HIRING OF INDIVIDUAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANTS FOR ANTENATAL HIV SENTINEL SURVEY AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN SIERRALEONE (ANC HSS PLUS-2024)

GOVERNMENT OF SIERRA LEONE

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

INTEGRATED HEALTH PROJECTS ADMINISTRATION UNIT (IHPAU)

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST(REOI)

(CONSULTING SERVICE – INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT)

FIRST ISSUED: 26^th September 2024

TITLE: HIRING OF INDIVIDUAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANTS FOR ANTENATAL HIV SENTINEL SURVEY AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN SIERRALEONE (ANC HSS PLUS-2024)

Procurement Method: International Competitive Bidding (ICB)

Lot 1: open to both National and International consultants

Lot: 2: open to only National consultants

Country: Republic of Sierra Leone

Name of Project: Name of Project: Strengthening System for health and scaling up of high impact interventions for HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria to attain Universal Health Coverage under Grant Cycle 7 (GC 7).

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Procurement No.: MOH/PR/GF/NCB/2024/07/001/25

The Government of Sierra Leone has received financing from the Global Fund towards continuing support to HIV, Tuberculosis, Malaria and COVID-19 programs under the Grant Cycle 7. The HIV/AIDS situation in Sierra Leone continues to be characterized by a low-intensity, mixed epidemic with significant heterogeneity across geographic areas and population groups. The estimated prevalence of HIV among adults aged 15-49 years was 1.7% in 2019, with 2.2% and 1.1% in women and men, respectively (DHS 2019). There were an estimated 77,000 [65,000-90,000] PLHIV in Sierra Leone (UNAIDS Spectrum 2023). Information on HIV prevalence is required to monitor the course of the HIV epidemics and to allocate resources, and plan and evaluate interventions, for HIV control and prevention. HIV surveillance among pregnant women attending ANC has been providing valuable information about the burden of HIV and trends in HIV prevalence among pregnant women attending sentinel ANC sites. Sierra Leone bases national HIV estimates on data generated by surveillance systems, including HIV Sentinel Survey (HSS) on pregnant women who attend a select number of sentinel antenatal clinics. The last ANC HSS was conducted in 2018 in 25 antenatal sentinel sites (both public and private/NGO), following the principles for 2^nd generation HIV surveillance recommended by WHO/UNAIDS. The Ministry of health of Sierra Leone is now planning to conduct ANC HSS-PLUS using the routine PMTCT programme data. The purpose of the survey is to enhance evidence-driven approaches in reducing new HIV, Hepatitis and Syphilis infections among pregnant and breastfeeding women and eliminate MTCT in Sierra Leone.

Objective of the ANC HSS PLUS

The overall objective of the ANC HSS-PLUS is to estimate HIV, Hepatitis and Syphilis prevalence among pregnant women aged 15-49 to monitor trends over time in Sierra Leone.

Primary Objectives:

1. To estimate HIV, Hepatitis and Syphilis prevalence among pregnant women attending ANC.
2. To provide data on trends of HIV prevalence among pregnant women 15-49 years over time.
3. To Assess Viral Load suppression among HIV Positive pregnant women attending ANC.

Secondary Objective:

1. To assess the utility of routine eMTCT program data for ANC HSS
2. To Assess drug resistance among HIV Positive pregnant women attending ANC
3. To Assess Viral Load suppression among HIV Positive pregnant women attending ANC (Applicable to lot 1only)

To achieve the objectives, the Ministry of Health (MOH) through its sub-structure, the Integrated Health Projects Administration Unit (IHPAU) intends to apply part of the proceeds for the hiring of two (2) individual consultants (in lot arrangement) for Antenatal HIV Sentinel Survey among Pregnant Women in Sierraleone (ANC HSS Plus-2024).

Eligibility criteria include the legally obligatory documents as detailed hereunder or their equivalent:

National Revenue Authority (NRA) certificate,

National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) certificate

Business Registration certificate

City/District Council certificate

Specific notice

Lot 1: open to both National and International consultants

Duties, Requirements and Timeframe:

Duties:

Under the overall supervision of the Director for Disease Prevention and Control, direct supervision of the program Manager for HIV/AIDS Control Program (NACP) and in consultation with the National HIV Strategic information/eMTCT/ANC HSS TWG, the incumbent shall perform the following duties:

1. Facilitate stakeholder meetings and liaise with partners to build organizational support and resource mobilization for surveillance
2. Develop ANC HSS surveillance protocol, especially surveillance design, sample-size calculation, data analysis and surveillance monitoring
3. Develop field protocols or standard operating procedures, training packages and data collection tools
4. Coordinate staffing and training of data collectors
5. Ensure provision of equipment, supplies and data tools
6. Coordinate implementation, quality assurance and monitoring of surveillance field activities
7. Provide overall guidance and support of surveillance implementation, data analysis and surveillance monitoring
8. Provide overall guidance and support to ensure confidentiality of pregnant women whose routine data are collected for surveillance, including the permanent delinking of surveillance data from any personal identifying information
9. Provide overall guidance and support to ensure security of surveillance data during transit, storage, analysis, and dissemination
10. Interpret surveillance findings and develop dissemination materials
11. Coordinate to develop the final report
12. Prepare a manuscript for submission to publication.

Requirements: Qualifications and Experience:

Qualifications

Essential:

• MD and Master of Public Health, epidemiology, biological statistics, or bioinformatics.

• Desirable:

• PHD in epidemiology or statistical analysis.

Experience

• high-level technical expertise and experience in ANC HSS protocol development, especially HIV surveillance design, sample-size calculation, data analysis and surveillance monitoring.
• Record of leading and coordinating HIV Surveillance and survey.
• Extensive knowledge and skill of HIV/eMTCT Program management
• Excellent report writing and presentation skills

Competency:

• Technical expertise
• Teamwork
• Producing results
• Communicating in a credible and effective way
• Building and promoting partnerships across the organization and beyond.

Deliverables:

1. ANC HSS survey protocol, field protocols or standard operating procedures, training packages and data collection tools.
2. Comprehensive report of the process, and report on findings and dissemination materials including lessons learnt, best practices and recommendations (electronic and hard copy)
3. a manuscript for submission to publication.

Time frame:

• Survey period: 1^st December 2024 – 31 March 2025 (in-person and remote support)
  • Staffing and training of real time and DQA data collectors (in-person)
  • Real time data collection (in-person)
  • retrospective data abstraction of the surveillance variables of interest for DQA (in-person)
  • Field visit for Quality assurance and Quality Control (in-person)
  • Laboratory testing (confirmatory tests, QA testing, VL testing, HIV DR testing, HBV DNA PCR testing (remote)
• Post-survey Period: 1 April – 30 June 2025 (Remote)
  • Data entry and cleaning
  • Data analysis
  • Report writing
  • Dissemination of findings:
  • Draft report:
  • Final report:

Duty station: Hybrid (Freetown and home/remote)

Lot 2: (open to only National consultants)

Duties, Requirements and Timeframe (open to only National consultants):

Duties:

Under the overall supervision of the Director for DPC and direct supervision of the program Manager for HIV/AIDS Control Program (NACP) in consultation with the National HIV Strategic information/eMTCT/ANC HSS TWG, and close collaboration with international consultant, the incumbent shall perform the following duties:

1. Support facilitation of stakeholder meetings and liaise with partners to build organizational support and resource mobilization for surveillance
2. Provide support to Develop ANC HSS surveillance protocol, especially surveillance design, sample-size calculation, data analysis and surveillance monitoring
3. Support to Develop field protocols or standard operating procedures, training packages and data collection tools
4. Organize and facilitate staffing and training of data collectors
5. Ensure provision of equipment, supplies and data tools
6. Supervise and support field data-collection teams
7. Conduct quality assurance of data-collection procedures
8. Ensure that data collection is implemented according to field protocol
9. Provide support to ensure confidentiality of pregnant women whose routine data are collected for surveillance, including the permanent delinking of surveillance data from any personal identifying information
10. Provide support of surveillance implementation, data analysis and surveillance monitoring
11. Ensure security of surveillance data during transit, storage, analysis, and dissemination
12. Provide support of data security and confidentiality measures
13. Support to Interpret surveillance findings
14. develop dissemination materials
15. Support the development of final ANC HSS report
16. Support Preparation of a manuscript for submission to publication

Requirements: Qualifications and Experience:

Qualifications

Essential:

• MD and Master of Public Health, epidemiology, specialization on pediatrics or Gyn/obs.

• Desirable:

• PHD in epidemiology or statistical analysis.

Experience

• Technical expertise and experience in survey protocol development, including HIV surveillance design, sample-size calculation, data analysis and surveillance monitoring.
• Record of leading and coordinating HIV Surveillance and survey.
• Extensive knowledge and skill of HIV/eMTCT Program management
• Excellent report writing and presentation skills

Competency:

• Technical expertise
• Teamwork
• Communicating in a credible and effective way
• Building and promoting partnerships.

Deliverables:

1. Conduct dissemination meetings in collaboration with NACP.
   1. Develop eMTCT advocacy tools.
   2. Develop eMTCT policy brief.
2. Provide a comprehensive report of the process, and report on findings and dissemination materials including lessons learnt, best practices and recommendations (electronic and hard copy)
3. Create and finalize a manuscript for submission to publication.

Time frame:

• Survey period: 1st December 2024 – 31 March 2025
  • Staffing and training of real time and DQA data collectors
  • Real time data collection from HSS sites
  • retrospective data abstraction of the surveillance variables of interest for DQA:
  • Field visit for Quality assurance and Quality Control
  • Laboratory testing (confirmatory tests, QA testing, VL testing, HIV DR testing, HBV DNA PCR testing
  • Data management
• Post-survey Period: 1 April – 30 June 2025
  • Data entry and cleaning:
  • Data analysis
  • Report writing
  • Dissemination of findings:
  • Draft report: 09 December 2019
  • Final report: 15 December 2019

Duration: (December 2024 – June 2025).

Duty Station: Freetown, Sierra Leone

1. The Ministry of Health in a capacity as the Principal Recipient, through the Integrated Health Projects Administration Unit (IHPAU) now invites eligible individuals (Consultants) to express their interests in providing the services. Interested Individuals must provide adequate and appropriate information (academic/professional certificates and updated CVs), which demonstrate that they have the required competencies, requisite academic qualification(s) and relevant experience (capacity and capability) to perform the services.
2. Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Individual Consultant Selection Method set out in the National Public Procurement Authority of 2016 and its attendant Regulations.
3. The type of contract will be Lump Sum and the contract duration will be 7 months.
4. Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0900hrs to 17000hrs.
5. Expression of interest must be delivered in hard copy or submitted via email to the addresses below on or before 24^th October 2024, at 4:00 P.M (Sierra Leone time) and must be specifically marked on the outer envelope “Hiring of Individual Technical Assistant (TA) for Antenatal HIV Sentinel Survey among Pregnant Women in Sierra Leone (ANC HSS Plus-2024)” including the appropriate Lot number and addressed to the address hereunder.

The Team Lead – Fund Management Specialist

Ministry of Health (Sub- Office)

Integrated Health Projects Administration Unit (IHPAU)

23 Cantonment Road, Off Kingharman Road

Freetown, Sierra Leone

msbah@mohsihpau.gov.sl copy aujalloh@mohsihpau.gov.sl