USAID COMMUNITY HIV CARE AND TREATMENT (CHCT) ACTIVITY Terms of Reference Provide Capacity Building Training for Local Partners Implementing Community HIV Care and Treatment Activity on ‘Local Ownership and Sustainability’

I. BACKGROUND  

Project HOPE-The People-to-People Health Foundation Inc, Ethiopia has been implementing USAID funded Community HIV Care and Treatment (CHCT) Activity since 2017. The activity aims to accelerate and sustain HIV and AIDS epidemic control in Ethiopia through delivery of high impact community-based HIV services. Geographically, the implementation covers all PEPFAR priority regions (towns and woredas) of the country.

The objectives and interventions are designed to impact UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets. Primarily, the activity aims to achieve the following three major results: Result 1: Strengthened community health and support systems for service delivery; Result 2: Strengthened organizational and technical capacity of community structures and Result 3: Strengthened data collection and use for learning and program improvement. It is designed to expand access to comprehensive HIV prevention, care and treatment services by reinforcing the role of health extension workers (HEWs) and communities in the delivery of comprehensive clinical and non-clinical community HIV prevention, care and treatment services.

Project HOPE’s scope has shifted from direct service delivery to a technical assistance (TA) since 2021. Project HOPE (PH) provides TA to the USAID funded family-focused HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment (FFHPCT) activity to help Local implementing Partners (LIPs) design, implement, monitor, and report. Major TA areas include standardization and development of SOPs/ guidelines, delivering technical updates through orientation sessions, webinars, review of training curricula and delivery of TOTs, performance review and improvement, annual/semi-annual performance review meetings, data quality and data use support (UDS dashboards, RDQAs, SIMS), mentorship/coaching and supportive supervision visits, provision of TA about Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), and others. Project HOPE also leads the national level scale-up and implementation of the Community-based Differentiated Service Delivery Models (DSDM), and it supports LIPs to conduct cervical cancer screening demand creation activities.

Project HOPE has been delivering capacity strengthening (primarily technical) support since 2021 to the local implementing partners (LIPs) to improve their knowledge and skills in implementing/delivering quality HIV services. All the capacity strengthening support provided were based on objective capacity assessments (conducted using OTCA tools), recommendations from rounds of technical assistance needs assessment (TANA) and experiences (lessons) from field level supportive supervision and mentoring. Furthermore, at the end of FY23, Project HOPE has carried out technical assistance transition readiness assessment (TA-TRA) to evaluate the prime LIPs' readiness to take-over the technical assistance role (scope) from Project HOPE - before Project HOPE’s TA scope will be ending in July 2024 as scheduled). Primarily, the outcome of this assessment was intended to determine the level of capacity, remaining critical TA needs required to ensure expected level of capacity, and importantly, to identify the TA support that can be transitioned immediately.   

The assessment result while showing improved capacity in many technical areas, revealed that prime LIPs still have some capacity limitations in some of the technical areas to fully take-over the TA scope. One of the TA needs identified specific to capacity development was related to local ownership and sustainability. Prime LIPs do not have ownership and sustainability framework/ guide (including resource mobilization strategy/plan) for implementation. This is a critical piece for LIPs to sustain their operations and exist as a viable organization. Local ownership and sustainability depend on local actors leading efforts to improve their communities and working inclusively and collectively to see those efforts through. Local prime LIPs should strategically and intentionally invest in the process of partnering with local actors - individuals, organizations, and networks—to jointly improve the performance of a local system to produce locally valued (owned) and sustainable development outcomes.

Project HOPE, therefore, is looking for a competent local consultant (firm) with an extensive experience in developing guidelines - specifically guidelines related to local CSOs strategic plan development, resource mobilization (domestic, international) strategy/plan, sustainability framework/guidelines development and capacity building of local CSOs.

      II. OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The main objective of this consultancy assignment is to develop ‘Local Ownership and Sustainability Framework/Guide (which will include resource mobilization strategy/plan) and followed by delivery of a capacity building training for these LIPs. The LIPs will use the knowledge and skills gained from the training to adapt the generic framework/guide /strategy to their own context for implementation as part of their strategic plans.

The specific objectives of the assignment are:- 

• To develop local ownership and sustainability framework/guide which prime LIPs can adopt (adapt to their contexts) – this will include draft generic RM strategy. 
• To provide capacity strengthening training on local ownership and sustainability (include RM strategies, standard proposal/concept note writing, stakeholder mapping/analysis, localization, among others).
• Follow up mentoring and check-in support- virtual or onsite for each LIP to check in on practical steps towards implementing the local ownership and sustainability framework/guide.

 III. SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The scope of the consultancy assignment shall include the following responsibilities:   

• Conduct desk review and landscape analysis (including SWOT analysis) – including review of LIPs organizational/corporate governance systems and structures, existing strategic plan (SP), and resource mobilization (RM) strategy (if available)/plan, relevant government policies and procedures and existing global and local best practices in the area. To supplement the desk review, the consultant will meet with two (2) of the LIPs based in Addis Ababa to collect additional information about their specific needs, challenges and concerns related to the above topics. 
• Develop generic local ownership and sustainability framework/guide for LIPs to adopt (or adapt to their contexts) including relevant tools/templates.
• Provide 3 days capacity strengthening training to LIPs staff (management) on ‘local ownership and sustainability’ based on the generic framework/guide developed.
• Virtual and or on-site mentorship to check/ensure they (prime LIPs) are taking practical steps in terms of translating the training received into action based on the framework/guide developed and shared.

IV. DELIVERABLES OF THE ASSIGNMENT   

•  Produce a brief report of the desk review and analysis (SWOT incorporated) and submit to Project HOPE for review and approval.
• Brief presentation and discussion with Project HOPE on the outcome of the desk review/analysis and recommendations (including outline/content of the generic framework/guideline to be developed).   
• Develop generic framework/guide on local ownership and sustainability based on the outcome of the desk review/analysis. Submit to Project HOPE for review and feedback. Once finalized, the consultant shall prepare training manuals (for facilitators and trainees) including training modules, PPT presentations, etc.
• Provide 3 days training for participants from LIPs (technical and management staff).
• Conduct virtual or on-site check-in support to confirm/verify if LIPs are progressing on the adaptation of the framework/RM strategy into their local contexts. 
• Completion report (including brief summary of the outcome of the check-in support covering all the prime LIPs).    

 V. DURATION OF THE ASSIGNMENT     

 The duration of this short-term consultancy assignment will be a maximum of 24 calendar days commencing from the date of signing of the contract agreement. However, the consultant firm is also expected to come up with a more realistic plan (timeframe) to complete the above assignment. The proposed timeline is presented as follows: 

o  Inception meeting with Project HOPE……1/2 days.

o  Desk review and analysis……5 days.

o  Presentation and discussion with Project HOPE on desk review findings…….1/2 days  

o  Preparation of draft generic framework/guide on local ownership and sustainability including preparation of training manuals (modules, PPT slides)……10 days.

o  Delivering training….3 days

o  Check-in support (virtual or on-site)…..3 days

o  Completion report…..2 days.

VI. PAYMENT TERMS AND MODALITY    

Payment will be made to the consultant upon successful completion and submission of the deliverables. Payments will be issued in 3 payment schedules and all payments would be subject to taxation as per the government of Ethiopia’s regulations. 

o   Payment 1: 20% after submission of desk review and analysis report and approval by Project HOPE.

o   Payment 2: 40% after submission and approval of generic framework/guide and training manuals (modules, PPT slides).

o   Payment 3: 40% after delivering training and submission of completion report. This will be the last payment.

 VII. SUPERVISOON AND REPORTING    

The consultant will be directly supervised by and will be reporting to the Capacity Development and Operations Director. 

VIII. APPLICATION AND REQUIREMENTS   

a. QUALIFICATION AND EXPERIENCE 

The consultant firm should have high level technical expertise and proven experiences in developing/preparing training materials (handouts/modules) for local CSOs, particularly on strategic planning, resource mobilization, fund raising, proposal preparation, local ownership and sustainability. For consultant firms to apply, they must have a strong prior experience performing similar activity for International NGOs. At least more than 7 year experience in strategy development, resource mobilization and diversification (proposal writing, etc), partnership development, among others.

IX. EVALUATION CRITERIA  

o   Understanding of the TOR and Scope of Work ; an inception report/ presentation (40%)

o   Qualification and relevant experience  (30%)

o   Financial feasibility  (30%)