Thematic Evaluation of Antimicrobial Resistance Interventions OCB (2015-2024)
Starting date: September 2024 (exact date TBD)
Duration: September 2024 to mid-March, 2025 (final report to be submitted the latest by March 17, 2025)
Requirements: Interested applicants should submit 1) a technical proposal, 2) a financial proposal, 3) a CV and 4) a previous (relevant) work sample
Deadline: No later than 0900hrs (CEST) on September 16, 2024
Send to: [email protected] marked “AMREV”
Note: Providing only the requested and necessary documentation should prove your interest, capacity, and competency in the best possible manner. Quality outweighs quantity for us. The evaluation will require visits to some project locations for onsite data collection. These are to be suggested, confirmed and further planning done during inception phase, through discussions with SEU’s Evaluation Manager, Consultation Group for the evaluation and other key stakeholders (considering relevance and feasibility of project visits) .
For BACKGROUND on MSF’s approach and work with AMR, please read through the complete terms of reference (ToR) on our vacancy page. Please download and read the ToR thoroughly before applying.
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PURPOSE. In line with the MSF institutional commitment to address AMR, the MSF-OCB medical department wants this evaluation to better understand the status of the implementation of AMR activities (basic and full package) in OCB projects. It´s expected that the evaluation will provide an overview of how AMR is being implemented into the OCB projects, the successes and challenges of these activities, and recommendations for enhancing AMR activities in existing and future OCB health interventions.
INTENDED USE. This evaluation will contribute to nourish the development of MSF-OCB´s overall AMR programming, including feeding the conversations about strategical ambitions and necessary investments to move this further.
EVALUATION OBJECTIVES. The evaluation should:
- describe the current MSF-OCB AMR portfolio (eg types of sites, package, modalities of HR management and supervision, financial investment);
- explore rationale behind site selection and package implemented, with special attention to sites implementing full package;
- assess the portfolio´s overall value, its trends and patterns, highlighting challenges and bottlenecks, good practices and successes;
- identify recommendations for enhancing and implementing AMR activities in existing and future OCB projects.
We expect the evaluation team to suggest relevant evaluation criteria and/or questions, as well as potential additional areas of inquiry, in line with the relevant evaluation framework(s) they will identify. These should be introduced in the proposal submitted by all applicants and confirmed during the inception phase.
EXPECTED DELIVERABLES
Note: the SEU involves a consultation group (CG) in all evaluation processes, with the objective to increase understanding, buy-in, learning during the process as well as quality of the result. The CG is led by a commissioner. They have contributed to finalizing this ToR.
The key deliverables (inception report, draft/final report) will be processed through a feedback loop, collecting input from the consultation group. Each deliverable is reviewed by the SEU and endorsed by the evaluation’s commissioner.
- Inception Report
As per SEU standards, after conducting initial document review and preliminary interviews. It will include a detailed evaluation proposal, including methodology.
- Draft Evaluation Report
As per SEU standards. It will answer to the evaluation questions and will include conclusions, lessons learned and recommendations.
- Working Session
With the attendance of commissioner and consultation group members. As part of the report writing process, the evaluator will present the findings, collect attendances´ feedbacks and will facilitate discussion on lessons learned.
- Final Evaluation Report
After addressing feedbacks received during the working session and written inputs.
- Other dissemination deliverables to be defined
METHODOLOGY PROPOSED
We expect the evaluation team to propose the relevant framework(s) and/or criteria for this thematic evaluation, together with the related evaluation questions, as they see fit. These should be introduced in the proposal submitted by all applicants and confirmed during the inception phase.
Considering the nature of a thematic evaluation and stated objective and intended use, the following methodology is suggested.
- Desk review of all sites where AMR interventions are being implemented (basic and full package)
- Case studies on some of these sites, including visits to projects, key informants’ interviews, deep dive in quantitative data including routinely collected data (raw data). The size of and criteria for sampling of case studies sites will be suggested and confirmed during inception phase.
- Key informants’ interviews across the portfolio (on top of qualitative data collection for case studies).
In addition to the initial evaluation proposal submitted as a part of the application (see requirement chapter), a detailed evaluation protocol should be prepared by the evaluators during the inception phase. It will include a detailed explanation of proposed methods and its justification based on validated theory/-ies. It will be reviewed and validated as a part of the inception phase in coordination with the SEU.
RECOMMENDED SECONDARY SOURCES
- Routinely collected medical data (raw data from medical databases of projects)
- Project documents and technical documents (eg logframes and narrative reports, strategies, project visit and end of mission reports, organigrams, budgets, assessments reports, AMR plans)
- Strategic MSF and OCB documents, including Strategic Orientations, Operational Prospects, Medical Department Strategy, guiding principles
- National, regional and global documentation and guidelines
- External literature and documentation
This list is non-exhaustive.
PROFILE REQUIREMENTS.
Required
- Proven evaluation competencies
- University degree on public health (master or PhD level)
- Experience working with and implementing AMR programs, notably in LMIC settings
- Experience in global health programming and project management, notably in delivering healthcare services at primary and secondary levels
- Fluency in English and French (spoken and written)
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
Assets
- Experience and/or understanding of humanitarian interventions
- Knowledge of some of the contexts covered by this evaluation
- Additional languages that could serve the evaluation process (eg documentation, interviews), such as Portuguese or Arabic.
How to apply
The application should consist of a technical proposal, a budget proposal, CV, and a previous work sample. The proposal should include a reflection on how adherence to ethical standards for evaluations will be considered throughout the evaluation, as well as how values and perspectives of different stakeholders will be brought into the process. The evaluator(s) will need to demonstrate an understanding of the evaluand and its context and reflect this in the methodology as well as the team set-up.
Offers should include a separate quotation for the complete services, stated in Euros (EUR). The budget should present consultancy fee according to the number of expected working days over the entire period, both in totality and as a daily fee. Travel costs, if any, do not need to be included as the SEU will arrange and cover these. Do note that MSF does not pay any per diem. The level of effort is to be proposed by the evaluator(s). The evaluator(s) will not be hired full-time over the period.
Applications will be evaluated on the basis of whether the submitted proposal captures an understanding of the main deliverables as per this ToR, a methodology relevant to achieving the results foreseen, and the overall capacity of the evaluator(s) to carry out the work (based on the CV and the submitted work sample).
Interested teams or individuals should apply to [email protected] marked AMREV.The full application should be submitted to the abovementioned email address no later than 0900hrs (9am) CEST on September 16th. 2024. We would appreciate the necessary documents being submitted as separate attachments (proposal, budget, CV, work sample and such). Please include your contact details in your CV.
Please indicate in your email application on which platform you saw this vacancy.
SELECTION PROCESS
Our selection process aims to be thorough and fair. First, each application is scored individually by committee members based on specific criteria from this ToR (as well as reference to MSF principles and evaluator competencies), without considering the budget at this stage. Next, the committee meets to compare scores and choose the top 2-3 candidates. We then review the budgets of these finalists, keeping in mind that we do not have a fixed budget and are open to discussion and negotiation. Following this, we interview each of the shortlisted candidates to get a better sense of their fit for the role. Finally, we make our decision based on the combined results of the scoring, budget review, and interviews. In exigent circumstances, we will opt for very simplified processes, including inviting specific evaluators and then assessing their proposals, and in some cases single source selection.
MSF is committed to applying responsible data protection principles in all its activities, including assessment, respecting both humanitarian principles and the European GDPR. During the assessment process, you will potentially have access, collection, storage, analysis and possible disposal of MSF´s and its patient´s sensitive and personal data and information (SPDi). Please take particular note of the SEU´s ethical guidelines when preparing your proposal, taking into account the tools and solutions you will use, how you will work to mitigate any data incidents, and how you will dispone of the data collected once the evaluation is complete.