Review of the Use of Technology to Facilitate Insecticide- Treated Net Distribution for Vector Control in Complex Operating Environments

1. Background

The Alliance for Malaria Prevention (AMP) brings together expertise from the global malaria community in a partnership dedicated to the expansion and use of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) by populations who are vulnerable to the killer disease. Established in 2004, AMP partners assist and advocate for country-specific support to plan, implement, and evaluate ITN distribution.

AMP provides globally recognized expert technical assistance through distance and in-country missions to help countries successfully plan and execute ITN distribution campaigns, including in complex operating environments (COE). In March 2019, AMP published its first comprehensive operational guidance for net distribution in COE settings, based on its widely used toolkit on ITN campaign distribution.[1] AMP also supports the development, dissemination, and utilization of a variety of digital tools supporting efforts to expand the ownership and utilization of ITNs. Recognizing the need to address the unique challenges of ITN distribution specifically and vector control more generally in displaced populations, AMP established a Humanitarian and Displaced Populations Working Group (HARP WG). The working group’s mandate is to focus on improving operational delivery of, access to, and use of ITNs and other vector control products among displaced populations (namely, internally displaced populations (IDPs) and refugees).

Catholic Relief Services (CRS’) Strategic Change Platform 4: Accelerating the End of Malaria Across Sectors is intended to position multisectoral approaches as a globally acknowledged best practice for reducing malaria prevalence, including within humanitarian and emergency responses. The platform’s objectives are to generate evidence demonstrating the feasibility and effectiveness of multisectoral malaria programming; ensure that national and global malaria and health technical strategies incorporate multisectoral programming; and to mobilize resources for multisectoral malaria programming.

Between September 2022 and February 2023, AMP partnered with CRS, the United Nations Foundation, and the RBM Partnership to End Malaria to conduct a series of three roundtable meetings of more than 140 multisectoral stakeholders focused on improving planning, funding, and recognition of the challenge of providing effective malaria prevention in humanitarian relief settings. Participants identified a range of priorities that need to be addressed to ensure effective vector control for key populations in COE, summarized in six strategic recommendations:

1. Include complex operating environment considerations and their unique health and well-being implications in strategic, operational, and financial planning
2. Refine guidance by applying best practices for international and domestic malaria and vector-borne disease prevention and control
3. Strengthen multi-sectoral approaches through coordination, collaboration, and integrated service delivery
4. Collect and share data for evidence-based decision making and accountability
5. Improve financing mechanisms and transparency in COEs
6. Support the development of more innovative malaria and vector-borne disease control tools

This SOW, focused on use of technology related to ITNs in COE settings, will directly contribute to addressing several recommendations and action points that roundtable participants linked to the strategic takeaways listed above:

1. improve technology to collect data that can be used to monitor COEs and ensure the strategic allocation of resources; and
2. ensure stakeholders can track progress and quantify malaria needs of IDPs and refugees.
3. Objectives and Main Activities

The main objective of this consultancy is to better understand how technology is being used to quantify, plan, deliver, track or report on ITN delivery interventions in COE settings, identifying current efforts, successes and challenges.

Main activities to be conducted by the consultant:

1. Review the available literature regarding how technology has been used to support ITN distributions in COE to support planning, implementation and evaluation; identify key successes and challenges to form the basis of a questionnaire for discussions with programs and partners.
2. Identify selection criteria that will be used to select which COE countries will be included and which government officials, stakeholders and partners will be targeted for interviews.
3. Develop key informant interview questions focused on technology and digitalization for ITN programs in COE contexts, including successes, challenges, and missed opportunities. Questions are expected to help assess:
   1. The rationale for the use of technology: how was it introduced, what was it meant to improve or support, and who initiated the idea to introduce it (e.g., government, implementing partner, etc.)?
   2. The key players globally, regionally and nationally for designing and implementing digital solutions for ITN programs in COE
   3. The processes that were digitalized and why those processes vs others (e.g. if only geospatial maps, why not other components?)
   4. The successes from the digitalization (and the partial successes)
   5. The challenges of the digitalization and solutions identified
   6. The potential of digitalization to improve planning and operations based on the experiences and the recommendations for future use
   7. Suggested implementation priorities for digitalization, including their urgency, feasibility, effectiveness, and efficiency
   8. The strategies and funding source for these activities to reach IDPs and refugees (drawing from some of the work the UN Foundation is currently doing)
   9. The use of available resources, information and data (such as Humanitarian Data Exchange and MapAction); or reasons for non-use of these resources.
4. Undertake key informant interviews with representatives in selected COE countries.
5. Develop one brief case study per country (countries to be agreed upon with CRS and AMP) based on the interviews with countries (or partners) that describe “better/best practices” that others could learn from.
6. Support the organization of at least one webinar to disseminate the findings, highlighting country experiences.
7. Present findings during one of the weekly AMP calls and during AMP and other vector control partner annual meetings as appropriate.
8. Submit a final summary report of the literature review and analysis of all interviews undertaken highlighting key points and recommendations from all sources. Additional information would form part of an annex to this report, including a brief 1-2 page checklist to guide planning for digitalization in the COE context.
9. Deliverables

The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. A review of the available literature reflecting key points or trends identified regarding how technology has been used for ITNs in COE to support planning, operations or other elements is developed/available.
2. A list, developed in coordination with CRS and AMP, of potential key informants and stakeholders to be interviewed and country programs to target for interviews and case studies
3. An interview guide with a set of open-ended questions to be used during the interviews.
4. Completed listing of key points from interviews with key informants, including with national programs, funders, technical and implementing partners, and/or humanitarian aid workers, conducted remotely (either over the phone, or via video conferencing, and ensuring informed consent).
5. Recorded interviews with key points and significant quotes extracted and organized for analysis.
6. Analysis of collected data and information from the interviews that identifies common themes, trends, and insights.
7. A 10-12 page summary report (not including annexes) summarizing the findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
8. A checklist (1-2 pages) to guide planning for digitalization in the COE context.
9. Case studies for each included country (1-2 pages), included as annexes to the summary report.
10. Webinar presentation of the findings to the project team and stakeholders.
11. Preliminary Workplan, Level of Effort, and Estimated Timeline

Phase

Task

Description

Days

Period

Study preparations

Organize study team

• Finalize team membership with CRS, AMP
• Confirm roles & responsibilities
• Review, revise workplan timeline

0.5

15-22 March 2025

Conduct literature review

• Review existing literature and reports on digitalizing ITN implementation in complex operating environments
• Identify key successes and challenges to form the basis of a questionnaire for discussions with programs and partners

5

15-31 March 2025

Develop a list of potential key informants and stakeholders to be interviewed.

• Review list of roundtable participants, past AMP presenters
• Identify countries with previous ITN implementation experience in COE setting
• Reach out to 5-6 experts for interviewee suggestions
• Ensure regional and country diversity
• Draft a preliminary list of stakeholders, donors, MOH-NMP, UNHCR and other interviewees for CRS/AMP feedback
• Finalize list of prioritized interviewees with contact information.

5

01-15 April 2025

Prepare interview questionnaire

• Draft questionnaire based on literature review, findings of roundtables
• Circulate to CRS, AMP, HARP members for feedback
• Pilot test on 1-2 interviewees
• Revise and finalize

6

16 April – 15 May 2025

Schedule interviews

• Communicate via email, WhatsApp or other means to schedule 60-minute interviews
• Complete a preliminary interview schedule for CRS review, revise and finalize

1.5

16-25 May 2025

Key informant interviews

Conduct interviews

• Complete up to 18 interviews, divided evenly by stakeholders, donors, multilateral agencies, and MOH-NMPs. Estimate 2.5 hours per interview (preparations, connection time and internet problems, interview notes cleaning)

6

26 May – 15 June 2025

Review recordings

• Verify and clean notes with recordings
• List and organize key points for analysis
• Identify significant quotes

3

16-30 June 2025

Analyze data

• Analyze collected data and information to identify common themes, trends, insights.
• Review with study team to ensure consensus on key observations.

4

10-15 July 2025

Reporting

Complete written report

• Prepare a final summary report (10-12 pages, not including annexes) with key findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Prepare report annexes, including (at the least):

1. A checklist (1-2 pages) to guide planning for digitalization in the COE context.
2. A case study (1-2 pages) for each selected country summarizing “better/best practices” gleaned from KIIs. Depending on the interview results, these may also be shorter ‘boxed summaries’ included in the narrative of the report.
3. References

• Circulate report and annexes to CRS, AMP, others for feedback
• Incorporate comments and finalize

6

16 July – 30 August 2025

Prepare presentations

• Prepare slide presentation
• Present to CRS staff, AMP, 1-2 other settings as identified

3

01-30 September 2025

Total Level of Effort

40

1. Timeframe and Location:

This SOW is expected to require 40 working days between March 14 to September 30, 2025.

Key informant interviews and data analysis will be completed by July 15, 2025. A preliminary report is expected by August 30, 2025, for presentation to the AMP Core Group in September 2025. A final report is due 30 September 30, 2025, at the end of the assignment. A detailed preliminary workplan is included at the end of this SOW. Timely updates on progress and any potential delays should be communicated to the consultant’s point of contact.

This consultancy will be conducted remotely.

1. Note to Bidder

If, in your assessment, the number of billable days needed is less than or exceeds 40 days, please explain in your proposal.

1. Payment Term

Payment will correspond to a daily rate for the number of days worked. CRS estimates that this SOW will require 40 working days (billed according to time worked). Invoices for time worked should be sent following completion of deliverables, including:

1. Completion of the literature review and interview questionnaire (estimated 15 May 2025)
   1. Completion of KIIs (estimated 15 June 2025)
      1. Completion of data analysis (estimated 15 July 2025)
      2. Completion of preliminary report (estimated 30 August 2025)
      3. Completion of final report (estimated 30 September 2025)

Payment will be processed, net 30 days, after the completion of the following four action steps:

1. Submission of deliverable(s) by the consultant.
   1. Submission of an invoice specific to the deliverable(s) by the consultant.
      1. Approval of the deliverable(s) by CRS.
         1. Approval of each invoice by CRS.
2. Travel Requirement

No travel is anticipated.

1. Contact Persons and Working Relationships

SOW Management:

Malaria Strategic Change Platform Lead.

Technical Support, Guidance, and Review:

Senior Advisor – Global Fund Support Unit.

Senior Technical Advisor – Malaria.

CRS and AMP will assign part-time staff with malaria program digitalization experience to participate in and provide technical and programmatic expertise for all project phases.

1. Required Application Components
2. A proposal that describes a summary of the approach, demonstrating qualifications in undertaking the scope of work. The summary should highlight how the applicant will complete the deliverables.
3. Résumé/CV.
4. 2 – 3 examples of previous similar assignments.
5. In your technical proposal summary, include (a) Compensation rate per day, (b) Total cost for completing the assignment, and (c) Confirmation of the level of effort (i.e., number of billable days).
6. Contact information of three professional references, with the following details about the references: (a) name, (b) position, (c) company, (d) phone number, (e) email address, and (f) city, state, country.
7. Completion of Annex A
8. Relationship disclosure:
   1. Describe any current or past relationships you or your organization may have with CRS.
   2. Describe any personal or family relationships any employee of the Consultant has with any employee of CRS.

Note: Applications that do not include the requirements noted above will not be considered.

1. Qualification

The ideal consultant should possess the following qualifications:

1. Master’s degree in public health or epidemiology.
2. Minimum of 5 years of experience conducting qualitative research and key informant interviews.
3. Understanding of AMP priorities and the HARP WG priorities.
4. Familiarity with malaria prevention strategies in emergency settings and humanitarian response.
5. Excellent writing, communication, and analytical skills.
6. Strong skills for coordination and collaboration, as well as the ability to adhere to deadlines and work remotely.

Agency-wide Competencies for all CRS staff and consultants: These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member and consultant to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Serves with Integrity
• Models Stewardship
• Cultivates Constructive Relationships
• Promotes Learning

1. Clarifying Questions and CRS Response

Prospective bidders may submit any clarification questions by singular request to andrea.wilson-taylor@crs.org by February 10, 2025 [11 59 PM EST]. The solicitation name “US9368.02.2025 Review of the Use of Technology to Facilitate Insecticide-Treated Net Distribution for Vector Control in Complex Operating Environments” must be included in the Email Subject line. Responses will be provided to any known prospective bidders on February 13, 2025. Questions submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

1. Proposal Submission

All proposals must be sent to andrea.wilson-taylor@crs.org no later than February 17, 2025 [11:59 PM EST for electronic submission]. The solicitation name “US9368.02.2025 Review of the Use of Technology to Facilitate Insecticide-Treated Net Distribution for Vector Control in Complex Operating Environments” must be included in the Email Subject Line.

Please note that all prospective bidders will receive a notification regarding the outcome of the Request for Proposal (RFP) promptly following the decision-making process.

ANNEX A

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Attachment 1, Standard Terms and Conditions, presents the Terms & Conditions (“T&Cs”) which CRS considers to be essential and relevant to the contractual relationship between the parties. Bidders are expected to familiarize themselves with these T&Cs and be prepared to be governed by them in substantially the form presented here. In submitting a proposal, a vendor who desires to request an exception to these T&Cs and/or desires to propose an alternative approach to a particular provision should identify such provision(s) and explain the rationale for the exception or alternative. Additionally, should the Bidder propose to use a form contract adapted to its particular services which substantially conforms to the T&Cs presented here, that form contract should be submitted as part of the Bidder’s Bid Package with Annex A.

Terms and Conditions Acceptance

I hereby accept and agree to the Terms and Conditions of this Request for Proposal for US9368.02.2025 Review of the Use of Technology to Facilitate Insecticide-Treated Net Distribution for Vector Control in Complex Operating Environments to be carried out for Catholic Relief Services, located at 228 W. Lexington St., Baltimore, MD, 21201.

Name and Title of Authorized Respondent:

Signature:

Date:

[1] AMP Operational Guidance for ITN Distribution in Complex Operating Environments (COE)

How to apply

We kindly invite you to visit https://www.crs.org/about/bid-opportunity for a comprehensive overview of the Scope of Work and our Contract Terms and Conditions.

Required Application Components

1. A proposal that describes a summary of the approach, demonstrating qualifications in undertaking the scope of work. The summary should highlight how the applicant will complete the deliverables.
2. Résumé/CV.
3. 2 – 3 examples of previous similar assignments.
4. In your technical proposal summary, include (a) Compensation rate per day, (b) Total cost for completing the assignment, and (c) Confirmation of the level of effort (i.e., number of billable days).
5. Contact information of three professional references, with the following details about the references: (a) name, (b) position, (c) company, (d) phone number, (e) email address, and (f) city, state, country.
6. Completion of Annex A
7. Relationship disclosure:
   1. Describe any current or past relationships you or your organization may have with CRS.
   2. Describe any personal or family relationships any employee of the Consultant has with any employee of CRS.

Note: Applications that do not include the requirements noted above will not be considered.