Job Position Local Consultant for Health financing work on USAID’s Needed At Results for Development (R4D)
About Results for Development (R4D)
Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too.
We have a unique and vibrant culture at R4D. Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of our work environment and help advance our mission. Diversity—of ideas, identities, perspectives and backgrounds—is vital to who we are and what we do. We seek people who embrace these values and will help reinforce them. Our work culture is collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial. We operate based on trust and respect. Teams across the organization frequently collaborate on programmatic work and support each other in continuously building a better R4D.I. Background
USAID’s Act to End Neglected Tropical Diseases | East (Act | East) program (2018-2023), led by RTI International, supports countries to reach their NTD control and elimination goals through proven, cost-effective public health interventions. The program provides critical support to countries in their journey to self-reliance by helping to create sustainable NTD programming within a robust and resilient health system. The project focuses on partnering with NTD-endemic countries to eliminate and control five of the most common NTDs, including lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis, and soil-transmitted helminths (hookworm, ringworm, and whipworm), which affect more than one billion people worldwide.
Act to End NTDs | East will also strengthen local capacity for planning, budgeting, and budget execution so that NTD programs can continue with high levels of effectiveness. In Tanzania, Uganda, and Ethiopia, the program will help Ministries of Health identify potential options for sustainable financing of NTDs, in line with broader health financing strategies for domestic resource mobilization (DRM), Primary Health Care (PHC) and/or Universal Health Coverage (UHC). As such, Act | East will support government institutions to assume greater programmatic and financial responsibility for their NTDs response.
In 2020, Act | East and the Tanzania Neglected Tropical Disease Control Program (TZNTDCP) conducted a sustainability planning consultation. This consultation process generated common understanding of key sustainability challenges in the context of NTD programming and across six functional areas namely Financing, Service delivery, Information systems, Operational capacity, Policy and planning, and Coordination. The major gap identified in financing was the low levels of funding to the NTD program, which is partly a result of inadequate data to inform planning, budget allocation, evidence-informed advocacy, and resource tracking.
In FY21, the Act | East team will work with the TZNTDCP to implement identified activities from the draft Sustainability Plan. The Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Equity and Children (MOHCDGEC) will receive technical and financial assistance from R4D, along with other Act | East partners with a focus on improving domestic resource mobilization and strengthening NTD advocacy capacity, which were the key sustainability gaps identified. Act | East will collaborate with USAID’s flagship HSS project in Tanzania, Public Sector Systems Strengthening Plus (PS3+) Activity, ASCEND, and the WHO Country Office to coordinate efforts and leverage existing resources and to better understand best practices for HSS and health financing in Tanzania.
II. Objectives
To provide technical support to the Tanzania Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Equity and Children in the development and implementation of the health financing activities prioritized for support in the Act | East 2021 Work Plan.
III. Activities/Tasks to be performed
- 1) Schedule and lead regular meetings with the TZNTDCP and IMA to review progress of the health financing activities prioritized for support in the Act | East FY21 Work Plan.
- 2) Assist in the planning and facilitation of workshops, meeting, and training with officials from the national (MOH central level, TZNTDCP, PORALG, MOF), regional, and district levels
- 3) Map key actors and decision-making spaces for NTD budget allocation (including mapping of governance structure, budget cycles, planning processes, and trends) at both the national and district level in two districts (TBD with the MOH). The mapping exercise will be finalized during a two-day meeting with 19 participants including officials from the national (MOH central level, TZNTDCP, PORALG, MOF), regional, and district levels
- 4) Participate in the workshops organized by IMA and led by the TZNTDCP to draft an advocacy strategy for NTDs. In these sessions, the consultant will share findings from the mapping exercise as well as relevant information from health financing analytics.
- 5) Conduct a detailed analysis of financial and programmatic records. The consultant will provide technical support to TZNTDCP to collect and examine the detailed financial and programmatic records of major donor funded NTDs initiatives in Tanzania and identify ways of integrating NTD financial data into the Integrated Financial Management System. The consultant will also provide the TZNTDCP with technical support to access NTD off-budget financial data and unpack government health budgets to identify which NTD programming inputs are financed through which budget votes, programs, and line items. This activity will be developed after conducting the mapping exercise through which the TZNTDCP will achieve effective multi-stakeholder engagement.
- 6) Facilitate a two-day training with the support of R4D on how to process, analyze, account for, and package NTD financial data for 20 participants, including MOH, TZNTDCP, PORALG, MOF, and IMA World Health. This two-day training will enable these stakeholders to have a better understanding of NTD programmatic and financial data, manage and analyze that data, and make decisions based on that analysis. This component incorporates various stakeholders, in both a decision-making and programmatic capacity, to ensure that a variety of perspectives and experiences are brought to bear on NTD-related analytic challenges.
Additional Activities Pending USAID Approval
- 7) The consultant will assist R4D’s program officer in designing and facilitating a three-day workshop involving participants from the MOHCDGEC, TZNTDCP, PORALG, MOF, and selected stakeholders organized by RTI and IMA and led by the TZNTDCP. Participants in this workshop will develop a sustainable financing strategy for NTDs in which the MOHCDGEC will identify and review key health financing activities to advance priorities established in the NTD Sustainability Plan. In these sessions, the consultant will share findings from the mapping exercise as well as relevant information from health financing analytics and the health financing portion of the earlier sustainability assessment.
- 8) Provide health financing technical assistance ongoing, remote and in-person, training on health financing and support for the country team’s HSS Advisor and other staff, including TZNTDCP, in consultation with R4D, RTI and IMA.
IV. Deliverables outputs/expected deliverables
- Deliverable 1: A detailed report and a slide deck describing key actors and decision-making spaces for NTD budget allocation in Tanzania at both the national and regional level in two regions (TBD with the MOH)
- Deliverable 2: A second report assessing NTD financial data availability, quality, completeness, potential users, as well as existing tracking and reporting mechanisms with a focus on budget allocation, budget disbursements, districts contributions, MOHCDGEC contributions, and donor/implementing partner contributions. This report should identify which NTD programming inputs are financed through which government budget votes, programs, and line items. This document should also include feasible recommendations with actionable steps for the TZNTDCP to routinely collect NTD financial data, including current NTD revenues and expenditures from all sources, perform financial analyses and forecasts to identify funding gaps, and identify ways of integrating NTD financial data into the Integrated Financial Management System. This deliverable will include an Excel file with relevant data, figures, tables, and computations done.
- Deliverable 3: A document with examples on how to package relevant NTD financial data and develop customized advocacy messages to policy makers, based on a clear analysis of the NTD burden, NTD financial data, political salience, and return on investment. As well as an annex that includes a detailed plan for the training session on processing, analyzing, and packaging NTD financial data to inform advocacy strategies. This work will be done in collaboration with an advocacy consultant.
- Deliverable 4: A technical note describing how NTD-related resource needs and funding gaps are estimated in Tanzania and how this information can be mainstreamed into health governance mechanisms at national and decentralized levels. This technical note should include priority actions to embed NTD budgeting and planning activities within the health sector budgeting and planning cycles, as well as proposed NTD-specific metrics/indicators for the donor transition that can help the MOH to monitor progress toward increased domestic financial ownership of NTD programming.
V. Implementation arrangements
The consultant will work under the guidance and direct supervision of the R4D’s Program Director for the Act | East program in Washington D.C. and will report to the R4D’s program officer. S/he will also be expected to routinely engage with the IMA/Act | East country team. IMA World Health serves as the implementing partner in Tanzania and the consultant should coordinate efforts and engagement with the MOHCDGEC and government stakholders with IMA.
VI. Qualifications
- Master’s degree in health economics, health policy and management, or public health with a health financing focus
- At least five (5) years of field-based experience working on health financing and/or health economics evaluation and analytics, health policy, planning, public financial management (PFM), and/or financing in Tanzania.
- Experience in workshop facilitation and collaboration with government and non-government stakeholders.
- Familiarity with the Tanzanian health financing mechanisms and health system, Tanzanian Ministry of Health, NTD or vertical programs including HIV/AIDS, FP/RH, Malaria, EPI, MCH, TB, among others is necessary.
- Full professional fluency in English, including excellent written communication skills; language abilities relevant to the project countries also valuable.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team and deliver high-quality results within tight timeframes.
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
VII. Timeline
- The timeline of the program activities are as follows:
- Mapping exercise: April
- Output: Deliverable 1
- Analysis of financial programmatic records: April – July
- Output: Deliverable 2 & 3
- Customized training on NTD financial data: June – July
- Output: Deliverable 4
Start day: April 1, 2021.
End date: September 16, 2021
VIII. Work effort
The level of effort available for this consultancy is 55 days. This should include time for the analysis, report writing, and for revisions based on review and feedback from the country and HQ teams. The consultant will be compensated at an agreed rate per day. The consultant should be based in Dodoma. R4D will cover the expenses for local travel within a specified budget. The consultant is expected to complete all the activities and submit deliverables within the time frame.
IX. Communications Regarding this Request for Proposal
- Offerors must submit an offer to this RFP no later than March 18, 2021. However, please apply as soon as possible as we will be evaluating candidates on a rolling basis.
PLEASE SUBMIT A PROPOSAL THAT HAS 3 COMPONENTS ALL COMBINED TOGETHER AS A SINGLE ATTACHMENT: 1) COVER LETTER, 2) CV, AND 3) PRICING PROPOSAL.
- 1. CV: include previous work experiences and education relevant to this role
- 2. Cover Letter: provide details regarding your interest in this work and how your experience would be aligned to the role.
- 3. Pricing Proposal: provide your daily rate and average availability per week in number of days.
- A clear, definitive response to each element of the RFP must be included in the Offeror’s proposal. Any exceptions must be noted, typed in all caps and underlined. Failure to address any stated requirements/specifications may disqualify your proposal from further consideration.
- Notification must include the name, address, email address, phone number for the Offeror’s contact person who should receive answers to questions and RFP revisions and updates.
- Deadline for applications: March 18, 2021, before 06:00pm (Tanzania time)
- Submission: Interested candidates should send their offers to Kimberly Lecorps at klecorps@r4d.org with “Consultant, Act East Tanzania ” in the subject line.
- Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the next level of selection process. R4D is proud to be an equal opportunity employer regardless of sex, age, race and ethnicity.
Results for Development is an EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering
and nurturing an energetic, collaborative and diverse workforce. R4D provides market-competitive salaries and comprehensive employee benefits.
