex problems. 3 Despite its importance, MIYCN is generally a neglected area in the pre-service and in-service training of health professionals worldwide. In many countries, there are also parallel and sometimes contradictory systems of training. WHO and UNICEF recommend prioritizing the inclusion of 2

harmonized MIYCN content into the basic curricula of medical and paramedical professionals as a feasible and sustainable way to address knowledge gaps and to mitigate issues related to frequent staff turnover and rotation. To support this effort, WHO has developed a model chapter for text books for medical students and allied health professionals. 4 Involving academic institutions and ensuring regular updates of pre-service training material is also essential for developing a well-trained cadre of nutrition advocates and thought leaders. 5 In addition, WHO and UNICEF are in the process of developing an updated comprehensive infant and young child feeding (IYCF) training package which integrates the existing IYCF training module with the community IYCF package and others. This same package will be the foundation of the Global IYCF E-learning package being developed by Alive & Thrive in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF, and others. Pre-service training curricula should devote sufficient time and focus to support and counseling skills for MIYCN, including hands-on skills practice, so that health workers are able to not only provide appropriate messages to mothers, but to negotiate, problem solve, and provide practical support to mothers. MIYCN content should also be harmonized at all levels of the health system, from facility to community level, so that those who provide nutrition counseling disseminate consistent messaging and apply best practices for counseling caregivers and families. 6 THE ASEAN LEADERS DECLARATION ON ENDING ALL FORMS OF MALNUTRITION Through the ASEAN Leaders Declaration (ALD) on Ending All Forms of Malnutrition signed in 2017, Member States have committed to addressing malnutrition and diet-related non-communicable diseases through well-coordinated and coherent regional and sustained multi-sectoral inter-linkages and partnerships. This includes the formulation of a multi-sectoral framework and strategic plan to guide country policies and interventions and to set minimum standards for service delivery and implementation as well as a commitment to strengthen human and institutional capacities to address malnutrition. 7 Ongoing discussions to finalize this operational framework provide an excellent opportunity for the provision of evidence-based recommendations for the Health Cluster and Member States. The ASEAN Joint Coordinating Committee for Medical Practitioners (AJCCM), under the Healthcare Services Sectoral Working Group (HSSWG), is tasked with facilitating cooperation on the Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRA) for health workers. Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) for medical practitioners and nurses are intended to facilitate the mobility of medical services professionals within ASEAN, enhance exchange of information and expertise on standards and qualifications, promote the adoption of best practices by medical and nursing professionals, and to provide opportunities for capacity building. 8 9 The MRAs for medical practitioners and nurses in the ASEAN region present an opportunity for aligning health worker training on MIYCN across the region. PROPOSED ACTIVITIES Alive & Thrive proposes to conduct a mapping exercise to better understand the existing content and gaps in pre-service health worker education related to MIYCN in the ASEAN region. The specific objectives of the exercise are to: 1. Collect and consolidate pre-service training curricula for health professionals that are recognized and included within the formal health system, including: doctors, nurses, and 3

midwives 1, from the following A&T priority countries in ASEAN: Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and the Philippines; 2. Provide an overview of the medical education system in each country, including the recognized roles related to MICYN for each type of provider within the health system; 3. Synthesize the MIYCN content covered in pre-service training curricula, including theoretical and practical training; 4. Identify gaps in pre-service training and recommend appropriate strategies for addressing these gaps, including leveraging regional initiatives in ASEAN; 5. Where applicable, identify best practice cases in terms of curriculum design and content. SCOPE OF WORK To complete the above-mentioned activities, Alive & Thrive is seeking a researcher or group of researchers to: 1. Develop a standardized method for collecting pre-service training curricula and related materials in five countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and the Philippines, in coordination with Alive & Thrive and UNICEF Regional (EAPRO) and country offices; 2. Collect, review, synthesize, and present a summary of the medical education system in each context along with existing MIYCN content and gaps in pre-service health worker education curricula in the five countries; 3. Identify any ongoing initiatives to improve pre-service curricula and the stakeholders involved; 4. Develop country-specific and regional recommendations on how governments and partners (e.g. A&T and UNICEF) can address these gaps; 5. Summarize methods, findings, and recommendations in the form of a report and presentation for each country and for the region, taking into consideration ASEAN Health Cluster Priority Actions. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS To be considered, bidders must provide the following: 1. Description of bidder s capacity and experience: Description of proven experience in quantitative research and analysis of secondary data; Examples of related publications in grey literature and/or peer-reviewed journals ; CVs of Principle Investigators. 2. Brief description of methodology and proposed approach for the analysis as described in the Scope of Work section above. 3. One detailed budget for the tracking period as stated in the Scope of Work above using the attached budget template. A detailed budget narrative should also be included to describe and justify the cost assumptions for each category and line item in the budget spreadsheet. To the extent that indirect costs are applicable, they are subject to the following limits: 1 If community health workers are trained, paid, and formally recognized within a country s health system, then pre-service training curricula should be included in the review. Informal, unpaid or volunteer community health worker training will not be included. 4

0% for government agencies, other private foundations and for-profit organizations up to 10% for U.S. universities and other academic institutions Up to 15% for all other non-u.s. academic institutions and all private voluntary and nongovernment organizations, regardless of location. Indirect cost rates (and the limitations) apply both to the primary applicant organization and any sub-grantees and/or sub-contractors that are part of the proposal. 4. The email address that Alive & Thrive may send a confirmation of receipt of your submission. CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION Bids will be evaluated and ranked by a committee on a best value basis according to the criteria below. Only offerors able to provide all of requirements listed above may be considered. Selection shall be based on the following weighted categories: 1. Methodology and Proposed Approach: 40% 2. Capacity and Experience: 30% 3. Completeness and appropriateness of the budget: 30% NOTE: FHI 360 will not compensate the company for its preparation of response to this RFP nor is the issuing of this RFP a guarantee that FHI 360 will award a contract. Contract Mechanism FHI anticipates issuing a firm fixed price purchase order. The purchase order will be issued in US Dollars to the responsive offer that is selected on a best value basis. Once an award is issued, it will include a schedule of fixed price payments based on completion of deliverables in the scope of work. Instructions and Deadline Responses to this RFP should be submitted by email to the A&T office to the attention of Nguyen Thi Mien (ntmien@fhi360.org) no later than 19 June 2018 at 5 p.m. Hanoi (Vietnam) time. Please follow the instructions carefully. Proposals which do not follow these instructions will not be reviewed. Offers received after this date and time will not be accepted for consideration. FHI will acknowledge receipt of your proposal by email. Proposals must be submitted in electronic format using Microsoft Office compatible software. Any questions or requests for clarification need to be submitted in writing to the email address ntmien@fhi360.org by 15 June 2018 at 5 p.m. Hanoi (Vietnam) time; answers will be shared with all firms. No telephone inquiries will be answered Please include VAT in the cost proposal as FHI 360 is not VAT exempt. Withdrawal of Proposals Proposals may be withdrawn by written notice, email or facsimile received at any time before award. False Statements in Offer Offerors must provide full, accurate and complete information as required by this solicitation and its attachments. Proposals become property of FHI 360. 5

DISCLAIMERS AND FHI 360 PROTECTION CLAUSES FHI 360 may cancel the solicitation and not make an award FHI 360 may reject any or all responses received Issuance of a solicitation does not constitute an award commitment by FHI Solutions FHI 360 reserves the right to disqualify any offer based on offeror failure to follow solicitation instructions FHI 360 will not compensate offers for response to solicitation FHI 360 reserves the right to issue an award based on initial evaluation of offers without further discussion FHI 360 may choose to award only part of the activities in the solicitation, or issue multiple awards based on the solicitation activities FHI 360 may request from short-listed offerors a second or third round of either oral presentation or written response to a more specific and detailed scope of work that is based on a general scope of work in the original RFP. FHI 360 has the right to rescind an RFP, or rescind an award prior to the signing of a subcontract due to any unforeseen changes in the direction of FHI 360 s client, be it funding or programmatic. FHI 360 reserves the right to waive minor proposal deficiencies that can be corrected prior to award determination to promote competition FHI 360 will be contacting offerors to confirm contact person, address and that bid was submitted for this solicitation. END OF RFP 1 ASEAN/UNICEF/WHO (2016). Regional Report on Nutrition Security in ASEAN, Volume 2. Bangkok; UNICEF. 2 WHO. (2013). Essential Nutrition Actions: Improving maternal, newborn, infant and young child health and nutrition. Geneva: World Health Organization. 3 WHO. (2009). Infant and young child feeding : model chapter for textbooks for medical students and allied health professionals. Geneva: World Health Organization. 4 WHO. (2009). Infant and young child feeding : model chapter for textbooks for medical students and allied health professionals. Geneva: World Health Organization. 5 UNICEF. (2012). IYCF Programming Guide. New York: UNICEF. 6 UNICEF. (2012). IYCF Programming Guide. New York: UNICEF. 7 ASEAN Leaders Declaration on Ending All Forms of Malnutrition (http://asean.org/asean-leaders-declarationon-ending-all-forms-of-malnutrition/) 8 ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Medical Practitioners (http://www.asean.org/storage/images/2013/economic/sectoral/healthcare_services/mra_medical.pdf) 9 ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Nursing Services, Cebu, Philippines, 8 December 2006 (http://asean.org/?static_post=asean-mutual-recognition-arrangement-on-nursing-services-cebu-philippines- 8-december-2006) 6