Consultant, End-line Evaluation Research at Tearfund Nigeria

Tearfund is a Christian international relief and development agency working globally to end poverty and injustice, and to restore dignity and hope in some of the world’s poorest communities.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Consultant – Request for Proposals (RFP) to Conduct an Endline Evaluation of Masculinity, Faith, and Peace (MFP) Intervention in Nigeria

Location: Plateau State, Nigeria
Period of Performance: September 30th, 2020 – March 30th, 2021

Purpose

• Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) has received funding from the John Templeton Foundation to implement the evidence-based Transforming Masculinities (TM) intervention developed by Tearfund to be adapted to Nigeria. In Nigeria, the intervention is locally known as the Masculinity, Faith, and Peace (MFP) intervention.
• The MFP intervention has been implemented in Plateau State since May 2019, when collection of baseline data was completed. IRH is seeking a qualified, local Nigeria research firm to conduct data collector training and collection, quality data management, basic analysis, and report writing for the MFP endline study to be conducted starting approximately in November, 2020. We anticipate data collection activities to take no more than three months.
• This scope of work sets forth the background and objective for the evaluation and the scope of work for the evaluation subcontractor.

Background:

• In partnership with Tearfund, IRH is implementing MFP, a faith-based, gender-transformative project, in select sites in Plateau State, Nigeria in both Christian and Muslim communities. The overall goal of the MFP project is to improve modern family planning (FP) use and equitable and violence-free relationships among young couples in Plateau State. The intervention also expects to increase engagement of religious leaders in peace-building, violence prevention, and creating an enabling environment for voluntary FP. Specifically, the MFP intervention targets women between the ages of 18-35, their male partners 18 years and older, and religious leaders active in the intervention communities to improve FP and social cohesion and reduce gender-based violence (GBV).
• IRH and Tearfund have been implementing MFP through faith-based organizations (FBOs), beginning in early 2019. MFP is based on the evidence-based TM approach Tearfund developed for religious leaders and faith communities to promote positive masculinities and gender equality. Gender inequality is embedded in culturally constructed roles of men and women, boys and girls, and enforced through social structures, including religion and scriptural strictures. TM is an approach for religious leaders and congregation members, which uses a process of participatory scriptural reflection and dialogue to identify, create, and embrace new, positive masculine identities. IRH and Tearfund have built on the original TM curriculum to include components on FP/sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education. In addition, the MFP intervention in Nigeria will include links to clinics, pharmacies, and/or community health worker (CHW) services depending on the results of a health facility assessment performed by Tearfund.
• The MFP intervention is being implemented in ten Christian and ten Muslim congregations. The TM approach has been adapted with the goal of reducing social acceptance of GBV and other gender inequalities, which support early childbearing and high fertility rates and prevent women from accessing and using modern FP, and increase men’s role as supportive partners.
• MFP consists of multiple components including workshops and trainings that guide religious leaders and congregation members through a process of scriptural reflections to identify, create, disseminate, embrace new, positive masculinities, and then take action. The intended outcome is community-wide attitude and behavior change that leads to normative masculine identities supportive of non-violence, shared decision-making, gender equality and FP and SRH service use, reduced social acceptance of GBV and other gender inequalities, increased engagement around GBV prevention, reduced GBV perpetration, and increased modern FP uptake. The intervention also aims to diffuse these GBV- and FP-related social norms beyond direct participants. Intervention components include:
  • Reflective scripture-based workshops with regional-level religious leaders
  • 3-day workshops with community/parish- level religious leaders
  • 4-day Gender Champions training – male and female community members who in turn conduct a series of eight-week long community dialogue sessions in their congregations around gender roles and inequalities.
  • Community dialogues – eight-week-long small group discussions (two-hour dialogue per week) with couples facilitated by the Gender Champion to explore harmful notions around gender and identify positive gender identities through scriptural reflections. During the first five weeks, these participants will be divided into two same sex groups. On the sixth week men and women will come together in one group to share and reflect as one group. For Weeks 7&8 couples remain together to reflect on family planning from a faith-based perspective, as well as considering the importance of shared care work and involved fatherhood.
  • Health Talks on FP/SRH by trained health staff to the assembled community dialogues groups in their final week, and broader congregation members, at intervention site congregations. The community health worker will also hand out referral cards with the information of the nearest associated clinic and ask participants to leave it in a box at the clinic reception should they visit the clinic.

Evaluation Details:

• The mixed-methods evaluation is being conducted in 20 total sites in Plateau State assigned to either comparison or intervention group -10 intervention and 10 comparison congregations. Congregations are matched based on demographic characteristics such as size, location (rural/urban), denomination, and ethnicity of congregants. The intervention group receives the MFP intervention with added FP and SRH components, whereas the comparison group receives no intervention, other than links to SRH services (to isolate the effect of normative change associated with MFP).
• Baseline quantitative data collection was conducted from approximately March to May, 2019. The anticipated start date for endline evaluation data collection is November 1, 2020. Endline data collection will consist of quantitative survey among young men and women (18-35) and qualitative in-depth interviews (IDIs) among implementers and congregation members. The aim of this evaluation is to provide valid and reliable data, following up from the quantitative baseline study to assess the effectiveness of the TM/MFP intervention in meeting its stated aims among ten Christian and ten Muslim congregations in Plateau State, Nigeria.
• The endline evaluation research firm will oversee and conduct all research related to the quantitative and qualitative endline studies, which has the following components:
  • Research activity 1: Up to 830 orally administered endline questionnaires following up with respondents from the baseline survey that was administered to one couple member (either male or female), randomly selected from ten intervention and ten comparison congregations. This will assess individual- and community-level changes in: GBV/IPV acceptance, masculine identities, gender roles, FP acceptance and use and social norms related to SRH more generally. Selected women will be between the ages of 18-35 and selected men will be partnered with a woman 18-35 years of age.
  • Research activity 2: Up to 48 orally administered in-depth interviews to explore changes in attitudes and behaviours regarding GBV and FP. These qualitative interviews will provide in-depth documentation and narrative on the views and practices of religious leaders, gender champions, and influential congregation members, complementing the results of the questionnaire in research activity 1.

Recruitment Criteria
Research participants for the endline quantitative survey have already been determined from baseline. Criteria for selecting participants at baseline quantitative survey included:

• Men and/or women married within five years
• Men and/or women cohabitating with their partner
• If a parent, men and/or women whose oldest shared biological child is not older than four years
• Regular attender in 20 congregations identified for the intervention or comparison
• Are women between the ages of 18 and 35 years old or men partnered with a woman 18-35 years of age
• Religious leaders, gender champions, and influential congregation members will be purposively selected for qualitative interviews.

Locations: The 20 congregations are located in the following communities: Dadinkowa, Fobur, Gurum/Mista Ali, Jebbu Bassa, Jengre, Longvel, Miango, Naraguta, Saya, Yelwa

Methodology:

• The IRH research protocol details the execution of the methodology, including: sampling and recruitment of study respondents, obtaining informed consent, respondent selection, research tools, data management, and analysis. IRH will provide the research firm with a copy of this research protocol and any accompanying documents on the research process, draft data collection instruments, and data analysis plans. IRH will provide orientation and support on these instruments for the subcontractor.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval:

• The MFP research protocol and all associated data collection instruments will be provided by IRH, and reviewed and approved by the Georgetown University IRB and a local Nigeria IRB prior to the start of any research activities. IRH will facilitate all Georgetown University IRB requirements. IRH will provide materials to be prepared and submitted by the subcontractor for all necessary Nigeria-based IRBs.

Detailed scope of work task description during timeline:

• This scope of work is only for endline data collection, management of field teams, adherence to quality and ethical procedures, basic frequency analysis, and report writing. All study activities will be undertaken in close supervision by IRH, and with ongoing support. The scope of work will include, but may not necessarily be limited to, the following activities:
  • Review relevant documents including: the project concept note, research protocol, project brief, draft data collection instruments, consent forms, eligibility screening/recruitment documents, and other relevant literature, to become familiar with the research and the context.
  • Undertake research ethics certification prior to the start of the study (if not already undertaken). The digital FHI 360 Research Ethics Training Curriculum or the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) is preferred.
  • Assist IRH in submitting ethics materials to local, Nigeria-based ethical board.
  • Translate data collection instruments and consent forms in Hausa for understanding. These instruments and forms will be piloted and pretested prior to the endline. Review and finalize the data collection instruments and consent forms will be completed prior to the study. Note that additional literature review or tool development is not required; the research firm will only pilot/pre-test already existing and translated instruments.
  • Program Hausa data collection instruments into an electronic data collection (EDC) platform. The subcontractor will supply the platform and tablets/phones for EDC. The program must allow for data cleaning and dictionary creation, and be exportable to STATA (including complete dictionary of variables and values).
• Oversee the entire field process including, but not limited to: identifying and hiring data collectors and supervisors, collaborating with IRH to train data collectors and supervisors on research methods and ethics; and conducting/managing all data collection activities in 20 congregations, including:
  • 830 orally administered endline questionnaires following up with baseline study participants administered to one couple member (either male or female), randomly selected from five intervention and five comparison congregations. Selected women will be between the ages of 18-30 and selected men will be partnered with a woman 18-30 years of age. Electronic data collection is preferred. IRH will provide all tools and protocol.
  • 48 orally administered endline in-depth interviews with purposively sampled religious leaders, gender champions, and influential congregation members. Interviews will be audio-recorded. We expect full transcripts of interviews in English.
• Undertake initial data management with guidance from IRH.
• Conduct quantitative data analyses of selected research components based on guidelines and data analysis plans provided by IRH (i.e., frequency analysis for all variables).
• Submit full English transcripts and audio-recordings of interviews to IRH. All qualitative analysis will be conducted by IRH.
• Submit report with tables for all the quantitative variables and datasets (preferably in STATA) for review and further analysis; include in report basic information on qualitative interviews (numbers of types of respondents, from which congregations). No narrative is required to accompany the tables.
• Submit biweekly email progress reports and participate in routine phone conferences (biweekly/monthly) with IRH staff on the study implementation

Expected Outputs:

• An inception report detailing the work plan, providing comments to all data collection instruments, protocol processes, and the scope of work, listing key documents to be reviewed, and outlining the format for final report. This should be submitted within one week of receiving the signed contract from Georgetown IRH.
• Biweekly e-mail progress reports to IRH management team describing the process of data collection, based on a short template: numbers reached, what went well, what did not work and why, what are some recommendations of human resources and/or other resources required to better support the data collection in the future.
• A scheduled call with the IRH MFP team after one week of quantitative data collection to discuss progress and any data collection challenges with the IRH team.
• Final and cleaned raw quantitative data, in STATA, including complete dictionary of variables and values at endline. Copies of all transcribed qualitative interviews.
• Final raw qualitative audio-recordings and full English transcripts of all qualitative interviews.
• A draft report with frequency tables for all the quantitative variables.
• Final report based on the above draft with edits made according to IRH and partner comments. To be completed to the satisfaction of IRH before final payment.

Time frame* for the evaluation and deliverables:

• The work outlined above is planned to commence approximately on August 1st, 2020 with the submission of tools and protocol to the local Nigeria IRB, document review, and training; data collection should start no later than October 30th, 2020 and conclude no later than January 31st, 2021; and data analysis and report writing should conclude no later than March 30th, 2020.

Deliverables:

• Submit inception report:
  • Deliverable Due Date: September 30th , 2020
  • Amount to be Paid: 30% of consultancy fees.
• Submit biweekly progress reports and receipts for all reimbursable expenses. Submit report describing conclusion of data collection activities:
  • Deliverable date: ongoing – February 15, 2021
  • Amount to be paid will be 20% of consultancy fees upon receipt of report describing conclusion of data collection activities.
• Submit final and cleaned raw qualitative and quantitative data
  • Deliverable date: – February 22, 2021
  • Amount to be paid: 20% of consultancy fees
• Submit draft of qualitative and quantitative reports
  • Deliverable date: – 1st March, 2021
  • Amount to be paid: 10% of consultancy fees
• Submit draft of qualitative and quantitative reports
  • Deliverable date:– 30th March, 2021
  • Amount to be paid: 20% of consultancy fees

*The timeframe will depend on the signing of the contract, and can be subject to changes based on on-the-ground realities.

Payment will be made within 30 days of receipt and acceptance of the invoice and deliverables. Subcontractor is not authorized to invoice IRH for any amount in excess of this agreement. Last invoice should state “Final” and invoices should reference the Contract Number.

Submission of Proposals
Interested bidders are required to submit a detailed technical and financial proposal in response to this SOW:

• The technical proposal should include the following sections: 1) the consultant(s) or organization’s competency in conducting baseline/endline studies, including experience with quantitative and qualitative studies, and particular knowledge and prior experience in working with similar populations (youth) and on similar topics (GBV, SRH); 2) methodologies based on the above, including ethical considerations and policy influence considerations; 3) An illustrative work plan against the period of performance given. The proposal should also include the CVs of all proposed key staff (required) and any supporting staff as appendices (not required but desired if you know the person(s) with whom you plan to work). The proposal should not exceed 10 pages.
• The financial proposal should be a separate document from the technical proposal and should be easy to read and relate with in terms of monetizing the technical proposal. The budget should include a separate cost for each study element, including separate costs for each research activity. Please provide a competitive professional fee.

Criteria for Evaluation:

• The Contractor will be selected for this scope of work based on their background in research and experience in Nigeria. The Contractor will be willing to provide the services to the Institute for Reproductive Health. Selection criteria are the following (maximum 100 points):

Selection Criteria Points
Technical Proposal (35points):

• Demonstrated understanding of the proposed study through technical proposal and clarity
• Appropriateness of methodology and work plan.

Financial Proposal (30points):

• Cost and competitiveness of the budget

Relevant and Thematic Experience (35points):

• Evidence of previous family planning and reproductive health evaluations undertaken as the lead organization.
• Experience working in Nigeria; ability to speak Hausa desirable

Exclusion criterion is an incomplete proposal submission, one not adhering to the above guidance:

• Please note that all costs associated with proposal preparation, submission and/or negotiation cannot be reimbursed as a direct cost of the assignment, nor is the issuing of this RFP a guarantee that a sub-agreement will be awarded.

Contract Mechanism:

• It is anticipated to award a fixed-price subcontract to the Offeror whose proposal will be evaluated based on the evaluation criteria described previously.

Deadline: 7th August, 2020.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified Consultants / Firms should send their Proposals electronically to: nokafu.sandra.chipanta@georgetown.edu and cd1138@georgetown.edu CC-ed to bryan.shaw@georgetown.edu. E-mailed submissions must contain the subject line “MFP Endline Study”. The successful consultant/firm will be notified within 10 days of the deadline (by August 21, 2020).

Submission Instructions and Deadlines
The key dates for this RFP process are shown below:

• Date of Issuance: July 17, 2020
• Due Date for Questions: July 31st, 2020. Submission of questions or requests for clarification in writing via email to: nokafu.sandra.chipanta@georgetown.edu, cd1138@georgetown.edu and CC-ed to bryan.shaw@georgetown.edu by 17:00 Hours [local Nigeria time]
• Proposals (including detailed technical and financial proposal) are due 17:00 Hours Washington DC time. No late submissions will be accepted.

Attachments Annex A
Annex A – Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions
Offerors are responsible for review of the terms and conditions described.

Withdrawals of Proposals:

• Offerors may withdraw proposals by written notice via email received at any time before award. Proposals may be withdrawn in person by a vendor or his/her authorized representative if the representative’s identity is made known and the representative signs a receipt for the proposal before award.

Right To Select/Reject:

• IRH reserves the right to select and negotiate with those firms it determines, in its sole discretion, to be qualified for competitive proposals and to terminate negotiations without incurring any liability. IRH also reserves the right to reject any or all proposals received without explanation.

Due Diligence Process:

• Any selected firm may be required to complete a Financial Pre-Award Assessment in order for IRH to ascertain that the organization has the capacity to perform successfully under the terms and conditions of the proposed award. As part of the Pre-Award Assessment process the firm may also be requested to submit a financial audit report from the previous fiscal year. In addition, payroll records and other financial information may be requested to support budgeted costs.

Client Prior Approval:

• The selected offeror may be subject to funding agency approval before a subcontract can be awarded. Therefore, organizations are reminded that there may be delays for this process to be completed. In addition, should such approval not be given, this subcontract cannot be awarded.

Disclaimer:

• This RFP represents only a definition of requirements. It is merely an invitation for submission of proposals and does not legally obligate IRH to accept any of the submitted proposals in whole or in part, nor is IRH obligated to select the lowest-priced proposal. IRH reserves the right to negotiate with any or all firms, both with respect to price, cost and/or scope of services. IRH has no contractual obligations with any firms based upon issuance of this RFP. It is not an offer to contract. Only the execution of a written contract shall obligate IRH in accordance with the terms and conditions contained in such contract.

Request For Proposal Firm Guarantee:

• All information submitted in connection with this RFP will be valid for three (3) months from the RFP due date. This includes, but is not limited to, cost, pricing, terms and conditions, service levels, and all other information. If your firm is awarded the contract, all information in the RFP and negotiation process is contractually binding.

Offer Verification:

• IRH may contact Offerors to confirm contact person, address, bid amount and that the bid was submitted for this solicitation.

False Statements In Offer:

• Offerors must provide full, accurate and complete information as required by this solicitation and its attachments.

Conflict of Interest:

• Offerors must provide disclosure of any past, present or future relationships with any parties associated with the issuance, review or management of this solicitation and anticipated award in or outside of Nigeria.
• Failure to provide full and open disclosure may result in IRH having to re-evaluate selection of a potential vendor.

Reserved Rights
All RFP responses become the property of IRH and IRH reserves the right in its sole discretion to:

• To disqualify any offer based on offeror failure to follow solicitation instructions.
• IRH reserves the right to waive any deviations by vendors from the requirements of this solicitation that in IRH’s opinion are considered not to be material defects requiring rejection or disqualification; or where such a waiver will promote increased competition.
• Extend the time for submission of all RFP responses after notification to all vendors.
• Terminate or modify the RFP process at any time and re-issue the RFP to whomever IRH deems appropriate.
• IRH reserves the right to issue an award based on the initial evaluation of offerors without discussion.
• IRH reserves the right to award only part of the activities in the solicitation or issue multiple awards based on solicitation activities.
• IRH will not compensate offerors for preparation of their response to this RFP.
• Issuing this RFP is not a guarantee that IRH will award a subcontract.
• IRH may choose to award a subcontract to more than one offeror for specific parts of the activities in the RFP.

Certification of Independent Price Determination
The offeror certifies that:

• The prices in this offer have been arrived at independently, without, for the purpose of restricting competition, any consultation, communication, or agreement with any other offeror, including but not limited to subsidiaries or other entities in which offeror has any ownership or other interests, or any competitor relating to (i) those prices, (ii) the intention to submit an offer, or (iii) the methods or factors used to calculate the prices offered;
• The prices in this offer have not been and will not be knowingly disclosed by the offeror, directly or indirectly, to any other offeror, including but not limited to subsidiaries or other entities in which offeror has any ownership or other interests, or any competitor before bid opening (in the case of a sealed bid solicitation) or contract award (in the case of a negotiated or competitive solicitation) unless otherwise required by law; and
• No attempt has been made or will be made by the offeror to induce any other concern or individual to submit or not to submit an offer for the purpose of restricting competition or influencing the competitive environment.
  • Each signature on the offer is considered to be a certification by the signatory that the signatory:
    • Is the person in the offeror’s organization responsible for determining the prices being offered in this bid or proposal, and that the signatory has not participated and will not participate in any action contrary to subparagraphs (1) through (3) above; or (i) Has been authorized, in writing, to act as agent for the principals of the offeror in certifying that those principals have not participated, and will not participate in any action contrary to subparagraphs (a)(1) through (a)(3) above; (ii) As an authorized agent, does certify that the principals of the offeror have not participated, and will not participate, in any action contrary to subparagraphs (a)(1) through (a)(3) above; and (iii) As an agent, has not personally participated, and will not participate, in any action contrary to subparagraphs (1) through (3) above.
  • Offeror understands and agrees that:
    • Violation of this certification will result in immediate disqualification from this solicitation without recourse and may result in disqualification from future solicitations; and
    • Discovery of any violation after award to the offeror will result in the termination of the award for default.