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Nyarugenge, KN 16   AV 30       B.P.124 Kigali, Tel. (250) 574295   Fax: (250)574254                   

 E-mail : info@caritasrwanda.org               

Web site: www.caritasrwanda.org

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TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR RECRUITING A CONSULTING FIRM TO CONDUCT AN ASSESSMENT OF INHIBITING AND CONTRIBUTING FACTORS OF MALE ENGAGEMENT FOR EFFECTIVE USE OF FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES IN CATHOLIC AFFILIATE HEALTH FACILITIES.

1. About Caritas Rwanda

Caritas Rwanda is non-profit organization officially registered, with the mission to assist people in needs and foster for the whole human being. Caritas Rwanda has more than 60 years of working experience in building poor families’ resiliency through development, social welfare and health interventions. Caritas Rwanda is an equal opportunity organization, looking for competencies without any discrimination

Caritas Rwanda signed a framework agreement with Rwanda Biomedical Centre for the implementation of a Belgium funded project through its development agency (ENABEL). The project aims at ensuring that all women, new-born, children, adolescents, and men have universal access to quality integrated Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) and/or Family Planning & Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health (FP/ASRH) services. Specifically, Caritas Rwanda agreed on with RBC to implement FP interventions through three different components:

• Increased demand for family planning services for Rwandan population aged of 15-49 years through awareness raising and community engagement.
• Improved availability and accessibility of quality family planning services through strengthened referral systems.
• Improved family planning quality services and satisfaction of users through provider- community partnership committees.

All these project components were proposed to tackle the FP issues linked with low uptake of family planning among catholic co-managed health facilities including the catchment communities. 

2. Rationale

In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including reducing maternal mortality, the participation of men in reproductive health issues, including family planning is essential. In developing countries, the promotion and provision of family planning can make a significant contribution to the empowerment of women and the achievement of universal primary education. In addition, family planning can reduce maternal death by 32% and child death by 10%, however, in patriarchal nations in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), men make all major family decisions and family planning has been labeled as within the woman’s realm. Despite a history of awareness about the powerful role men play in family decisions, family planning program efforts have historically focused on women as the primary audience for messaging, services, and outreach. In addition, most of the workers who provide family planning services are female—further contributing to the view that family planning is in the woman’s domain only.

Given that males make decisions about family matters yet see family planning as a woman’s purview, couples may face a difficult situation in that family planning may be needed to meet the family needs but communication between two parties about the overlapping needs might be limited or non-existent.

Lack of spousal communication about family planning, often due to perceived spousal disapproval, has been noted by women as a major obstacle to using family planning methods. A particularly strong indicator of family planning use, in low use settings, is the woman’s perception of her husband’s approval of family planning as well as spousal communication about family planning use. Research shows that when male partners are involved in family planning, women are much more likely to initiate and sustain family planning use.

In the last five years, Rwanda has witnessed unprecedented improvement in many health outcomes, including those related to family planning. It is important to better understand the role that male partners can play in collaborative couple for family planning services use in Rwanda.

In doing so, Rwanda seeks to improve awareness and demand creation on FP among community members and improve access to FP services, especially for males through increased social and behavior change communication (SBCC), and the use of FP champions. Furthermore, the Government of Rwanda commits to link evidence-based programming for high-impact interventions with policy development and strategy formulation to reach FP goals through relevant research conducted, shared lessons learned, and best practices.

It is for the above background that, Caritas Rwanda seeks to hire a consulting firm to conduct an assessment on inhibiting and contributing factors of male engagement for effective use of family planning services in Catholic affiliate health facilities and their surrounding communities. 

3. Objectives of the assignment

Caritas Rwanda seeks to hire a consulting firm to conduct an assessment entitled “An assessment of inhibiting and contributing factors of male engagement for effective use of family planning services in Catholic affiliate health facilities”. The general objective of this assessment is to evaluate the inhibiting and contributing factors of male engagement for effective use of family planning services in Catholic affiliate health facilities. Specific objectives of this assessment are:

• To determine the male’s knowledge of family planning services;
• To assess male’s attitudes toward family planning services;
• To identify the factors inhibiting male engagement in effective use of family planning in Catholic-affiliated health facilities;
• To identify the factors contributing to male engagement in effective use of family planning in Catholic-affiliated health facilities;
• To propose strategies for implementation of male’s friendly family planning services.

The findings will show the current picture of the inhibiting and contributing factors of male engagement for effective use of family planning services. The findings and recommendations will establish a benchmark for future planning. In particular, the findings will propose strategies for implementation of male’s friendly family planning services. 

4. Scope of the work 

This assessment will be conducted countrywide. Caritas Rwanda coordinates 108 Catholic based Health Centers and 10 Hospitals across the country. The assessment will cover 9 Catholic dioceses of which 2 Districts will be selected. The total number of days allocated to this assignment is estimated at a maximum of 30 working days, from the date of contract signature. The company shall provide a detailed action plan which allows it to meet the deadlines of the assignment.

5. Consultancy Tasks and Deliverables 

• Desk review of documents, and literature and doing preparatory work;
• Develop an inception report with an appropriate assessment methodology and design to address the objectives of the assessment, with a clear;
• Recruit enumerators for data collection;
• Train the survey team on data collection tools; questionnaires and mobile/tablet platform;
• Conduct or supervise fieldwork data collection and ensure data quality assurance;
• Clean up data collected in KoBo Tool Box and prepare the data for analysis using SPSS;
• Analyze quantitative data using SPSS and Qualitative data using N-Vivo;
• Conduct data analysis and assessment report;
• Develop a draft assessment report;
• Present a preliminary report to be presented to stakeholders;
• Provide a final report. 

6. Expected deliverables to be submitted to Caritas Rwanda

The Consulting firm will be responsible for the quality and timely submission of specific
deliverables, as specified below. All documents should be well written (reader-friendly and
communicative), inclusive, and have a clear analysis process.

• An inception report describing the proposed methodology with an appropriate design to address the scope and objectives of the assessment including work plan and timeline;
• A draft assessment report for review with qualitative and quantitative data analysis report, discussions, and recommendations;
• A final report that synthesizes the findings and incorporates comments and inputs from Caritas Rwanda.

7. Competence of company 

The company should have a general experience of at least one year with one similar experience in conducting assessments/studies on family planning health programs in Rwanda. Here below are the necessary required personnel for the company.

• Team leader: should have a Ph.D. degree in gender studies with at least 10 years of experience in the field; and working experience in a research institution or university and proven experience in studies related to male engagement is an added value;
• Assistant team leader: Should have a minimum master’s degree in public health with 7 years of experience in the field of reproductive health and proven experience of participating in studies related to family planning. Having a background in general nursing will be an added value;
• Statistician: should have a minimum of master’s in statistics or economics with 10 years of experience in quantitative and qualitative research with extensive skills and knowledge in data management in SPSS or STATA proven by certificates;
• At least one consultant should have published a paper on a topic related to male engagement;
• Team should demonstrate excellent communication skills: Fluency in Kinyarwanda, English, and French are essential.

8. Proposal requirements 

In reference to the provided ToRs, potential bidders are expected to provide the following documents: 

1. Administrative Requirements

The bid documents must include the following administrative documents at a minimum

• Letter expressing interest to carry out the consultancy service required;
• Provide the copy of the company Registration Certificates issued by RDB.
• Provide the copy of Valid Tax Clearance Certificate issued by RRA
• Provide the copy of valid RSSB Clearance Certificate
• Provide the proof of EBM User issued by RRA
• Good completion certificates from the previous similar service conducted (at least 3 certificates of successful similar work); 

N.B: Submission of all administrative documents listed above is mandatory and non-submission of one of said documents will cause the rejection of the offer. Failure to meet a single administrative requirement will result in disqualification of the Service provider from further technical evaluation. 

1. Technical proposal according to the ToRs;
2. Profile and Curriculum Vitae (CV) of the consultants including a minimum of 3 referees, and other relevant supporting documentation including notarized degrees;
3. Financial proposal with a detailed budget breakdown.

9. Selection criteria 

Applications will be assessed on cost reasonableness (30%) and technical competence (70%). Financial proposals should precise if all taxes are inclusive or exclusive. Only those who successfully passed the technical evaluation (70% of the 70%) will be assessed for financial step. 

10. Payment Modalities 

The successful Consultant will be awarded a contract by Caritas Rwanda that will be directly supervising the assignment as well as paying the Consultant. The first payment of 40% will be paid upon the receipt of the inception report, Draft report (40%) and final payment (20%) will be paid upon the receipt and approval  of the final report by Caritas Rwanda. 

11. Proposal submission requirements 

Interested companies are requested to submit their Technical and Financial proposals in sealed envelopes (1 original and 2 copies) to the Caritas Rwanda Secretariat no later than Monday, 5^th June 2023 (by 2:30Pm) with clear subject line “Assessment of Inhibiting and contributing factors of male engagement for effective use of family planning services in Catholic affiliate health facilities”. The public opening will be the same day at 3:00Pm at the conference room of Caritas Rwanda located at KN 16 Av 30.

12. Late submissions and verification 

Proposal received after the submission deadline will not be considered. Bidders are responsible
to ensure their proposals are submitted according to the instructions stated herein. 

Done at Kigali, 29^th May 2023