Request for Proposals (RFP): Development of a statistical analysis tool and user-friendly interface for primary health care monitoring and evaluation

Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too. 

We have a unique and vibrant culture at R4D. Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of our work environment and help advance our mission. Diversity—of ideas, identities, perspectives and backgrounds—is vital to who we are and what we do. We seek people who embrace these values and will help reinforce them. Our work culture is collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial. We operate based on trust and respect. Teams across the organization frequently collaborate on programmatic work and support each other in continuously building a better R4D.

1.      Overview

1.1   Results for Development Institute (R4D):

Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too. www.R4D.org

1.2.  About Frequent Assessment and System Tools for Resilience (FASTR):

The Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF) is a multi-stakeholder global partnership housed at the World Bank that is committed to ensuring all women, children and adolescents can survive and thrive. Launched in July 2015, the GFF supports 36 low and lower-middle income countries with catalytic financing and technical assistance to develop and implement prioritized national health plans to scale up access to affordable, quality care for women, children, and adolescents. The GFF also works with countries to maximize the use of domestic financing and external support for better, more sustainable health results. The GFF is squarely focused on prioritizing and scaling up evidence-driven investments to improve reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health and nutrition through targeted strengthening of primary health care systems – to save lives and as a critical first step toward accelerating progress on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) requires resilient health systems that utilize timely country-generated data to monitor health reforms, respond to disruptions in health service utilization, and inform how the health system adapts to changing needs. Through the Frequent Assessment & Systems Tools for Resilience (FASTR)initiative, the GFF provides support to country-led efforts to build infrastructure for rapid-cycle service delivery data collection, analysis, and interpretation to inform actions to strengthen resilient health systems. FASTR aims to strengthen primary health care systems for better RMNCAH-N outcomes by systematically using data for decision-making. This includes scaling up data use across partner countries, institutionalizing analytics at national and sub-national levels, and promoting innovative methods to enhance responsiveness to health needs.  

R4D, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is an implementation partner to the GFF and the World Bank on scaling FASTR approaches and activities across GFF’s partner countries. FASTR is pursuing a multi-pronged scale strategy with efforts aimed at scaling up (all GFF partner countries are enabled to systematically use timely data for decision making), scaling deep (countries institutionalize rapid-cycle analytics and continuous data use as a systems-level performance management approach at national and sub-national levels), and scaling out (contribute to changing the paradigm of how PHC and RMNCAH-N data are generated, analyzed, and used, with greater responsiveness to real-world decision-making needs, through the wide dissemination of country-oriented global public goods, methodological innovation, and partner alignment). To realize this scale strategy, FASTR is pursuing the decentralization of rapid-cycle analytics by building scale-able tools for country-led data collection and data analysis.

1.3. Purpose and Objective:

R4D is seeking a firm to (1) develop a statistical analysis tool with a user-friendly interface that can analyze health facility and household survey data; (2) develop a common user interface to link the tool developed by the firm with FASTR’s existing statistical analysis tool for routine health management information systems (HMIS) data; and (3) develop a comprehensive training curriculum aimed to build capacity for data analysis and data use centered on priority analyses. The selected firm will be tasked with building a robust and user-friendly tool that analyzes and visualizes survey data and that integrates survey and HMIS data to facilitate better decision-making for health system performance improvements. The scope of work also includes conducting training sessions and user testing to ensure that users can effectively utilize the tool for their data needs. The project will span two years, with an anticipated completion date of November 15, 2026.

1.4. The Opportunity:

Broadly, the firm will be responsible for:

1.       statistical expertise, to ensure robust methodological approaches to analyses using state of the art statistical methods for analyzing data from a variety of sources (health facility sample surveys, household sample surveys, etc.);

2.       public health expertise, to develop the content and interface for the tool, such that it aligns with current thinking on global health metrics, survey methods, and use of data by Ministries of Health in low- and middle-income countries; and

3.       software development, including the design, architecture, programming, review, and user-testing of the tool.

More specifically, the firm’s responsibilities include:

Development of the Survey Data Tool 

o   Design and build a data analysis tool that uses open-source statistical software (e.g., R, Python) to analyze data from health facility surveys and population-based surveys. The initial configurations should be able to quickly support analysis of health facility survey data but should also be able to be adapted and further developed to include household and other population-based data sources. The calculations and analytical outputs should include:

§  Weighted analysis of indicators with standard errors

§  Aggregation/disaggregation by common stratifiers (geographic area, facility type, etc.)

§  Trends over time

§  Comparison of indicators against targets, and against globally comparable indicators from other sources

o   Ensure that the tool allows users to upload multiple datasets, run statistical analyses, generate tables, charts, and maps, and export outputs in various formats (e.g., spreadsheets, reports). 

o   Ensure the tool’s flexibility to accommodate different languages (English, French) and be easily deployed on in-country servers in country-specific instances. 

o   Ensure the tool is built as a modern web application, with best-practice approaches to security, data storage, and user authentication.

Development of the Common User Interface 

o   Create an integrated user interface that connects the health facility survey data tool with FASTR’s existing platform to analyze routinely collected data on service delivery. This interface should provide a seamless experience for users to transition between survey and administrative data and should enable users to visualize statistics combining these two data sources as relevant. It should also allow multiple users to collaborate on a specific analysis.

o   Ensure the user interface is intuitive, responsive, and equipped with role-based access controls for different user groups. 

User Testing and Feedback Integration 

o   Conduct user-testing workshops in at least two GFF partner countries (that will be selected by the GFF) to evaluate the tool’s effectiveness and usability (expected to be Ghana and Nigeria but may also include other GFF partner countries in sub-Saharan Africa including francophone countries).  This will include developing a user testing plan, preparing materials for the user testing/training, facilitating the user testing workshop in-person in the selected countries, collecting feedback, and observing users to generate a report of findings and actional recommendations for refinement.

o   Gather feedback from Ministries of Health and other stakeholders to refine the tool, ensuring it meets real-world decision-making needs. 

o   Generate reports and recommendations from the testing process and integrate necessary adjustments.

Capacity Building and Training 

o   Develop a training plan including a structured timeline, breaking down content into digestible modules, with pre-training preparation, detailed agendas, interactive elements, and post-training support.

o   Develop training materials, including manuals, videos, and curricula, tailored for different user roles (e.g., administrators, data analysts) to use the tools effectively. 

o   Conduct in-person and virtual training sessions for Ministries of Health in the use of the tools. 

o   Ensure that training materials are comprehensive and enable independent adoption of the tools by Ministries of Health and their partners (including availability of materials in multiple languages). 

Tool Maintenance

o   Ensure that training materials are comprehensive and enable independent adoption of the tools by Ministries of Health and their partners. This includes timely resolution of user-reported issues, addressing any malfunctions, and ensuring continuous tool performance and reliability to support the long-term use of the system.

2.      General Information

2.1. Deliverables

The selected vendor will be responsible for delivering the following:

·       Prototype survey data tool.

·       Pilot version of the integrated user interface, linking the analysis tools for survey data and routine HMIS data.

·       User testing reports from at least two GFF partner countries, detailing the feedback and lessons learned and accompanied by user testing plan and training materials.

·       Revised and finalized survey data tool and interface based on user feedback.

·       Comprehensive training plan and training materials for different user roles and regions (English and French).

·       Final deployment and maintenance strategy report outlining the long-term sustainability of the tool.

2.2. Proposal Requirements

Interested vendors must submit proposals that include the following:

·       Technical Proposal

o   Approach to Development: A detailed explanation of the proposed methodology for developing the Survey Data Tool and Common User Interface.

o   User Testing Plan: A description of the approach to user testing in LMICs, including how feedback will be incorporated into the tool’s refinement.

o   Capacity Building and Training Approach: A plan for developing training materials and delivering training to Ministries of Health with a focus on sustainability and appropriateness to the user (with a focus on Ministry of Health M&E units).

·       Financial Proposal

o   Budget Breakdown: Detailed cost estimates for all components of the project, including development, procurement, training, and user testing. Note: general workshop costs associated with the user testing should be excluded from the budget but all travel related expenses for the firm to attend the user testing workshops should be included in the budget.

·       Work Plan

o   Timeline: A detailed work plan that outlines the schedule for each phase of the project, from development to deployment.

o   Milestones and Deliverables: Clear deliverables and milestones tied to the project timeline.

·       Proof of Experience and Qualifications

o   Company Profile: Overview of the firm’s experience with similar projects in health data analysis, software development. 

o   Key Personnel: CVs and relevant experience of key staff who will lead the project.

o   References: At least three references from previous clients for similar projects. 

2.3. Qualifications

A successful firm will have:

o   Advanced statistical expertise and experience analyzing RMNCAH-N data from health facility surveys and household surveys.

o   Experience preparing the results of statistical analyses for presentation to policy makers at a country, regional, and global level, through oral presentations or national reports, policy briefs, and other written formats.

o   Familiarity with the implementation of large-scale surveys including health facility and household surveys in low- and middle-income countries.

o   Advanced expertise and domain knowledge in global health, including in reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition.

o   Detailed understanding of key concepts surrounding health systems strengthening, health facility readiness, and effective coverage of health services.

o   Demonstrated experience working alongside staff of Ministries of Health in low- and middle-income countries, including the facilitation of training or analysis workshops.

o   Experience developing training curricula for diverse audiences with various levels of statistical and public health knowledge.

o   Experience building software tools to support the use of data for decision making by practitioners, program managers, and policy makers.

o   Experience building software applications that embed or interface with common statistical packages.

o   Experience running user-testing processes as part of an iterative software development cycle.

o   Track record of managing projects to completion, on time and within budget.

2.4. Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following: 

Technical Approach (50%): Clarity, feasibility, and innovation of the vendor’s approach to building the tools and managing the project. Critically, the vendor must demonstrate a clear understanding of the statistical and epidemiological analyses underpinning the tool and how these will impact the tool’s design to be suitable for future users.

Experience and Expertise (30%): The vendor’s demonstrated expertise in health systems and public health data tools, software development, and global health metrics. Demonstrated experience building software for low- and middle-income country users and Ministry of Health users is an asset.

Cost (20%): The overall cost-effectiveness and competitiveness of the proposed budget. 

Project Timeline (10%): The feasibility and clarity of the proposed project timeline and milestones. 

2.5. Submission Instructions

The funding for this proposal is contingent upon the receipt of anticipated funding.

All proposal materials must be submitted electronically through the "Apply" button below by 5:00pm November 8, 2024, and all attachments should be in PDF format.

Results for Development is an EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering

and nurturing an energetic, collaborative and diverse workforce. R4D provides market-competitive salaries and comprehensive employee benefits.