[afro-nets] Request for proposal to host Secretariat of Network

[Claudio Schuftan <claudio@hcmc.netnam.vn>]

Network for Action on Tb and Poverty
------------------------------------

-----Original Message-----
From: David Gwatkin <Dgwatkin@worldbank.org>
       Ger Steenbergen <steenbergeng@who.int>

We have issued today through our website (http://www.stoptb.org)
the request for proposal of the hosting of the secretariat for
this network.

We look forward to receive proposals from a wide spectrum of ca-
pable candidates.


--
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

TO HOST THE SECRETARIAT OF THE NETWORK FOR ACTION ON TB AND POV-
ERTY


1. Background

The relationship between TB and poverty has been explored in
depth as a result of the 2002 World TB Day theme "Stop TB, fight
poverty". With input from many international experts on health
and equity, and with practical contributions from TB control
managers in high burden countries the main barriers faced by
poor people attempting access TB programmes have been identi-
fied. It is clear that poor people face specific difficulties in
accessing health services and experience long delays before the
diagnosis of TB can be made.

Based on these findings, the Coordinating Board of the Stop TB
Partnership has endorsed the setting up of a Network for Action
on TB and Poverty to become a platform for innovative implemen-
tation and sharing of experiences. Furthermore the Network aims
to be the catalyst for expansion of best practice as TB control
activities extend and adapt the DOTS strategy to better meet the
needs of the poor and help meet the global target of 70% TB case
detection.


2. Network for Action on TB and Poverty - phased development

The Network aims to bring together TB Control and Poverty ex-
perts with different backgrounds and interests to create a syn-
ergy for more coordinated action in support of countries and the
poor in particular. Ultimately the Network is expected to be
competent at all stages of the cycle of activities required to
promote useful action at country level in those places where the
needs of the poor are greatest. It is, however, recognised that
not all stages of the action cycle (programming, identification,
appraisal, financing, implementation and evaluation) can be es-
tablished immediately. Establishing and embedding a global Net-
work for Action on TB & Poverty with all of these functional-
ities will take time and further financial investment. The STOP-
TB Partnership therefore envisages a phased development of the
Network as follows:

Phase 1. Establishing a Secretariat for the Network in a Devel-
oping Country. The Secretariat will be responsible, over a 1
year time period for the following programming responsibilities:

a) Engagement of policy-makers, practitioners, NGO's and other
stakeholders, including representatives of poor women and men,
in setting the foundations for the development of tools, guide-
lines and activities which promote the access of the poor to TB
services in at least one region of the world.

b) Dissemination of new knowledge emerging throughout the STOP-
TB Partnership and the emerging Network for Action on TB & Pov-
erty.

c) Development of productive working relations with other health
equity initiatives

d) Assisting the TB & Poverty Core Group of the STOP-TB Partner-
ship in securing the additional financial and other support re-
quired to move into Phase 2.

The possibility of extending the Secretariat function for a fur-
ther year will be kept open until towards the end of the first
year of Secretariat operation. At this time the performance of
the Secretariat will be reviewed the light of progress towards
Phase 2 of the Network Development.

Phase 2. Extending the range of activities undertaken by the
Network and the geographical spread of Network activities.


3. Setting up the Network for Action on TB Poverty

The Stop TB Partnership seeks, therefore, to contract a develop-
ing country organisation to host the Secretariat for the Network
for Action on TB & Poverty which will serve as a focal point for
communication and facilitation of the Network throughout Phase 1
of its development.

The Network will be organizationally located in the Stop TB
Working Group for DOTS Expansion, but will also maintain a pres-
ence in the other working groups of the Stop TB Partnership.
This facilitates the mainstreaming of equity issues in all TB
related work.

The Network will be governed by the TB & Poverty Core Group
which includes representatives from developing countries in the
different regions of the globe as well as NGO and technical ex-
pertise on TB & Poverty. The chair of this Core Group will ro-
tate among members, with priority for the chair position being
given to representatives from those developing countries where
implementation of TB control is especially important for the
poor.


4. Network Secretariat

In order to provide cohesion between the stakeholders in the re-
gions and the organizations with relevant technical expertise, a
small secretariat is necessary. The secretariat will also pro-
vide follow-up on the decisions of the TB & Poverty Core Group
for the benefit of the Network growth and productivity. This se-
cretariat will must be located in an established organisation in
a TB high burden or high prevalence country that has significant
health equity concerns.

Role and functions

The main roles of the secretariat are to carry out the executive
decisions of the TB & Poverty Core Group and to provide follow-
up of ongoing issues (both within and outside the Network) in
support of the further growth and productivity of the Network.

The related functions are:

Communications with the (WHO delineated) regions and to facili-
tate contacts between the groups with technical expertise

Issue three monthly electronic newsletter

Establish and maintain Internet web site with collaborative
workspace

Support the governance of the Network

Organise semi-annual meeting of the TB & Poverty Core Group

Organise annual conference of the Network

Carry out resource mobilization in support of the Network and
the work of the participants


External relations

Maintain close relations with the DOTS Expansion Working Group
Maintain contacts with other Stop TB Partnership Working Groups
Maintain representation in other Health Equity Initiatives


Administration

Prepare and submit to TB & Poverty Core Group annual work plan
and budget for Network functions

Prepare and submit to TB & Poverty Core Group semi-annual finan-
cial and progress reports of the Network Secretariat

Follow-up administratively the issue and maintenance of grants
(contracts, financial and progress reports)

Liase administratively with external donor agencies that provide
financial support


Essential Capabilities
General overview
a. Skills in organization (conferences), administration and (fi-
    nancial) management.
b. Skills in communication, advocacy and networking.
c. Knowledge, understanding and affinity in TB issues.
d. Knowledge, understanding and affinity in poverty related is-
    sues.


Personal and professional capabilities
a. Nationally acknowledged and respected public health and eq-
    uity experience and/or expertise
b. Excellent communicative and language skills, always including
    English (both in writing and verbal)
c. Ability to establish and maintain international and external
    relations


Organisational capabilities
a. Excellent secretarial skills (report and newsletter writing
    and follow-up of executive decisions, e-mail and other corre-
    spondence)
b. Excellent administrative skills (financial reporting and con-
    trol, management of grant portfolios)
c. In-house expertise on information technology (data base man-
    agement, skills to establish and maintain web-site)
d. Adequate computer capacity and capability
e. Easy access to reliable communication facilities (telephone,
    fax, e-mail and broad band internet)

Desirable Capability

Internationally acknowledged and respected centre or focal point
for public health and equity experience and/or expertise.


5. Proposal to host the secretariat

Proposals are herewith invited to host the above mentioned se-
cretariat, taking the above roles and functions into considera-
tion. Only serious proposals that substantiate the required ca-
pabilities and capacity of the applicants will be considered.

Proposals will be appraised on the strength of their capabili-
ties, proven interest and capacity. The Stop TB Partnership Se-
cretariat will, in close consultation with the members of the TB
and Poverty Core group, decide on behalf of the Stop TB Co-
ordinating Board. It is expected that the TB & Poverty Secre-
tariat will be contracted from 1st July 2004 until 30th June
2005 with an opportunity for extension depending on performance,
available funding, and Network development.

Proposals are expected to be specific in their bid in relation
to the following points:

a. Contact person responsible for the bid with his/her formal
    institutional affiliation.
b. Institutional history and technical background, with special
    emphasis on TB equity experience and expertise.
c. Legal status for contractual purposes.
d. Description of how the roles and functions of the secretariat
    can be realised.
e. Description of the existing capabilities as mentioned above
f. Investments needed to fill probable gaps in the existing es
    tablishment to adequately address the stated requirements for
    the secretariat (including recruitment of additional full
    time staff)
g. Proposed indicative annual plan and budget for the secre-
    tariat's function (2004 - 2005). Bids must not exceed US$
    100,000 per annum.

Proposals are appraised on technical contents and organizational
/ managerial merit by an expert group, using the Bid Evaluation
grid as per Annex 1.

The closing date for the submission of proposals is 1st May
2004.

All proposals should (preferably by e-mail) be sent to:

Stop TB Partnership Secretariat
Att. Ger Steenbergen MD MPH
World Health Organization (STB/TBP)
Avenue Appia 20
1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Fax: + 41-22-791-4886
mailto:steenbergeng@who.int

--
ANNEX 1

Evaluation Grid

Section
(Maximum Score)

1. Financial, administration and operational managerial capacity
25

1.1 Do the applicant and partners have sufficient experience of
project administration?
5

1.2 How coherent is the overall design of the secretariat? (ap-
propriate mix of staff skills: TB expertise, poverty expertise,
financial management expertise)
5

1.3 Do the applicant and partners have sufficient management ca-
pacity? (including planning, reporting and to handle the budget
for the action)?
5

1.4 Does the applicant have stable and sufficient sources of fi-
nance?
5

1.5 Is the proposed secretariat likely to have a tangible impact
on the establishment and growth of the Network?
5

2. Communication, advocacy and networking
30

2.1 How reliable are the means of communication (e-mail func-
tion, international telephone network, website)
5

2.2 How excellent are the language skills: English, French,
Spanish and or other languages?
5

2.3 What is the reputation of the institute in terms of national
acknowledged and respected public health and in maintaining de-
veloping external relations for the Network?
5

2.4 Have the needs and demands of the Network been clearly de-
fined and does the proposed secretariat address them appropri-
ately?
5

2.5 Does the proposal contain specific elements of added value,
such as innovative approaches?
5

2.6 Is the level of involvement and participation by the par-
ticipants (especially TB burdened countries) in the secretariat
functions for the Network satisfactorily anticipated?
5

3. Knowledge, understanding and affinity in TB issues
25

3.1 Do the applicant and partners have sufficient technical ex-
pertise?(notably knowledge of the issues to be addressed in the
field of TB)
5

3.2 To what extent has the applicant experience and is involved
in TB control in their receptive country?
5

3.3 Is the anticipated partners' level of involvement and par-
ticipation in the action satisfactory?
5

3.4 Is the applicant member of the Stop TB partnership or its
working groups?
5

3.5 Does the proposal contain objectively verifiable indicators
for the outcome of the action?
5

4. Knowledge understanding and affinity in poverty issues
10

4.1 Do the applicant and partners have sufficient technical ex-
pertise? (notably knowledge of the issues to be addressed in the
field of poverty reduction)
5

4.2 To what extent has the applicant experience and is involved
in poverty reduction in their receptive country?
5

5. Sustainability Budget and cost-effectiveness
10

5.1 To which degree is the proposed secretariat sustainable in
terms its ability to mobilise additional external resources to
continue the functions upon a positive evaluation and endorse-
ment from the core group after the project period?
5

5.2 Is the proposed expenditure necessary for the implementation
of the proposed action?
5

Maximum total score
100

Scoring:

The evaluation criteria are divided into sections and subsec-
tions. Each subsection will be given a score between 1 and 5 in
accordance with the following guidelines: 1 = very poor; 2 =
poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good. The applications
with the highest scores will be given priority.