REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST(REOI) (CONSULTING SERVICE – INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT)

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: 5^th July 2024.

TITLE: HIRING OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT THE DIRECTORATE OF DISEASE PREVENTION AND CONTROL TO STRENGTHEN PROGRAM CAPACITY

Country: Republic of Sierra Leone

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 New Funding Model (NFM 3) Grant.

Procurement No.: MOH/PR/GF/NCB/2024/07/001/22

1. 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 NFM3 grants. The Directorate of Disease Prevention and Control (DPC) is one of the directorates in the Ministry of Health. The directorate of DPC is the umbrella body coordinating the following health programs:

• National AIDS Control Program
• National TB and Leprosy Control Program
• National Malaria Control Program
• National Neglected Tropical Disease Program
• National Hepatitis Control Program

The directorate coordinates and ensures the effective planning of infectious disease prevention and control by the ministry, but has not been functional since 2021. The Ministry of Health recognizes this important role of the directorate and recently appointed a director to reactivate and lead the directorate.

The work of the Directorate of Disease Prevention and Control is based on three key initiatives prioritized to support effective planning of disease prevention and control in Sierra Leone. These three initiatives include:

1. Governance and Leadership.
2. Integration, Collaboration and Decentralization
3. Strategic Information and Innovation

Through the governance and leadership pillar, the directorate will strengthen program leadership and governance systems through organizational capacity assessment and reforms. The directorate will provide a strategic direction and oversight on issues of integration, collaboration and decentralization and establish and maintain partnerships for the benefit of the programs and the ministry as a whole.

The directorate has no structures and there is minimal capacity to support and provide effective oversight in the HIV, TB, and Malaria programs. Coupled with the fact that repeated assessments of the HIV, TB, and Malaria Programs have consistently identified significant gaps in the human resource capacity in HIV, TB, and Malaria, this directorate needs to be strengthened and provided the needed support to effectively coordinate the program activities.

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 a Technical Assistance to support the Directorate of Disease Prevention and Control to strengthen program capacity.

Roles and responsibilities

The consultant shall provide the following services

1. Develop systems to track and evaluate the impact of interventions supported by the Global Fund and other partners.
2. Support the directorate to establish and maintain an effective management system for consolidated organizational planning, coordination and integration of the work of HIV, TB and Malaria programs.
3. Support the directorate to provide effective leadership, strategic direction, and oversight for the planning, organization, integration, coordination, and control of HIV, TB and Malaria.
4. Provides technical support and guidance to managers, including epidemiological approaches to the assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of infectious disease program activities.
5. Provide technical and strategic support in the overall assessment of health trends, the patterns and distribution of HIV, TB and Malaria.
6. Supervise the analysis of causes and risk factors for specific diseases and utilize data to inform decision-making and development of policies and strategies
7. Support the establishment and readjustment of HIV, TB and Malaria control priorities and recommend changes in the norms and guidelines for disease control programs
8. Build capacity of HIV, TB and Malaria program staff on project coordination, management and leadership
9. Conduct implementation research to support decision-making on HIV, TB and Malaria
10. Support resource mobilization through grant preparation and domestic financing
11. Any other duty assigned by the Director of Disease Prevention and Control

Overall Deliverables

1. Report on the review of existing HIV, TB and Malaria data systems
2. Report on the established M & E system for the Directorate of Disease Prevention and Control
3. Roadmap to monitor implementation of activities by the three disease programs
4. Build capacity of members of the directorate and the programs
5. Semester HIV, TB and Malaria mega data analysis and report
6. Secure three research grants to support early career researchers
7. Secure at least one large research of $ 500,000 United States Dollars grants to support program data science.

Qualifications And Experience

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.

The shortlisting and selection criteria shall be based on the following minimum qualification and experience:

• Postgraduate qualification in Epidemiology, Infectious Disease and Public Health
• A Medical Doctor with a minimum of Master in Public Health, Infectious Disease and Epidemiology
• A minimum of 10 years of experience working in at least one of the following HIV, TB or Malaria
• Demonstrate leadership roles in previous capacity.
• Must demonstrate in the following to be able to provide technical guidance:
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Computer and software literate (word, excel, PowerPoint, Stata, SPSS, R, GIS etc)
• Excellent communication skills and team player
• Resource mobilization capacity.

1. 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.
2. The type of contract will be Lump Sum and the contract duration will between 30 – 36 months.
3. Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours 0900hrs to 17000hrs.
4. Expression of interest must be delivered in hard copy or submitted via email to the addresses below on or before Friday 2^nd August 2024, at 4:00 P.M (Sierra Leone time) and must be specifically marked on the outer envelope “HIRING OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT THE DIRECTORATE OF DISEASE PREVENTION AND CONTROL TO STRENGTHEN PROGRAM CAPACITY” 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