Introduction

Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) is seeking the services of a consultant to provide technical advice and guidance to the Government of Uganda (Ministry of Health) to disseminate and roll out the COVID-19 Vaccination Integration into Routine Immunization Plan 2023-2025. The consultant will provide Epic and the Ministry of Health (MOH)/Uganda National Expanded Program on Immunization (UNEPI) with technical guidance on the implementation of the integration plan.

1. Project Overview and Objectives

EpiC is a USAID-funded project supporting the Ministry of Health, district health authorities, implementing partners, and other stakeholders to enable Uganda to attain the COVAX target of 70 percent of the eligible population fully vaccinated by September 30, 2022. The current national vaccine coverage stands at 57 percent. Epic is supporting the national COVID-19 vaccination program by collaborating with the USAID, U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) implementing partners (IP) in Uganda, as well as the Ugandan private sector and faith-based community. EpiC works closely with the government, partners, and key stakeholders to fill gaps around planning and coordination, service delivery, data management, and human resources and facilitates engagement of health care workers, vaccination teams, and surge staff to ensure equitable and widespread vaccination coverage in all regions of Uganda based on need.

EpiC delivers high-quality technical assistance at the community, facility, district, regional and national levels, and builds relationships with relevant partners working to address COVID-19. Epic has supported the Government of Uganda in COVID-19 vaccination based on the National COVID-19 Vaccines Deployment Plan (NVDP) that was developed by UNEPI and stakeholders. The NVDP was developed in 2021 to guide COVID-19 vaccination while continuously incorporating emerging contextual and technical issues arising from its deployment. In 2022, Epic supported the national COVID-19 accelerated mass vaccination campaign (AMVC), one of the strategies of the Vaccine Deployment Plan. However, after three rounds of AMVC, the MoH decided to move away from campaign mode vaccination and integrate COVID-19 vaccination into routine immunization at static facilities. EpiC has supported the MOH/UNEPI to develop the COVID-19 Vaccination Integration into Routine Immunization Plan 2023-2025.

The plan is due to be endorsed by the MOH top leadership. Therefore, EpiC is seeking the services of a consultant to work as a Senior Technical Advisor, COVID-19 Vaccine Service Delivery to provide technical advice and guidance to the MOH/UNEPI to disseminate and begin the roll-out of the plan.

2. Scope of work

The consultant shall support the overall process of approval, dissemination and roll-out of the COVID-19 Vaccination Integration into Routine Immunization Plan 2023-2025.

3. Task List

The consultant shall perform the following specific tasks:

a) Support the process of approval and dissemination of the COVID-19 Vaccination Integration into Routine Immunization Plan 2023-2025 by the MoH.

b) Develop a Micro Planning Guide for Integration COVID-19 Vaccination into Routine Immunization based on the plan mentioned in Task 4(a) above.

c) Develop a Field Manual for Health Workers on COVID-19 Vaccine Management and Administration.

d) Building the capacity of District Health Teams on COVID-19 related topics such as Vaccine Mix and Match.

e) Monitoring the COVID-19 vaccine stocks at district level to ensure continuous availability.

4. Assignment Schedule

The consultancy assignment:

 Is expected to last a maximum of sixty (60) days.

Is expected to commence on 22 May 2023.

Is a hybrid on-site and remote assignment, and the consultant will work in regular consultation with the senior leadership of EpiC.

The consultant will attend regular EpiC weekly meetings and provide updates on progress. The consultant is expected to write and produce periodic updates/reports and should therefore have their own laptop computer.

5. Assignment Deliverables

The key deliverables of this assignment are:

a) Report on the approval and dissemination of the COVID-19 Vaccination Integration into Routine Immunization Plan 2023-2025 by the MoH.

b) A Micro Planning Guide for Integration of COVID-19 Vaccination into Routine Immunization based on the plan mentioned in Deliverable 6(a) above developed.

c) A Field Manual for Health Workers on COVID-19 Vaccine Management and Administration developed.

d) Report on Capacity building for District Health Teams on COVID-19 related topics such as Vaccine Mix and Match built.

e) Report on COVID-19 vaccine stocks at district level monitored to ensure continuous availability.

f) Final consultancy report.

6. Adoption plan

The deliverables will be delivered in the following sequence:

a) Supporting the process of approval and dissemination of the

COVID-19 Vaccination Integration into Routine Immunization Plan 2023-2025 by the MOH is an ongoing activity with no specific timeline. The Consultant is expected to be proactive in supporting the MoH to endorse the plan expeditiously.

b) A Micro Planning Guide for Integration of COVID-19 Vaccination into Routine Immunization submitted within 20 days from commencement of the assignment.

c) A Field Manual for Health Workers on COVID-19 Vaccine Management and Administration delivered within 30 days from commencement of the assignment.

d) Building the capacity of District Health Teams on COVID-19 related topics such as Vaccine Mix and Match will take place on an ongoing basis throughout the entire consultancy period.

e) Monitoring the COVID-19 vaccine stocks at district level will take place on an ongoing basis throughout the entire consultancy period.

7. Management of the Assignment

The assignment shall be executed and managed in accordance with the administrative arrangements described below:

Payment

The consultant will be paid by milestone and deliverable via wire transfer to their designated bank account. The payment schedule shall be as follows

8. Success Criteria and Sign-off

The deliverables of this assignment will be accepted as delivered after the Epic Project Technical Director has reviewed them and signed off on them. Epic considers deliverables as acceptable to be written work of the highest quality in substance, form, and presentation.

To respond to this request for proposals (RFP), please submit your proposal to Uganda.procurement@fhi360.org indicating the title "Senior Technical Advisor" in the subject line. The submission must include a cover letter, a CV of the consultant, a technical proposal, and a pricing list for the services that the consultant is offering based on the activities listed above (financial proposal). The deadline for receiving proposals is 12th May 2023.