Country: Uganda
Closing date: 27 Mar 2016
Summary:
International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) are implementing a research project designed to test how to measure of individual facilities’ readiness to implement a rights-based approach for family planning and reproductive health in Uganda. The 24-month project will comprise several key research activities to evaluate the measurement instruments. IPPF is seeking a Uganda-based subcontractor to support the research activities to be undertaken in 13 facilities and 2 community sites. The subcontractor will coordinate the data collection and entry, both quantitative and qualitative.
Background:
IPPF works in 172 countries to empower the most vulnerable women, men and young people to access life-saving services and programmes, and to live with dignity. Supported by millions of volunteers and 30,000 staff, IPPF Member Associations provide sexual and reproductive health information, education and services through 65,000 service points. Those services include family planning, abortion, maternal and child health, and STI and HIV treatment, prevention and care. Every year, our Member Associations help millions of poor and vulnerable people avoid unsafe childbirth, unsafe sex, unsafe abortion, STI-related illnesses and HIV-related stigma and discrimination. And together, we fight for local, national and global policies which recognize a fundamental human right - the right to sexual and reproductive health.
The Evidence Project is a multi-partner USAID-funded project using implementation science—the strategic generation, translation, and use of evidence—to improve family planning policies, programs, and practices. Led by the Population Council in partnership with INDEPTH Network, International Planned Parenthood Federation, PATH, Population Reference Bureau, and a University Resource Network, the project is investigating which strategies work best in improving, expanding, and sustaining family planning services. It is also evaluating how to implement and scale up those strategies. Critical to the Evidence Project is translating this knowledge and working with stakeholders to apply the evidence and to build capacity in using implementation science.
IPPF wishes to appoint a subcontract to supply data collection and entry for a 24-month mixed-method study which will be carried out in two phases. IPPF and the Evidence Project are implementing a research project designed to test how to measure individual facilities’ readiness to implement a rights-based approach for family planning (FP) and reproductive health in Uganda. The 24 month project will comprise several key research activities to evaluate the intervention. Successful applications for this subcontract will demonstrate the applicants’ experience and expertise in data collection at the health facility and community level in Uganda; ability to work successfully with multiple implementing partner; and ability to provide, support and manage, data entry, data management and quality assurance.
The Evidence Project is proposing a 24-month mixed-method study design to be carried out in two phases. This study seeks to use pre-existing and new metrics to identify areas where there are potential vulnerabilities at the health facility level that can be addressed through technical assistance to improve services. The Evidence Project will be conducting the research portion of this study; other partners will be implementing the intervention, but will be in communication with the researchers. The initial phase will be a formative research phase consisting community focus group discussions and of validation of a set of instruments that have been developed based on global expertise in family planning and human rights.
This instrument will be implemented in five facilities to distill core components into a Rights Based Family Planning (RBFP) Index. The second phase will use the RBFP Index developed during the first stage to implement a stepped wedge facility-based study. This stepped wedge study will use the RBFP Index to measure the degree to which individual facilities are implementing a rights-based approach to family planning service delivery and to examine the effect of the RBFP Index on rights and FP outcomes.
In the first six months, we propose to test and validate a facility-based RBFP Index for FP services that assesses facility ‘readiness’ to provide a rights-based approach to FP programming. To complete the Index, the research team will collect data from four measurement methods: observations of client-provider interactions, facility audits, provider interviews and client exit interviews in five facilities pre and post intervention.
Once the RBFP Index has been validated, a stepped wedge study will use the validated RBFP Index to identify gaps in a rights-based approach to facility programming. The research team will use the RBFP Index to measure individual facilities’ readiness at baseline, midline and endline in 8 facilities sites along with Focus Group Discussions in two catchment sites.
Specifications:
This study will test a facility-based index that assesses individual facilities’ readiness to implement right-based approaches to family planning in Uganda. The instrument will be validated in a pre and post test in 5 facilities and then will be used in 8 health facilities across Uganda in a stepped wedge study. The sub contractee will undertake data collection for these phases, while an external partner undertakes the related intervention that the research will be testing.
The purpose of this subcontract is to support the data collection and entry designed to validate and measure individual facilities’ readiness to implement a rights-based approach for family planning and reproductive health in Uganda. The instrument being tested comprises of a facility audit, Client and Provider Observations, Provider Interviews and client exit Interviews. The instrument will be validated in a pre and post-test in 5 facilities and then implemented in 8 health facilities across Uganda in a stepped wedge approach.
The research activities comprise:
Phase I: (first 6 months)
o Collection, entry, quality assurance, and management of data using the developed instruments in a pre and post-test in 5 facilities for use in validation
Phase II: (last 18 months)
o A quantitative baseline assessment of the index within public and private facilities (8 total) using the validated RBFP Index;
o Focus group discussions (FGDs) with community members to gather data on potential rights-related barriers to family planning use in two sites; and
o A quantitative midpoint assessment of the index within public and private facilities (8 total).
o A quantitative endline assessment of the index within public and private facilities, comparing the results to the midpoint and baseline figures (8 total).
o Focus group discussions (FGDs) with community members to gather data on potential rights-related barriers to family planning use in two sites.
These activities will be undertaken by a Uganda-based consultant/ subcontractor (research organization).
Scope of Work:
The Evidence project will provide IRB approval, the data collection instruments, and training on data collection and analysis. The subcontractor will coordinate and supervise data collection, data entry, quality assurance, and data management for this research study, both quantitative (facility) and qualitative (community).
The following is a list of illustrative activities to be provided by the prospective consultant/subcontractor:
Management activities:
o Hire supervisors and design supervision structure for the study;
o With support from the Evidence Project, conduct a two-day training of the enumerators and facilitators, to include all study procedures, and ethics of conducting research with human subjects;
o Coordinate and manage all data collection activities, including transportation and lodging (if needed) of enumerators and facilitators;
o Oversee all enumerators and facilitators to ensure they are compliant with ethical procedures;
o Ensure the study protocol is followed;
Quantitative activities:
o At baseline, midline and endline hire (or re-employ, at midline and endline) highly qualified enumerators with substantial experience in conducting clinical facility assessments (including interview expertise with providers and clients, ability to conduct facility audits, and ability to conduct provider-client observations)
o Hire experienced data entry staff to enter quantitative data collected at the facility level (four modules: facility audit, provider interviews, provider-client observations and client exit interviews) into a data entry program on the computer;
o Test and provide feedback on data entry screens to enter data into the computer
o Oversee quality of data collection, including conducting spot checks of completed questionnaires and entered data;
o Enter data into agreed-upon program (likely STATA):
Develop data dictionary
Clean data and run quality checks, including identification of trends in unknown, missing or imputed values
Qualitative Activities:
o At baseline and endline hire (or re-employ, at endline) highly qualified facilitators, experienced in conducting FGDs at the community level;
o Hire experienced transcribers to transcribe FGDs from the local language audio recording,), to English text;
Deliverables
o Report of study preparation
o Pilot testing report with recommended changes to data collection instruments
o Report of data collection activities at baseline, midline and endline
o Completed quantitative data for Phase I based in excel or STATA, including dictionaries o Completed qualitative data for FGDs based in Atlas.ti
o All focus groups audio recordings, notes, and transcripts
Duration:
The contract will be conducted between May 2016 and December 2017. The work will be concentrated in May and in October 2016 (validation), November to December 2017 (baseline); March 2017 (midpoint) and November 2017 (endline).
Requirements
The subcontractor must have:
Substantial demonstrated experience in organizing and managing research studies in health facilities and in the community;
Experience in both quantitative and qualitative data collection and entry;
Ability communicate well in English, Lugandan and Runyakitara;
Research experience in Uganda;
Proven ability to lead on-time, quality data collection, data entry, and data analysis;
Track record of effective communication skills
Ability to hire and supervise skills enumerators, facilitators, and supervisors.
How to apply:
If you are interested, please email Vicky Boydell, Rights and Accountability Advisor, the Evidence Project/IPPF at vboydell@ippf.org, copying kwright@popcouncil.org requesting the full RFA.
Please submit your experience of interest by 27 March 2016.