Baseline Survey 2024: Knowledge, Practices and Coverage (KPC) At Medical Teams International

1 REACH

Natural or legal persons who demonstrate experience and ability to comply with the requirements described in these Terms of Reference may apply.

Expectations for the consultant or consultant team are broadly outlined in this agreement. This role with Medical Teams is dynamic and performed in a resource-challenged environment, so this position requires flexibility. The general outline of activities provided below recognizes that details may change in order to meet identified needs in the field.

The activities listed below will be carried out in Colombia (locations: see table above) between July 19 and September 13, 2024, with the possibility of extension. The consultant will report directly to the MEAL Coordinator and the National Health Advisor of Medical Teams Colombia.

During the established period, the consultant will be required to effectively conduct 1,100 telephone surveys, deliver the data set, and produce a final report on the consultancy. The consultant will be flexible, able to manage time; and prepared to undertake other similar tasks that are in line with the role and level of experience.

2. CONTEXT:

Medical Teams International has been operating in Colombia since 2019 to respond to the health needs of vulnerable Venezuelan and Colombian migrants. The Medical Teams program in Colombia consists of two components: community systems strengthening and health systems strengthening with a focus on migrants and host communities, especially pregnant women and women of reproductive age, children under 5 years of age, and people with mental health problems or chronic diseases.

Medical Teams International currently operates in the following locations: Barranquilla, Soledad, Santa Marta, Cienaga, Bogota, Bucaramanga, Floridablanca, Giron, Cali, Apartado, Turbo and Necocli.

3. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES:

Purpose: To conduct the annual survey with participants of the Medical Teams program in Colombia, in order to:

a) Assess current needs and evolving context in prioritized communities (including new project locations), to support programmatic decisions, advocacy, and proposals for new projects.

b) Measure the final line of projects for the financial year 2024 and the baseline of projects for the financial year 2025, to support reporting to donors.

Specific objectives: To characterize social determinants, knowledge, preventive practices and search for care, coverage and access to health services among migrants with a vocation to stay and host communities, especially related to:

• Immigration regularization, insurance and effective access to health;
• Sexual and reproductive health, incl. family planning, sexually transmitted infections; and gender-based violence (GBV);
• Maternal and neonatal health;
• Breastfeeding and complementary feeding;
• Child health and vaccination;
• Chronic noncommunicable diseases;
• Communicable diseases;
• Mental health and well-being;
• Coverage and quality of care by Medical Teams;
• Protection aspects.

4. METHODOLOGY AND TOOLS

The sampling methodology and sampling frame will be developed by Medical Teams (sample size per city sufficient to calculate 95% confidence interval; random sample from existing beneficiary database). In this case, Medical Teams will provide the consultant with the Universe population database to make the calls. 1,100 surveys will be required, lasting about 30 minutes, completed by phone. Data recording will be digital and will be done daily. A KoboToolbox form developed by Medical Teams will be used (based on a questionnaire validated for the Colombian context and updated annually), which will have to be piloted prior to data collection. Data verification and cleaning will be carried out in parallel with data collection. The consultant will have to deliver the complete set of data to Medical Teams. Medical Teams’ technical staff will carry out the analysis.

5. SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES:

a) Preparing the survey

• Develop a protocol and schedule for data collection and cleaning, for validation by the National MEAL Coordinator and the Technical Health Manager before implementing the survey
• Specify the minimum requirements for the selection of interviewers.
• Coordinate with the Medical Teams MEAL team the lists of people to be surveyed.
• Adhere to the survey time frame.
• Coordinate with Medical Teams field teams to ensure communities are previously informed.
• Develop materials for training interviewers and supervisors.
• Select interviewers to conduct the survey.
• Pilot the questionnaire and support reviews with the MEAL team and the Technical Health Manager prior to implementation of the final survey.

b) Training

• Conduct interviewer training, including survey practice (pre-test) and skills review.
• Medical Teams will provide training for the consultant and his/her work team in each component of the survey. However, the consultant will ensure ongoing training for his/her work team to maintain quality standards in data collection.

c) Data collection, cleaning and delivery

• Ensure data quality through close supervision during data collection.
• Monitor and support data cleansing. Follow-up to ensure identified anomalies are addressed in a timely manner.
• Coordinate closely with the MEAL team during data collection.

6. DELIVERABLES:

a) Protocol and schedule for data collection.

b) Profile/selection criteria of enumerators/interviewers.

c) Descriptive/report on training for enumerators (contents: Operational definition of terms, communication skills, data protection, and standardized procedures or good practices in data collection).

d) Summary of the questionnaire piloting and contributions for its adjustment.

e) Excel dataset of completed questionnaires (1100 completed interviews, raw and cleaned).

f) Final report of the consultancy (contents: findings, learning, list of people who responded and did not from the database of the population universe, challenges and recommendations for the application of the surveys.

7. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CONSULTING TEAM:

• Provide their own health insurance and other contributions to the social protection system, and fulfill their responsibility for their income tax (not refundable by Medical Teams). for themselves and the people hired to carry out survey work.
• Comply with the Medical Teams Colombia security plan and recommendations on identification and behavior.
• Comply with Medical Teams PSEA, Code of Conduct, Conflict of Interest and Child Protection policies.
• Provide telephone equipment, computers, software or any other relevant equipment for personal use and report writing (not chargeable or reimbursable by Medical Teams), as well as any equipment necessary for survey activities.
• Participate in relevant coordination meetings and trainings organized by Medical Teams (e.g. specific practices for data collection, first response in mental health, mechanism for referral of cases)
• Covering telecommunications costs within the framework of the consultancy (call balance, etc.).
• Refer cases requiring health care to Medical Teams, using the agreed mechanisms.
• Deliver the above deliverables within the established time frame and quality.

8. RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEDICAL TEAMS TECHNICAL TEAMS

• Provide the methodology and sampling frame (list with telephone numbers of people who meet the inclusion criteria).
• Develop and finalize the survey instrument in Kobo.
• Participate in coordination meetings and provide technical guidance.
• Provide a mechanism for referral of cases with urgent health needs, and follow up on referred cases
• Technical review of deliverables.

9. REQUIRED EXPERIENCE

• Minimum of a graduate degree in: Public Health, Epidemiology, Monitoring and Evaluation, Project Management or Community Development Studies with proven experience in collecting and analyzing quantitative household survey data.
• Demonstrated experience in conducting KAP and/or KPC surveys. At least one contract similar to that indicated in these ToR.
• Demonstrated experience in applying surveys with themes defined in the specific objective of these TDR to migrant, refugee and/or host populations.
• Demonstrated ability to train, guide and supervise a data collection team. At least one contract similar to that outlined in these ToR.
• The ability to work independenly.
• Knowledge of Spanish for data collection.
• Experience in data collection with vulnerable populations.
• Ability to manage data in Excel

10.BILLING

• Consultant may bill the full rate for any day in which he or she works 8 or more hours, but may not earn more than the daily rate for any given calendar day.
• Medical Teams does not provide overtime or compensatory time to consultants.
• Medical Teams cannot compensate consultants for licenses of any kind
• Compensation for less than 8 hours of work in a given day may be billed in two-hour (quarter-day) increments.
• For limited duration consultancies (e.g. one month or less), the daily rate can be paid for unlimited consecutive days of work, including weekends.
• Consecutive days in excess of five (the standard work week) may occasionally be paid as an exception during long-term consultancies, when weekend work is required.
• Long-term consultants are generally expected to take regular days off and must compensate for weekend work days with time off during the following weekdays.
• The consultant(s) or consulting firm will be responsible for their income tax and/or insurance during the assignment.

Time spent in direct air transit to or from the field may be compensated as follows, considering “door-to-door” travel time (lodging or home office to field):

• 8–24 hours: Paid for 1 day
• 24–48 hours: Paid for 2 days
• 48–72 hours: Paid for 3 days

Extra time spent en route (e.g. vacation, voluntary or extended stopovers, including the optional one-day stopover en route for itineraries of 8 hours or more) cannot be billed.