Terms of Reference (ToR)

To Conduct Annual Assessment of ASTHA III

We are a leading organisation for the implementation of international development

projects. We promote inclusive economic, social and ecological development to make an effective
contribution towards sustainable and widespread prosperity in developing and emerging economies.

Background access to professional training, promotes local

Swisscontact, Swiss Foundation for Technical entrepreneurship, creates access to local financial
Cooperation, headquartered in Zurich was founded in service providers, and supports the efficient use of
1959 by the Swiss private sector and academia for resources with the goal of successfully promoting
sustainable development cooperation. Swisscontact employment and income generation.
promotes economic, social, and ecological development
by supporting people to successfully integrate into local As an initiative to support Bangladesh in reaching the
commercial life. We create opportunities for people to target of ensuring quality healthcare services in rural
improve their living conditions as a result of their own communities, Swisscontact is implementing the ASTHA
efforts. The focus of our systemic interventions in the (Achieving Sustainability Towards Healthcare Access)
private sector is the strengthening of local and global project.
value chains. Through its projects, Swisscontact enables
 15th October 2023 to 10th December 2023

ASTHA has recently completed its Phase II (January

2019 to December 2022) which proved the business Scope of the assignment
viability of Community Paramedic Training Institutes
(CPTIs) and Community Paramedics (CPs). The project Rural community
has started its Phase III in January 2023 and will  Conduct a comparative analysis of the existing
continue till December 2026. In Phase III, ASTHA will be
primary healthcare service-seeking
working in 12 districts of Bangladesh.
behaviour/attitudes, and constraints of rural
‘Community Paramedic’ (CP) is a two-year full-time communities between the project and surrounding
course, designed by the Ministry of Health and Family non-project locations.
Welfare (MoH&FW) where students acquire and  Assess the contributions made by the project in
develop skills on Maternal and Child Health, awareness raising/changing the behaviour of the
Reproductive Health, Family Planning and Primary rural communities in seeking quality healthcare.
Healthcare services. 44 Community Paramedic Training  Assess which particularly vulnerable or excluded
Institutes (CPTIs) affiliated with the Bangladesh Nursing
groups such as LNOB communities the project
and Midwifery Council (BNMC) are providing this course
reached and their benefits from project activities.
in 26 districts of Bangladesh to develop trained
Community Paramedics for rural communities of  Asses the perception of patients and communities
Bangladesh. After completion of 2 years’ training, the regarding Community Paramedic services and their
graduates obtain certificates and practice licenses and level of satisfaction.
provide services at the grassroots.

 Measure the percentage increase of child

delivery/ANC/PNC by skilled providers in project
districts.

Community Paramedic (CP) and CPTIs

For further information, please visit:  Evaluate the extent to which the project has
https://www.swisscontact.org/en/projects/astha established Community Paramedics in project
locations in comparison to the neighbouring non-
project districts.
Objective of the assignment  Gather information on the level of
The overall objective of the assignment is to assess the quality/confidence/capability of Community
attributable changes made by ASTHA in the lives of Paramedics and their improvements due to project
community members and Community Paramedics in interventions.
the twelve project districts. To specify:  Measure to what extent each newly introduced
service/product contributed to solving previously
 Evaluate the project’s performance by assessing identified problems/constraints in the market
the results against the project’s outcome and system, and how this has helped the target
impact level indicators group(s) to improve their performance.
 Document key lessons for enhancing project  Evaluate the quality of training provided by CPTIs
implementation and performance and the support they receive from private sector
entities in their efforts to modernise the training
programme.
Geographic location  Assess Community Paramedic’s graduation and
Bogura, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Rangpur in the north, employment rate, income trends/income
Dinajpur and Gaibandha in the north-west, Moulvibajar, categories/fees/patient referral trends/referral
Sunamganj and Sylhet in the north-east, and Barguna,
destinations etc. in project locations, followed by
Barisal, and Patuakhali in the south.
measuring the abovementioned factors for the
year of 2023.

Local government officials

Duration of Assignment
 Compare the perception of local government  Provide a list of the Community Paramedics and
health authorities and officials regarding their locations
Community Paramedics between project and non-  Share relevant project documents
project areas  Provide technical support in enumerator and
supervisor training
Project’s progress
 Bear all costs (as per approved budget)
 Appraise project progress achieved to date in  Provide overall guidance
comparison with the performance indicators
outlined in the project Monitoring and results
measurement framework. Payment Schedule
 Measure the systemic change of the market system
The payment schedule will be decided in consultation
to realise the project’s attribution to date.
with the selected firm/consultant before issuing the
 Collect a minimum of four success stories from the
contract.
field to encapsulate how the project has impacted
the target groups (community patients and
community paramedics).

Required Qualification
This guideline shall ensure uniformity of applications
submitted by all Consultants and transparency of the
evaluation process. However, the minimum eligibility
Specific Tasks, Roles, and Deliverables
criteria are:
I. Roles of the Firm
 Minimum 5 years of proven experience in
 The consultant/firm will be responsible for development project evaluation.
conducting the annual assessment of the  Preferably the firm should have a broad
phase III of ASTHA project. understanding of Bangladesh’s healthcare system
and prior evaluation experiences in the healthcare
sector.
 Expected to maintain a strong level and flow of
II. Tasks or deliverables of the Firm
communication with the project stakeholders for
The suggested, but not limited to, specific tasks or better assessment of the project.
deliverables of the Consultant/firm are:  Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality
study, review, and analytical reports.
 Develop proposals and study design to meet the  Should demonstrate multidisciplinary expertise and
assessment objectives, based on suitable skills necessary for monitoring and evaluation of
methodology. project implementation.
 Prepare assessment tools (e.g., questionnaire,  Work experience with international organisations
sampling framework, field plan) will be a plus point.
 Pilot test the questionnaire and adjust assessment  Adequate resource pool (human and financial),
tools as per the observations. ability to mobilize additional resources.
 Organise the training for the enumerator.
 Conduct formal assessments using qualitative and
Evaluation Criteria
quantitative surveys.
Criteria Score
 Transcription/Analysis of data.
 Preparation of draft report for feedback. Technical Understanding of the 5
 Incorporating feedback and preparing a final Proposal assignment
report and PPT. Proposed methodology 20
Professional capacity and 20
III. Roles of Swisscontact qualifications to carry out the
assignment (relevant skills,
 Assist in study planning activities and provide
knowledge, resources)
technical assistance (as required)
Efficiency of the proposed work 10
 plan  It is mandatory for the bidding organisations to
Relevant experience in similar 10 submit documentary evidence demonstrating
projects and/or in the sector their legal, taxation, and financial status. This
includes:
Sub-total 65 - A certificate of incorporation (for individual
companies, a trade license);
Financial Value for money 20
- NGO bureau registration (if applicable);
Proposal
- An organizational organogram of key
Presentation (top three 15
personnel, inclusive of the names of such
proposals only)
personnel;
Total 100
- Tax identification number (TIN);
N.B.: Swisscontact will open the financial quotation of - VAT registration number;
those bidders who achieve at least 70% marks in the
- Proof of a segregated account (providing the
technical evaluation. Again, top 3 bidders (Technical +
name and address of such account)
Financial) will be considered for giving a short
presentation where the overall assignment will be - PSR (Proof of submission of return)
discussed in detail including budget negotiation. A signed statement testifying that all information
contained within the proposal is correct and true.
The following method will be applicable for the
evaluation of the potential firm1: Submission Details
 Technical Proposal: Interested
- Quality and cost-based evaluation will be
consultants/firms should submit the technical
conducted by an evaluation team.
proposal via email
- The bidder achieving the highest score out of 100
[email protected]
will be awarded the contract, provided both parties
reach an agreement on the final budget. If there is
no agreement on the final budget, then the bidder  Financial Proposal: Interested
with the second-highest score will be considered. consultants/firms required to submit the
sealed envelope containing hard copy of
financial proposal.
Submission of the proposal
All competitive tenders require submitting the Hard copies should be submitted to the address below:
following:
Sr. Officer – Procurement
 A technical proposal (Maximum 10-12 pages)
Swisscontact Bangladesh
showing understanding of the assignment,
House 28, Road 43, Gulshan-2, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
proposed methodology, timeline (activity
plan), key staff profiles, roles, and individual The subject line: “To Conduct Annual Assessment of
time to be spent on the assignment; ASTHA III” must be mentioned on the envelope and e-
 A separate financial proposal setting out a mail.
detailed budget for the assignment;
 A summary of relevant assignments that took The deadline for submission is 3rd October 2023
place during the last 5 years; before 05:00 pm.
 Submission of an organisational profile, with
the CVs of key personnel who will be involved
in the assignment;
 A list of the existing clientele of the
organisation;

1
a) Swisscontact has no obligation to award the contract to any
applicant if the proposals submitted do not match the quality
and/or the budget requirements of Swisscontact
b) Swisscontact has no obligation to provide any further information
to bidders or any other third party about the evaluation process
and its results